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El Campo ISD hears first annual special education board report as special ed enrollment rises
Summary
Miss Andersen told the El Campo ISD board that 581 students currently receive special education services, a roughly 40% increase since 2021–22; the district scored a '2' on the state Results Driven Accountability scale, with strengths in graduation and inclusion and concerns in certain assessment and discipline indicators.
Miss Andersen, the district special education lead, presented El Campo ISD's first annual special education board report, saying the district currently serves 581 students receiving special education services and that the population identified for services rose from about 12% in 2021—22 to roughly 17.94% of enrollment.
The report, framed around the Texas Education Agency's Results Driven Accountability (RDA) system, identified El Campo ISD's overall RDA determination level as a "2." Andersen told trustees the district shows "strong graduation outcomes" (an RDA performance level at the preferred end of the scale) and noted inclusive practices, reporting a regular-class inclusion rate of 73.1% that met RDA cut points.
Andersen said the largest growth area has been in the specific learning disability category, partly because dyslexia is now classified under that umbrella, and that autism identifications have increased. She also described discipline indicators that lag behind academic indicators: "Indicator 15" reflected a higher cumulative removal rate (55.5%) driven in part by repeat disciplinary removals, she said, and the district is using behavior support systems and functional behavior assessments to try to reduce removals.
The presenter acknowledged concerns the RDA report flags about disproportionality, saying the district has been identified for potential overidentification of African-American males in the Other Health Impairment (OHI) category. "We're looking at our evaluation processes to determine whether primary-disability classifications need adjustment or whether some students would be better served under a 504 plan," Andersen said.
Board members asked clarifying questions about measurement windows and how two-year-old data can lag current practice; Andersen noted some RDA indicators rely on older data and the district monitors more recent trends internally. She outlined next steps: refine evaluation practices, monitor progress at campus levels, and continue coordination with Region 3 for formal RDA calculations.
The board did not take action on the report itself; the presentation was framed as an informational annual report intended to meet forthcoming state requirements.
