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Table
FAPE.II |
Cluster Area IV:
Free Appropriate Public Education in the Least
Restrictive Environment |
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Question: |
Do all children with disabilities
receive a free appropriate public education in the least
restrictive environment that promotes a high quality education and
prepares them for employment and independent living? |
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Probe
BF.II: |
Are high
school graduation rates, and drop-out rates, for children with disabilities
comparable to graduation rates and drop-out rates for nondisabled children? |
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State Goal:* |
All students
will meet high standards for academic performance and personal
behavior and demonstrate the knowledge and skills required by a
dynamic world.
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Students
receiving special education services will meet high educational
standards.
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Students with
disabilities will be integrated with their nondisabled peers
throughout their educational experience.
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Students with disabilities will participate
in appropriate transition planning and receive services leading to
positive post-school outcomes.
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Individuals
with disabilities will participate successfully in postsecondary
education.
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Performance Indicator(s): |
- Increase the percentage of
students earning Regents, Local or High School Equivalency
diplomas.
- Decrease the percentage of
students dropping out.
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- Baseline/Trend Data
(for reporting period
July 1, 2003 through June 30, 2004. Use Attachments 2 and 3
when completing this cell.):
Data definition of
Need/Resource Capacity categories of school districts. (See
Appendix 2.2.)
- Data on diploma rates for
students with disabilities. (See
Appendix 12.1.)
- Data on diploma rates for
students with disabilities by N/RC. (See
Appendix 12.2.)
- Data on diploma rates for
students with disabilities by N/RC and other groupings of
school districts. (See Appendix 12.3.)
- Data on dropout rates for
all students and students with disabilities. (See
Appendix 13.1.)
- Data on dropout rates of
students with disabilities by N/RC. (See
Appendix 13.2.)
- Data on dropout rates of
students with disabilities by N/RC and other groupings of
school districts: (See Appendix 13.4.)
- Data on dropout rates of
students with disabilities in High N/RC districts compared
to other school districts. (See
Appendix 13.3.)
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- Targets
(for reporting period
July 1, 2003 through June 30, 2004):
- The dropout rate of students
with disabilities will decrease to be the same as the dropout
rate of all students.
- The high school diploma rate
of students with disabilities who complete secondary education
with a local, Regents or High School Equivalency diploma will
be 80 percent.
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- Explanation of Progress
or Slippage
(for reporting period
July 1, 2003 through June 30, 2004):
- A greater percentage of
students with disabilities (14.8 percent) earned the Regent
diploma in 2003-04, compared to 13.5 percent in 2002-03, and
4.4 percent in 1995-96.
- Students with disabilities
in the wealthy districts (Low Need districts) have surpassed
the target of 80 percent of students with disabilities
earning a high school diploma. The average N/RC districts are
close to meeting this goal and are at 77.7 percent. However, in NYC schools,
even though there was improvement compared to the previous
year, only
52.7 percent of students with disabilities earned high
school diplomas in 2003-04. The rate in NYC
for the previous year was 49.1 percent.
- A slightly smaller percent
of the 2000 cohort of high school students with disabilities
achieved a passing grade on the Mathematics examination
required for high school graduation (65.0 percent) compared
to the 1999 cohort. Also, there were significantly more
students with disabilities included in the 2000 cohort
(18,065) compared to the 1999 cohort (16,878).
- A smaller percentage of the
2000 cohort of students with disabilities achieved a passing
score on the English Regents examination required for
graduation (58.7 percent) compared to the 1999 cohort (61.0
percent).
- New York City’s drop-out
rate for students with disabilities improved significantly in 2003-04 (6.5
percent) compared to 2002-03 (9.6 percent).
- The dropout rate improved in
almost all N/RC categories of school districts. The dropout
rate in High N/RC districts remains higher (6.2 percent)
compared to Average or Low N/RC districts (3.5 percent).
