HISD officials say new limits on classroom grade levels and class sizes are meant to better support students in self-contained special education.
District leaders say the changes are designed to improve instruction and academic outcomes, while parents worry about campus transfers and disruptions for students with disabilities.
– Parents packed the HISD board meeting this week, demanding district leaders stop plans for special education changes for next school year. Despite the backlash, HISD leaders said the changes are necessary to improve instruction and better support students with the highest needs.
“These changes can be difficult for families, and we heard them tonight. We listened,” HISD Deputy Superintendent Kristen Hole said during Thursday’s meeting.
“The feelings are real because they care deeply about their children. ”District leaders said the upcoming changes are focused on three major goals:“The first thing is we want to improve the academic outcomes for our special education students because we know they can achieve,” Hole said.
“The second thing is we really need to focus on improving the quality of instruction in every single classroom where a special education student is sitting. ”According to the district, approximately 16,000 students in the “least restrictive environment” meaning students who learn alongside general education students will not see major campus or service changes.
For those students, HISD says the district plans to expand co-teaching models, where a general education teacher and special education teacher work together in the same classroom. The district also plans to introduce “pre-teach” courses that expose students to reading and math concepts before their regular classroom instruction.
“For these students, it’s really important to note that no services are changing and no campuses are changing,” Hole said. The largest changes will impact roughly 5,000 students in self-contained classrooms. District leaders said they found many classrooms included students across wide age and grade ranges. In some elementary classrooms, HISD said kindergartners and fifth graders were learning together in the same room.
U.S. Department of Education opens disability discrimination investigation into HISD special education proposal “We saw that there was a large age range in many of our classrooms,” Hole said.
“Teachers every day having to support students across many grades in the same classroom. ” According to HISD, more than 65% of self-contained classrooms currently serve students from three or more grade levels at once.
“95% or more of teachers will serve one to two grades of students in one classroom,” Hole said. The district plans to restructure classrooms by grouping students closer in age and grade level. Some campuses could have separate classrooms designated for grades K-1, 2-3, and 4-5. Adult-to-student ratios will be capped at five-to-oneSiblings of transferred students may request transfers to the same campus “This is not about efficiency,” Hole said.
“This is about better supporting our students in the classroom. ”District leaders repeatedly pushed back against concerns circulating among parents. Miles stressed that no student IEPs are being changed under the plan unless a new Admission, Review and Dismissal meeting takes place. District officials also denied claims that HISD plans to create standalone special education campuses.
Miles added the district believes students will ultimately receive stronger support because teachers will no longer have to manage classrooms with students across four or five grade levels simultaneously. HISD officials said additional training will take place before the upcoming school year for principals, assistant principals, and teachers working in special education programs.
‘Our kids are not second-class citizens’: Parents erupt over HISD special education overhaul at board meeting Throughout Thursday’s lengthy board meeting, district leaders did not address ongoing federal or state investigations involving special education services. The TEA said it is too soon to determine whether the complaints they’re reviewing could prevent the district from implementing its changes.
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