Albuquerque
The superintendent of the Albuquerque Public Schools convened a daylong retreat for staff and assigned an associate superintendent to determine where and how the district could use the stimulus funds most effectively.
Albuquerque Public Schools has also made plans to use its Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) stimulus funds to improve special education. Under the school system’s special education technology plan, the district wants to ensure that special education professionals in schools and in the department of special education have the technology that they need to support students in special education programs. Special education staff will collaborate with the district’s information technology unit by using a two-year technology audit to determine minimum standards for special education programs in schools. They will collect information from every site, all related-service providers, and leadership teams. This information will then be used to order and distribute equipment based on identified needs.
In addition to providing new technology, the district plans to implement a two-year professional development plan that would expand training for special education staff, regular education staff, and administrative staff to increase positive outcomes for students with special needs that align with district goals. Albuquerque Public Schools also plans to fund efforts to increase achievement in preschoolers with disabilities by monitoring the use of instructional materials and supplies and by keeping track of feedback and data related to training provided for early childhood educators and parents. The district plans to use an early childhood assessment instrument to determine progress.
Currently, the district is 95-99 percent in compliance with federally mandated evaluation timelines. To reach 100 percent compliance and improve student achievement, the school system plans to evaluate and identify students with disabilities and giftedness, reduce redundant work done by evaluators, and keep track of the number of initial evaluations completed no more than 60 days from the date of parent consent. The district also plans to provide specialized materials for instruction, therapy, and assistive technology over a two-year period to increase the number of students who are making progress and meeting Individualized Education Program (IEP) goals.
ARRA funds will also help the district in its goal of providing a state-of-the-art facility to address the needs of students with autism and related mental health/developmental disabilities who require intensive programs to meet their extensive needs. The district plans to open a specialized center with a highly structured, predictable environment, providing service on an extended calendar for students unable to participate in a regular school classroom on a typical school campus. The center would address the needs of students who are over-stimulated, unable to participate in activities and classes for a typical length of time, have significant maladaptive behaviors, and lack independent adaptive and community skills.
The district also plans to provide transition specialists and special education staff with the training, materials, and support needed so that students have a better chance of experiencing positive post-school outcomes in the areas of postsecondary education or training, employment, and independent living, as needed. The Post-School Outcomes Survey will be used to gather data on students who left high school the previous year and are currently attending postsecondary institutions, participating in training programs, and/or are working.
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