Quakertown presents special education plan; district flags missed indicators and readies gifted monitoring

Carrie presented Quakertown Community SD's special education plan for 2026'2029 at the April 13 committee meeting and outlined both compliance details and recommended next steps after the district identified areas that fell short of state expectations.

The plan is a state requirement, Carrie said, and must be submitted to the Pennsylvania Department of Education by May 1. She told the committee the document outlines essential components such as placement in the least restrictive environment, positive behavioral supports, caseload sizes and other procedural items and that the district had posted the plan for public viewing.

Key findings and corrective steps: Carrie said three state indicators were not met. One related to state testing participation and proficiency for students with disabilities (indicator 3); a second was a low response rate on the district's post-graduation survey (survey indicator); and a third involved initial evaluation timelines, where two evaluations exceeded the required 60 days. Carrie said she worked with Office of Teaching and Learning staff and others to revise policies, procedures and action steps to address those items.

Gifted program monitoring and caseloads: Carrie said the Pennsylvania Department of Education will conduct gifted monitoring the week of May 11 (administrative interview May 11; on-site review May 12) including paperwork review, teacher and parent interviews and selected student file reviews; an official report is expected 60 calendar days after the visit. She said COGAT data (administered this year to second and fifth graders) produced 9 second-grade and 11 fifth-grade evaluations that prompted additional review. Carrie reported a current gifted caseload of 58 students split between two gifted teachers and said approximately 25 additional students are under review.

Staffing and program development: Carrie and administrators said the district has an open coordinator position to oversee gifted and 504 processes; they discussed tiered models and adding staff if identification and caseloads grow. Carrie said the district is reviewing whether classroom differentiation, LEAP seminars and a high-school gifted seminar are sufficient, and that the district would use the state's monitoring feedback to guide improvements.

Next steps: The committee will take the plan to the full board later in the month. Administration will receive the state's monitoring report after the May visit and generally has one calendar year to take action on recommendations. Carrie said she would share the monitoring report publicly when available.

Quotes: "It is due to the state by May 1," Carrie said of the special education plan. On monitoring: "May 11 is an administrative interview. May 12, they will be on-site, and it really is just a review of our paperwork." She also described steps intended to correct missed evaluation timelines.

The committee asked for follow-up data on indicators and whether current staffing matches projected gifted growth; Carrie said she would provide the specific state-mandated case-load numbers and follow up on questions about identification rates and staffing needs.