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Charles County Board hears positive early results from SOAR special-education reset
Summary
District officials told the Board of Education that elementary SOAR classrooms were re-leveled to limit grade-band mixing, and early data show higher I-Ready growth and far fewer suspensions; a SOAR teacher described improved engagement and IEP progress in smaller classes.
Larry Johnson, director of special education for Charles County Public Schools, told the Board of Education at its Feb. 23 work session that the district reorganized elementary SOAR classrooms so most rooms now contain one or two grade levels rather than three to five, a change officials say has eased planning for teachers and improved student outcomes.
Johnson said the district's most recent child count shows just over 3,500 students with individualized education programs, an increase of about 351 students over the past several years, and that preschool-aged students (ages 3'5) increased roughly 33 percent. He said those trends required additional staffing and prompted the roster changes. "We needed a reset," Johnson said, adding that transportation and other logistics were coordinated so about 85 percent of reassignments produced equal or shorter bus rides.
The district presented fall-to-winter…
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