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For now, K-12 districts can wait and watch sequestration unroll
K-12 districts have one advantage over meat inspectors, military contractors, national parks staff, air traffic controllers, Head Start operators (see story) and others facing immediate cuts in federal funding as of Friday’s sequester deadline: time. Because of how districts budget their money, the 5.1 percent reductions in federal revenue that would go into effect March 1 under sequestration won’t be felt by districts until the start of their new fiscal year, July 1. That gives … Read entire article »
Filed under: Disabilities education, English learners, Featured, Poverty, Reporting & Analysis, Special Needs, Title I, U.S. Education Policy
Districts pay more for special ed, feds underfund
California school districts are shouldering a bigger share of the cost of special education, reflecting a further shift of the burden from state and federal governments, according to a new report from the state Legislative Analyst’s Office. Between the 2004-05 school year and 2010-11, the local portion of special education services grew from 32 percent to 39 percent. During that same period, the percentage paid by the federal and state governments fell. School districts now pay more than twice what the federal government puts in, or about $3.4 billion a year. The LAO report says the feds have never paid their full share under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). About 10 percent of California’s K-12 students – nearly 690,000 – receive special education services. The majority of them have … Read entire article »
Filed under: Disabilities education, Featured, Quick Hits
Federal cuts to education left unresolved
Congress’ New Year’s Day drama, ending a stalemate over extending tax cuts for all but the wealthy, delays rather than resolves an across-the-board 8.2 percent decrease in federal education spending. That’s the spending piece of the “fiscal cliff” that Congress decided to put off deciding until early March. For California districts, that means a two-month reprieve from facing potentially hundreds of millions of dollars in funding cuts to special education programs and Title I aid for … Read entire article »
Filed under: Disabilities education, Featured, Poverty, Reporting & Analysis, Title I
Overusing test for special ed students inflates API scores
October 11th, 2012 | 33 Comments | By Doug McRae / commentary
California’s 2012 Academic Performance Index (API) results, released today, in general show small but steady gains similar to the last four years. But a deeper look at the results shows not only inflation contributing to the gains but also a substantial policy shift toward lower expectations for special education students in California. The API trend data inflation is due to the introduction of a new test for special education students over the past five years: the California Modified Assessments, or CMAs. These tests were introduced to give selected students greater “access” to the statewide testing system, by making tests easier than the regular California Standards Tests (CSTs) given to all other students. When the CMAs were approved in 2007, the plan was that roughly 2 percent of total enrollment (or about … Read entire article »
Filed under: Commentary, Disabilities education, Featured, Special Needs, Tests, Tests & Assessments