Amidst a booming school system, the Austin Independent School District was confronted with its problematic backlog of student evaluations. This backlog is a list of students waiting to be evaluated to qualify for specific accommodations like a 504. To be specific, for a student to be eligible for accommodations the district needs to evaluate which of the four categories of accommodations the student would personally excel in. The four categories differentiating and categorizing special education services include English Learners, Special Education, Gifted and Talented, and students qualified for section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. Without being evaluated, the student will not receive services specific to their academic needs. After many reports by the TEA that the district’s SpEd program is having trouble, a plan of action has been voted on and agreed upon.
On August 30, 2023, the Texas Education Agency implemented an alternative plan to improve the school district’s special education services without having full conservatorship over the special education program. This involved appointing a management team which was officiated in early October 2023, directing control of the program to monitors Sherry Marsh and Lesa Shocklee. Their job includes but isn’t limited to overseeing district decisions regarding the special education program with an underlying goal of completing all evaluations and improving the data management of the AISD SpEd department.
Even though AISD was receiving the additional support to regulate the district’s special education program, why was it needed? The Austin Independent School District is over a century old. How has this problem arisen? Well, part of it is due to a combination of low pay in the special education department and Austin’s rising economic demand. The job requires labor and time that no teacher is willing to do for that embarrassingly little pay. Teachers are either relocating, switching professions, or retiring to escape the increasing inflation issue in Austin. The understaffed program is detrimental to the students in need of scholastic aid. With the rising number of student evaluations, it makes it nearly impossible for anyone to do that job.
Looking forward, it’s important to consider the long-term issues of this backlog. The delay in evaluating students for accommodations could have lasting effects on their educational journey, possibly altering their confidence, academic outcomes, and performance. Addressing these challenges now is crucial to protect a student’s relationship with education.
Speaking with high hopes, the intervention of the Texas Education Agency through appointing monitors and the implementation of an action plan is a step in the right direction. However, sustaining an effort is needed not only to get rid of the existing backlog but to also ensure evaluations are completed timely moving forward.
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