How Does Special Education Affect School Results?

Terry WyattExecutive Director, Tri-County Co-Op

Today’s PlanTexas’ Process for measuring dropout &

completion rates in accountability, federal and state.

How does a special education student and his/her ARD committee navigate the high school process toward graduation?

What do we watch out for from an accountability perspective?

Presentation UpdatesUpdates to this presentation, including

access to color handouts may be located at the following website:

http://cs1.mcm.edu/~tri-county/presentations.htm

Completion RateThis is the primary accountability measure

applied to schools in Texas.It is a study of a group of students over time.

COHORT, CLASS, SCHOOL START WINDOW, LEAVER RECORDS

COHORT-08

9TH GRADE YEAR

1ST DAY OF SCHOOL 100 STUDENTS

ENROLL

Time Frames – Completion Rate2008-09 Freshman Year2009-10 Sophomore Year2010-11 Junior Year2011-12 Senior YearAugust 2012 – Last Friday September (SSW)Last Friday in October 2012 PEIMS – Leaver

Records Submitted, Enrollment dataSpring / Summer 2013, TEA processes

Completion rate data.August 2014 – District/Campus report cards

9th Grade COHORT -

08

STUDENTS ENROLL FROM OUT OF STATE

NEW ENROLLEES

FROM IN STATE

ENROLL FROM ANOTHER TEXAS PUBLIC SCHOOL

(MOVERS)

W/D TO TEXAS PUBLIC SCHOOL

(MOVERS)Graduate Early, Enter earlier Cohort

When a student leaves, what is the impact on the cohort?Many students fit into the category TEA calls

“Movers”.School Year Movers – students found by TEA to

have enrolled in another district during the course of a single school year.

Summertime Movers - Students found to have enrolled in another district during the school-start window, that is, between the first day of school and the last Friday in September.

A Mover comes out of your cohort and joins the cohort of the other Texas Public School.

COHORT-08

C O H O R T

MIGRATE INTO CLASS

DO NOT MIGRATE INTO CLASS

COHORT – 08

GRADUATEGED RECIPIENT

CONTINUERDROPOUT

COHORT – 08

Graduated outside of TexasCompleted GED outside of TexasEntered college early to pursue a degreeWithdrew for home schoolingRemoved from district by CPSWithdrew to enroll in Texas private schoolWithdrew to enroll in school outside of TexasWithdrew to university HS diploma program – SBECExpelled for criminal behaviorAdministrative withdrawalDeceasedReturned to home country

C O H O R T

MIGRATE INTO CLASS

DO NOT MIGRATE INTO CLASS

How is Completion Rate Measured?COHORT is formed over 4 years.COHORT migrates into CLASSCLASS is used to measure Completion Rate

AEISAYPPBMASSPP

Graduates_______________________________________

Graduates + “Continued in school”+

GED + Dropouts

70%

AYP Calculation: Completion Rate

(Graduates + Continuers = Completers)_______________________________________

Graduates + Continuers+

GED + Dropouts

75% - AA

AEIS Calculation: Completion Rate I

(Used for AEA Procedures for Campuses)

Graduates + Continuers + GED Recipients_______________________________________

Graduates + Continuers+

GED + Dropouts60% = AA

AEIS Calculation: Completion Rate II

Dropouts_______________________________________

Number of students in attendance any time during the school year

Grade Ranges 7-8 AEIS, 7-12 AEA

AEIS Calculation: Dropout Rate

Number of SE students from the COHORT who Received a Diploma

_______________________________________Total number of students in the COHORT (Graduation+GED+Continuing+Dropout)

Grade Range 9-12 (74% moving up annually)

SPP Calculation: Graduation Rate for SPED Students

Dropouts – Number of SE students from the COHORT who dropped out

_______________________________________Total number of students in the COHORT (Graduation+GED+Continuing+Dropout)

Grade Range 9-12 (12.0% moving down annually)

SPP calculation of Dropout Rate for SPED Students

Consider this! SE & GraduationWhat choices specifically affect post

graduation options?From the perspective of the student, what

differences are there in planning for graduation?

