1

January 2019

Mission Statement:The Mission of the Department of Special Education in the

Rochester City School District is to provide high quality education programs whereby all students are empowered to reach their individual potential. We will continually strive for excellence and ensure that we are intentional in our practices, innovative in our strategies, and inclusive of

every student, family, and community member.

Inclusive Times

Inside this issue

Message from .................E.D. ....2

.....Compliance ....3

Anniversary Date .................IEP ....4

Early ...Intervention ....5

Therapeutic/Alternative

.......Programs ....6

Professional .........Learning ....7

Student Highlight.............8

Vision Statement: We believe in the potential of all students, including those with disabilities. We are intentional with our planning and

resources to effectively support full inclusion. We are deliberate in implementing accurate, objective and bias-free processes for supporting students with disabilities and for

identifying students with a potential disability. We catch students before they fall and provide them with every

resource to be successful.

Inclusion is a mindset. It is a way of thinking. It is not a program that we run or a classroom in our school or a favor we do for someone. Inclusion is who we are. It is who we must strive to be.

~Lisa Friedman

2

RCSD: MOVING TOWARDS AN INCLUSIVE SCHOOL

DISTRICT FOR ALLKisha Morgan

Executive Director of Special Education

The Rochester City School District provides special education services to 6,000 students, approximately 20% of the total student population. Currently, there are over 2,600 students (In District) and 526 students (In External Programs) that are receiving services in self-contained classroom settings.

Alarmingly, more than 52% of our students with disabilities (SWDs) are being educated outside of the general education setting. Furthermore, the District disproportionately places black and brown SWDs in self-contained classrooms. Besides the obvious impact on students’ social development, the exclusion of SWDs at such high rates, has a significant impact on student achievement and post-secondary outcomes.

In the 2017-18 school year only two percent of SWDs met proficiency on the NYS 3-8 ELA and Math Assessments and thirty-four percent of students in the 2014 cohort graduated on time. Currently, our students with disabilities have among the lowest academic performance outcomes in New York State.

The time is now, we must begin by shifting the way we think about special education. Special education is a service, not a place. To the contrary, it is a cross-disciplinary, problem-oriented field of services, which is designed toward mobilizing resources and expanding the capacity of schools to meet the needs of all students.  

We must also shift the way we think about inclusion. Inclusive education demands that schools create and

provide the structures to ensure that all students have access to meaningful learning in their least restrictive environment. It does not require students to possess any particular set of skills or abilities as a prerequisite to belonging. The alarmingly high number of SWDs in RCSD that are segregated in special classrooms creates a permanent underclass of students and conveys a strong message to those students that they do not measure up, fit in, or belong. Inclusion is the inalienable right for all students. The legal mandate driving inclusive education in the United States is the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The definition of least restrictive environment (LRE) is a key element of the law. It provided the initial legal impetus for creating inclusive education.

The law states that to the maximum extent appropriate, handicapped

children, including those children in public and private institutions or other

care facilities, are educated with children who are not handicapped...

(P.L. 94-142, § 1412 [5] [B])

As a result, the LRE mandate has been a leading force in the design and implementation of inclusive education. Federal court decisions have built on one another to clarify the following:

• School districts must consider placement in general education for all SWDs, regardless of the degree of the disability.

• Academic and social benefits of placement in general education must be taken into consideration.

• Such consideration must be more than a token gesture.

• Placement in the LRE is not “dumping” but rather placing SWDs in general education settings with the necessary supports, services, and supplementary aids.

Research over the past three decades has found that SWDs have higher achievement and improved skills through inclusive education, and their general education peers benefit as well (Bui, et al., 2010; Dupuis, Barclay, Holms, Platt, Shaha, & Lewis, 2006; Newman, 2006; Alquraini & Gut, 2012). SWDs show academic gains in literacy, math, and social studies, better communication skills, and improved social development. Furthermore, implications show a decrease in absenteeism and disciplinary referrals. Inclusion also benefits students without disabilities. They make greater academic gains in reading and math. Research shows the presence of students with disabilities  in integrated classrooms gives students without disabilities new kinds of learning opportunities. Teachers in inclusive or integrated classrooms take into greater consideration their diverse learners, and provide instruction in a wider range of learning modalities, which is a benefit for all. As schools embrace the true meaning of inclusion, they become better equipped to change a segregated special education system into an inclusive service delivery system. Inclusive schooling allows us to embrace and celebrate natural diversity with meaningful, student-centered learning.

3

ComplianceCompliance in the 2017-2018 School Year

During the 2017-2018 school year, NYSED office of Special Education cited the Rochester City School District for being out of compliance for multiple issues related to students with disabilities. This resulted in the District being issued numerous Corrective Assurance Plans (CAPs).

CAPs received from NYSED in the 2017-2018 School Year Include:

Number of classroom variances, Timeliness of CSE meetings (District-wide), Timely evaluations of initial referrals in Charter Schools, Timely completion of CSE meetings @ School No 12, Behavior Intervention Plan process @ Vanguard; Suspension of SWDs (District-wide)

Remarkable Improvement in Compliance in the 2018-2019 School Year

The Directors of Special Education have been working diligently with the building Coordinators of Special Education (CASE) to meet the requirements of the CAPs that were issued last school year. Through the robust efforts of the Department, (which include the ongoing development of accountability protocols/procedures and measures, bi-weekly professional development at CASE meetings, daily building visits with CASEs and Principals, frequent direct feedback to CASEs and the development of the CASE Advisory committee) the Department has SUCCESSFULLY RESOLVED THE AREAS OF NONCOMPLIANCE AND HAVE BEEN RELEASED FROM ALL NYSED Corrective Actions, with the exception of Suspension.

