final report follows initial June 2010 release
The final report out of a comprehensive study of Capital Region BOCES' Special Education Division is now available, and can be downloaded here as a PDF.
The 16-page report is the result of a multi-month study conducted of the division by AdvisorySolutions, an affiliate of the New York State School Boards Association. The goal of the study was to learn how the BOCES organization might reverse declining enrollment in Special Education programs and position itself to grow and thrive into the future. AdvisorySolutions began its work in January 2010 and studied nine aspects of the division, including quality of classroom instruction, cost effectiveness and management structure. (See highlights below.) The executive summary of this report was released and presented to the Board of Education last spring.
“We thank AdvisorySolutions again for its hard work, in studying an immensely complex division in a relatively short period of time,” said District Superintendent Charles Dedrick. “We have started investigating and implementing some of the proposed changes, and will continue to study the report's findings throughout this school year. We thank AdvisorySolutions for being critical — this report gives us a solid roadmap for better serving our region's schools and students."
The report includes observations and recommendations in nine areas, including:
Type
and quality of classroom and program supervision:
Observation
and review of classroom curriculum revealed that the quality of
classroom instruction taking place is generally quite
good.
The
Annual Professional Performance Review is an excellent way to assess
staff performance but its benefits aren't always realized because
principals have so many staff to evaluate.
A
review of student schedules found the NYS Physical Education times
aren't always being met for all students.
In
some classrooms observed, there were more adults present than
students.
Cost
effectiveness of services compared to similar programs (public and
private) in the region:
Current
base classroom, itinerant and related services charges are
comparable to the rates charged by comparable BOCES.
The
number of social workers and classroom aide ratios is high.
Recommendations
include to increase classrooms in areas where waiting lists persist.
Staffing
patterns and effectiveness:
A
review of individual student schedules suggest an overlap of
providers and redundancy of providers in some classrooms.
All
secondary teachers have received "high qualified" status.
Increased
program coordination is sought by districts.
Recommendations
include revising classroom descriptions to allow for more flexible
grouping of students.
Internal
and external reporting and communication:
Communication
is viewed by many staff members as top-down.
Districts
feel there is no clear structure to facilitate communication between
the division and components.
Recommendations
include updated training in IEP Direct (student information system)
for all staff and increasing the visibility of the division director
in component districts.
Structure
of classroom site agreements:
Geographic
distribution of classroom is limited to the center of the Capital
Region BOCES region.
A
lack of a system to project classroom needs and a lack of
flexibility in location of classrooms has resulted in wait lists and
placement recommendations whose locations aren't optimal.
Recommendations
include looking for alternative sites, and visiting each district
prior to budget development to get an accurate sense of
classroom/student needs.
Structure
of the current management model:
Job
roles and functions are not clearly defined, resulting in redundancy
in tasks and roles.
There
is little evidence of long term strategic planning.
Recommendations
include a job analysis of all administrative and support staff
functions, and identifying an administrator whose primary role is
divisional leadership and systems change.
Fiscal
management techniques used to develop service costs:
In
three comparative BOCES, the special education budget was developed
with the business office; at Capital Region BOCES, special education
develops its own budget and only meets periodically with the
business office to review it.
Capital
Region BOCES bills monthly based on actual enrollment, similar to
two of the other BOCES reviewed.
Recommendations
include special education and the business office developing the
division budget jointly, and ensuring the tuition rate of each
program is reflective of actual program costs.
Internal
process related to invoicing districts:
Bills
are generated, checked by principals, then sent to districts
monthly.
Maintenance
of student files in IEP Direct (software) is weak.
Recommendations
include training all staff to use and maintain student records in
IEP Direct and clarifying procedures for inputting new and existing
student data in IEP Direct.
External
factors affecting program enrollment:
Capital
Region BOCES' decrease in student enrollment is consistent with
statewide enrollment trends, and a primary reason for that decrease
is a trend toward having as many students as possible educated in
their home schools.
Recommendations
include increasing communication with districts to be able to make
yearly enrollment projections.
BOCES is in the midst of forming four work groups that will further study the report and make concrete recommendations for change. Membership for these groups will include 10-12 individuals each from Special Education and other BOCES administration, teachers, teaching assistants, related service providers and support staff. Component district superintendents and Committee on Special Education (CSE) chairs are also being asked for their participation.
Membership of each work group, along with the charge/direction for each, will be publicized the last week in September. Individuals will be assigned to work groups based on expressed interest and areas of expertise. The groups will begin meeting in early October.
The workgroups will meet five to six times during the 2010-2011 school year and will report regularly on their progress and recommendations to a steering committee of central office staff (including Dedrick, Special Education Division Director Inge Jacobs and Assistant Superintendent for Technology and Innovation Carl Strang, who has been tapped to oversee the entire process), union representatives and BOCES board member Gary DiLallo.
The goal is that change recommended by the work groups will be implemented beginning in fall 2011.
"We look forward to all these groups beginning their work shortly," said Dedrick. "Staff input will be key to this process."
