Reimagining Special Education in One Coherent System of Education

1. Reimagining Special Educationin One Coherent System of Education Kristin Wright, Director California Department of Education Special Education Division May 31, 2018

2. California Education Code, Section 33080,Purpose of the Educational System “Each child is a unique person, with unique needs, and the purpose of the education system of this state is to enable each child to develop all of his or her own potential.”

3. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) • Ensures that all children with disabilities have available to them a free appropriate public education that emphasizes special education and related services designed to meet their unique needs and prepare them for further education, employment, and independent living; • Ensures that the rights of children with disabilities and their parents are protected; • Directs States, localities, educational service agencies, and Federal agencies to provide for the education of all children with disabilities; and • Expects states to assess and ensure the effectiveness of efforts to educate children with disabilities.

4. United States Federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) - 2004 Guarantees a free appropriate public education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment (LRE). “FAPE in the LRE”

5. Every child with a disability has the right to be educated with their grade-level peers without disabilities

6. Replacing “IF” with “HOW”

7. California Department of Education In 16-2017 6,228,235 children and young adults were taught in 1,024 districts in more than 10,000 schools taught by 274,246 teachers. The California Department of Education enforces education laws and regulations (state and federal) and works to improve public school programs. The State Superintendent of Public Instruction is an elected official, elected for up to two 4-year terms, who is responsible for overseeing public k-12 education in the state. https://www.cde.ca.gov/ds/sd/cb/ceffingertipfacts.asp

8. The Vision and the Shift “The Task Force envisions general education and special education working together seamlessly as one system that is designed to address the needs of all students- as soon as those needs are apparent. Within that system, students with disabilities receive effective services, learn in classrooms that are guided by rigorous standards alongside their general education peers when appropriate, and are equipped to make their own way as adults.” (p. 7) http://www.smcoe.org/about-smcoe/statewide-special-education-task-force/

9. Snapshot: Who are our students with disabilities (SWD) in California? Of the more than 754,337 SWD ages 0-22 comprising approximately 11% of the total student population in the state: • 68% are boys • 29% are English Learners • Top 3 primary disability categories • Specific Learning Disability (38.87%) • Speech and Language (21.21%) • Autism (13.86%)

10. IDEA: Special Education Indicators 1. Graduation 2. Drop Out 3. Assessment 4. Suspension/Expulsion 5. Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) 6. Preschool LRE 7. Preschool Assessment 8. Parent Input 9. Disproportionality 10. Disproportionality by Disability 11. 60 Day Timeline 12. C to B 13. Transition 14. Post School Outcomes

11. California’s Eight State Priorities for School Districts and Charter LEAs • Basic Services • Implementation of State Standards • Parental Involvement • Pupil Achievement • Pupil Engagement • School Climate • Course Access • Other Pupil Outcomes

12. Federal IDEA Indicators in State Performance Plan (SPP) SPP 1: Graduation SPP 2: Drop Out SPP 3: Assessment SPP 4: Suspension/Expulsion SPP 5: Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) SPP 6: Preschool LRE SPP 7: Preschool Assessment SPP 8: Parent Input SPP 9: Disproportionality SPP 10: Disproportionality by Disability SPP 11: 60 Day Timeline SPP 12: C to B SPP 13: Transition SPP 14: Post School Outcomes CA Eight State Priorities Basic Services Implementation of State Standards Parental Involvement Pupil Achievement Pupil Engagement School Climate Course Access Other Pupil Outcomes

13. California School Dashboard www.caschooldashboard.org

14. Education’s Ultimate Goal: Prepare Future Citizens for College and Career Leading to Employment Mission: California will provide a world-class education for all students, from early childhood to adulthood. The Department of Education serves our state by innovating and collaborating with educators, schools, parents, and community partners. Together, as a team, we prepare students to live, work, and thrive in a multicultural, multilingual, and highly connected world.

15. Realizing the Vision of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Increasing Outcomes for Students with Disabilities = Mapping to the same high expectations for each and every student in California

16. On-Going Challenges and Opportunities • Decreasing disproportionality by race and identified disability category • Increasing high school graduation rate and achievement • Ensuring early inclusive childhood/preschool opportunities • Increasing funding (Federal Government only covers 9% of total costs) • Special education identification increasing, declining general population • Better articulating transition planning and pre-employment training (16-22 yr olds) • Working and planning across state agencies for increased employment opportunities • Increasing number special education teachers • Scaling up the use of evidence based practices to meet needs of increasing autism population • Changes to statewide accountability and implications for special education • Identification of what’s working and connecting the field together

