2010-11-13 LPS - Student Services Staffing & Financial Assessment

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44 Ñ°°±®¬«²·¬·»º±®½±²¬·²«±«·³°®±ª»³»²¬ 1. Develop a comprehensive theory of action for helping struggling students which encompasses both general education and special education. It is recommended that a clear theory of action for helping struggling students is developed prior to developing guidelines and criteria for eligibility. For example, if reading intervention was primarily a general education effort, or if an IEP wasn’t needed for counseling, very different criteria would be developed than is currently the case. IDEA requires that general education interventions be used prior to special education services are provided. This is good for students and the budget. The role of data teams, RTI (Response to Intervention), PLCs (Professional Learning Communities), reading, resource room support, inclusion, and co-teaching need to be folded into a single comprehensive system of remediation and intervention. This should be a one plan, not seven separate efforts, based on a clearly articulated theory of what do students need to achieve. Based on best practices outlined in Section 4, general education leadership should take the lead in developing the plan, with support from special education. General education leadership should have ultimate responsibility for student achievement, including students with mild to moderate special needs. The best practice framework provides for flexibility to adapt to Lexington’s culture but at its core any comprehensive program will provide for extra time on task, highly skilled teachers, clear grade level expectations, and frequent monitoring of student achievement. This is easier when implemented district wide rather than building by building. The district can be pleased that it has a relatively small achievement gap compared to like districts in the state, but cannot be completely pleased with it either. The gap is large in absolute terms and Massachusetts has the highest achievement gap in the country. 2. Create workload guidelines and staff accordingly. In nearly all parts of the district, enrollment drives staffing. The number of first graders, for example, determines the number of first grade teachers. There is no formal system to guide staffing levels for speech and language therapists, OTs, and resource room staff. Explicit workload or caseload guidelines will improve equity and resource allocation. A thoughtful process that considers target group sizes and a coherent theory of action will be required to develop these guidelines. Given that staff expressed concerns about the communication process in general, an inclusive and facilitated process might ease development and implementation of any new guidelines. This report outlines best practice frameworks for creating guidelines (See Appendix 3). A team of teachers, therapists and administrators can customize the best practice framework to reflect and respect the values of Lexington. The District Management Council 7 Harcourt Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02116 - Tel:1877-DMC-3500 | Fax:617-491-5266 |www.dmcouncil.org