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District expands co‑teaching, peer‑tutoring and inclusion framework in annual special‑education review
Summary
Special‑education leaders presented an Inclusive Schools Resolution and a new inclusion framework, reported growth in co‑teaching pilots, preschool inclusion and peer‑tutoring/Unified Sports, and committed to lowering the 'most significant cognitive disability' classification toward 1% statewide expectations.
District special‑education leaders asked the board to adopt an ambitions inclusion framework Wednesday and outlined operational steps to expand inclusive instruction district‑wide.
Tiffany (special education leader) and Director Aaron Anderson said about 16 percent of district students have IEPs — roughly 2,800 students — and described a continuum in which roughly 80 percent receive resource services in their home schools while 20 percent are in special‑class placements. The administration reported expansion of co‑teaching (13 elementary schools using push‑in models, three more slated for 2026–27; seven secondary schools with co‑teaching) and three pilot sites funded through an i3 innovation grant to hire coaches focused on co‑teaching planning and implementation.
Officials described multiple professional‑learning supports: monthly PD for special‑education teachers, an August cross‑department PD on instruction and differentiation, a Canvas course for teachers, and a tool for administrators to observe and give feedback on co‑teaching practices. Early‑childhood (EC) inclusion was highlighted: the district has increased inclusive preschool placements and will expand collaborative classroom models.
Tiffany noted a federal/state requirement to reduce the percentage of students classified as having a most significant cognitive disability (an alternate assessment population), and the district has reduced that number each year; her team set an objective to reach or fall below the federal target of about 1 percent.
The presentation also spotlighted peer inclusion: peer‑tutoring programs, Unified Sports at each school, and community partnerships that create social and extracurricular access for students with disabilities. Board members asked how the district will measure curricular access and instruction in contained classrooms; staff said evaluations will use adapted ECAP instruments and administrator observation cycles tied to instructional pacing and Tiered supports.
The board received the report as part of the reports agenda; leadership asked staff to circulate the inclusion framework once finalized and to identify model sites that can be used as examples for replication.
