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Special‑education profile: Bedford reports 88.1% IEP graduation rate and reduced alternative testing
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Summary
Director Maryanne Armstrong told the board Bedford City Schools serves nearly 24% of students with IEPs or 504 plans, reported an 88.1% five‑year graduation rate for students with IEPs and said district interventions reduced the share of students on alternate assessments. The district described targeted work on disproportionality and new programs (PAW, BEAR).
Maryanne Armstrong, who presented the district’s special‑education profile, told the board Bedford City Schools is serving nearly 24% of students with an IEP or 504 plan and is tracking 17 state performance indicators used to measure compliance and outcomes.
"This is basically our special ed report card," Armstrong said, summarizing areas such as graduation and dropout rates, timely evaluations, preschool services and disproportionality. For the 2023–24 data, she reported an 88.10% five‑year graduation rate for students with IEPs and a dropout rate near 4.76%.
Armstrong described district efforts to address identified disproportionality. She said the speech and language team implemented an MTSS (multi‑tiered system of supports) approach that eliminated a previously flagged speech‑only disproportionality, and the district has created the PAW (Pathways to Academic Wellness) program and the BEAR program to reduce exclusionary discipline and keep students in district programs.
On alternative assessments, Armstrong said participation in the state OST has increased: the share on alternative assessments in reading and language arts fell from about 2.34% in 2020 to 1.02%, and in math from about 2.35% to 1.04%.
Board members praised staff and asked for details about how inclusion and co‑teaching are being implemented. Armstrong attributed improvements to increased inclusion, co‑teaching models and investments in professional development and related services.
Phase 2 of the special‑education profile will be released in May; Armstrong said the profile drives planning and resource allocation for special education services.