In what ways is the state regulating/measuring how our students graduate?

Are there any graduation routes that help both the student and the school?

What choices affect our students? A series of questions on graduation.

First ConsiderationsIn what ways does the selection of an exit

level assessment affect graduation for a student?

Can the exit level assessment I take/pass affect my graduation plan?Yes and No!For students who entered the 9th grade

before the 2008-09 school year, the new rules on this issue do not apply.

For students who enter the 9th grade during the 2008-09 school year and later, yes it does affect your plan.

First Student Set:Students who entered the ninth grade before

the 2008-2009 school year.This year’s:

Juniors Seniors Students who were retained.

These students have a special grandfather rule.

For students who entered the 9th grade before 2008-09:TAKS-M means minimum plan.TAKS and TAKS-Accommodated lead to

recommended or distinguished plans.**ARD committee may accept participation

on TAKS or TAKS-Acc and still allow graduation on R or D plan.**

Second Student Set:Students who enter the ninth grade in the

2008-2009 school year and ever after.This year’s:

Freshmen Sophomores

These students are fully subject to the new commissioner’s rules.

For students who entered the 9th grade in 2008-09 or later:Take and pass TAKS or TAKS-Accommodated

on all exit level subjects and you may graduate under the recommended or distinguished plan, if you meet the other plan requirements.

Failure to pass the TAKS or TAKS-Accommodated means that a student cannot graduate under the recommended or distinguished plan

For students who entered the 9th grade in 2008-09 or later:Students who take or pass the TAKS-M and

TAKS-Alt assessments can only graduate under the Minimum plan.

A student who takes the TAKS-M in any subject for their exit level requirements has decided to graduate under the minimum plan.

What other things affect graduation?CurriculumCreditsState Assessment throughout high school.

What is a graduation path?Commissioner’s Rules indicate that there are

several ways that a special education student may graduate from high school. Think of these ways as paths to graduation.Orange 89.1070(b)(1)Red 89.1070(b)(2)Green 89.1070(c)Blue 89.1070(d)

Path ColorsORANGE: Curriculum & credit requirements

met, passed the exit level assessment: Minimum, Recommended, or Distinguished plan possible.

RED: Curriculum & credit requirements met, participated in the exit level assessment: Minimum plan possible. *Note previous discussion.

Path ColorsGREEN: Credit requirements met, curriculum

requirements met to the extent possible as determined by ARD, participated in the exit level assessment, and completing the IEP including one of the following:Full time employment and sufficient self help

skills to maintain employment without direct support from the school district.

Demonstration of full time employability skillsAccess to employment or educational options

not within the legal responsibility of public education.

Path ColorsBLUE: The student no longer meets age

eligibility requirements AND has completed the requirements of the IEP. The student must participate in the exit level assessment and the student must have the necessary credits to graduate under the minimum plan.

Related Graduation IssuesSummary of academic achievement and

functional performanceAn evaluation / re-evaluationThese may be combined in a single

document.

Summary Evaluation Continue

Eligibility

ORANGE YES NO NO

RED YES NO NO

GREEN a,b & c

YES YES YES

BLUE YES NO NO

Graduation Curriculum Credit AssessmentPlan Changes? Reductions?

Possible

Orange B1D, R, M NO NO Pass TAKS/TAKS-Acc

Red B2Minimum NO NO Participate or pass

Green, AB&C CMinimum YES NO Participate or pass

Blue DMinimum YES NO Participate or pass

Color Change Critical DifferencesOrange to Red:

Did not pass TAKS or TAKS AccommodatedRed to Green:

Curriculum in a required course was modified.Green to Blue:

Aged Out with credits and completed IEP.

Orange DifferencesUnder the orange graduation path a student

can graduate under the Distinguished, Recommended, or Minimum plans.

All of those graduates must have passed the TAKS or TAKS-Accommodated.

The difference is in the coursework they completed.

Statewide Assessments Gr. 9 & 10What if a student takes the TAKS-M in one

subject during grades 9 or 10?According to TEA rules, to take the TAKS-M

the student must have been receiving a modified curriculum.

