Director outlines rising special-education needs, new IEP guide and classroom reconfigurations

Kelly Marciano, the district—s director of special education, told the board the district currently reports about 15% of students with disabilities and roughly 30% of those students are in more specialized programs. "We want to stay around that 15% as close as possible," Marciano said, while emphasizing the district—s goal to place students in the least-restrictive environment whenever appropriate.

Nut graf: Marciano outlined several program changes and supports intended to address rising levels of need: a new districtwide IEP guide to standardize timelines and accommodations, reconfigured classroom models (including additions and conversions of 1211, 611 and 812/813 classrooms), and participation in state-targeted skills groups for alternative-assessment and literacy improvements after the district exceeded state thresholds in some measures.

Marciano said the district—s data submission to the state is often a year behind and noted long-term trends of increased mental-health needs and more students classified with emotional disabilities. She described classroom-level changes: an added high-school 1211 self-contained setting, a newly opened 612 classroom earlier this year to serve students who registered mid-September, and preschool adjustments that will convert one full-day 1211 into two half-day 611 sessions to match incoming early-intervention profiles while maintaining capacity.

The director presented a new IEP guide intended to create consistent IEP writing across buildings, with tabs for timelines, meeting checklists, program minutes, test accommodations and a decision-making guide for alternative assessments. She explained the state—s threshold handling: because the district—s science-alternative-assessment rate was about 2.95% (the state objective is 1% and a 2.5% trigger requires work), the district joined targeted skills groups and will provide parents with New York State—s approved resources about the difference between a certificate and a diploma.

Board members pressed on whether student classifications might be altered to meet percentage targets; Marciano said the district uses multi-tiered systems of support and declassification plans when appropriate and stressed the district would not remove needed services solely to meet a numeric target.

Ending: The board received the report and thanked special-education staff for program work; Marciano said the district will continue using task forces, professional learning teams and the IEP guide to improve services and state reporting.