Special-education director outlines eligibility process, continuum of services and improving dashboard metrics
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Summary
The district’s special-education director reviewed referral and eligibility rules, a continuum of programs (co-taught classes, therapeutic programs and life-skills), and said recent dashboard indicators show improvements while noting a slight uptick in suspension rates and continued attention to parent communication.
Director Jennifer Smith presented the district’s special-education identification and services report, describing the referral-to-eligibility process, the continuum of supports and improvement in several dashboard indicators for students with disabilities.
Smith said referrals typically start with parents or teachers, assessments and eligibility meetings occur within a 60-day statutory window, and eligibility is determined by educational impact rather than diagnosis alone. The district offers a continuum from general-education accommodations and co-taught classes to specialized therapeutic and life-skills programs; Smith said some students in extensive-need programs will not likely exit services, while students in mild-to-moderate programs can fade out of IEP services after reassessment.
On performance, Smith showed dashboard comparisons for 2024–25 and said the district demonstrates strong ELA and math proficiency for students with disabilities in many areas, though suspension rates in that subgroup increased slightly and are an area of focus. She noted the district served roughly 486 students with disabilities, about 60 of whom are also multilingual learners.
Trustees asked about timelines, parent communication and what the board can do to support steady service delivery. Smith said the department has improved consistency, uses multiple outreach channels to engage parents, and planned parent-engagement events on executive-functioning supports after winter break.
What’s next: Staff will provide the board a flowchart with statutory timelines and internal response expectations, and will continue to report dashboard updates and program metrics.
