District presents inclusion-resolution implementation, highlights pilot programs and training plan

Salt Lake City School District staff delivered a wide-ranging report to the board on progress implementing the district's Inclusive Schools resolution, detailing classroom pilots, training, curriculum choices and next steps for co-teaching and professional development.

Presenters described the Inclusive Schools resolution as a district commitment to ensure that 'all students get the supports and services they need to maximize access' and to be valued members of their school communities. Presenters said the district used a reflection rubric from the training book Yes We Can to shape the report and to measure practices in three domains: academic inclusion, social inclusion and physical inclusion.

Staff highlighted several pilots and programs they said demonstrate inclusive practices: a district-wide seventh-grade Moon Mission symposium that gave all seventh graders virtual-reality STEM experiences; a pilot Seal of Civic Readiness that led 89 students to showcase projects (89 of 111 students in the pilot were awarded the seal); Advanced Academic (AMP) identification efforts that have increased the number of identified students who also have IEPs at some schools; a sustainability pilot co-taught across general and special education classrooms; and expanded Career and Technical Education (CTE) participation by students with IEPs. Presenters noted the district's preschool options include general education, supported and collaborative classroom models, with itinerant services available where required.

On teacher supports and system changes, staff described efforts to strengthen co-teaching districtwide: a recent set of professional-development sessions tied to a USBE (state) grant will fund four coaches next year to support co-teaching in target schools and provide ongoing professional development for administrators, general education and special education teachers. Presenters said the district will run initial multi-day training in August and follow-up coaching during the school year; they emphasized the importance of protected collaborative planning time for general- and special-education teachers.

Board members asked clarifying questions about inclusion rates (how many students with disabilities accessed particular programs), disaggregation by type/severity of disability, and whether the district's Advanced Academic and CTE programs are reaching students with more significant support needs. Presenters acknowledged the Seal of Civic Readiness pilot counted roughly 8% of participants as students with IEPs (mild/moderate) in the pilot cohort, and said the pilot rubric can be adapted to include essential-elements students as the program expands.

Staff closed the presentation with 'bright light' examples: co-teaching classrooms in several elementary schools where principals said it was hard to tell who held an IEP because instruction was integrated, adapted music and theater productions that include all students, an adapted PE program and district National History Day and CTE apprenticeships that include students with IEPs. The presenters said peer tutoring and Unified Sports credit pathways are expanding, and that the district is working to create CTE paraprofessional career pathways and to align secondary curricula (Reading Horizons Elevate and Eureka Math) with accommodations.

Why this matters: The report frames inclusion as systemwide work that touches curriculum, staffing, scheduling and facilities. Staff asked the board to support continued investment in co-teaching coaching, in protected collaborative planning time, and in the design of rubrics and program materials that are accessible across a range of learner needs.

What's next: The district will implement the multi-day co-teaching training in August, hire coaches funded by a USBE grant, and continue to expand the Seal of Civic Readiness and other pilots with attention to rubrics and accommodations that allow more students with significant needs to participate.