To: Michael GreenFrom: Deb KernenDate: December 6, 2011Re: December Special Services Monthly Update
This month I thought I would focus on some trend data that the special services department has been analyzing. This year we have transferred in 54 new students with IEP's. This is double the number in years past. We have transferred out 27 which is pretty typical. December our count was 201 which is the highest number of special education students since 2008-2009. The other factor we have noticed in the last couple years is that the severity of student's disabilities has increased. In prior years we had many more students that may have one or two areas of disabilities such as a student who might just be seen for special education for a reading disability. Most of our students now are receiving services in the areas of reading, writing, math, and behavior and they are functioning significantly below their grade level peers (3-5 years in some cases). This makes it very difficult for classroom teachers to accommodate and modify within the regular classroom. Our special education teachers are working much more closely with the general education teachers to support these students. That said, the federal and state government is mandating these students have more access to the general education curriculum taught by a highly qualified teacher and are monitoring districts to ensure the students spend most of their time in general education. It's a very difficult structure to work within, as sanctions are being imposed on schools in the form of on-site audits, that have students receiving too much outside of the classroom intervention.
As you may recall we have 2 severely behavior disabled students attending Fir Grove in Vancouver, one student with a significant mental health disability placed at Serendipity Therapeutic School in Portland and another severe intellectual disabled student with autism placed at the 49th St. Academy in the Evergreen School District. We will be able to apply for safety net funding for these students as well as a couple other students here that require 1-1 assistance, however these students constitute a large amount of funding that we aren't able to recoup.
You also know from all the news reports that the incidence of autism has also been increasing over the last decade and we have many more students in classrooms that have been diagnosed with autism. As with any disorder there is a continuum where some students can operate within the general education setting without services such as a 504 plan or IEP. However, many of these students have very specific programming that entails a great deal of adult support.