Officials 'mystified' over special ed program designation as 'lowest-achieving'

A preliminary list of “persistently lowest-achieving” schools, compiled by the California Department of Education (CDE), has included the Tulare County Office of Education special education program — possibly mistakenly.

Five Tulare County elementary schools out of a total of 188 schools — the state’s bottom five percent — are listed on the CDE’s site, as well as the county’s special education program.

The program, placed on Tier 2 of the three part list, serves students with severe disabilities at four centers in the county.

“As we serve only students with severe disabling conditions, we were quite surprised to be on the list,” Dr. Marilyn Rankin, TCOE Assistant Superintendent of Special Services said. “It was more than anything just mystifying to us.”

She said miscommunication between the state’s education department and the county’s education officers was likely responsible for the program’s including on the list.

“There was some type of confusion somewhere in the works,” she said.

By Thursday, when the State Board of Education meets to vote on approving the list, the confusion should be settled either way.

On Tuesday morning, a spokesperson from the CDE notified Superintendant Jim Vidak that they plan to apply to the State Board of Education for a waiver to remove the program from the list.

“The representative from CDE felt they should be successful in getting our program removed from the list,” Herman said.

The Board of Education is expected to discuss the item at their Thursday board meeting.

“Demographically,” Rankin said, “the program is just not at all similar [to other schools on the list] in terms of students needs.”

She said she expects the program to be removed from the list before it is finalized.

“The list is only preliminary,” she said, “so hopefully we’ll be off of it soon.”

--Contact Sarah de Crescenzo at 784-5000, Ext. 1045, or sdecrescenzo@portervillerecorder.com.