A modified curriculum in a class means that a student cannot graduate under the R or D plan.

Thus, TAKS-M anytime in HS means Minimum Plan.

Let’s discuss a series of related questions.Can state-wide assessment choice affect my

college plans?Yes, students must pass TAKS or TAKS-

Accommodated in all subjects to directly enter a Texas public 4 year university.

How do class substitutions affect a graduation plan?Any time an ARD committee substitutes a class

for one of the required classes on the R/D plan, the student moves to minimum plan.

Questions ContinuedWhat happens if the ARD committee modifies

the curriculum of a course?Minimum plan

Does my performance on my exit assessment affect my graduation plan?R/D must pass the TAKS or TAKS Acc.(Note discussion

above related to when student entered 9th grade.)

How does my selection of courses affect my graduation plan?Courses are the basic ingredient in building a

plan.

Questions ContinuedHow does my graduation plan affect my college

choices?Colleges look at coursework for entrance

requirements.How do curriculum modifications in a required

course affect my graduation plan?A curriculum modification which affects the course

content will move a student to the minimum plan.How do modifications to instruction affect a

graduation plan?Not at all.

Questions ContinuedDoes the choice of exit test affect my ability

to pass the test, and thus my ability to graduate?While all three TAKS tests (TAKS, TAKS-Acc.,

TAKS-M) cover the core curriculum content, the TAKS-M test is written to be less challenging.

Choosing the TAKS-M puts limits on your graduation plan and post secondary options.

Still, taking TAKS-M may be the right choice for a specific student.

Questions ContinuedIf I take even one TAKS-M test, does that

affect my graduation plan?Yes, you must take all subjects in TAKS or

TAKS-Accommodated to graduate under the recommended or distinguished plans.

Questions ContinuedThree of the things Texas’ public 4 year

universities will require to enroll:Pass TAKS or TAKS-Accommodated in all 4

subjects as an exit test.Complete the Recommended or Distinguished

Program.Course requirements specific to their

university.

What graduation choices affect our accountability?

What systems measure graduation issues?AEISAYPPBMASSPP

AEIS & AYPAEIS and AYP measure graduates

irrespective of graduation plan.Timely graduation affects both of these

systems.Continuer helps AEISAYP graduation failure may be affected by

special education “continuers”. You may appeal an AYP failure if this factor would change your AYP status.

PBMASTest participation issues.

TAKS/TAKS Acc OnlyTAKS-M Only

SPED Annual Dropout RateSPED RHSP/DAP Diploma Rate 16.5% or

higher = PL 0SPED Graduation Rate – timely graduation

District Priorities1) Getting students to graduate2) Getting students to graduate under the

recommended or distinguished plans3) In order to get more recommended and

distinguished graduates, districts should consider how they can accommodate disabled students in the core curriculum courses that are preventing individual students from completing the course.

TAKS-M Participation TAKS-M Participation RequirementsRequirements

The studentThe student needs extensive modifications and accommodations to needs extensive modifications and accommodations to

classroom instruction, assignments, and assessments classroom instruction, assignments, and assessments to access and demonstrate progress in the grade-level to access and demonstrate progress in the grade-level Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS),Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS),

demonstrates academic progress in such a way that demonstrates academic progress in such a way that even if significant growth occurs during the school even if significant growth occurs during the school year, the ARD committee is reasonably certain that year, the ARD committee is reasonably certain that the student will not achieve grade level proficiency as the student will not achieve grade level proficiency as demonstrated by multiple valid measures of evidence,demonstrated by multiple valid measures of evidence,

meets some but not all of the participation criteria of meets some but not all of the participation criteria of TAKSTAKS––Alternate (TAKSAlternate (TAKS––Alt), andAlt), and

requires an alternate form of TAKS which is more requires an alternate form of TAKS which is more closely aligned with instructional modifications in closely aligned with instructional modifications in order to demonstrate knowledge of the grade-level order to demonstrate knowledge of the grade-level TEKS.TEKS.