RCSD’s Special Education Strategic Action Plan is accepted by NYSED

The Department’s Special Education Strategic Action Plan including the goals and intervention activities for the 2018-2019 school year has been accepted by NYSED.

The Department goals for the 2018-2019 school year are: 1. The RCSD graduation rate for Students with Disabilities will increase by a minimum of five percent, from 34.3 to 39.3 percent, by June 2019. 2. Through the exposure to grade level curriculum and quality instruction, the Rochester City School District will increase the percentage of students with a disabilities demonstrating proficiency on the 2018- 2019 NYS Math and ELA assessments by a minimum of three percent, from two to five percent.

Special Education Department Presents to the Big 5 City Schools

Based on the high quality activities within the RCSD Special Ed Strategic Action Plan, the Department received a special invitation (in December) from NYSED to present elements of the Plan as an exemplar to the Big Five City Schools.

Inclusion is not tolerance, it is unquestioned acceptance.

4

The Anniversary Date IEP

During the 2018-2019 school year the District transitioned to “Anniversary Date” IEPs. This means that Annual Reviews will be held

throughout the school year (October through April).

The IEPs drafted at the Annual Review meeting will be effective for a full calendar year, rather than a school year.

Benefits of Anniversary IEPs

• The Anniversary Date Annual Review schedule disperses CSE meetings throughout the school year, allowing the District to spend more time drafting high quality IEPs that meet State and Federal regulations.

• There is no longer a busy “IEP season”, thus staff have more balanced Annual Review calendars and have more time to meet with families and supervise the implementation of special education programs and services.

• Most students will have their programs reviewed earlier during the school year, which will reduce the number of program changes that occur in late spring of the school year.

• For the earliest IEPs, teachers will have even more incentive to build a meaningful rapport and fully understand the student’s academic and adaptive functioning within the first few weeks of the school year

5

Early InterventionThe Department of Special Education, in the 2018-2019 school year, brought the implementation of the Foundations Language Enrichment Program to every kindergarten student across RCSD. Speech/language therapists provide push-in, whole group enrichment two times per week to each kindergarten classroom. Foundations is designed to support academic success, through standards-based lessons utilizing developmentally appropriate strategies.

The Program Outcomes Include:• Improved foundational skills for

literacy• Increased student ability for academic

readiness• Reduced inappropriate academic

referrals to CSE• Developed receptive and expressive

language skills

What does it look like?

Once per week, the speech-language pathologist and classroom teacher collaboratively implement a basic concepts enrichment lesson with differentiation in order to support the specific strengths and challenges in each classroom.

Once per week, the speech-language pathologist and classroom teacher collaboratively implement a phonological awareness enrichment lesson with a variety of learning techniques to incorporate multiple intelligences and modalities of learning.

The collaborative planning between speech-language pathologists and classroom teachers yields natural carry over opportunities throughout content area instruction daily.

What is next?

Foundations will be rolled out to first grade in the 2019-2020 school year!  First grade students will receive lessons targeting the hierarchy of language processing and pragmatic language  development.

6

Respect 360 is used to assist vulnerable youth in aiding in the development of self-respect. The premise is to break down the idea of respect to “look again,” and help students understand that they matter. The idea is that students can’t just

be told they matter but it needs to be demonstrated through actions. The NorthSTAR program within the district is adding Respect 360 to their toolbox of skills to help students

continue to transition, transform and transcend from the program.

Therapeutic Programs

According to the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), social and emotional learning (SEL) is a coordinated set of evidence-based practices that enhances the social-emotional-cognitive development and academic performance of all students. SEL involves fostering social and emotional competencies through explicit instruction and through student-centered learning approaches the help students engage in the learning process and develop analytical, communication, and collaborative skills.

7

2nd Annual Special Education SymposiumOn Tuesday, November 6th all Special Education Teachers and Administrators a t tended an engaging and powerful professional learning at the 2nd Annual Special Education Symposium. Kisha Morgan, Executive Director of Special Education, spoke on the topics of Disproportionality, Implicit Bias and Inclusive Practices. In addition, during breakout sessions, SESIS and CASE leaders provided meaningful activities and tools for teachers to plan high quality Specially Designed Instruction, Developing Quality IEPs, and develop long-term plans for our students as they transition to young adults.

CASE MeetingsDuring our monthly meetings with CASEs, p r o t o c o l / p r o c e d u r e s a r e r e v i e w e d , professional development around IEP implementation is provided as well as application activities.

SEPACThe SEPAC (Special Education Parent Advisory Committee) is composed of a group of parents with special needs students in the Rochester City School District. Together, this group works to provide a supportive environment for students, families, and educators who will help each student achieve their potential . The Department has collaborated with SEPAC to provide parent focused trainings around various special education topics. Every meeting includes a presentation from the Department as well as opportunities to answer questions and provide parents on site assistance.

Charles Carroll School No. 46Bonnie Ellis, CASE at Charles Carroll School 46, presented information on Specially Designed Instruction. This Professional Learning Opportunity was attended by not only school s taff but also building administration.

Leadership Academy for Young MenDr. Samantha Brody, CASE at Leadership Academy for Young Men, collaborated with RSE-TASC Behavioral Specialist, Jason Lustig to present at their staff retreat. The retreat was located at St. John Fisher College. The focus of the Professional Learning was on de-escalation and behavior support techniques.

Professional Learning

8

Student HighlightEdison NYSAA Program: PetOber