Report finds Knox County Schools has made strides improving its special education program, but still needs to address critical areas of concern

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Knox County Schools (KCS) has grappled with the challenges of serving its special education students for years. In 2023, a special education task force determined cultural problems originating from outside of the local school level led to systemic issues throughout the district. The task force made a series of recommendations, including bringing in an outside expert to guide on improving accessibility for students with special needs.

The district hired Public Consulting Group to perform an analysis, which was presented to school board members on Monday. The group found marked improvements in several areas. The district now exceeds the state standard for the percentage of students with disabilities (SWDs) spending greater than 80 percent of their day in a general education classroom. It also found that SWDs in grades 3 through 8 outperform their peers statewide in both English language arts (ELA) and math, and the district has seen a 90 percent reduction in special education staff vacancies. However, the report also revealed serious issues.

“These priorities reflect critical areas of focus that address current challenges and leverage opportunities to strengthen your systems, structures, and practices,” one researcher told board members. “We think they’re some of your key levers that you should start to prioritize.”

The group outlined four major areas of concern:

1. Competing perspectives and student-centered decision making: Analysts found there is frequent communication breakdown between parents and educators, resulting in recurring due process issues which end in legal action or students not being placed appropriately according to their needs.

2. Compliance and staffing impacts on special education: The report noted ongoing workload challenges for special education staff despite reduced vacancies as well as a need for improved communication among leadership and staff.

3. Expanding K-12 inclusive opportunities: The group noted there is a consistent lack of understanding of co-teaching, which is when a general education teacher and special education teacher share instructional responsibilities to meet the needs of all students in a general education classroom, including those with disabilities. This has led to special education students not being able to participate in general education classrooms in a meaningful way.

4. Disproportionality in Special Education and Student Achievement: Analysts found disproportionate numbers of minority students being placed in certain programs or being identified as autistic or having a learning or developmental disability. Additionally, there is a significant achievement gap in both ELA and math between SWDs and those without disabilities.

The group presented the board with 14 specific recommendations including accountability monitoring, using a clear data-driven approach for placements and service decisions, strengthening specialized reading interventions, increasing access to grade-level curriculum for students with disabilities, and strengthening collaborative structures within leadership teams. Group members also suggested a review of workloads for special education staff and expanded professional development opportunities, as well as an effort to increase communication consistency among families and staff.

Following the report, board members expressed concern and asked district leaders how quickly action steps could be implemented.

“I wish I could say it were surprising. When you talk to a lot of our parents and teachers and everything, I think this report kind of sums a lot of those things,” said District 4 Member Katherine Bike.

Dr. Andrew Brown, KCS Assistant Superintendent of Student Success, told board members some actions can be taken immediately, but others will take more time.

“I think not only will we have a road map, but we’ll also have the criteria on how we’ll know we’ve met those things as we move through a three-to-five-year strategic plan,” said Dr. Brown. “If we prioritize everything in the next 18 months, we aren’t prioritizing anything. We’ve got to really take a look at what are the biggest issues, what are the things that we think are an easy fix and the things that may take longer.”

Brown said the special education council will work over the next month or so to develop a strategic plan to be brought back to the board for review.