Review Agenda Item
Meeting Date: 1/15/2014 - 7:30 PM
Category: Reports/Information
Type: Info
Subject: 16.1 Update on revised Corrective Early Intervening Services (CEIS) Plan
LCAP (Local Control Accountability Plan) Goal:
College and Career Arts and Athletics Goal 1.20-1.21
Arts and Athletics Goal 1.20-1.21
Policy:
Enclosure PowerPoint Presentation
File Attachment:
Board Equity Presentation 1-15-14.ppt
Summary: The California Department of Education (CDE) has identified approximately 18 local educational agencies (LEAs) as having significant disproportionality by race and ethnicity of students receiving special education services pursuant to the requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Since 2010, MDUSD has been identified as a Disproportionate district for the over-identification of African American students in Special Education and in July 2012, MDUSD was identified as Significantly Disproportionate in the over-identification of African Americans as Emotionally Disturbed (ED). In July 2013, MDUSD was again identified as Significantly Disproportionate in the over-identification of African Americans as Emotionally Disturbed (ED).

In the early stages of exploring this phenomenon, MDUSD decided to pursue the issue of disproportionality in a broader context that would have a substantive impact on how the district does business in addressing the needs of all of its students and particularly those who were described as culturally different. This resulted in the creation of the Equity Advisory Team comprised of district and community stakeholders and the adoption of an equity agenda of which disproportionality was a part and Board policies were adopted for both equity and disproportionality in 2010 that ensured the district’s commitment to solving this problem.

The designation of Significantly Disproportionate has required MDUSD to broadly examine General Education systems to address the problem and to designate 15% of the existing Special Education budget allocation (approximately 1.1 million dollars) to address this area. In addition, MDUSD was required to develop a Significant Disproportionality–Coordinating Early Intervening Services (SD-CEIS) plan, implemented over the 2012-14 school years. This Plan was approved by the Board of Education on February 25, 2013. The Plan creates the opportunity to provide culturally responsive academic and behavioral interventions and supports to general education students thus reducing the need, or being identified as needing, special education services, thus helping to reduce disproportionate representation in special education.

The SD-CEIS Plan outlines: Services and Supports Provided to ALL Students (general education), Professional Development, Use of Special Education Funds, and Program Evaluation. MDUSD’s SD-CEIS plan is aligned to existing district initiatives and was based on a three pronged approach to guide its' analysis to identify root causes in order to address equity and disproportionality; analysis of disaggregated data, self-assessment of needs using the CREATE Wisconsin Annotated Checklist for Addressing Racial Disproportionality in Special Education and (3) a file audit review of African American students identified as eligible for special education under the criteria of Emotionally disturbed (ED).

The SD-CEIS Plan has identified three focus areas; Response to Intervention, Positive Behavior Intervention Supports (PBIS) and Culturally Responsive School Environments to address disproportionality in MDUSD. The 15% IDEA funds will support professional development for certificated and classified staff, coaching for classroom teachers on PBIS strategies, support classes and counseling for students with severe behavior issues, and staff to support the plan implementation, monitoring and evaluation. Annually the CDE will review district data to determine disproportionality. Based upon district data,CDE has determined that MDUSD is still determined to be significantly disproportionate in the area of identifying African American students as emotionally disturbed. As such, MDUSD has revised the original SD-CEIS Plan to continue to address disproportionality. MDUSD will have until June 2015 to implement the revised SD-CEIS Plan.
Funding: N/A
Fiscal Impact N/A
Recommendation: N/A
Approvals:
Recommended By:
Signed By:
Jonathan Roselin - Assistant Director
Signed By:
Kerri Mills - Assistant Superintendent
Signed By:
Rose Lock - Assistant Superintendent of Middle
Signed By:
Dr. Nellie Meyer - Superintendent