Overview of the Special Education Reform Initiative

Overview of Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

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AGENDA

The more time students with disabilities spend in a general education classroom, the…

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What the research shows…

• higher their scores are on standardized tests of reading and math;

• fewer absences they have from school;

• fewer referrals they have for disruptive behavior; and

• better outcomes they have after high school in the areas of employment and independent living.

This was found for all students with disabilities, regardless of:

• their disability label; • the severity of their disability;

• their gender; or

• their family’s socio-economic status.– (Wagner, Newman, Cameto, Levine, &

Garza, 2006)

• Students spending time in self-contained classes leads to: Absence of appropriate role and behavior models (Lovett, 1996)

Negative impact on classroom climate and student attitudes about difference (Fisher, Sax, & Rodifer, 2000)

• Staff spending time in self-contained classes leads to:Decreased confidence that general class

teachers have for teaching diverse learners (Giangreco et al., 1993)

• No studies have been conducted that have shown that students with intellectual and other developmental disabilities educated in separate settings achieve more academically. (Falvey, 2004)

• The performance of students without disabilities is not compromised by the presence of students with disabilities. In fact, they derive benefits from their involvement. (McGregor & Vogelsberg, 1998)

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What the research shows…

Percent of students, ages 6 through 21, receiving special education services outside the regular class setting more than 60 percent of the school day.

IDEA Part BComparison of State Level LRE Data

(DAC- IDEA Data, 2008)

State % Students in MRE Settings

Vermont 0Puerto Rico 5.84North Dakota 8.33Alabama 9.41South Dakota 10.5West Virginia 10.5Oklahoma 11.36Nebraska 11.37Wyoming 11.44Idaho 11.76Kansas 12.02Iowa 12.66Kentucky 12.88Texas 13.66Oregon 13.7Montana 13.79Colorado 13.81Connecticut 14.1Wisconsin 14.33Minnesota 14.55Nevada 15Pennsylvania 15.39Mississippi 15.47Tennessee 15.6Alaska 15.63Missouri 15.68Washington 15.73Maine 16.25Arkansas 16.8North Carolina 18.04Arizona 18.26Indiana 18.93Georgia 19.04Louisiana 19.11Utah 19.21Ohio 19.63Virginia 20.91Michigan 21.3New Mexico 21.53Rhode Island 21.97Florida 22.06Massachusetts 22.62South Carolina 22.84Delaware 23.3Maryland 23.99Illinois 25.5California 27.78Hawaii 28.93New Jersey 29.19New Hampshire 30.26New York 32.46District of Columbia 51.96

48. Hawaii 28.93 49. New Jersey 29.19 50. New Hampshire 30.26 51. New York

32.46 52. District of Columbia 51.96

State Performance Plan Indicator 5: Least Restrictive Environment – School Age

This definition includes students with disabilities in public schools, separate alternative schools, residential facilities. parentally placed in private schools, correctional facilities, and home or hospital environments.

Least Restrictive Environment: “The placement process in NYC emphasizes the notion of placement as the availability of “seats” in special education programs rather than as the services and environment that are appropriate to the individualized needs of the student . . . . Moreover, this process promotes the idea that special education is a ‘place’ rather than a service, and places priority of such placement over what should be the most important consideration – the general education placement.” (From the Hehir Report, 2005)

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Major studies on special education in NYC suggest need for change

Major studies on special education in NYC suggest need for change

• Access to the General Education Curriculum & Student Achievement : “In the coming years, consistent with the principles of Children First, the Department should increase its focus on long-term outcomes for students with disabilities and empower schools, parents, and DOE staff to collaborate in building successful instructional models and strengthening the culture of inclusion for students with disabilities.” (From the Harries Report, 2009)

1. Every school should educate and embrace the overwhelming majority of students with disabilities. A cohort of students with low-incidence disabilities or highly specialized needs will continue to be clustered in specialized instructional programs in community and/or specialized schools.

2. Hold all schools and students with disabilities accountable for goals that are standards-based. IEPs should reflect New York State learning standards and emphasize long-term educational outcomes.

3. All schools should have the curricular, instructional, and scheduling flexibility needed to meet the diverse needs of students with disabilities with accountability outcomes.

4. School accountability measures, funding formulas, and enrollment policies and practices will be aligned with the foregoing principles.

5. Schools must be active partners with parents of students with disabilities.

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NYC’s Special Education Reform: Guiding Principles

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Goals of the Special Education Reform Initiative

• (a) To ensure that all children with disabilities have available to them a free appropriate public education (FAPE) that emphasizes special education and related services designed to meet their unique needs and prepare them for further education, employment, and independent living;

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Purpose of Special Education

• Minimize the impact of disability and maximize the opportunities for children with disabilities to participate in general education in their natural community (Hehir, 2002).

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Purpose of Special Education

Fulfilling the Vision of Special Education:

Accelerating Learning and Achievement of Students with Disabilities through the

Individualized Education Program

Photo by Susan Abdulezer/NYC Department of Education

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Special education is a service, not a place.

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Goal: Preparing SWDs for further education, employment, and independent living.

Assistive Technology

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Photo by Susan Abdulezer/NYC Department of Education

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Photo by Susan Abdulezer/NYC Department of Education