MCPS SPED?
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Anonymous
Elementary SESES have really severe behaviors depending on the kids you get each year- I left and so did many of my colleagues. It's not unusual for staff to get badly injured. |
Anonymous
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Are you a current teacher? Today was the last day for voluntary transfers for internal teachers.
July 15th was the last day MSDE allowed teachers to resign without prejudice. The only hires now would be first year teachers (not sure any would be left at this point) or those who may be eligible for a conditional license. Maybe out of state transfers? You can find the teacher staffing calendar on the MCPS website. |
Anonymous
| The Charter School just hired a bunch of staff which created a bunch of last minute openings in the county |
Anonymous
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Unfortunately that won’t change the timeline above.
The only exceptions will be for a promotion or if the principal from the current school grants the move. |
Anonymous
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I’m assuming OP is coming from out of state. Unfortunately, MCPS special education has been in a free fall. We used to have wonderful programs, but those have all been gutted. Maryland and federal laws have certainly added to this, but the county itself is mostly to blame. Elementary has been hit hardest as their schedules don’t allow for any planning periods, there are fewer discrete programs, schools don’t have security guards, fewer admin staff, no differentiated classes, etc…
Just do your research before accepting any job! |
Anonymous
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Share feedback with the MCPS Programs Analysis team. So far, they have provided no info on special ed programs, so it wouldn't surprise me if they are overlooking SpEd programs. They need to hear about that and start including it in their program analysis.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1fCkz2b1rVr60QIatOoSPXCLD7f1YlRRDCn3VbHrBx-o/viewform?edit_requested=true&pli=1 |
Anonymous
No, that's not what the programs analysis is about. |
Anonymous
| Are any special education teachers happy at their schools? What can MCPS do to make the job more manageable? |
Anonymous
Open more discrete programs (especially for kids with behavior issues and/or autism) or AT LEAST quit closing them. Hire more paraeducators (including gen ed paraeducators so special ed paraeducators don't get pulled for coverage). Lower student to teacher ratios in all programs (including gen ed classrooms). Allow some planning time for paraeducators to collaborate with teachers. Hire more teachers (including gen ed teachers)...this goes along with lowering student to teacher ratios. Improve special ed training for ALL teachers (ideally dual certify all teachers). Involve local staff (or at a MINIMUM local admin) in the placement decisions of all students within local programs (aka no placing PEP students in local discrete programs or HSM programs without anyone from that local program having laid eyes on that student). Sending actual specialists from discrete programs (autism, social/emotional) out to local schools to support teachers when needs emerge rather than using the local special ed supervisor to gatekeep for months and months and months. Well, I guess that's a start! |
Anonymous
| Having a system audit of ALL special education services and programs would be a much needed start! |
Anonymous
| Do any teachers on this site think the new team approach will help in placing students quicker? Or is it just smoke and mirrors? |
Anonymous
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Team co-teaching SPED and push in is largely ineffective. It hurts students who need a quieter setting and less distractions of the large class size.
I wish more parents of special needs students were more vocal to the board of education. |
Anonymous
Share your feedback, and let the Program Analysis team decide for themselves if its important. Proposing six regions is from Program Analysis, not the boundary study. It would be a rude awakening to find out that you no longer have access to a SpEd placement because it is not within your specific region. |
Anonymous
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That is not how special education works. If an IEP team determines a need for services then they are obligated by law to provide the services, even if it is out of “your specific region”
That being said as a parent, I would want to know if the location of my child’s school was changing and would like to give feedback on that too. |
Anonymous
"The analysis includes middle and high school application regional and countywide magnet and lottery-based programs, Career and Technical Education programs, as well as access to Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, and Dual Enrollment courses." https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/academic-programs-analysis/ |