Comparing data from 2014-15 report, Medford schools have improved in a number of areas. The first being graduation rates:
The number of students with IEPs graduating with a regular diploma in four years has increased more than 28 percent.
The number of students with IEPs graduating with a regular diploma in five years has increased more than 40 percent.
The numbers are especially exciting for Tania Tong, Special Education Director for Medford Schools.
“We’re really excited. We obviously like to see our students who have lagging skills and need additional support cross that graduation line,” Tong said. “And it really is a team effort.”
That team is made up of hundreds of teachers, faculty and staff members, but also the “Parent Outreach Committee. The group meets monthly to discuss new ways to provide extra help to the students who need it.
Kelly Dempsey said she’s really proud to be a part of the program. She has a unique role because she’s a third grade teacher at Abraham Lincoln, but she also a mother to a fourth grader who lives with autism.
Dempsey said they have been in other school districts, but her daughter’s experience in Medford Schools has been “a real positive change.”
Dempsey was happy to hear about the graduation rates, but her favorite part of the report card was the increase in inclusivity.
The rate of special needs students learning in regular classrooms is up 8.5 percent, but it’s also above the state’s target of 73 percent.
“It’s a territory people tend to sometimes be uneasy with. But knowing that before kids are ‘special ed’ or ‘resource’ or whatever their needs may be, that their all part of that general education system first,” Dempsey said.
“We’re really wanting our students with disabilities to access not only the general education content, but that general education school experience and get them connected,” Tong added.
Among other things, district leaders credit a peer mentoring program for the rising numbers. More than a hundred students help out the teachers, by helping the classmates who need a little more attention.
“It’s amazing,” Dempsey said of the mentoring program. “I watched a kiddo today who struggles with writing and another girl who had already finished her writing for the day. And I look over at the chromebook and he’s dictating to her. It was 100 percent not prompted, not organized by me or any adult. And it was just awesome.”
District leaders say their classroom changes are leading special needs students to better opportunities post-graduation.
“It’s one of my staff’s favorite tasks, to contact students after they graduate and see what they’re up to,” Tong said.
While there was only a slight increase for Medford’s former students who are now employed or pursuing higher education, the numbers are above the state’s target.
But it’s not all smiles and applause. Some parents are not convinced their children are being properly prepared for post-graduation.
Reinaldo Ramirez has two children, a 15 and an 8-year-old, who both struggle with learning disabilities. When he heard about the increases, he was a little skeptical.
“Yeah, I would like that to be true,” Ramirez said. “The one that I have that is 15-years-old, she sometimes says some things, but she doesn’t ever do them. So I don’t know if I believe those things.”
One thing Ramirez will boast about, is the parent outreach program. He attends every month and listens to the meetings and comments through an ear piece, because he only speaks Spanish.
But he said the program has helped him be a better father for his children.
“This program is good because I learn so many things that I didn’t know before. All the people that come and give their opinions. All of us want to do better,” Ramirez said.
Striving to do better is something everyone in the district can agree on. Though some numbers are up, some still fall well below the state’s target.
“We certainly have a lot of work to do, but I think the things that we’re doing are working,” Tong said.
Dempsey is also confident that the district will be able to get closer to the state’s expectations.
“The more practice being inclusive, practice with everyone, the more we will make it a full district-wide thing,” Dempsey said.
An important thing to note, Tong said the data for the special ecucation report cards is generally two years behind. She said the district has continued to improve its numbers, but those improvements are not considered in these reports.
To view full report cards, you can visit the Oregon Department of Education’s official site here.
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