Review of Staffing Practices for Students with Disabilities Austin Independent School District

Final Report and Recommendations | July 2009

A Review of Staffing Practices for Students with Disabilities Austin Independent School District

Review of Staffing Practices for Students with Disabilities i Austin Independent School District

ExecutiveSummary Inthefallof2008,AustinIndependentSchoolDistrictdeterminedthatacomprehensivereviewofthestaffingpracticesforstudentswithdisabilitiesshouldbecommissioned.Severalfactorscontributedtothisdecision,includingacommitmenttoongoingimprovementofservicesandrecognitionthatthecurrentpracticeofdeterminingstaffingusingaformulaandstudentnumberapproachisnolongereffective.Concernsovertheequitabledistributionofstaffandthedesiretoprovidemoreinclasssupportforstudentswithdisabilitiesalsoinfluencedthisstudy.Thedistrictisintheprocessofdecentralizationofservicesforstudentswithdisabilitiesandisalsoconcernedabouthowthiswillimpactstaffingneeds.Thedistrictisbecomingmoreinclusiveinitsapproachforservingstudentswithdisabilitiesandiswantstoensurenotonlysufficientstaffbutalsoeffectiveandefficientstaffingpracticessupportthisinitiativewithasystemwidemodel.Thedistricthasexperiencedadecreaseinthenumbersofstudentswithdisabilitiesyetthetypeandseverityofneedsseemssignificant.Further,accountabilityandfundingissuesrequireassurancesthatthedistrictismakingtheverybestuseofavailableresourceswhileprovidingservicestostudentswithdisabilitiesthatareembeddedineffectivepracticesresearch.StetsonandAssociates,Inc.wasengagedtoprovideareviewofcurrentstaffingpractices,togaintheperspectivesofvariousstakeholdersandtogathermeaningfuldatafromavarietyofsourcestocapturethestrengthsandconcernsrelativetothiscriticalorganizationalissue.StetsonandAssociates,Inc.usedacomprehensiveapproachfortheAustinISDstaffingreviewthatconsideredfourcriticalelements:Sufficiency:SufficiencyreferstotheadequatenumbersofindividualsrequiredtoaccomplishtheprovisionofaFreeAppropriatePublicEducation(FAPE);Efficiency:Efficientuseofstaffreferstotheextenttowhichthesystemorganizesthedeliveryofneededservicestostudentswithdisabilitiestoensuremaximumuseoftime,talentandresources;Effectiveness:Effectivenessreferstotheextenttowhichthestaffisachievingsuccessinmeetingtheneedsoflearners;and,Appropriateness:Appropriatestaffingwouldincludeappropriatelytrainedandqualifiedteachersandrelatedserviceprovidersdeliveringtheinstructionalandrelatedserviceswithsupportfromwell‐trainedparaprofessionals.Fivebasicmethodologieswereused,includingstructuredclassroomobservations,focusgroupsessions,interviewsofkeypersonnel,anexaminationofstudentenrollmentandotherkeydataelements,andareviewofcomparabledistrictstatistics.ThisreporthasbeendevelopedwiththeactiveparticipationofAustinISDadministrators,teachers,clericalstaff,andsupportserviceprovidersandwithstrongparticipationandassistancefromthespecialeducationcentralofficestaff.TheAustinISDspecialeducationstaffandparticipatingcampusadministratorsaretobecommendedforitssupportofthereviewprocess.IneverysituationAustinISDspecial

Review of Staffing Practices for Students with Disabilities ii Austin Independent School District

educationadministrativestafffacilitatedouraccesstodata,toclassrooms,andtofocusgroupparticipants.Itisourhopethatthefindingsofourstudywillsupportthedistrict’scommitmenttoprogramimprovementandwillensurethemostfavorableuseofresourcestoaccomplishthefuturesuccessofstudentswithdisabilities,bothinschoolandaftergraduation.Thesepreliminaryfindingsandkeyrecommendationsthatemergedfromthisreportarecategorizedwithinthefourqualitystandardslistedabove.KeyFindingsDoesAustinISDhavesufficientstafftoprovidespecialeducationservicesforstudentswithdisabilities?

