Special Education & Inclusion

Students with disabilities will be provided with appropriate identification and high-quality programs and services, in the least restrictive appropriate environment, designed to meet their unique needs and prepare them for post-secondary opportunities.


Programs and Services

Ensure that all students have access to a high quality education and are provided with programs and services that meet their unique needs


Key Strategies

  • Provide standards aligned curriculum and materials for classrooms supporting students with extensive service needs uniformly from elementary through secondary programs.

  • Provide the full continuum of supports and services to address individual student needs.

  • Provide all teachers and Special Education classified staff with evidence-based professional learning opportunities to meet the academic and behavioral needs of students with disabilities.

  • Staff will develop IEP goals and accommodations that are standards based.


How will we measure progress? (Key Performance Indicators)

  • Make programming similar to that of non-District programs available to students who would like to return to the District to receive those supports.

  • Increase the number of secondary students successfully completing graduation requirements through District’s 1:1 program.

  • Continue to train staff in the use of Goalbook for the purpose of developing standards based IEPs.

Procedural Compliance

Partner with general education to ensure that all students have access to systematically monitored, district-wide high quality, pre-referral intervention options.

Key Strategies

  • Teachers will use culturally responsive teaching practices and restorative justice principles to teach diverse learners.

  • Conduct a comprehensive review of current protocols for SSTs and existing processing assessments used to determine SLD eligibility to ascertain if they are appropriate for EL students.

  • Form designated bilingual assessment team to determine eligibility using the student’s primary language.


How Will We Measure Progress? (Key Performance Indicators)

  • Provide ongoing and effective professional development on teaching diverse learners and on identified gaps/needs in:
    1) implicit bias;
    2) culturally responsive teaching, and
    3) restorative practices to leadership team and school staff.

  • Decrease the number of Hispanic and African American students misidentified as having Specific Learning Disability or Intellectual Disability as measured by data from:

    • State Performance Review;

    • State Data Identified Non-compliance Review (DINC); and

    • Comprehensive Coordinated Early Intervening Services (CCEIS) Plan quarterly


Parent Engagement

Build effective partnerships that foster communication between families and the District.

Key Strategies

  • Increase parent engagement with an expectation of “listening to learn” throughout the staff.

  • Provide resources to help parents participate and collaborate with site based special education teams.

  • Partner with parent groups to gather input on District Special Education initiative


How Will We Measure Progress? (Key Performance Indicators)

  • Conduct a parent focus group for input on District CCEIS initiative.

  • The Special Education Department will schedule three Parent Information nights focusing on Special Education topics.