Urban Special Education Leadership Collaborative
Evaluation of Special Education Services
to Students with Disabilities in the
Kent School District
A Report of the External Core Team
Kent School District
November 2013
The Collaborative
 The Urban Special Education Leadership
Collaborative was founded in 1994
 Sponsored by the Education Development Center, Inc.
 The Collaborative’s Mission: To improve educational
results and life’s opportunities for students with
disabilities and other diverse learners
 Current Membership: Approximately 100 large,
medium, and small school districts across the country
Kent School District
November 2013
External Core Team
• Ronald Felton, Associate Director
Urban Special Education Leadership Collaborative
Former Associate Superintendent, Miami-Dade County Schools
• Orla Higgins Averill, Senior Training and Technical Assistance Associate
Urban Special Education Leadership Collaborative
• Caroline Parker, Senior Research Scientist
Education Development Center, Inc.
• David Riley, Executive Director
Urban Special Education Leadership Collaborative
• Claudia Rinaldi, Assistant Director
Urban Special Education Leadership Collaborative
• Kimberly Willingham, Senior Training and Technical Assistance Associate
Urban Special Education Leadership Collaborative
Kent School District
November 2013
Purpose of the Review
Kent School District commissioned this review to
examine its programs, policies, and practices with the
intention of improving the educational performance
and post-school outcomes of students with disabilities.
Kent School District
November 2013
Evaluation Context
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Pursuit of best practices
Efficient and effective systems
Meeting the needs of students with IEPs
Access to rigorous curriculum and quality instruction
Capacity building of schools and personnel
Response to Intervention (RTI) and Positive Behavioral
Interventions and Supports (PBIS)
Alignment of special education services and supports with school
district’s strategic goals
Kent School District
November 2013
Methodology
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Document review
Stakeholder interviews and focus groups
School visitations
Parent focus group and meeting
Data analysis
Report development
Debriefing and presentation of findings
Kent School District
November 2013
Focus Areas of Report
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Special Education Eligibility Determination
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Student Achievement in the Least Restrictive
Environment
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Best Practices
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Use of Resources
Kent School District
November 2013
Strengths
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Expansion of inclusive practices throughout the district
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Commitment to changing the nature and identity of
special education
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Adoption of an RTI model in academics
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Efforts to produce meaningful, compliant, and standardsbased IEPs
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Emphasis on culturally responsive practices
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Partnerships with families, community, and business
Kent School District
November 2013
Report Recommendations
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Special Education Eligibility Determination
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Policy & Procedures Manual
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Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) Framework
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Communication
Student Achievement in the LRE
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MTSS Framework
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Graduation
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Dropout
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Suspensions
Best Practices
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Professional Development To Support MTSS Implementation
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IEP Development
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Family and Community Engagement
Use of Resources
Kent School District
November 2013
Report Recommendations:
Special Education Eligibility Determination
1.
Policy & Procedures
Create a comprehensive and cohesive KSD policy and procedural
manual for the provision of special education services under IDEA.
1.
Response to Intervention RTI & Positive Behavioral
Interventions and Supports PBIS (MTSS) Framework
Integrate efforts in the areas of RTI and PBIS to develop a robust
and systemic MTSS framework for both academic and behavioral
instruction and intervention.
Kent School District
November 2013
Report Recommendations:
Special Education Eligibility Determination
3.
Communication
Develop a strategic communications plan for the Office of
Inclusive Educational Services to be shared with stakeholders
throughout the district – teachers, school leaders, central office
administrators, parents, and community partners – that delineates
specific expectations and procedures for communication between
the district and schools about IES initiatives, policies, processes,
and practices.
Kent School District
November 2013
Report Recommendations:
Student Achievement in the LRE
1.
MTSS Framework
Integrate efforts in the areas of RTI and PBIS to develop a robust
and systemic MTSS framework for both academic and behavioral
instruction and intervention that incorporates ongoing selfassessment of implementation.
2.
Graduation
Use data to determine which students are not on track to graduate.
For students not on track, use a collaborative problemsolving structure to activate interventions and supports
available through the MTSS framework.
Kent School District
November 2013
Student Achievement in the Least Restrictive
Environment: Recommendations
3.
Dropout
Ensure that no student with an IEP drops out of high school by
activating five strategies proven to help prevent dropout among
students with disabilities.
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Establish persistence, continuity and consistency in the message to stay in
school
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Monitor student’s risky behavior
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Establish a connection between a school-based adult and the student
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Foster a sense of belonging to school through participation; and
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Develop student’s problem-solving skills
Kent School District
November 2013
Student Achievement in the Least Restrictive
Environment: Recommendations
3.
Suspensions
Collect and analyze suspension data comparing students
with/without IEPs to determine the extent to which MTSS and
specially-designed instruction is effectively reducing the time the
students are out of school or classes because of misconduct.
Kent School District
November 2013
Best Practices: Recommendations
1.
Professional Development To Support MTSS Implementation
The district should develop a Professional Development plan that
supports the systemic implementation of an MTSS framework,
with the first steps being a focus on increasing all students’
access to rigorous, effective, and differentiated Tier 1/ Core
instruction and with explicit attention to the following:
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Co-teaching
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Multi-tiered behavioral instruction and intervention
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Use of data
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Impact evaluation
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Culturally responsive pedagogy
Kent School District
November 2013
Best Practices: Recommendations
2.
3.
IEP Development
The district should continue to provide a mix of in-person and
online training opportunities related to using IEP Online to
develop quality, standards-based, and instructionally-relevant
IEPs. These training opportunities should be available to all
schools.
Family and Community Engagement
Expand existing practices to increase family and community
engagement, with a particular focus on addressing the concerns
of parents of students with IEPs.
Kent School District
November 2013
Use of Resources: Recommendation
Central Office Alignment and Coordination
Align the work and structures of central office departments to support
the vision of Inclusive Educational Services. Attend specifically to:
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Establishing cross-functional design team to guide MTSS implementation
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Establishing support for district-wide implementation of PBIS
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Considering an alternate methodology (e.g., workload analysis) for
establishing caseload configurations of related service providers and develop
guidelines for students to exit related services
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Developing a protocol for paraprofessional allocation
Kent School District
November 2013
Contact Information
David Riley
Urban Special Education Leadership Collaborative
driley@edc.org
Claudia Rinaldi
Urban Special Education Leadership Collaborative
crinaldi@edc.org
Kent School District
November 2013
District Response
• Creation of a District Response Taskforce
– Careful review of recommendations by various
stakeholders (teachers, administrators, district staff,
parents/guardians, community members, etc.)
• To connect and build on previous work
• To enhance response to students’ and staff’s needs
– Taskforce expected outcome:
» Create an action plan with deliverables
• Update to Board in March 2014
• Established a district “Programming for Student Success”
committee
District Response
• Created of a comprehensive Inclusive Education
procedures manual (currently in draft form)
• Plans to work with stakeholders in developing a
comprehensive department communication plan
• Paraeducator allocation protocol developed
• Exit guidelines for related services under development by
workgroups
• Workload/caseload pilot with occupational/physical
therapist workgroup
Questions
• We appreciate the partnership with the Urban
Collaborative in helping us ensure best practices in the
Inclusive Education department and the district.