Catoosa Special Ed Program Excels
January 12, 2010
Lake-view-Fort Oglethorpe High School senior Tyler Furr will graduate this year thanks to a special education program that is stable, flexible and staffed with people who understand him, said his mother.
"He’s taken the same standardized state tests that every other student in Catoosa County has taken," Tonya Furr said. "He’s on a level playing field as far as I’m concerned. He’s just had to try a little bit harder."
Tyler must try "a little bit harder" because the 19-year-old has Asperger’s syndrome, which causes him trouble in social situations and relationships, and he struggles with math, she said.
But Tyler excelled because Catoosa’s educational goals and expectations remained consistent from fourth grade on, she said. She expects to see her son in a cap and gown this spring when he earns his regular high school diploma.
Georgia’s Governor’s Office of Student Achievement has recognized the Catoosa program’s performance since 2004 for meeting targets on educating special education students in the "least restrictive environment," said Becky Conner, director of special education.
"Least restrictive environment" means that most special and general education students attend class together in a classroom usually staffed by special and general education teachers working as a team, Mrs. Conner said.
For the 2008-09 school year, Catoosa was awarded a Certificate for Highest Performance for "excellence in education of students with disabilities by achieving a higher perce ntage of students with regular education diplomas," records show. This year, Catoosa also received a target certificate for meeting state goals for graduates with regular diplomas and reducing the number of dropouts.
Mrs. Conner believes lively communication among teachers led to Catoosa’s success.
Special education teachers Diane Norwood, Jennifer Duffy and Michelle Rauch said they try to work closely with their general education teammates to make sure students get consistent support and instruction.
Mrs. Norwood, who teaches at LFO High School, said special tutoring periods with general education teachers help students who are struggling with specific subjects.
All students "benefit so much from a special needs teacher who is also high-qualified to teach that (class’s subject) area," in addition to the general education teacher, said Mrs. Rauch, who teaches at Ringgold Middle School.
Mrs. Duffy said teacher teams are like a marriage in that both teachers must get along well and keep similar goals in mind. She’s had the same teammates at Boynton Elementary School for four years.
Stable teams provide consistency, and that’s especially important when special education students make the transition from elementary to middle, and from middle to high schools, the teachers said.
With that background, teachers know students’ weaknesses and strengths and can fill in gaps and build on gains as they go through school, they said.
BY THE NUMBERS
Catoosa County students with disabilities’ performance in school year 2008-2009 earned the system its two most recent certificates from the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement. Among the numbers are:
* 4.6: Percentage of students with disabili ties who drop out of school. Catoosa bettered the target of 5.5 percent.
* 100: Percentage of students with disabilities in third through eighth grades and 11th grade who participated in the statewide reading assessment. Catoosa exceeded the target of 98.75 percent.
* 100: Percentage of students with disabilities in third through eighth grades and 11th grade who participated in the statewide math assessment. Catoosa exceeded the target of 98.75 percent.
* 74.8: Percentage of students with disabilities in third through eighth grades who demonstrated proficiency in reading. Catoosa exceeded the target of 67 percent.
* 56.5: Percentage of students with disabilities who demonstrated proficiency in reading. Catoosa did not meet the target of 67 percent.
* 59.2: Percentage of students with disabilities in third through eighth grade who demonstrated proficiency in math. Catoosa exceeded the target of 55.77 percent.
* 27.5: Percentage of students with disabilities in 11th grade who demonstrated proficiency in math. Catoosa did not meet the target of 55.77 percent.