Bedford Central: Special ed report delivered as promised, with recommendations

Eight of PCG’s 14 recommendations. PUBLIC CONSULTING GROUP Graphic

By JEFF MORRIS

Public Consulting Group has delivered a comprehensive report on their study of the district’s special education program, and its recommendations for the future.

The Boston-based firm delivered its findings at the Feb. 26 Board of Education meeting. The engagement with PCG was announced by Superintendent Robert Glass at the July 31, 2024 board meeting, when only four board members were present.

Glass was obviously anxious to get going on the study. The timeline proposed by PCG was followed to the letter, with interviews, focus groups, classroom observations, surveys, and IEP file reviews all conducted last fall, and this final report ready in February.

PCG was brought in to conduct an independent review of the special education program and services.

It was the latest response to years-long criticisms of the special education program, which were exacerbated by incidents of abuse of special needs students that occurred at Fox Lane High School in the 2021-22 school year. Those resulted in an independent investigation that led to an administrative shakeup. Though the abuse was not tied directly to the special ed department, it accelerated the demand for changes.

In September 2022, Arlington, Va.-based Hanover Research was hired to do an outside evaluation of the special education program. But when Hanover delivered a culminating report in October 2023 after its year-long look at the program, it received a withering reception from the board. Gillian Klein, who is now board president, pointed out then that Glass was new to the district when he picked Hanover, with whom he had worked previously, and not entirely familiar with the district’s special education history.

In its report, PCG acknowledged it “was informed that BCSD had undergone several prior reviews of its special education programming,” and stated, “it was intentional not to incorporate findings into this analysis.” This decision, it said, was made to support “an objective and unbiased evaluation of the District›s current special education practices, unclouded by previous findings or recommendations.” The review it conducted was designed to “authentically reflect the District›s present strengths, challenges, and opportunities for growth.”

It said by approaching this work with a fresh perspective, “PCG aimed to honor the progress and efforts that have been made while focusing on actionable steps for the future.”

One cautionary note made by PCG is that a high-quality special education program is only as strong as the general education foundation it is built upon. “Our review begins with this fundamental understanding,” the report said; “the effectiveness of special education is not the sole responsibility of the special education department or its staff. Instead, it is a shared commitment that requires alignment, collaboration, and ownership across the entire district — including general education teachers, school and district leaders, Board members, families, and the broader community.”

According to the report, in September 2024, PCG visited eight schools in BCSD over three days, observing approximately 34 classrooms. During these visits, classes were observed from 20-30 minutes depending on the subject area and programming. To support a representative sample, PCG requested a list of classrooms that included students with IEPs, along with information on grade level, subject area, and placement designation. Classrooms were then randomly selected from this list for visits. The intent was to confirm that all placement settings were represented across all schools and grade levels.

‘A foundation for sustainable improvements’

“It is PCG’s hope that the findings and recommendations in this report serve as a catalyst for collaboration across BCSD and its community, fostering a shared vision and direction for enhancing outcomes for students with disabilities,” said the report. “Through this approach, PCG seeks to contribute to building a foundation for sustainable improvements that prioritize equity, access, and success for all learners.”

The full 149-page report, a 47-page executive summary, and the PowerPoint presentation used at the board meeting are all available on the district website at bcsdny.org.

A key desire expressed by the board when PCG was hired was to be able to take some actions immediately.

Mauria Uhlik, senior consultant and project director, and Jennifer Baribeau, senior lead education advisor, led the presentation. Uhlik said one of the district’s strengths is that 73 percent of students with disabilities spend 80 percent or more of their day in general education; approximately 80 percent of students with disabilities graduate, which far surpasses the state average. She said while that is a strength, it also presents an opportunity for growth, because of the relatively small number of students involved, just a couple who drop out can have a great impact. There were several other relatively small areas that presented opportunities for improvement.

Strengths and opportunities for improvement were provided for each of five different areas, with 14 overall recommendations split among Learning Environment and Specialized Services, Leadership and Human Capital, Systems and Structures, and Family and Community Engagement.

“PCG was contracted to provide an objective view of the special education program in BCSD and has identified in this report both strengths and areas of improvement that require focus in the coming years,” said the report. “PCG saw ample evidence that BCSD has a solid foundation on which to build,” it said. “BCSD has many notable strengths, including its commitment to inclusive practices for students with disabilities and its willingness to undertake this review and act on the recommendations as part of a continuous improvement cycle.”

The report said implementation of these recommendations will set the foundation for all other action steps, which are “organized in a manner that provides a comprehensive view of the activities required to initiate change.” And, it said, although components of the action steps can be implemented within a shorter timeframe, full-scale implementation of the recommendations may take three to five years.

The PCG report concluded with advice on how to successfully take actions to address the recommendations.

“The secret to successful strategy execution is in translating strategies into actions,” said the report. “While there are different approaches that school districts take to managing this process, the most successful ones create a sustainable structure, with internal and external accountability measures and strong cross-departmental advocates.” A five-step Strategy Execution process, PCG said, is one they have found results in grounded, sustainable change within an organization. “PCG recommends that BCSD address each component of our Strategy Execution Process to position the district to make lasting and impactful changes.”

Asked by Klein when implementation planning could start, Baribeau said their intention was to start “very soon, in the coming weeks.” She said their goal was to get the 10 contracted action-planning sessions calendared, and “really have a solid action plan to start the next school year, so that you can prioritize your recommendations as you need to.”