Cincinnati Public Schools needs to do more to ensure that special-education students are progressing and learning, an audit of the district's programs found.

        The audit, released Monday, suggests many ways the district can improve special-education services by coordinating instruction among schools, testing all special-education students and providing additional training for teachers.

MEETING SET

The Cincinnati Board of Education will hear recommendations to improve its special-education programs at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday at the Education Center, 2651 Burnet Ave., Corryville.

        Indiana University professors Teresa Grossi and Cassandra Cole conducted the audit. They will present their findings and recommendations to the Board of Education on Wednesday.

        The board asked for the review after parents and teachers mentioned concerns about the special-education program, said Rick Williams, board president.

        “We wanted a review of how we did business and wanted to look at it from a different perspective,” Mr. Williams.

        He was not surprised to see the recommendations on making special education just like any other curriculum track. What is a surprise, he said, is the testing component.

        The audit found that special education exists as a separate system in Cincinnati schools, and said the district should stop that practice by including special-education teachers and service providers in districtwide programs such as the teacher evaluation system.

        The most significant findings involve the testing of special-education students and the need for a director of student services to coordinate special-education services.

        A director would also help align special education with the district's curriculum and promotion standards.

        Excluding students with disabilities from such exams sends the message that the district does not think students with disabilities can learn and work toward standards, the professors said.

        Seventy-four percent of the district's special-education students do not take the Ohio Proficiency Tests.

        “At the very core of this issue is the fact that Cincinnati Public Schools really has no clear understanding as to whether students with disabilities are learning and progressing,” the audit states.

        Before any action is taken, the board will solicit feedback from teachers, parents and the community. Those opinions will be used to develop plans to restructure the special-education programs, Mr. Williams said.
       

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