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After state finding, Malden hires outside reviewer for special‑education program; interim report expected in spring
Summary
Following DESE's 'year 1 needs improvement' finding for special education, Malden contracted Empower Ed to conduct a program review (focus groups, snapshot non‑evaluative classroom observations, data and document review) with snapshot observations planned for late February and an interim report due in late March/early April.
Superintendent Sippo told the School Committee that Malden Public Schools is conducting an external program review of its special‑education services after the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) included the district in a 'year 1 needs improvement' list under new statewide criteria.
He said 18.8% of Malden students were eligible for special‑education services in the reporting year cited and that DESE's new accountability matrix compares district results to statewide targets using lagging data sets from prior years. To respond, the district solicited proposals and selected Empower Ed to perform a comprehensive program review that will include community engagement (focus groups and a stakeholder survey), short snapshot classroom observations (non‑evaluative, typically under five minutes), and analysis of multi‑year data and policies.
"Last year with this new criteria...they did find Malden Public Schools along with 44 other districts across the state as a year 1 needs improvement district for our special ed program," the superintendent said. He explained DESE will be looking at multi‑year achievement results (including MCAS grades) and post‑secondary transition measures that are reported with a lag and that some DESE benchmarks are still being clarified.
Empower Ed's work will include classroom snapshot observations across substantially separate and general‑education classrooms to identify patterns and themes; administrators said those observations are not evaluations of individual teachers and are intended to conclude by the end of February, with an interim report due in late March to inform the district's strategic planning process in April and June.
Committee members asked about what DESE specifically compares and how targets are set; administrators said DESE establishes statewide targets and compares districts against them, which can leave districts looking to improve even when showing local growth. The superintendent said the review will also gather input from CPAC (the parent advisory council for special education), staff, and other caregivers to develop short‑ and long‑term recommendations.
The committee did not take formal action on recommendations at the Feb. 2 meeting; administrators said Empower Ed's findings will be brought back as they become available.