1. Withafewexceptions,AustinISDissufficientlystaffedwithteachersandparaprofessionalsatthecampusleveltoservestudentswithdisabilities,howeverthedistrictisnotrichlystaffed.

2. Theprocessfordeterminingstaffingneedsthroughaformuladoesnotcapturethetypeandlevelofsupportneededforeachstudent;thus,determiningstaffbasedonaformulaisproblematic.

3. Thereisaperceptionthatthedistricthasinsufficientstafftoimplementinclusiveeducationalpractices,howeverthisismoretheresultofefficiency,effectiveness,andappropriatestaffingpractices.

4. Thenumberofparaprofessionalsassignedtoindividualstudentsseemsexcessivewhiletheadequacyofthenumberofparaprofessionalsassignedtotheremainderofthestudentsseemsunclear.

5. Thenumberofappraisalstaffassignedtosupportstudentswithdisabilitiesseemsinadequatewhencomparedwithsurroundingschooldistrictsandthecomparableschools.

6. AISDcontinuestohavedifficultyinsupplyingadequatenumbersofspecialeducationstaffthatarebilingualand/orcanprovideservicesforstudentswhoarebilingual.

Doesthedistrictutilizethespecialeducationstaffinanefficientmanner?

1. AustinISDprimarilyusesacategoricalprogram‐specificapproachtoassignteachersandparaprofessionalstocampuses.Thispracticepromotesseparateness,andreinforcesabeliefthatspecialeducationisplaceratherthanaservice.

2. ThereisahighuseofParaprofessionalstosupportthestudentswithdisabilitiesoneachcampusespeciallythosewhoareinthespecializedsupportprograms.

3. Thereisanoveruseofthe1:1paraprofessional.

4. TheinformaluseofpeersupportsispracticedinAustinISD,howeveranorganized,systematicprogramforassigningpeerassistantsandtutorsisnotevident.

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5. Schedulingpracticesdonotalwayssupporttheequitabledistributionofstudentsandstaffandthisimpactsthelevelofsupportneededbythestudentsandthegeneraleducationteachers.

6. Accesstoofficespace,locationsofoffices,accesstoequipment,andtravelimpactstheefficiencyofitinerantandsometeachingstaff.

7. ContentMasteryisaninefficientinstructionaldeliverypracticeusedinAustinISDresultinginlessindividualizedinstruction,andlossofacademiclearningtimeforstudents.

8. Insufficientaccesstotechnologyandredundancyinrequirementsareimpactingtheefficientuseofstaffinrespondingtothesignificantdocumentationrequirementspertainingtoidentification,implementationofinstructionalandrelatedservices,andreportingprogressofstudents.

Areservicesprovidedtostudentswithdisabilitieseffective?

1. Theoverallclimateoneachcampusisveryfavorable.Visitorsarewelcome,studentsarevalued,andthestaffisrespected.

2. AustinISDhasacommonlesson‐planningformatandcurriculumthatisavailableforallinstructionalstaffandinstructionplanningguidesthatareelectronicallyaccessible,howeverformalplanningbetweengeneraleducationandspecialeducationissignificantlylimited.

3. Themajorityofstudentswithadisabilityhaveaccesstothegeneralcurriculum,howeverstudentswithdisabilitiesinspecialeducationsettingswerelesslikelytohaveaccess.

4. Schoolsthatusedthestudent‐centeredprocesspracticeddifferentiatedinstructioninthegeneraleducationclassroomsetting.

5. Age‐appropriateandgrade‐levelinstructionalmaterialsareusedtodeliverinstructionbutvarysignificantlyfromelementarytomiddleschooltohighschoolandcampus‐to‐campusandwithinclassrooms.

6. Teachersuseavarietyofinstructionalstrategiesthatpromotestudentlearningandachievement.

7. AustinISDisincreasingthedistricteffortstoprovideservicesforstudentsintheleastrestrictiveenvironment.Practicesvarysignificantlyfromcampustocampusandleveltolevel.

8. AustinISDprovidesin‐classsupportforstudentswithdisabilitiesthroughsupportfacilitation,co‐teachingandtheinformaluseofpeers.

