Working with Students with Special Needs

By Kalima Rose

Candidate's Response to Berkeley Special Education Network survey

My sister, Yolo County Teacher of the Year, is an elementary special education teacher who has kept me abreast of current state and federal legislation and its impacts on the needs of children with special needs. And my dear friend, Sue Schweik, runs the disabilities studies program at Cal, and is always trying to educate me on these issues.

Some current concerns: With the emphasis on high stakes testing, are children with special needs given the accommodations and modifications that they need to show their individual growth toward their IEP (Individual Educational Program) goals? Students with special needs WILL NOT get a high school diploma, but a certificate of completion if they take the CAHSEE (California High School Exit Exam) with modifications (Think Modification = big letter, changes test, i.e. using calculator/having test read to them. Accomadation is little change, like more time). Currently, many traditional employment opportunities for individuals with learning disablitlites require a high school diploma. What will be the impact on these students now receiving a certificate of completion?

In BUSD, I am familiar with some of the frustration of parents of children with special needs that include:
--the irrational assignment of aides
--the overcrowding in classrooms where students are now being mainstreamed
--the segregation of special education students, from mainstream population, and the disproportionate representation of African American boys
--the lack of responsiveness of district staff to their concerns
--the lateness of IEPs, and lack of continuity from year to year in staff awareness of student needs
--the concern that BHS Small Schools Policy does not adequately address students with special needs
--concentrations of students with special needs at certain school sites
--the lack of special ed director in the district.

I am on a learning curve, but have joined BSPED to learn more, and appreciate that you are an organized network, as it should make it possible to advance positive changes.

2. Despite a BUSD value that "celebrates diversity," children with special educational needs are singled out as a group that "encroaches," or trespasses, upon the resources of students who do not have disabilities. How would you help heal a system that values diversity yet sometimes still targets a special population?

In current financial times, all populations have a financial impact. Just like "Gifted Programs", programs for students with special needs must be evaluated for cost effectiveness. Although in a perfect world, we would like every child to be able to receive the educational services he/she needs at any school, it is sometimes necessary to cluster programs targeted to low incident populations i.e. blind, hard of hearing, etc.).

Since divergent learners are not always successful in the traditional curriculum, it is important that programs offer outlets in the arts, sports, and vocational fields where every student has an opportunity to be successful in some field.

In order to "heal" this system, I would include BSPED members in developing district wide student achievement plan, so that we could proactively develop new structures that better suit the diversity of learning needs in our district.

It is important to remember the vast contributions students who learn differently have brought to our society (Cher, Einstein). Research supports the idea that all students learn important life skills such as empathy and compassion by being integrated with peers with special needs.

3. The School Board unanimously authorized an independent program evaluation of BUSD Special Education, which was completed in June 2003. The consultants' report with recommendations and timelines was delivered October 2003 and was well received at Board presentation. <http://www.berkeley.k12.ca.us/DI/departments/sped/sped_reports.html> More than a year has passed since the evaluation. How will you ensure accountability so that implementation of recommendations gets on track and measured progress is made?

I would work with BSPED to prioritize recommendations and set a timeline for implementation, with accountability measures established for each goal. We could set a regular reporting schedule for the board to hear about progress.

After reading the report, it becomes obvious that a higher proportion of African American students are being segregated in Special Day Class programs. This is unacceptable. I would work with BSPED and the parents of these children and resource specialists to establish a accountability to the system of assessments and placements.

The district is spending over $1.8 million annually for Non Public School Placements. It is evident that additional training in behavioral intervention is needed immediately, and the funds ARE available if the training helps prevent one student from being placed in a nonpublic setting.

Also, it becomes imperative that Resource Teachers be located at a specific SITE to provide a continuum of services. The RSP teacher and Title I teacher need to work together to provide a push in service delivery model in reading intervention. In Esparto, the Title I teacher and special education teacher, along with the general education teacher and language support teacher, cluster services during the same time period. In this way, all reading intervention is done for a similar grade at the same time with all children needing services being clustered together at the same time to learn skills that they all need. This means that 4 teachers are working with 20 children, rotating them through the 5 groups during the hours time. It has been a truly effective model and they have seen a rapid rise in test scores.

4. Stakeholders voice significant concern over a lack of district-wide staff training. Disability, and the experience of students with disabilities, is not well understood. Competence in the use of educational tools and practices that research shows leads to achievement, success and independence of students with more complex challenges, is spotty in the district at best. What plans do you have to grow the BUSD capacity to educate students with disabilities more appropriately?

What is the average length of stay of ALL teachers in BUSD? If it's less than 5 years, teacher turn around will be a big hurdle of properly training staff. To have a CLEAR teaching credential, every teacher must have a "Mainstreaming" class, where they are given "tools" (overview) on how to work with students with special needs. Is there is a Spec. Ed. Teacher at each campus? Or are there Program Specialists? Part of my sister's job is to train teachers. Every school has a "Student Study Team", and the special ed. teacher is part of this team. If a teacher has a concern about a student, the team offers tips. If the child is identified as a special ed student, she consults with the teacher regularly on what modifications to do.

Special education training could be offered in BUSD through staff development days. COMMON PLANNING TIME and COLLOBORATION TIME make the biggest difference.

5. The 30-year-old federal law, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) guarantees students a Free and Appropriate Education (FAPE) in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE). No Child Left Behind (NCLB) adds additional emphasis on increased access to a quality education for all children. Do you understand IDEA as a Civil Right? What does LRE mean to you? What steps will you take to ensure that the BUSD fully understands and complies with laws protecting the educational rights of children with exceptional needs?

IDEA guarantees that students will have a free and appropriate education, and for some students that means that it is not appropriate for that child to be taught algebra, but the child must learn independent living skills instead. Some independent living skills can be taught in the general education classroom. At other times, independent living skills must be taught in a seperate, self contained classroom, or a more restrictive environment. The IEP (Individual Educational Program) team needs to work with the family to make the decision about what the least restrictive environment for each particular child. It is also important when considering placement that the needs of the individual do not super cede the needs of the larger school community. Some children with severe emotional needs do need interaction with their peers; however, if their emotional needs so disrupt the learning environment of the classroom that the other students can not get their learning needs met, the IEP team, again, must look to see if a different educational placement is appropriate to help this student get his/her emotional needs met. The "Least Restrictive Environment" should mean that the general education classroom is tried first, and then a more restrictive environment is tried if the student is not successful.

Students with special educational needs have long lived on the very fringe of our educational community. Many of our 900 plus special education students are segregated from their non-disabled peers throughout all or much of their school day. These children too, are part of the world. What steps will you take to create a culture whereby all children feel welcome at any school, feel they truly belong, that their education matters, and that access to abundant opportunities for personal growth, friendship and typical school life are ensured for them?

I need to understand more about how Learning Disabled students are served--is it through a Resource Program. In Yolo County, my sister does a diversity training each fall for each general education classroom at her site. MOST children, those with and without disablities have felt discrimination, and most children appreciate the opportunity to discuss how to respond to feeling "different" and being teased. Most teachers and students want to make a safe classroom where all do feel welcomed and all can strive to be the best that they can be. I don't know how much of this practice goes on in Berkeley, but we could certainly develop it if it seems like a high priority.