PJ Settlement

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PJ SETTLEMENT PJ SETTLEMENT OUTCOMES AND GOALS OUTCOMES AND GOALS

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PJ ET AL v State of CT Board of Education, ET AL Created by Deborah Sullivan

Transcript of PJ Settlement

Page 1: PJ Settlement

PJ SETTLEMENTPJ SETTLEMENT

OUTCOMES AND GOALSOUTCOMES AND GOALS

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PJ ET AL v State of CT Board of PJ ET AL v State of CT Board of Education, ET ALEducation, ET AL

1991 a lawsuit filed by 5 school-age 1991 a lawsuit filed by 5 school-age children identified as Intellectually children identified as Intellectually Disabled and their familiesDisabled and their families

Became a class action lawsuit on Became a class action lawsuit on December 13, 1993December 13, 1993

Class membership was all school-age Class membership was all school-age children with the label Intellectually children with the label Intellectually Disabled on or after Feb. 20, 1991 who are Disabled on or after Feb. 20, 1991 who are not educated in regular classroomsnot educated in regular classrooms

Filed under IDEA as an issue of FAPE and Filed under IDEA as an issue of FAPE and LRELRE

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GOALS AND OUTCOMESGOALS AND OUTCOMES

An increase in the percent of students An increase in the percent of students with intellectual disability who are with intellectual disability who are placed in placed in regular classesregular classes, as , as measured by the federal definition measured by the federal definition which is which is 80% or more of the 80% or more of the school day with non-disabled school day with non-disabled peers.peers.

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GOALS AND OUTCOMESGOALS AND OUTCOMES

A reduction in the disparate identification A reduction in the disparate identification of students with intellectual disability by of students with intellectual disability by LEA, by racial group, by ethnic group, or LEA, by racial group, by ethnic group, or by gender group. Statewide, African-by gender group. Statewide, African-American and Hispanic students are American and Hispanic students are more than twice as likely to be identified more than twice as likely to be identified with intellectual and emotional with intellectual and emotional disabilities than their Caucasian peers. disabilities than their Caucasian peers. African-American males are five times African-American males are five times more likely.more likely.

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GOALS AND OUTCOMESGOALS AND OUTCOMES

An increase in the mean and median An increase in the mean and median percent of the school day that percent of the school day that students with intellectual disability students with intellectual disability spend with non-disabled peers. spend with non-disabled peers. (TWNDP-(TWNDP-Time With Non-Disabled PeersTime With Non-Disabled Peers))

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GOALS AND OUTCOMESGOALS AND OUTCOMES

An increase in the percent of students An increase in the percent of students with intellectual disability who attend with intellectual disability who attend the school they would attend if not the school they would attend if not disabled. Therefore, schools districts disabled. Therefore, schools districts need to reduce outplacement and need to reduce outplacement and district-wide programs.district-wide programs.

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GOALS AND OUTCOMESGOALS AND OUTCOMES

An increase in the percent of students An increase in the percent of students with intellectual disability who with intellectual disability who participate in school-sponsored participate in school-sponsored extracurricular activities with non-extracurricular activities with non-disabled peers.disabled peers.

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SETTLEMENT AGREEMENTSSETTLEMENT AGREEMENTS

Focused monitoring systemFocused monitoring system16 districts now being monitored through 16 districts now being monitored through site visits, improvement plans, trainingsite visits, improvement plans, training

Quarterly reports to the Court, Plaintiffs, Quarterly reports to the Court, Plaintiffs, and the Expert Advisory Panel over a five and the Expert Advisory Panel over a five year periodyear period

Expert Advisory Panel consists of four Expert Advisory Panel consists of four earned doctoral professionals from earned doctoral professionals from various universities throughout the United various universities throughout the United StatesStates

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TEAMWORKTEAMWORK

The Expert Advisory Panel and the State The Expert Advisory Panel and the State of Connecticut agree that this is not a of Connecticut agree that this is not a “Special Education issue”! To be “Special Education issue”! To be successful this will take teamwork successful this will take teamwork amongst district leadership, special amongst district leadership, special education and general education education and general education teachers.teachers.

It must especially be a joint commitment It must especially be a joint commitment between general and special education.between general and special education.

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TEAMWORK CONTINUED…TEAMWORK CONTINUED…

In the second annual report of the In the second annual report of the Expert Advisory Panel concerns were Expert Advisory Panel concerns were expressed that the Connecticut State expressed that the Connecticut State Department of Education has Department of Education has focused training and efforts to focused training and efforts to special educatorsspecial educators

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TEAMWORK CONTINUED…TEAMWORK CONTINUED…

““If principal attention is not shifted If principal attention is not shifted from the exclusive purview of special from the exclusive purview of special educators to educators to BOTH BOTH general and general and special educators, with general special educators, with general educators taking the lead, we project educators taking the lead, we project little sustainable progress across all little sustainable progress across all five goals…”five goals…”

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TEAMWORK CONTINUED…TEAMWORK CONTINUED…

““Since general education is the base Since general education is the base for education of all children…it is for education of all children…it is logical that significant movement on logical that significant movement on the five goals of P.J. will not be the five goals of P.J. will not be accomplished without the accomplished without the involvement of district as well as involvement of district as well as school level leadership and general school level leadership and general education teachers.”education teachers.”

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INCLUSION RESEARCHINCLUSION RESEARCH

Placement in inclusive programs led Placement in inclusive programs led to academic gains for students with to academic gains for students with disabilities, including improved disabilities, including improved performance on standardized tests, performance on standardized tests, mastery of IEP goals, grades, on-task mastery of IEP goals, grades, on-task behaviors and motivation to learn. behaviors and motivation to learn. (National Center for Education (National Center for Education Restructuring and Inclusion, 1995)Restructuring and Inclusion, 1995)

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INCLUSION RESEARCHINCLUSION RESEARCH

Students with ID educated in Students with ID educated in inclusive classes test higher in inclusive classes test higher in literacy measures than students literacy measures than students educated in separate special educated in separate special education classes. (Buckley, Bird, education classes. (Buckley, Bird, Sacks, & Archer 2000)Sacks, & Archer 2000)

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INCLUSION RESEARCHINCLUSION RESEARCH

Placement in inclusive classrooms does Placement in inclusive classrooms does not interfere with the academic not interfere with the academic performance of students without performance of students without disabilities with respect to the amount disabilities with respect to the amount of allocated time and engaged of allocated time and engaged instructional time, the rate of instructional time, the rate of interruption to planned activities and interruption to planned activities and students’ achievement on test scores students’ achievement on test scores and report card grades. (York, and report card grades. (York, Vandercook, MacDonald, Heise-Neff, & Vandercook, MacDonald, Heise-Neff, & Caughey, 1992)Caughey, 1992)

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WHERE TO BEGINWHERE TO BEGIN

Working/training with teams to begin Working/training with teams to begin the process of inclusionthe process of inclusion

Paradigm shift to: general Paradigm shift to: general education placement needs to be the education placement needs to be the first considerationfirst consideration

Ensure the proper identification of Ensure the proper identification of studentsstudents

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WHERE CAN YOU LEARN WHERE CAN YOU LEARN MORE?MORE?

State Department of EducationState Department of Education Special Education Resource CenterSpecial Education Resource Center CT Parent Advocacy CenterCT Parent Advocacy Center CT Coalition for Inclusive EducationCT Coalition for Inclusive Education Department of Mental RetardationDepartment of Mental Retardation State and national websitesState and national websites