Inclusive Education in Texas
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Tiffany Williams' (TCDD Policy Fellow housed at the Coalition of Texans with Disabilities) presented on the history of inclusion in Texas and where we are now.
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Inclusive Education in Texas
- 1. INCLUSIVE EDUCATION IN TEXAS Presented by: Tiffany Williams, Coalition of Texans with Disabilities. May 4, 2018
- 2. DEFINITION OF INCLUSION: • Inclusion is the preferred method for educating students with disabilities alongside their peers without disabilities with the necessary aids and supports • Inclusion is NOT Mainstreaming. Coalition of Texans with Disabilities 2018 2
- 3. WHAT DOES THE LAW SAY? • Under section 612(a)(b) IDEA “to the maximum extent appropriate, children with disabilities, are educated with children who are not disabled… Removal from the regular education environment occurs only when the nature or severity of the disability is such that education in regular classes with the use of supplementary aides and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily” Coalition of Texans with Disabilities 2018 3
- 4. WHAT DOES THE RESEARCH SAY? • Academic Outcomes of Inclusion: • Higher grades, achieved higher or comparable scores on standardized tests, and attended more days of school than students served in the pullout program. (Rea et. al, 2002) • Improvement in reading and math scores when compared to segregated setting. (Cole, Waldron, & Majd, 2004) • Increased mastery of IEP goals. (Salend and Duhany, 1999). Coalition of Texans with Disabilities 2018 4
- 5. WHAT DOES THE RESEARCH SAY? (CONT) • Affects of inclusion on the social development • Improved attendance (Rea et. al, 2002) • Reduction in discipline referrals (Wagner, M., Newman, L., Cameto, R., Levine, P. and Garza, N. 2006). • Social competence and communication skills improve when students with disabilities are educated in inclusive settings. (McGregor and Vogelsberg 1998) Coalition of Texans with Disabilities 2018 5
- 6. KEY STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTATION OF INCLUSION • Strong Leadership • A Collaborative Approach • Professional Development • Universal Design Learning (UDL) • Funding Coalition of Texans with Disabilities 2018 6
- 7. HOW DOES TEXAS MEASURE UP? • 68% of students with disabilities are spending 80% or more of their day in the general classroom. (USDE, 2017) • Only 14% of students with IDD get to experience the majority of their school day with their peers. (USDE, 2017) Coalition of Texans with Disabilities 2018 7
- 8. BARRIERS TO IMPLEMENTATION: • Texas’ public school finance system has consistently underfunded public education (Center for Public Policy Priorities, 2017). • The funding weights that are assigned to special education in Texas, are placement based, incentivizing self- contained settings over inclusive ones. Coalition of Texans with Disabilities 2018 8 Center for Public Policy Priorities, 2017
- 9. Coalition of Texans with Disabilities 2018 9
- 10. POLICY SOLUTIONS • Adjust Special Education Funding weights Texas has not updated the special education allotment since 1993. • Provide professional development for teachers for an inclusive classroom - Texas teachers are being asked to teach students with disabilities without the necessary supports which can negatively impact their efficacy and limit the benefits of inclusion. Coalition of Texans with Disabilities 2018 10
- 11. SUMMARY: WHY SUPPORT INCLUSION? • Federal Law (IDEA) support the inclusion of students with disabilities in general education settings. • Over 30 years of research supports the positive impact of inclusion on students with disabilities and all students in both behavioral and academic areas. Coalition of Texans with Disabilities 2018 11
- 12. THE END Coalition of Texans with Disabilities 2018 12 Email any questions to Twilliams@txdisabilities.org Tiffany Williams, Policy Fellow Financial Support for the CTD Developmental Disabilities Policy Fellowship is provided by the Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities, with Federal funds* made available by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. *$67,500 (79%) DD funds; $17,947 (21%) non-federal resources
Editor's Notes
- The definition of Inclusion has evolved over the years and unfortunately many schools may think they are offering inclusion but are not. Various interpretations of what an inclusive education is can lead to mixed reviews of its effectiveness. So the definition I am operating off of today is : The goal of inclusionary schools seek to establish communities of learners by educating all students together in a general education classrooms in their neighborhood schools. Although the inclusive movement has focused on individuals with disabilities, it can be viewed as a philosophy for educating all students Inclusion is not mainstreaming: Integrating students with disabilities in the general education classroom without the necessary resources is not what I am referring to
- So what are schools actually required to do by law as it pertains to the setting type for SWD? If you read IDEA you will not find the term Inclusion, just a near description of it. So the law states that the full range of supplementary aids and services would need to be considered before a student with disabilities is removed from the gen ed classroom . You will see in my report that I focus on students who spend 80% or more of the day in the gen ed classroom which is based off this language in the IDEA- basically says that students should not be removed from the gen ed classroom unless aids and services in the classroom are not adequate
- So why does the law say that this is the best way to educate students with disabilities? Research supports it! Students served in inclusive classrooms earned : first bullet Students with IDD who are included: second bullet
- Once research established that inclusion lead to improved academic research, studies focused on the social development factors they noticed students had: There is also research included in my report that shows how students without disabilities also improve from inclusion, and their learning is not hindered or interfered with.
- According to the most recent congressional report on the implementation of IDEA Texas is including… Reiterate why we shoot for 80% even though these are texas’ numbers- doesn’t mean that 68% is correct implementation
- So what is keeping Texas from including more students? My report goes into more detail about how nationally- funding is one of the most common barriers to proper implementation however Texas specifically has made cuts that are hurting the population already and this is at a 68% rate. First bullet : , causing schools to cut services for the most vulnerable populations, particularly English language learners, low income schools, and students with disabilities. More specifically to Texas’s special education funding mechanisms the …. Second bullet
- When the actual school finance structure in Texas is examined- you will see that funding per student is determined by placement rather than service so there is a weight or multiplier if you will of the basic allotment that is assigned to self contained settings and the mainstream setting. If our school finance system all the resources that were necessary to do inclusion properly, this would be a higher weight than 1.1.
- So based on Texas’ low inclusion rates we are proposing some policy solutions for this upcoming session and now as we speak actually as the Commission on School finance is meeting. Weights have not been updated since 1993, with the passage of sb 7. so the same time inclusion research was starting to currently schools are financially incentive. Studies have shown that all students benefit from a teacher who is well-trained in best-practices such as differentiated learning and are supported by co-teachers.
- In Summary: the Law supports it, and research proves it