Special Services

Annually the Bethel School District special education department reviews it’s data as outlined in the Systems Performance Review and Improvement (SPR&I) process developed by the Oregon Department of Education. The Oregon Department of Education developed the annual audit plan to ensure districts in Oregon remain in compliance with Individuals with Disabilities Education Act 2004 requirements.
The district sends a special education team including administrators, teachers, and records secretary will attend a training provided by the Oregon Department of Education. Following the training there will be a procedural compliance review of 21 student files, selected by the Oregon Department of Education. In each file, nearly every procedural aspect of the referral, identification and individual education plan development for the student will be checked. This process helps the district to ensure that not only are we providing and documenting the services that student’s need, but also ensures that we are accurately documenting the process of determining student needs.
Following the procedural compliance aspect of the audit, there are many other data to review with respect to the services and outcomes for students with disabilities in the Bethel School District. The district will “drill down” into data about graduation rates, academic yearly progress, federal placement data, discipline data, proportionality of ethnic diversity, and the timeliness of initial evaluations for special education. This data review process helps to not only find areas that we can improve upon, but also areas that we do very well in. More on these areas to come!
The district team will attend the annual training on October 18, with the procedural compliance and data review activities to follow shortly thereafter.

As I was assisting with completing fall screenings, I was reminded again of why I love working with children. One of the many joys is hearing the funny things that they say. I was asking a first grader, “What do you like about your new class and school?” His response was not altogether unique and surprising at first, when he responded, “recess”. Then when I continued the conversation and asked, “Tell me about your friends in the class”, he responded, “Well, I like this one girl about an inch or two, but she likes me a really, whole lot”. That comment still brings a smile to my face, two weeks later!

In Special Services, we are more than ready for the new school year. We anticipate the first day of school to be a memorable day for staff and students. During the month of August our Special Services Department is all abuzz as we: work with schools, teachers, and new parents to the district to ensure appropriate student placements, train new assistants and teachers in our curricular programs, interview for open positions, and work with teams to make last minute placements for incoming kindergarten students that were not caught in the transition process in the Spring.
As this year unfolds, there will be many changes to the preparations we made in the last few months. However, those changes are natural and reflect our ability to adapt and change in order to meet individual student’s needs. We look forward to the years challenges as an opportunity to support teams in our unified mission- to graduate every student with a diploma and the clear opportunity to continue their education or enter the work force.

Over 400 students in grades K-8 attended the Bethel Summer School program from July 12-August 12. During the half day, students learn reading, writing, and math skills. This provides an instructional boost that has proved to be vital for student’s academic success, self esteem, and long term outcomes.
For most students, the summer break without academic instruction results in a drop in performance when their skills are measured in the Fall. However, the average performing student can catch up quite quickly and move on in the curriculum without much trouble. For students who end the year below benchmark, receiving either Title 1 or Special Education services, their invitation to summer school provides them the opportunity to continue their learning and ultimately be ready to start the following school year ready to learn with their peers.