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Lexington SEPAC January Meeting – Student Services Staffing & Financial Assessment (Report) - Summary

Lexington SEPAC January Meeting – Student Services Staffing & Financial Assessment (Report) - Summary. January 6, 2011. One Slide Summary. The district provides very high levels of service and staffing

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Lexington SEPAC January Meeting – Student Services Staffing & Financial Assessment (Report) - Summary

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  1. Lexington SEPAC January Meeting – Student Services Staffing & Financial Assessment (Report) - Summary January 6, 2011

  2. One Slide Summary • The district provides very high levels of service and staffing • The special education achievement gap is small compared with similar districts, and the absolute achievement level is very high • There is an equity / consistency issue for both students and special ed teachers / staff

  3. Fifteen Minute Summary • Why was this study undertaken? • What was the scope of work? • What methodology was used? • What data were gathered? • What are the conclusions and recommendations?

  4. Why was this study undertaken? • Dr. Ash / Mrs. Chase wanted to know how Lexington is doing in the special education areas that were studied • How does the staffing in Lexington compare with other high-performing districts, both locally and nationally? • Is Lexington special education both high quality and efficient?

  5. What was the scope of work? • Analyze the following four special education services: • Speech and language • Occupational therapy • Resource room • Counseling (for students on IEPs) • The analysis focused on these three aspects of the above services: • Staffing levels • Financial resource allocation • Teaching methodology / approach

  6. What methodology was used? • 100+ face-to-face interviews with teachers, administrators, and others • Visits to schools and classrooms • Gathered 100+ typical weekly schedules (nearly 100% compliance) • (Not able to use IEP software database)

  7. What data were gathered? • Most of the data presented were derived from the typical weekly schedules: • Percentage of time spent with students (direct service) • Caseloads • Group sizes

  8. Speech and Language data • Direct Services to students varied among SLPs • A low of 28% • A high of 82% • An average of 57% • Group sizes varied among SLPs • Some therapists work mostly 1:1 • Others work mostly with groups of 2 or 3+ students

  9. Occupational Therapy data • Direct Services to students varied among therapists • A low of 23% • A high of 62% • An average of 45% • Group sizes varied among therapists • Most therapists work 30-50% of their time 1:1 • Some therapists work with groups of 2 or 3+ students while others work mostly 1:1

  10. Resource Room data • Direct Services to students varied among teachers • A low of 39% • A high of 91% • An average of 57% • Group sizes varied among teachers • Some work exclusively with groups of 2 or 3+ • Others work mostly 1:1 or 2:1

  11. Conclusions / Commendations • High levels of service and staffing • Small special education achievement gap • High expectations / continuous improvement • Special education population (17%) is very close to the state average

  12. Conclusions / Recommendations • Need a theory of action – why will certain strategies raise student achievement • Discuss / debate / create workload guidelines • Discuss / debate / create guidelines for eligibility, service levels, group sizes, and exit criteria • Scheduling software; IEP s/w – sharing data • Improved communication mechanisms

  13. Discussion - Service Delivery • Service delivery choices: • Frequency of service • Pull-out vs. push-in (in-class) services • 1:1 or small group • If small group, what size is best? • Is more service always better? • Is 1:1 service always better than small group?

  14. Discussion - Consistency / Standards / Guidelines • Compared with general ed, special ed has a lot more variation / inconsistency • Example – LHS math teachers – 5 classes x 4 blocks = 20 blocks; 12 blocks for prep / correcting papers / helping students / meetings / etc. • Example – elementary teachers – 4 main subjects – prep / correct papers / etc. during specials • What assessments for eligibility are used? • What are the guidelines for eligibility?

  15. Discussion - Medical Care Analogy • Rapidly escalating costs • More money does not always lead to better outcomes • Need to focus on both best practices and efficiencies • Anxiety about systems that seek to limit care • Develop best practices by looking at how well various types of care work

  16. Discussion - What is Next (regarding this report)? • The district has already begun to address some of the issues raised in the report • Monday afternoon specialist meetings • Dr. Ash is still deciding what is next • Possibilities – multiple groups to study the various issues raised in the report • Come up with a set of questions to address • Dr. Ash will involve parents in the process

  17. Discussion - How should the SEPAC be involved? • Participate in the group / groups that will be discussing the consultant’s recommendations

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