Running head: Special Education a Hot Topic in Novi

Issue Analysis, Management, and Communication Plan:

Special Education a Hot Topic in Novi
Melissa Carruth
Oakland University EA 748

Running head: Special Education a Hot Topic in Novi

Problem
As a teacher within Novi Community Schools, I made a list of a few
problems / issues that are pressing and impacting the success of our
students. Before I narrowed my list down to the biggest topic, I thought I
should ask my mentor and building principal what her thinking was to the
biggest problems in our district. When I posed the question, What do you
feel is the biggest issue that is a challenge to Novi Community Schools?
Without hesitation, without a let me have a minute to think, she says
special education. Lucky for me, Special Education was on my list too.
Currently, Special Education in Novi was run by the same director for
over 30 years. This past year, a new director took over. With new
leadership, change was evident. Quickly the district learned that change
was not only evident, it was imperative. The State of Michigan has sighted
us the last few years for a variety of violations to Special Education. This
past year, the violations are a lack of an RtI model for intervention, a
violation of the 80/80 rule, overqualified of African Americans
(disproportional) and an over suspension rate of African Americans.
In further detail, the 80/80 law says that student with disabilities will be
present for 80% of your special education students need to be in the general
education classroom 80% of their time. This is not happening around the
district. As of now, the train of special education students will leave the
classroom and walk down to the special education classrooms to receive
their instruction. Also, the African American population is extremely
disproportional across the district. Currently there are more African
Americans referred to special education than any other ethnic group. Our
district has only 8.5% of their total population African American and also
there are more African Americans in Special Education than any other ethnic
group. African Americans are not our largest ethnic group in the district,
therefore, it is disproportional. Finally, if you are an African American in our
district, you stand a 75% greater chance to be suspended and have other
disciplinary actions taken against you than any other subgroup. Finally, our
district has no RtI model or Response to Intervention across the district.
There are programs, strategies, interventions that are being implemented
from building to building, but there is not a formal model for intervention.
All four are violations issued by the State of Michigan. It states that we
are not in compliance and if we continue to remain out of compliance, future
funding could be effected. A change is on the horizon, but nothing formal

Running head: Special Education a Hot Topic in Novi

has been mandated. There are lots of ideas, suggestions, and plans, but a K12 initiative needs to be implemented that is consistent from building to
building. Administration has made indications of what is happening, they
have stated that for August 2014, a new protocol will be instituted, but as of
June 2014, nothing has been shared officially.
Those Involved in this problem
This problem is an entire district problem. This problem affects the
student, all the way up to administration or all the way down to
administration, depending how you look at this problem. Lets investigate
further
The students are affected because the State of Michigan believes that
if you are a Special Education student in Novi, you are not receiving the best
accommodations that you are entitled too. It states that the student is being
pulled away from their peers and the classroom setting too often, which
could affect their social development. Additionally, the student is not being
mainstreamed effectively. If you are of the African American subgroup
entering Novi, you have a strong possibility that you may be referred to
Special Education and that you have a greater likelihood to not be successful
both academically and socially through discipline.
The parents are affected. According to the State of Michigan, if you
have a student with or could need Special Education services, they are not
receiving the best opportunity that their tax paying dollars are to be offering
them. There is a chance that your child could not be progressing, as
expected, because there are accommodations and interventions that they
are being deprived from due to the over percentage of time they are
removed from the classroom.
The teachers are affected, both general education and special
education teachers. The general education teachers are affected because
with the new laws on teacher accountability, they could be working with their
special education students and their goals more within the classroom,
instead of hoping that the special education teacher is in compliance and
reaching out to these students in the best way possible. Also allowing the
students to be in the classroom more would help to bridge the gap between
the general education and the special education teachers to ensure that they
are a team working together to best meet the needs of the special education
students rather than having the needs done in isolation. The special
education teacher is affected because with the new laws, referral may

