Special Education Strategic Plan – Theme 1
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Statement of Commitment
To ensure ambitious academic achievement for all students with IEPs, all staff are committed to the equitable implementation of a mulit-tiered system of support (MTSS) and to maximizing learning opportunities and ensuring equitable access to high-quality, specially designed instruction as part of a robust continuum of services.
Objective
The Department of Special Education (DSE) currently faces a critical need to enhance and fully implement a robust continuum of high-quality, specially designed instruction and support services for students with disabilities. Lack of fidelity in implementation of specially designed instruction and a perceived lack of a comprehensive service continuum, driven by resource limitations, are leading to inconsistent student achievement, insufficient progress toward IEP goals, and inadequate support for students learning on grade level or participating in instruction using the Alternative Academic Standards. This limits equitable access to the core curriculum and appropriate academic rigor across all settings.
Theory of Action
HCPSS provides sufficient resources → Staff consistently implement specially-designed instruction as part of a comprehensive service continuum → Students receive adequate academic support (e.g., equitable access to core curriculum, appropriate academic rigor across settings) → Students progress toward academic IEP goals → Students achieve academic IEP goals.
HCPSS
Strategic Plan
Alignment
Priority 1: Strengthen Learning and Instruction
Key Strategies: Provide Effective Instruction, Redesign Special Education and Tailor Evidence-Based Interventions
Goals
| Actual | Targets | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goal | Baseline 6/26/25 | Year 1 (2025-26) | Year 2 (2026-27) | Year 3 (2027-28) | Year 4 (2028-29) | Year 5 (2029-30) |
| 1. Students with IEPs achieve their academic goals | Avg over 4 quarters: 79.44% of academic goals were marked achieved or making sufficient progress | 80% of academic goals were marked achieved or making sufficient progress |
82% of academic goals were marked achieved or making sufficient progress |
of academic goals were marked achieved or making sufficient progress |
87% of academic goals were marked achieved or making sufficient progress |
90% of academic goals were marked achieved or making sufficient progress |
| 2. Grade 10 students with IEPs meet the Blueprint College and Career Readiness (CCR) Standard |
% G10 met CCR standard |
31% meet CCR standard | 36% meet CCR standard | 41% meet CCR standard | 46% meet CCR standard | 50% meet CCR standard |
| 3. Students with IEPs will graduate in 4 years at rates more closely aligned with their peers. Narrow graduation rate gap for students with IEPs for 4-year cohort |
4 year 75.77% FY24 93.69% all 17.92% gap |
15.92% | 14% | 12% | 10% | Under 10% gap |
Strategies
Strategy 1
Staff will model and apply research/evidence-based instructional practices to improve academic achievement for students with IEPs.
Action Steps
Utilize staff feedback from the August 18 district-wide professional learning session alongside continuous feedback loops from staff to create professional learning resources that are in alignment with staff differentiated needs and provide staff with the knowledge and skill to implement Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles and the Multi-tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) framework in their classrooms.
Collaborate with school-based leaders to refine and tailor the professional learning resources and learning experience design (macro and micro learning experiences) to meet the needs of their staff.
Utilize district meetings to ensure all leaders have the knowledge and skills to lead staff learning around UDL implementation.
All staff will apply UDL and the MTSS framework principles across grade level/content curriculum to ensure that all students have equitable access to instruction through flexible methods of engagement, representation, and expression.
All educators will apply the evidence based inclusive practices of co-planning, co-teaching and co-assessing to increase achievement of secondary students with IEPs in the area of mathematics.
Designated educators will apply specific evidence-based strategies to support students with IEPs who are twice exceptional (2e).
Designated educators will apply specific evidence-based strategies to support students with IEPs who have autism.
Designated educators and support staff will apply Specially Designed Instruction (SDI) for students with IEPs with a focus on dyslexia, dyscalculia, and dysgraphia—including research/evidence-based strategies for reading, math, and written expression tailored to the unique needs of each student and their educational disability.
Progress Monitoring / Indicators
Implementation progress monitoring:
- IEP Teams engage in regular progress monitoring to determine effectiveness of academic interventions.
- School visit walkthrough data (conducted by DSE staff) will demonstrate the development and implementation of planned and purposeful research/evidence-based practices (specifically, UDL, autism and/or SDI) in use at least 80% of the time in classrooms where special education students are served.
- 100% of elementary teachers implementing interventions for dyslexia, dyscalculia and dysgraphia will enter their interventions and progress in Synergy.
Students with IEPs receive adequate academic support (e.g., equitable access to core curriculum, appropriate academic rigor across settings), as measured by:
- % students making sufficient progress each quarter toward academic goals.
Timeline: August 2025 – June 2026
Strategy 2
Establish structures and protocols to improve data collection, analysis, and progress monitoring aligned to academic IEP goals and objectives and implementation of SDI.
Action Steps
Collaboratively develop, with central office and school-based leaders, a progress monitoring school visit tool/form.
Implement a standardized progress monitoring process through Tienet reports.
Pilot a process to facilitate the documentation of consistent data collection in alignment with IEP goals and objectives at 5 elementary schools with non-teaching/designated ITLs.
Collaborate with middle school and high school non-teaching ITLs to develop a standardized progress monitoring process at their levels.
Progress Monitoring/Indicators
Evidence of the tool and the process. October 2025
School visit data will demonstrate the development and implementation of planned and purposeful evidence-based practices in use at least 80% of the time.
Timeline: August 2025-June 2026