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Cabot School District expands K–12 inclusive practices, officials say
Summary
District special‑education leaders told the board they have trained staff across K–12, are serving about 1,617 students with IEPs (151 new this year), and are moving resource support toward in‑class inclusion and co‑teaching, with 73 students on alternate assessments.
Cabot School District special‑education staff briefed the board on a districtwide move toward inclusive settings across K–12, describing training, classroom supports and early outcomes.
Presenters said the district has trained general‑education and special‑education teachers and paraprofessionals and has 151 new IEPs since last year. A presenter reported the district serves approximately "1,617 students that we are serving with IEPs" and that "73 out of 1,615" take an alternate assessment (DLM).
Staff described inclusion as a continuum in which most students receive general‑education instruction with supports such as co‑teaching, in‑class intervention, paraprofessional assistance and pull‑out services only when needed. The presenters emphasized that inclusive practice requires in‑class supports and professional collaboration, citing Universal Design for Learning and trainer‑of‑trainer programs the district used in recent months.
The district reported reductions in formal behavior‑support requests for students receiving special education services compared with prior years and said most behavior requests now originate from students not in special‑education settings. Presenters also noted assistive technologies and curriculum‑adaptation tools (for example, EquatIO and Read&Write) are being deployed to increase accessibility.
Board members praised the initiative and several urged colleagues to visit inclusion classrooms; one trustee described an emotional site visit and recommended board members observe the classrooms firsthand. Administrators said the long‑term goal is broad inclusion where appropriate while preserving tailored pathways for students with more significant needs.
