Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Special Education topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
FJUHSD presents special education overview, highlights inclusion gains and an identified disproportionality
Summary
Assistant Superintendent Dr. Sylvia Kaufman and Director Paul Valerio told trustees the district serves about 1,381 special education students and has increased inclusion; presenters also flagged a significant disproportionality in eligibility for specific learning disability among Hispanic students and outlined next steps.
Assistant Superintendent of Education and Assessment Services Dr. Sylvia Kaufman and Director of Special Education Paul Valerio gave a detailed presentation to the Fullerton Joint Union High School District Board of Trustees outlining the district’s special education programs and outcomes.
“Our special education vision is … to ensure that all students identified for special education receive individualized services and supports in an inclusive culture,” Dr. Sylvia Kaufman said, summarizing the district’s goals for services and inclusion. The presentation described a continuum of services ranging from general-education collaboration classes to moderate-to-severe programs and the Adult Transition Program (ATP).
Valerio and Kaufman provided program-level data: the district serves approximately 1,381 students in special education, about 10 percent of total enrollment. Of those students, roughly 1,096 are in mild-to-moderate programs, about 107 are in moderate-to-severe programs, and about 97 are in the Adult Transition Program (numbers as presented by district staff). The presentation said 57 percent of special education students spend 80 percent or more of the school day in the general education setting, a commonly used metric for least restrictive environment (LRE).
District staff detailed supports that help those inclusion results, including partnerships with the local SELPA, WorkAbility, and the California Department of Rehabilitation; in-class collaboration models; and professional learning for both general education and special education staff. Staff said they offered 36 special-education professional learning sessions this year and nine days of collaboration training for teachers.
Valerio reviewed performance and behavioral trends, noting a decline in disciplinary incidents for students with disabilities from 279 to 194 over the tracked period. He also described career and transition work: ATP hubs, community work placements and small student-run microbusinesses such as the ATP coffee shop (Calf ATP), which marked its one-year anniversary.
The presentation also identified areas for improvement. District staff said the California Dashboard and related metrics show academic gaps and that the district was identified for significant disproportionality in the eligibility category of specific learning disability for Hispanic students. Paul Valerio said the district takes that finding seriously and is implementing targeted strategies as part of its “Set for Success” framework to address disproportionality and improve outcomes.
Trustees responded with thanks and praise for the breadth of services and for inclusion programs such as Best Buddies and ATP graduation ceremonies. Several board members emphasized the importance of family partnerships and data-driven accountability as the district pursues remedies and program adjustments.
The presentation concluded with next steps: continued partnership with Chapman University to expand collaborative-teaching models, expanded professional learning and parent workshops, development of a special education newsletter, and exploration of grant funding to expand work-based learning and transition supports.
The board did not take formal action on this informational item; presenters said course outlines tied to the presentation would appear on the consent agenda for board approval where required.