Running head: Special Education a Hot Topic in Novi

decrease allowing their case load to lighten and also requiring the special
education teacher to push in more rather than pulling the students out.
Administration is affected because a change in policy is immediate.
With new administration in new roles, they could create a policy that would
help to strengthen the stakeholder groups mentioned above; student, parent
and teacher. Administration is also affected because with mandates and
violations placed to the district, it falls on the administrations shoulders to
see where the gaps and holes are at and how best to fill the holes. If the
violations are not rectified, than future funding could be impacted, which
would result in a hit on the overall budget that is in place, which could
require cuts in future programming or staffing if less money is received by
the state.
How is it currently being handled?
Last year, a committee was put into place entitled MTSS, Multi-Tiered
Systems of Support. All stakeholders, except students, K-12 were on this
large committee, including parents, administration, general education
teachers, special education teachers and support staff. The large committee
was then broken up into four sub-groups that put together a report that
focused on PLC, Data, Budget and Curriculum with this MTSS model. Some
great ideas were generated from this committee, but a final report was never
submitted to the Board of Education.
This year, the new Director of Student Services, went around to each
building verbalizing the violations from the state and the urge for a change.
In the end, staff walked away from her presentation thinking that they
cannot refer African Americans to Special Education any longer.
Additionally, an interventionist was hired this year to work with the
counselors and discipline administrators across the district on strategies that
could be used instead of heading right to suspension. She also made sure
that proper documentation was happening for the students that were being
suspended, especially African Americans.
At the end of this year, the interventionist was promoted to be a
district interventionist K-12 to ensure that the policies and procedures that
are to begin in the fall 2014 are being universally delivered, K-12 at all
buildings. No building interventionists are instituted at this time.
Additionally, administrators went to visit Huron Valley Schools to observe
their RtI model in action.

Running head: Special Education a Hot Topic in Novi

For the 2014-2015 school year, a district special education plan is to be

used for all buildings to help us to be in compliance, as well as, hoping to
better service our Special Education and African American sub-groups.
A New Plan
In the fall of 2013, as a charge in my EA 740 course, I was asked to
look at my district through Bohman and Deals Four Lenses. In doing that, the
disconnect of Novi not having an RtI model kept resurfacing and becoming
evident of being the root of many problems within the district. In noticing
that, I turned to the Assistant Superintendent of Academics and shared with
him my recommendations. He knew that I was a member of the district
MTSS team and knew that I understood the work from that committee, but
still looked for more.
In March, I created a district plan for our Multi-Tiered Systems of
Support. The plan did not have anything to do with Tier III intervention or
Special Education, but rather having us reflect upon what we, as educators
and teachers are doing for Tier I and Tier II support for our students. The
plan and I, feel that if more is done with Tier I and Tier II support, less referral
will take place for Tier III or Special Education. I am not saying that there are
no students with disabilities, but rather some students may not have had the
proper interventions used on them before they were referred for Special
Education.
So essentially, the plan requires each school to provide for WIN (What I
Need) time each week. Each grade level at each school is required to offer
at least 60 minutes of WIN time. In that WIN time, teachers are working with
children on What They Need. It could be reteaching a skill. It could be
enriching. No new instruction can take place during WIN and this is a great
time for all resource room teachers to pull out or push in for small group
instruction. Additionally, K-6, all teachers need to be using the workshop
model for ELA and Math. This will allow time for teachers to conference with
kids and provide with small group instruction on the skills that the students
are in need of. Additionally, PLC time is currently preserved each month for
teachers. Teachers are now required to discuss students during PLC time.
Also, PLC groups are now K-4, 5-6, 7-8, and 9-12 teachers working together
to discuss students, not just grade level PLCs. This has never happened. It
was the classroom teachers thoughts with their grade levels thoughts and
then off to the referral process.

Running head: Special Education a Hot Topic in Novi

If Tier I support is not working for the child, then the teacher has to call
a CHAT (Come Have a Talk) with one other administrator, coach or special
education teacher during their planning to discuss the child. If the CHAT
feels it to be necessary, then eligibility for Tier II support could occur. This
could be ELL, Title 1, Reading support, learning labs, etcOnce again, if Tier
II support work, then it is fluid and the student returns to Tier I. If Tier II
support does not seem to be working, a second CHAT needs to occur, as well
as, the student being discussed during their PLCs. If the student still seems
to be lagging behind their peers, than a referral can be made for Special
Education. Do note that all Tier I and Tier II support are done as push into
the classroom.
This model was approved by the Assistant Superintendent of
Academics and the Director of Student Services. All buildings are looking at
how they can implement the WIN model at their school. The referral process
and PLCs have not been shared with staff and the push in premise is just
beginning to be looked at.
In the end, the district is starting to understand and accept the
problem, but they still have a long way to go to meet a solution to the
problem. I look forward to the steps for change to be put in place, whether it
is the plan I developed or another plan. It is too big of a problem that effect
too many stakeholders to brush it under the rug for yet another year.