Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Special Education topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
MCPS outlines special‑education and multilingual staffing standards tied to least‑restrictive environment
Summary
MCPS proposed LRE‑based staffing: a 1:15 teacher:student ratio for special education students spending 80%+ time in general education (LRE A) with paraeducator allocations, and tiered supports for emergent multilingual learners; implementation phases run across FY27–FY30.
MCPS presented proposed staffing standards for special education and emergent multilingual learners that use a least‑restrictive‑environment (LRE) framework to allocate teachers and paraeducators.
Alan Francois described the LRE model and proposed ratios: for LRE A (students spending 80%+ of time in general education) MCPS proposed a teacher:student ratio of 1:15 and one paraeducator per teacher; LRE B and C would receive lower ratios and additional paraeducator allocations depending on IEP service levels. Francois said this approach would better align resources to students’ IEP requirements and minimize ad‑hoc decisions.
On English language development, MCPS grouped emergent multilingual learners by proficiency (EOP levels 1–4) and proposed differing staffing ratios across grade bands, with more intensive supports for students at early proficiency levels. MCPS staff told the committee they will phase in special‑education and EML staffing (LRE A in FY27 for elementary; LRE B/C and secondary phases through FY30) and that the model would be refined as part of stakeholder workgroups and implementation monitoring.
Committee members requested clearer operational examples (hours and IEP alignment), and MCPS agreed to provide more detailed implementation schedules and training plans for administrators who will manage differentiated student support.
