Mediation Holds Potential for Placement Issues

Special education officials at the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) are exploring a framework for helping school districts meet federal targets for educating students with special needs in general education classrooms.

A possible framework might include research, technical assistance, and information for school districts and parents to better understand how increased time in the general education classroom relates to increased achievement for students with special needs.

If educational setting (ES) issues arise as districts strive toward targets, facilitated Individualized Education Planning Team (IEPT) meetings and mediation services are available.

Last summer, new public reporting requirements under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) disclosed the status of each Michigan school district in meeting federal targets. The data is part of Michigan’s annual State Performance Plan (SPP) submitted to the federal Office of Special Education Programs.

The federally defined targets pertain to students aged 6 to 21 with Individualized Education Programs (IEP). They call for states to:

• Increase the percentage of students who are removed from the regular classroom less than 21 percent of the day.
• Reduce the percentage of students served outside the regular classroom more than 60 percent of the day.
• Reduce the percentage of students served in separate facilities.

Framework activities could include:

• Understanding school district approaches to meeting ES goals.
• Learning how to correlate the needs of a child with the appropriate amount of time in special education.
• Identifying and learning from school districts in which high general education time yields high achievement.

Parents could be given information about the general education curriculum and its relationship to achievement for students with special needs. This might help with understanding how meeting educational setting and achievement goals can be done together.

Facilitated IEPT meetings and mediation could be helpful to parents and school districts that request them as they adapt to ES standards. The information gained from OSE/EIS research could aid decision making during these sessions.

MSEMP RESULTS: CASELOAD

Timeframe FY2007 Since FY1997 Mediation Agreement Rate 80 Percent 82 Percent IEP Facilitation Implementation Rate 94 Percent 83 Percent

MSEMP RESULTS: PARTICIPATION EVALUATIONS

Timeframe FY2007 Since FY1997 Mediators Were Neutral 98 Percent 97 Percent Mediators Understood the Issues 98 Percent 95 Percent Parties Would Use Service Again 94 Percent 94 Percent