The Office of Special Education Programs at the United States Department of Education released their annual state determinations for special education in public schools. Their system of rating states and, by default, schools is problematic on its best day. Far too much emphasis is placed on the state assessment. In Delaware, that test is the Smarter Balanced Assessment for most students with disabilities. We all know it is a horrible test but no one seems to want to change it anytime soon. This is for the Part B determinations. Part C is for children with disabilities aged 3-5 while Part B is for students in elementary up through 12th grade.
The letters to Delaware Secretary of Education Dr. Susan Bunting can be found as follows:
You will notice some very distinct patterns in the below local education agency determinations for Delaware. No traditional school district met requirements. Those that were labeled as “Needs Intervention” tend to be the larger districts with high pockets of low-income students, minorities, and higher populations of special education students. All the schools that met requirements only serve high school students. I take these things with a grain of salt but it is not a state secret that Delaware special education needs a serious overhaul! As usual, the state education agency, the Delaware Department of Education, is not judged under the same criteria as our districts and charters. If they were, the Delaware DOE would assuredly need intervention.
MEETS REQUIREMENTS:
Charter School of Wilmington: Meets Requirements
Delaware Military Academy: Meets Requirements
First State Military Academy: Meets Requirements
New Castle County Vo-Tech: Meets Requirements
Sussex Tech: Meets Requirements
NEEDS ASSISTANCE:
Academia Antonia Alonso: Needs Assistance
Academy of Dover: Needs Assistance
Campus Community: Needs Assistance
EastSide Charter School: Needs Assistance
First State Montessori Academy: Needs Assistance
Great Oaks Charter School: Needs Assistance
Lake Forest: Needs Assistance
Las Americas ASPIRAS: Needs Assistance
MOT Charter School: Needs Assistance
Newark Charter School: Needs Assistance
Polytech: Needs Assistance
Positive Outcomes: Needs Assistance
Providence Creek: Needs Assistance
Seaford: Needs Assistance
Sussex Academy: Needs Assistance
Thomas Edison: Needs Assistance
NEEDS INTERVENTION:
Appoquinimink: Needs Intervention
Brandywine: Needs Intervention
Caesar Rodney: Needs Intervention
Cape Henlopen: Needs Intervention
Capital: Needs intervention
Charter School of New Castle: Needs Intervention
Christina: Needs Intervention
Colonial: Needs Intervention
Delaware Design Thinking Academy: Needs Intervention
Delmar: Needs Intervention
DSCYF: Needs Intervention
Early College High School: error on web page for letter
Friere Charter School: Needs Intervention
Gateway Lab School: Needs Intervention
Indian River: Needs Intervention
Kuumba Academy: Needs Intervention
Laurel: Needs Intervention
Milford: Needs Intervention
Odyssey Charter School: Needs Intervention
Red Clay: Needs Intervention
Smyrna: Needs Intervention
Woodbridge: Needs Intervention