9. Whileitisaneffectivepracticeforspecialeducationteachersandparaprofessionalstosupportstudentswithdisabilitiesinthegeneraleducationclassroom,thereweresomeinefficientandinappropriatepracticesregardingthelevelofsupport.

10. Schedulingpracticesarenegativelyimpactingeffectivedeliveryofinstruction

11. ThemostcommonmeansofsupportobservedforstudentswithdisabilitiesatAISDwaseithera1:1assistantorpullingstudentstoanotherlocationfortutorialtypehelp.

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12. Classroomassessmentpracticesvarybutarerelyheavilyonpencil/paperresponses.Theprimaryformofformalassessmentwasthe“test”thatrequiredwrittenresponses.

13. Anarrayoftechnologyisavailableforteacherandstudentuseinclassrooms,yetitdoesnotappeartobeutilizedtothefullestextent.

14. Thereissomeevidenceofflexiblegroupingofstudentsespeciallyattheelementarylevel.Mostsecondaryinstructiontendedtobewholegroup.

15. Classroomclimatesaregenerallypositivewithsensitiveteacherswhodemonstrate“welltoexcellent”rapportwithstudents.

16. Mostclassroomsareeffectivelyorganizedwithprocedures,routinesandschedulesthatpromotedlearningandstudentparticipation.

17. Manyclassroomshaverulesandnormspostedyetclassroomandschool‐widepracticesthatsupportstudent‐appropriatebehaviorareinconsistent.

18. Althoughthereisahighinterestinincludingstudentswithdisabilitiesinthegeneraleducationsetting,theevaluatorssawlittleevidenceoftruecollaborativeteaching.

Arestaffingpracticesforstudentswithdisabilitiesappropriate?

1. Thecentralspecialeducationadministrativesupportteamishighlyqualifiedandknowledgeableandhighlycommittedtoensuringthatservicesforstudentswithdisabilitiesareofthehighestquality.

2. Theprocessofassigninga1:1TeacherAssistantisconfusingandthereisalackofunderstandingoftheinadvertentdetrimentaleffectsofthispractice.Thepracticeisrestrictiveandinmanycasesinappropriate.

3. Thereisasignificantrequestfortrainingforallstakeholdersincludingadministrators,appraisalstaff,generaleducationteachers,specialeducationteachers,paraprofessionals,andsupportstaffrelativetoappropriatelyservingstudentswithdisabilitieswithinthecontextoftoday’sbestpractices.Trainingiscitedasafactorthatimpactsthequalityandcompetenceofstaff.

4. AISDisdependentuponparaprofessionalstoassistintheprovisionofspecialeducationservices.Servicesfromtheseindividualsareviewedasproductive,essential,andvaluable.Theincreasedfocusoninstructionalqualityrequiresadditionalclarificationoftheroles,responsibilitiesandtrainingneeds.

5. Theworkloadofteamleaders,departmentchairs,andsometeachersisimpactingtheirabilitytoprovideservicestostudentsandresultinginsomeinappropriatepractices.

6. Thewrittenpolicies,procedures,andadministrativeguidelinespertainingtospecialeducationarenotconsistentlyunderstood.Somestakeholdersseemconfusedaboutvariousaspectsofspecialeducationrequirements.

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KeyRecommendations1. Adoptanewmodelfordeterminingstaffingneedsthatoffersanobjective,

student‐centeredapproachfordeterminingstaffingfromanindividualstudentbasisandconcludeswithabroad,schoolbyschooldesignforeffectivestaffingwithinthecontextoftheLRE.Providetrainingtoinstructional,administrativeandsupportstaffinthisdecision‐makingapproachtoassurethismodelisimplementedconsistentlyacrossthedistrict.

2. Realignandincreasethecentraladministrativesupportstafftoincludean

ExecutiveDirector,AreaDirectors,andCoordinators/Supervisorswithinthefourdesignatedareasoftheschooldistrict(RefertotheOrganizationalStudyinAppendixAofthisreport).

3. Reviewtheadequacyofappraisalstaff.Whilethereisasignificantdifferencewhencomparedtootherdistricts,therolesandresponsibilitiesandnumbersofassessmentsforstudentsmaybepossible.

