There continues to be a lot of controversy over the drop in the number of kids in Texas who are receiving special education services. As most of you know, the Houston Chronicle has brought attention to this issue through a series of articles that accuse T.E.A. of intentionally keeping needy kids out of our special education programs. In December, the Department of Education conducted five “listening sessions” across the state to get public input about this and other issues.
So let’s start off this year with an effort to be clear about this. Nobody at T.E.A. can dictate who gets into your special education program. Decisions about eligibility are made on a case by case basis, ARD meeting by ARD meeting, based on the evaluation information that the ARD Committee reviews.
It would be a good idea for you to examine what has happened to the numbers in your district over the past several years. T.E.A. has had in place for over a decade an “indicator” in the PBMAS system that placed your district in certain categories based on the percentage of kids you serve in special education. Many people assert that this indicator has had the effect of lowering the percentage of kids we serve. No doubt that’s true. But there are other factors at work as well.
So we think you would be wise to take a look at what’s happened in your district. If the numbers in special education in your district have gone down because you have found other programs and services that are serving students well, then good for you. But if the numbers have gone down because someone in your district thinks that the PBMAS standard is more important than appropriate services for each kid, you are missing the mark. No T.E.A. guideline should ever stand in the way of an appropriate education.
DAWG BONE: IF YOU ARE CONSIDERING ELIGIBILITY OF A STUDENT, LET THAT DECISION BE BASED EXCLUSIVELY ON THE EVALUATION DATA, THE NEEDS OF THE STUDENT AND THE LEGAL STANDARDS FOR ELIGIBILITY. LET THE PBMAS NUMBERS FALL WHERE THEY MAY.
Tomorrow: parent wants us to commit to specific reading program. What do we do?