High school graduation rates
are computed for all students, as well as for students with
disabilities, on the basis of the percentage of each cohort of
students that meet all graduation requirements within four
years of entry into the cohort year (9th grade).
See the following web sites regarding graduation requirements:
Students with disabilities
identified under IDEA and
students identified as disabled under Section 504 of the
Rehabilitation Act may meet high school graduation
requirements by using the safety net. See the following links:
High school graduation rates
are also computed separately for students with disabilities in
order to
measure the types of high school credentials that are achieved by students with disabilities who
complete high school, or who attain the maximum age for educational
services (age 21). In this calculation, students with
disabilities who drop out are not included in the calculation.
Dropout rates of students with disabilities represented in
this section use a similar denominator as the
Statewide dropout rate for all students, as explained below.
The Statewide dropout rate includes students with and without
disabilities.
Explanation of denominators for Statewide dropout rate and
students with disabilities dropout rate:
Statewide Dropout Rate:
The number of students who drop out during one school-year,
divided by the enrollment on the first Wednesday in October of
students in grades 9-12 and a portion of the ungraded
enrollment that is attributable to grades 9-12. Students who
move and are not known to be continuing in another program are
counted as dropped out.
Students with Disabilities Dropout Rate: The number of
students with disabilities who drop out during one school
year, divided by the enrollment of students with disabilities,
ages 14-21, on December 1. Students who move and are not known
to be continuing in another educational program are counted as
dropped out.
Urban Initiatives
SED’s urban initiative, which was developed as a collaborative
effort between EMCS, VESID and the Big Four Cities was initiated
in 2003-04. The approach utilizes a data-driven strategic
planning model to develop annual improvement plans for the Big
Four Cities. Key stakeholders and leadership personnel from the
cities and SED then identify resources under the respective
jurisdictions that can be directed toward implementation of the
strategic plan. Personnel representing the various offices and
networks associated with the resource allocation plan are
brought together to develop coordinated tactical plans. The
strength of the approach used in the urban initiative is that
all of the technical assistance and professional development
programs and providers are beginning to coordinate efforts
within the cities. In the past, each program and technical
assistance provider had its own agenda and plan for action,
often competing for time and recognition within the urban areas.
Focused Reviews
See GS Executive Summary -
Focused Review for further information. |
- Projected Targets
(for NEXT reporting
period July 1, 2004 through June 30, 2005 and on going):
- The dropout rate of students
with disabilities will decrease annually to be the same as the
dropout rate of all students, within seven years.
- The high school diploma rate
of students with disabilities who complete secondary education
with a local, Regents or High School Equivalency diploma will
increase by one percentage point annually to reach 80 percent
within ten years.
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- Future Activities
- Projected Timelines and
Resources
(for NEXT reporting
period July 1, 2004 through June 30, 2005 and on going):
Urban Initiatives
During the 2004-05 school year, the “Urban Forum” is focusing on
topics related to improving all student outcomes in the large
urban centers of New York State. In the spring of 2005, the
Forums will focus on high school issues. These will include improving
attendance of students by creating supportive learning
environments, improvement in instructional leadership, and
developing strategies relating to human resource management.
This effort will assist the schools to maintain a quality instructional
workforce by mitigating the reasons young teachers are leaving
the cities and, in some cases, leaving the profession. By
implementing these strategies, staff from urban centers can
ensure that students will attend and participate in classes
that will be interesting to them, and ultimately, will graduate
with a Regents’ High School diploma.
Future urban forums will focus on school safety, access to
research-based instruction, and the development of “Alternative
Education Options.”
Focused Reviews
VESID's SEQA monitoring system will continue to conduct the
focused review related to exiting and transition. School districts
experiencing a higher dropout and/or lower graduation rate for
students with disabilities will be targeted for this type of
review. As this specialized review incorporates a data driven
collaborative process focused on outcomes and timely corrective
action, positive trends with this particular issue are
anticipated. (See GS Executive Summary -
Focused Review for further information). |
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