4. Addresstheissuesregardingthe1:1paraprofessional.Developwrittenproceduresthatwilladdressthebeliefssurroundingthispractice,thedetrimentaleffectsandtheprocessforassigningahighlevelofsupportforstudentswhennecessarywithoutassigninganindividualtothestudent.

5. StrengthentheroleoftheExecutiveDirectorbyaligningthispositionwiththeadministrativeofficerwhosupervisescampus‐basedadministration.

6. Providetrainingtoinstructional,administrativeandsupportstaffinthisdecisionmakingapproachtoassurethismodelisimplementedconsistentlyacrossthedistrict.

7. ProvidestaffdevelopmentandtraininginInclusiveEducationthatincludestraininginmodelsofin‐classsupportforstudentswithdisabilities.Trainingtopicsshouldincludeco‐teachingroles,supportfacilitationrolesandstrategiesformeetingtheresponsibilitiesofacollaborativepartnership.Focusontheover‐archingconcernofequityamonggeneralandspecialeducatorsregardingresponsibilitiesintheclassroomforalllearners.

8. Providetrainingforgeneralandspecialeducationteachersintheareasofdifferentiatedinstructionandmethodsforaccommodatingandmodifyingthegeneraleducationcurriculumtomeettheneedsofalldiverselearners.

9. Carefullyreviewteacherschedulestoensuretheefficientuseoftimeandresources.Clarifytherolesandresponsibilitiesoftheteamleaders,especiallyatthesecondaryleveltoensuretheefficientuseoftime.

10. Providetrainingandtechnicalassistancetoappropriatestaffintheareaofschedulingofstudentswithdisabilitieswithinthegeneraleducationclassroomandinspecializedsupportsettings.

11. AltertheContentMasteryCenter(CMC)process.IdentifywaysinwhichatransitionalchangemightutilizesomeoftheCMCstafftosupportstudentswithdisabilitiesdirectlywithinthegeneraleducationclassroom.StopthepracticeofdualserviceinresourceclassesandCMCservicesatthesametime.

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12. Providetrainingforinstructionalparaprofessionalsthatincludecontentoverviewsofacademicareasinwhichtheymaybeinvolvedaswellastheuseofdifferentiatedstrategiesinprovidinginstructiontodiverselearners.

13. Reviewspecialeducationteacherschedulestoensuretimeforplanningandcollaborationwithgeneraleducationteachersandcreateextendedtimeinthescheduleforprofessionalstocollaboratewithparaprofessionals.

14. Reviewthepracticeofassigningateamleader(s)forspecialeducationservicesateachcampus.Createacommonjobdescriptionfortheteamleaderpositionfromleveltoleveltoensureconsistencyofresponsibilities.

15. Provideadditionaltrainingindesigningandapplyinginstructionalaccommodationsandmodificationsforboththegeneraleducationandspecialeducationteachers.

16. Providetrainingforinstructionalparaprofessionalsthatincludecontentoverviewsofacademicareasinwhichtheyareinvolved,aswellastheuseofdifferentiatedstrategiesinprovidinginstructiontodiverselearners.

17. Reviewspecialeducationteacherschedulestoensuretimeforplanningandcollaborationwithgeneraleducationteachersandcreateextendedtimeinthescheduleforprofessionalstocollaboratewithparaprofessionals.

18. Reviewthepracticeforassigningateamleader(s)andinstructionalsupportteachersforspecialeducationservicesateachcampus.Createacommonjobdescriptionforthesepositionsfromleveltoleveltoensureconsistencyofresponsibilities.

19. Providespecificinstructionandinformationregardingtherequirementtoassureaccesstothegeneralcurriculumforstudentswithdisabilities.

20. Ensurethatallspecialeducationteachersattendgeneralcurriculumtrainingjointlywithgeneraleducationteachers.

21. Ensurethatspecialeducationteachersparticipateoncampusplanningteamsandareinvolvedingeneraleducationissues.

TherecommendationscontainedinthissummarycallforchangesthatareattainableandcompatiblewiththephilosophyofAustinISD.Manypositiveforceswithinthedistrictexistthatwillsupportthechangesthatarenecessarytobringpracticefullyinlinewithphilosophyandassurethebestuseofresourcesforthebenefitofstudents,facultyandtheAustincommunity.