The Brandywine School District's Special Education programs were evaluated by the State's Department of Education in April 2005. The state specifically looked at special education student outcomes and the placement of special education children in least restrictive environments. The Brandywine School District is well below the state average in both areas finishing near the bottom in special education student achievement compared to other districts. The state's focused monitoring report details specific recommendations for improvement.

Over 40 parents participated in the listening session held last spring at Claymont Elementary School. The listening session was the parent participation part of the assessment. Click to download a copy of the DOE Focused Monitoring Report in "pdf" format off this website. The Delaware DOE website also has this report as well other others on the Continous Improvement Monitroing Process page. This website has a copy of the Brandywine School District Response which describes the steps the district will take to address the issues in the report.

To briefly summarize the report and what led up to it, you should understand that Federal regulations require States to report certain annual statistics regarding kids with disabilities they serve. Putting the Focused Monitoring report in simple terms:

• Brandywine School District must provide supports so children with disabilities can receive special education services in a regular class room setting
  Separate classrooms for special education children deprive them of the opportunity to be taught the standard curriculum. Research show that if spec. ed. children do not receive the standard curriculum with the modifications and accomodations necessary for success, they fall further and further behind. The District must develop policy describing how an IEP team shall consider the use of classroom aids and services to deliver special education services to children in a regular classroom setting.



• Brandywine School District has too many kids with disabilities failing to learn to read
  For 2004, the Special Ed kids in the district performed below the state average on the DSTP reading tests for all 4 grades: 3rd, 5th, 8th and 10th.



• Brandywine School District has a disproportionate number of African-American students in Special Ed
  This has been an ongoing problem in the Brandywine School District for many years and the district must develop policies and procedures to address it.



• Brandywine School District does not follow the Federal regulations regarding IEPs
  For example, students needing behavioral supports in the class room were not given the opportunity to have their needs met. Student placement was changed without updating their individual educatin plans (IEPs) The district is required to provide documentation and training so that staff involved with IEPs follow the law as it is written.



• Increase stakeholder involvement
  The Brandywine School district shall engage stakeholders such as parents in improvement activities.