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Waunakee DEI committee: district still identified for disproportionality; multi‑year MTSS work planned
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Summary
Tiffany Logan told the Waunakee Community School District DEI committee the district remains identified for disproportionality for African American students in special education; the committee outlined multi‑year MTSS/RTI steps and training to reduce bias and referrals.
Tiffany Logan, a district staff member, told the Waunakee Community School District DEI committee that the district is currently identified by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) for disproportionality — meaning African American students are over‑identified for special education compared with their peers.
Logan reviewed risk‑ratio trends, saying the district’s ratio decreased slightly from about 2.6 in 2023 to roughly 2.57 but remains above the DPI threshold for identification. “You’re trending in the right direction, but it’s not a significant change,” she said, quoting feedback from a DPI representative. Logan cautioned the board to interpret subgroup data carefully because the African American sample in tested grades 3–8 was about 28 students in 2024–25.
The committee emphasized a multi‑year approach. Logan said the district sets 3–5 year goals because systemic changes do not occur in a single year. The DEI plan’s targets for 2025–26 include increasing sense of belonging, reducing achievement gaps and lowering the disproportionate number of externally managed behavior incidents by 0.5 on the risk‑ratio metric.
On interventions, Logan described the district’s multi‑tiered system of supports (MTSS): Tier 1 universal instruction, Tier 2 targeted small‑group interventions, and Tier 3 intensive supports that can lead to referral if progress is not adequate. She said the district will analyze the referral pathway and consistency across buildings to reduce bias entering the special education process. “Our goal for this year is to really analyze this piece and look at each step of the process,” she said.
Logan also described updating the district’s Response to Intervention (RTI) guide to incorporate Act 20 requirements; the behavior portion is scheduled for completion this year with implementation planned for spring or next fall. She said some elements of the three‑year plan are required by disproportionality reporting to DPI and others are district initiatives chosen to support students.
The meeting concluded with a voice vote to adjourn. The committee did not take a formal vote on policy changes; next steps are data analysis, finalizing the RTI behavior guidance and continued reporting to DPI.
