Board Reviews Special Education Program

For a variety of reasons, including the cost saving benefits of keeping students in Scarsdale rather than sending them out of district for their special education needs, the District has made a concerted effort to expand and improve upon special education programming at each of the Scarsdale schools.

At the Board of Education meeting on Monday December 16th, Assistant Superintendent for special education Eric Rauschenbach and Assistant Director of Special Education Amy Cermele, gave a thorough presentation explaining the evolution of special education in the district and how the growth of inclusive programming benefits all students and not only children who qualify for a 504 or an individual education plan.

While the incredibly informative presentation can be viewed in its entirety here. You can find some of the important highlights below:

In an overview of Special Education that included a look at current numbers and historical trends in Scarsdale, Rauschenbach began with the reminder that, “ It is important to reiterate that the goals for special education students are the same goals we have for all students – to give them the tools to live independent, purposeful lives with as many choices as their desires and talents allow. Special education is simply the mechanism for students who need specialized methods and tools to get there.

Those methods and tools address four main things; access, self understanding, self advocacy, and planning for the future. All of the programs and services you hear us reference tonight are in service to one of these four areas.”

Rauschenbach also described the state and federal mandates that require consideration when providing an education to a student with special needs. As he stated, “If we boil both the federal and state regulations down, the requirement that all students with a disability receive a free and appropriate public education would be at the center. We refer to this as FAPE.” Rauschenbach and Cermele went on to outline how the Scarsdale District works to address individual student needs so as to allow them access to the general education curriculum AND offering a continuum of educational programs to meet those needs. This work includes careful consideration of pedagogy, professional development, targeted materials and programs based in research, universal design – collaboration with general education, teacher input, feedback, and support.

Rauschenbach then highlighted the types of special education programming Scarsdale offers at each of its seven schools.

The presenters went on to share several graphs that chart the increase in the number of students requiring special education services. Rauschenbach noted “Currently, we have 627 special education students and 82 Preschoolers with an IEP. Since 2018-19 Scarsdale has seen an increase of 267 classified students.This represents slightly over a 50% rise in students with IEPs.”

Some in our community have recognized the increase in the number of full time employees (FTE) which Rauschenbach says directly stems from the increase in students qualifying for an IEP. “Seventeen of the FTEs are a direct result of additional students participating in the elementary ICT program. The positions for Learning Resource on the secondary level account for the increased population and the need for additional sections. The additional District Psychologist, behaviorist, and the Assistant Director have stemmed from the overall increased needs presented by 267 additional Special Education students. The remaining additions for our SSP and Special Class programs are largely serving populations that would have required out of District placements prior to those programs being available.”

In summing up the trends and our current situation, Rauschenbach made note of these key takeaways:

As special education programs expand to meet the growing needs of our students, the District recognizes their responsibility to regularly assess the success of both the students being served, and of the program as a whole. When evaluating the effects of some of the recent organizational changes, Rauschenbach made clear:

“Prior to the expansion, our chairpeople all led more than 150 CSE meetings per year and the CPSE/CSE chairperson led just over 300. These numbers diminished the capacity for our CSE chairpeople to address other needs including parental responsiveness, observing students, meeting with teams, collaborating to create consistent practice, and providing professional development around CSE compliance. The additional position has provided that increased capacity.”

“Similarly to the CSE process, [before hiring additional support] there was a capacity issue around programmatic supervision. The Assistant Superintendent was the only administrator, causing a bottleneck around programming and student based decisions, both which had budgetary or supervisory impacts. The additional administrative position and the lowering of caseloads, has allowed for more programmatic focus and greater support for teachers and building administrators.”

When describing assessment of an individual student’s success, Cermele related that the process involves many steps including: Identifying the student’s need through evaluations, developing goals, and monitoring progress through items like classroom work samples and exams (when directly related to goals).

Using data from state assessments, Cermele went on to share several slides that illustrate program success on a larger scale and explained, “The data shows that while we have always outperformed the state, there has been a very positive trend in performance over the past 10 years. This trend coincides with the expansion of the ICT program, concerted effort with regards to Professional Development, more focused MTSS procedures, and the increase in related services including reading and social emotional support.”

Before ending the presentation, Rauschenbach and Cermele made sure to share:

“Using data to assess is important, but it is also only one part of assessing success. Regular feedback from staff, families, and students is important to gauge whether the programs are both meeting needs and are feasible. Regular opportunities for that feedback are woven into the system for staff in department and team meetings. These opportunities are expanded in areas where we are expanding or significantly changing programs. Similarly, in conjunction with CHILD I hold 6 coffees 2 for each level each year, to garner feedback and answer questions from parents. CHILD reps hold additional coffees on the elementary level and the chairs and I meet regularly to discuss any concerns. Parents also have regular contacts through the CSE and team meetings held at least once a year. Teachers also make regular practice of engaging students about their experience through class and individual conversations – this is a practice that is further encouraged through our work with Responsive Classroom.”

You can see all of the slides from this presentation here