Massachusetts Students with Disabilities in Out-of-District Programs: Preliminary Findings

1. Massachusetts Students with Disabilities in Out-of-District Programs: Preliminary Findings Todd Grindal Abt Associates School Mental Health: Treating Students K - 12 February 1, 2014 Research work conducted in collaboration with Dr. Thomas Hehir,., Monica Ng, Laura Schifter, HadasEidelman, & Dr. Shaun Dougherty

2. Primary Research Questions Question 1: What are the student and district-level characteristics associated with placement in out-of-district programs? Question 2: What are the processes and pathways through which students with disabilities are referred to and placed in out-of-districtprograms? Question 3: What are the implications of enrolling students in out-of-district programs?

3. Special Education in Massachusetts • Massachusetts’s students with disabilities, on average, outperform students with disabilities across the country on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). • Massachusetts’s students with disabilities are educated in classrooms with their typically developing peers at similar (slightly higher) rates as students with disabilities across the country. • Massachusetts’s students are identified as eligible for special education vary substantially by category. In some categories MA students are identified at the same rate as students across the country and in other categories MA students are identified at rates higher than other U.S students

4. Displaying rates of disability identification in specific categories in MA and the U.S Percentage of all Students in U.S. vs. Massachusetts 4 Sources: MA DOE, 2011; IDEA 2010

5. Instructional settings for students with disabilities in 2012 (n=198,875)

6. Instructional settings for students with disabilities in 2012 (n=198,875) Students for whom their local school district supported all or some of their tuition, transportation, or other special education associated costs. For more information on approved private special education schools see http://maaps.org/.

7. Instructional settings for students with disabilities in 2012 (n=198,875) Public regional inter-district partnerships that provide direct services for students with disabilities, transportation, and support for special education professionals. For more information on collaborative programs see http://moecnet.org/

8. Finding 1a: Rates of out-placement have remained stable over time, but the characteristics of students who use these programs are changing.

9. Number of students in out-of-district placements by disability category and year

10. Percentage of students within each disability category in out-of-district placements, by year

11. Number of children in private special education schools and collaborative programs by disability category and year

12. Finding 1b: Low-income students enroll in private special education schools at substantially lower rates than their non-low-income peers.

13. Low-income students enroll in private special education schools at substantially lower rates than their non-low-income peers

14. Low-income students enroll in private special education schools at substantially lower rates than their non-low-income peers

15. Non-low income students with emotional disabilities are approximately twice as likely to be placed in private special education school than their similar low-income peers. Low-income student Non-low income student Controls: Disability category, grade, student race, student over-age for grade, District percent low-income Odds Ratio = 1.9; p<0.001

16. Finding 1c: Towns vary widely in their use of out-of-district placements.

17. Town-level variation in the percentage of special education students enrolled in private special education schools (2012)

18. Primary Research Questions Question 1: What are the student and district-levelcharacteristics associated with placement in out-of-district programs? Question 2: What are the processes and pathways through which students with disabilities are referred to and placed in out-of-district programs? Question 3: What are the implications of enrolling students in out-of-district programs?

19. Finding 2a: The majority of children move into out-of-district placements in late middle and early high school.

20. Profiles for initial placement in private special education schools by grade

21. Finding 2b: Special education directors cite safety as the main reason for referring students to out-of-district programs.

22. Survey • Distributed to 277 Directors of Special Education. • 239 Directors (86%) responded to at least one question. • 221 Directors (79%) completed the survey. Table of respondents by district size.

23. Survey Results Reason for OOD referral across all categories.

24. This pattern differs slightly by student disability type

25. Quotes from Special Ed. Directors • “This student physically harmed one of our staff members (broke ribs) when attempting to physically attack another student.” • “She engaged in self harm, tantrums, acting out, disrupting others, and did not show any remorse/ or willingness to be learn appropriate coping strategies. The student has a history of cutting at home, bringing this to school… Safety is the concern. We could not guarantee her physical safety in the larger school environment.”

26. Finding 2c: Theoutplacement process for children with emotional, developmental and learning disabilities is less contentious than placements for other types of disabilities.

28. Special education director commenting on private placements of children with learning disabilities “Students placed at private 766 schools to address specific learning disabilities is a disservice to students. The curriculum is not rigorous, students are removed from their community and in reality, leave these schools with skills far more deficient than when they left the district.”

29. Special education director commenting on private placements of children with emotional/behavioral disabilities “Student was receiving services in substantially separate program with all available district resources in place. The students behaviors continued to escalate and was unsafe despite the efforts of all district service providers, outside consultants, and parent collaboration. “

30. Primary Research Questions Question 1: What are the student and district-level characteristics associated with placement in out-of-district programs? Question 2: What are the processes and pathways through which students with disabilities are referred to and placed in out-of-district programs? Question 3: What are the implications of enrolling students in out-of-district programs?

31. Finding 3a: Relatively few out-placed students ever return to an in-district placement.

32. The percentage of out-placed students who ever return to an in-district program 17.8 % of students placed in private schools ever return to an in-district program 25.4 % of students placed in collaboratives ever return to an in-district program

33. Finding 3b: Students who enroll in out-of-district settings, on average, do not experience greater or lesser gains in reading or mathematics MCAS scores when compared to similar students who were not outplaced. Enrollment in an out-of-district program is associated with greater increases in student attendance.

34. Finding 3c: Districts that place a larger percentage of special education students in private schools, on average, receive a significantly larger per-pupil reimbursement from the circuit breaker.

35. Estimated Per Pupil Reimbursement from the Circuit Breaker (2012)

36. Recommendations Improve General Education Approaches to Discipline and Behavior Promote Inclusion and Universal Design for Learning Improve High School Options for Students with Disabilities Provide Low-income Parents Access to Meaningful Advocacy Support. Create Opportunities for Private Schools and Public Schools to Collaborate to Help Support Students in a More Fluid Manner Restructure the Circuit Breaker to Directly Support the Expenses Related to Children with Complex Needs

37. Thank you!Please contact Todd Grindal with further questions or comments. Todd_Grindal@abtassoc.com