Director reviews special-education evaluation: strengths noted, out-of-district placements and emotional-impairment identifications are concerns

Anne Marie Lester, Director of Student Services, presented the results of a comprehensive special-education program review conducted with an external consultant. The report highlighted strengths: a generally inclusive model, manageable caseloads, collaborative co-teaching in some areas and “over 79 percent of our students with disabilities are educated in a full inclusion setting,” which Lester read as a positive metric compared with state figures.

The review also identified areas for improvement. Lester said the district’s identification rate of students with disabilities is about 4 percentage points higher than the state average, and out-of-district placements have historically been higher — around 18 percent over the last decade — creating reliance on consortium placements for highest-need students. Emotional-impairment classifications were called out as notably high and a focus for change.

Lester described concrete responses: expanding tiered supports and MTSS screening tools for social and emotional learning, revising role clarity and training for paraprofessionals (paraprofessional staffing is “nearly double the state average,” the report said), and enhancing internal therapeutic programs (RISE renamed to TSS with increased certified-staff oversight). The district plans to host the consultant again and implement PD and program realignment; committee members asked follow-up questions about co-teaching PD, reporting to families and measures of progress.