Vantage Point: by CSBA President Kathy Kinley

Special ed Rx: More resources, not mandates

As we move forward in this age of accountability, it is critical that some of the most vulnerable of our students receive the resources they need to succeed academically. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which was reauthorized last year, has many new regulations that will impact students, parents, teachers and school boards. These issues are compounded by the No Child Left Behind Act and lack of adequate funding.

We want to be sure that our schools remain accountable for our students with special needs, but in a manner that recognizes the provisions of each of their individual education plans in determining their assessments. The accountability system must allow more flexibility in the assessments used and the accommodations and modifications permitted. Most of all, it should recognize growth of students’ academic achievement rather than merely holding all students to uniform measurements. The number of students allowed to take alternative assessments should be increased, and students taking those tests with modifications should not be excluded from the participation rate required under NCLB.

The federal government’s failure to fund 40 percent of special education costs as promised places additional hardships on local districts and county offices that are struggling to meet the needs of growing numbers of special education students. On top of that, a proposal to end Medicaid funding for services to special ed students would cut all federal funding for those students by another 20 percent, further encroaching on local agencies’ general funds—which are already strained by the existing requirement that they pay for special-needs students’ placement in private schools.

Two developments at the state level this year will also affect our ability to serve our special education students. First, a decision is likely in May from the state Board of Education on how to deal with special ed students who do not pass the California High School Exit Exam.

Over the longer term, the Commission for Teacher Credentialing has formed a Special Education Credential Work Group, which I serve on as a representative of CSBA. We will be reviewing the current structure of all special education and related services credentials in light of the critical shortage of personnel that already exists, which will only worsen as tighter NCLB requirements take effect. One promising remedy is to identify children with special needs early and then provide interventions that may prevent their classification as special education students. The first two of three approved “Response to Intervention” strategies entail regular education—not special ed. Board members should become familiar with these approaches and explore ways their policies can work to benefit these students.
Our work group will report our findings and recommendations to the full commission in October and to the Legislature by Dec. 1. I welcome your input on this important issue.

Ultimately, of course, what we need are more resources and relief from unfunded mandates at both the state and federal levels, so we can provide appropriate education for our students with special needs.