17. Language matters: Updating how we talk about students with disabilities and where they learn • Elimination of labels like “special education student”, “sped kids/kiddos”, ”special needs students” • Start with assumption that educational placement is general education for every student • Eliminate the mild/mod and mod/severe labels driven by teacher credential titles • Move from “my students” to “our students”

18. State of the State: Data About Students with Disabilities in California

19. Students with Disabilities by Disability Category 2017-18 CASEMIS Dec 17

20. Ages of Students with Disabilities 2017-18 CASEMIS Dec 17

21. Students with Disabilities by Race & Ethnicity2017-18 CASEMIS Dec 17

22. School Type for Students with Disabilities by Disability 2017-18 CASEMIS Dec 17

23. Percentage of Services provided for Students with Disabilities2017-18 A comprehensive list of services and the frequency of each service. A total of 1,864,875 services were provided during the 17-18 school year. CASEMIS Dec 17

24. Students with IEPs in LCFF Student Groups2016-17 and 2017-18 CALPADS FALL 1

25. Culture Changes at CDE • Reorganization within California Department of Education (CDE) as a whole • Reorganization within CDE Special Education Division (SED) • Deeper collaboration across CDE Divisions and Programs • Better customer service and feedback loop • Continuous improvement at CDE to support LEAs in continuous improvement

26. The Stars are Aligned in California • Alignment across policy making entities to support one coherent system of education • New Accountability System • Teacher credentialing changes from disability label driven to level of support driven • Governor and Legislative Support for Special Education • Positive Fiscal Climate • Changes at California Department of Education • Cross state agency collaboration and collective work via an articulated state system of support • Employment First, Competitive Integrated Employment, Workforce Innovations and Opportunity Act (WIOA)

27. Shifting the culture requires… • Leveraging, honoring and developing deeper understanding of the intersectionality between student groups and using evidence based practices to address each student’s unique needs • Creating universally designed education • School buildings and structures • Lessons • Curriculum and Instruction • Teaching citizenry and modeling community through building truly inclusive schools and systems

28. What’s currently happening? • Bright light on the students with disabilities population • A renewed statewide focus on inclusive education • A “all hands on deck” approach across state, regional and local agencies • Statewide efforts to scale MTSS • Curriculum and instruction that is universally designed • Teacher preparation programs reimagining how their general and special education preparation are combined and interdependent • $100 million dollars proposed in next years budget to recruit and retain special educators • Substantive changes in teacher credentialing coming from the CTC

29. Focus on Improvement: The How • Address disproportionality • Implicit bias • Culture and climate • PBIS and SWPBIS • Trauma Informed Practices • Memorialize • “each and every student is a general education student”

30. Language Matters: How do we update how we talk about students with disabilities and where they learn? • Eliminate labels like “special education student”, “sped kids/kiddos”, ”special needs students” • Start with assumption that educational placement is general education • Free appropriate public education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment (LRE) • Students do not need to earn their way in to a general education environment

31. Why does inclusive education matter? • We are teaching our children with and without disabilities to expect a world where all people have equal value despite individual differences. • The employers of tomorrow are the children entering preschool today. • Inclusion of children with disabilities translates to inclusion of families with disabilities as valued members of the education and larger community.

32. There has never been a better timethan now to ensure children and all people with disabilities are able to realize their greatest potential. Collectively we can make a difference.

33. What can we do as teachers, students, family members and community members? • For every new or existing publically funded educational program, school, extra-curricular activity at both the state and local level, ask these questions: • How will each and every student who wishes to participate be able to? • Is the program, school, or activity designed to incorporate a wide range of learners? • What data is being collected to ensure students with disabilities are participating?

34. Special Education Moving Forward A public education system supporting and ensuring equity, access and inclusion of each and every child and student with a disability: • Ensures children and families begin their education experience in an inclusive, welcoming and supported environment by preschool • Reduce segregated preschool settings/increase inclusive options • Elimination of preschool suspension • Sees as non-negotiables communicativecompetence and reading literacy to ensure children can communicate and demonstrate what they know, need and want • Supports teachers, related service providers and school administrators in utilizing the principles of Universal Design for Learning through a Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS)Framework so all children may access their learning in the most inclusive environment • Ensures individualized education programs (IEPs) as early as preschool are backward mapped to employment and community inclusion

35. CDE and Transition Age Youth • Continue and strengthen cross agency partnerships • Leverage dollars across agencies serving overlapping populations • Coordinate efforts toward realizing DOR’s 1 system, 1 goal, 1 plan • Work on opportunities for state agencies to offer job experiences to transition age youth • Increased communication to the field related to transition

37. Kristin Wright, Director California Department of Education Special Education Division kwright@cde.ca.gov