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Rochester schools report mixed progress on special-education consent decree; 14 of 21 benchmarks met
Summary
District officials told the Board’s Equity and Student Achievement Committee on Dec. 10 that the Rochester City School District has met 14 of 21 consent-decree benchmarks, is within 5% on two measures and still needs work on five academic measures including ELA, math and graduation rates.
Kristin Swan, RCSD chief of special education and diverse learners, presented an executive summary of the district’s progress under the federal consent decree approved by a judge in February 2021 and negotiated with Empire Justice Center.
Swan said the district met 14 of the 21 annual measures tied to the consent decree and obtained partial disengagement on several benchmarks that have been met for multiple years. "We have many celebrations," she told the committee, while also cautioning that "we also recognize that there's still areas, and opportunities for growth."
The presentation, delivered primarily by Director of Special Education Stephanie Knapp, said two measures are being closely monitored and five remain unmet. The unfinished items are largely academic: the percentages of students with disabilities proficient in English language arts and math and the June graduation rate. Knapp said academic outcomes “are reliant on many departments” and urged district-wide collaboration, citing evidence-based curricula such as LETRS and expanded partnerships with the Regional Partnership Center.
District officials cited specific performance and staffing figures. Knapp reported that 63.4% of students with disabilities are engaged in the general-education curriculum 80% or more of the day (above the New York State comparison figure cited in the presentation, 58.75%). The district reported 17.7% of students with disabilities spending less than 40% of the day in general education; Knapp said the state benchmark is 17.8%, and the district “meets this metric when compared to New York State measures.”
Officials also flagged workforce shortages. The presentation said there were about 52.5 uncertified teachers counted on the district’s BEDS (Basic Educational Data System) day, a figure leadership called a persistent challenge and said the district is pursuing recruitment, retention incentives and partnerships with local universities.
Knapp and Swan said work with Empire Justice Center has been collaborative. Knapp said the district has offered “over eight mandatory professional development opportunities” but still lacks a reliable tracking system for attendance at those sessions; that tracking remains a point of negotiation. The presenters said they will develop a remedial action plan for unmet measures and pursue a public “consent decree dashboard” to allow ongoing monitoring.
Board members pressed on placement and fidelity. Commissioner Patterson asked whether special-education staff physically inspect classrooms before placements; Swan and Knapp said placement staff include leaders with special-education backgrounds and that the transition process between schools remains an area for improvement. Several commissioners and Superintendent Lesli A. Strickland emphasized the need for principals’ involvement and for certified teachers in self-contained classes.
The presentation closed with an offer to publish the annual report after board feedback; Knapp said the district already had completed and sent its annual report to Empire Justice Center and was incorporating feedback.
Ending
Officials characterized the district’s position as “work in progress”: multiple metrics are improving or exceeding state comparisons while key academic outcomes and staffing gaps remain. Swan and Knapp asked the board for feedback before publishing the annual report and for continued interdepartmental support to meet the remaining consent-decree benchmarks.
