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Superintendent presents special education progress report; district highlights staffing, early childhood expansion and lower mediation filings
Summary
Superintendent Dr. Darryl Rogers and Special Education staff updated the board on special education initiatives including expanded early childhood programs, a toolkit of supports for schools (IEP facilitators), hybrid delivery for some related services, and data showing higher first‑year special educator retention and a drop in mediation filings.
Baltimore County Public Schools leaders told the Board of Education on March 11 that the district has expanded early childhood programs, added IEP facilitators to every school, and seen improved first‑year special educator retention alongside a 22% decrease in mediation filings from baseline.
Why it matters: Special education is a central academic priority for the district. Staffing shortages, related‑service delivery, and family engagement affect student access to services and daily instruction.
Highlights from the presentation - Dr. Darryl Rogers (Superintendent) framed special education as a top academic priority and described investments in professional learning, early childhood expansion and coaching visits for fidelity of curriculum implementation. - Dr. DeDonato detailed priority strategies: targeted professional learning for special educators and school teams; expanded IEP facilitator coverage (now in all schools); a five‑part series on specially designed instruction for special educators; and expanded infant–toddler supports and transition services. - The district is implementing a hybrid speech‑language service delivery model (mix of in‑person and virtual providers) to address shortages while prioritizing in‑person services for regional and early‑childhood programs. Staff said virtual service delivery is an evidence‑based practice and that in‑person services remain a priority where student need warrants it. - Staff reported retention data showing first‑year special educator retention around 90% for self‑contained teachers and about 89% for inclusion teachers; the district attributed retention improvement to professional learning and coaching supports. - The district reported a 22% decrease in mediation filings from baseline; staff said greater family engagement and support options (including IEP facilitation) contributed to fewer mediation requests.
Board Q&A and follow‑up Board members asked about how the district is increasing family survey response rates, details on workloads versus caseloads for related‑service providers, and how schools will be held accountable for implementation. Staff said they will expand outreach tools (e.g., TalkingPoints), offer more modeling/co‑planning to school teams, refine workload standards for related‑service providers, and continue dashboards tracking response and support interactions.
Ending: District staff said they will continue implementing the special education roadmap, report on progress metrics and provide updates on parent engagement and staffing improvements.
