Who Moved Our Goal Posts?
Don’t look now, but the special ed goal posts have been moved!
Imagine the player dashing down the field, football tucked under his arm. He’s jumping over downed opponents and pivoting to avoid hulking linebackers. He is breathing hard, intent on making a touchdown. The cheerleaders are chanting… The crowd is on their feet!!
But wait - the goal posts have been moved!
That’s not the end zone -- he’s only at the 50 yard line. What the heck???
That’s how you should be feeling right about now if you provide special education services. Our goal posts have moved!!!
Let me back up.
When the first special education law was passed in 1975 (and I was a 5th year English teacher), the intent was to open the schoolhouse doors to students with disabilities who had been denied an education. Building on the Brown vs Board of Education Supreme Court ruling that separate education was not equal for minority children, the disability advocacy community was successful in passing a federal law that granted educational rights to all children, including those with the most severe disabilities. Public Law 94-142 was all about giving students access to an education.
With each reauthorization of the special education law, more rights and regulations have been added.
Educational institutions are required to:
identify students who are eligible for special education services
use nondiscriminatory evaluations for identification and progress monitoring
provide accommodations, modifications, and specialized supports as appropriate for individual student needs
write and implement an individualized education plan (IEP) for each student eligible for special education services that documents that student’s goals and our services to support him or her.
ensure that we are in compliance with family and student rights at every step of the special education process.
Until 2017, everything about the special education law was about provision of services and giving students with disabilities access to their educational rights. Our monitoring was focused on compliance with the law, although OSEP had begun “Results Driven Accountability.”
The Goal Posts were moved in 2017 with the Endrew F. v Douglas Co Supreme Court decision and subsequent case law. It is no longer sufficient to simply comply with student and family rights and provide services.
The decision now challenges us to produce results:
ensure that each student’s IEP targets “personally ambitious” annual goals. It’s not enough to simply provide services; an IEP team must establish targets that will close the achievement gap. (see Percentage or Percentile)
use strategies and interventions that are “reasonably calculated to enable the child to make progress.” Again, our purpose isn’t just to provide services; students are expected to make progress in the general curriculum.
provide progress reports to families that include understandable data so that families can partner with us in monitoring student progress and determining whether our current methods are working. Why? So that their child WILL make progress.
establish each student’s individualized graduation criteria when they have reached state transition age. Why? Because the purpose of special education is to prepare students for successful employment, further education, and independent living. (See When Does a Student Graduate?)
Yes, my friends, the Goal Posts have been moved.
Is your district renovating established policies and procedures?
More importantly, are school leaders, teachers, and staff receiving professional development to address the new results driven game we’re playing?
I’ve been keeping myself on the cutting edge for decades. I knew about Results Driven Accountability but I never saw this moment coming when it would impact everything about our practice.
I thought my mission was to help teachers experience the joy of professional satisfaction when they
design learning opportunities that spark student curiosity and motivation;
embed self-determination and student agency into learning opportunities;
select high leverage & evidence-based practices effectively;
tailor specially designed instruction to individual students;
build respectful partnerships with families of all students;
use a universal design for learning framework in instructional design; AND
promote equity and belonging across their school communities.
I thought my mission was to increase retention of big hearted teachers.
That’s still true, but I’ve moved MY goal post too!
The mission of my company, Inclusion Focused Coaching, LLC is to create Joyful Inclusion School communities that empower leaders to lead, nurture teachers’ best teaching, engage families as partners, and foster breakthrough results for learners.
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