Thirty years as an Art teacher. But I spent most of those years working with large numbers of kids with Special Needs.
Back in the day, the special education students weren’t even on my class lists with typical students. Segregated in self-contained classrooms, they would come to Art or Music as mainstreamed. No para-professional came with them. Since they were not on my roster, district class size guidelines no longer had any meaning. A class of 29 became a class of 35.
Like magic.
But law suits, pressure from parents of Special Needs students, federal regulations and legislation changed that over the years.
But I’ve never seen a school district that volunteers to spend more money on Special Needs.
When the email came through last night, I knew something bad was happening.
The Illinois School Board is meeting today to act on a proposal to do away with special education class size limits.
They’re meeting at 10:30 this morning. In Springfield. (page 11-22)
In case you wanted to attend and comment.
Right. With no advance notice.
Says Chris Koch, ISBE Superintendent:
“I also want you to be aware that I am bringing before the Board later this month the rules that define special education and general education class size limits.
“Our current rules go beyond federal law and I have always been of the mind that the state should not dictate limits on class size.
“Class size is an issue that is best addressed locally. “We are no longer under the Corey H. settlement agreement and our data shows that these artificial limits are actually keeping students with disabilities out of general education classrooms. It is limiting these special education students’ access to the curriculum and instruction they deserve and need to be successful. I understand that there are those who will not agree with me; however, I do believe it’s what’s best for all students.”
How selective the State Superintendent is when is comes to local control. Can you say Common Core?
And you know the rule: When somebody in power claims that they are doing what is best for all students – circle the wagons and hide the children.
I reposted the email to Facebook. And my laptop started shaking with notification sounds. The ISBE has kept this proposal a deep dark secret.
Look. I’m an inclusionist. I have fought to keep Special Needs students in my room with typical kids my entire professional career.
But I have also seen how RTI (the federally mandated Response to Intervention) and AYP have served to push students out of receiving services, even if there were some good intentions involved.
No limits on special education class sizes?
Keep you eyes and nose wide open on this one.
Fred Klonsky 
I will send you our state superintendent’s latest proposal for special education and you will see where it is going. As you know it all comes from the same place – ALEC. Unfortunately, our superintendent has way too much power to institute these changes himself.
“And you know the rule: When somebody in power claims that they are doing what is best for all students – circle the wagons and hide the children.”
Oh, I just love that quote. Go Fred. Don’t mince words.
Kelly Flynn
Author of The Teachers’ Lounge (Uncensored): A Funny, Edgy, Poignant Look at Life in the Classroom
If our entire rationale for school reform, as articulated by President Obama in his recent State of the Union speech, is economic competitiveness, where does class size for special ed students fit in? If they are not going to attend college and become scientists or technicians, we do not need to worry about them at all, based on this set of values. I am afraid the recent Simpsons cartoon may be prophetic. At the Ayn Rand preschool, the gifted students get art, music and books, while the rest are dumped in a “nothing special” classroom.
Not all special needs kids will attend college, but some will, depending on their disabilities. But assuming that all special needs students will benefit from grade-level CCSS is also shortsighted. This stuff needs to be worked out on a case-by-case basis.
In my load this year are 8 classes of special needs preschoolers; I’ve seen class sizes grow just this year, with some high-needs classes growing from 7-10 kids without any additional adults put in the classroom, one VERY high-needs (what I’d call profoundly disabled) class going from 4-6, and the stress level just for my 20 minutes is sometimes incredible; I can only imagine what the teachers and aides are going through for the hours daily those kids are in the classroom with insufficient support. 😦
I’ve spent most of my professional career as an educator trying to inject some sanity into special ed procedures and policies. The last issue I was involved in before retirement was RTI what a sack of shit!
How anyone can argue that eliminating class size limits is for the kids is blowing smoke out his ears. As a special education teacher, I was shown the door because my students who were reading 4-12 years below grade level did not make adequate yearly progress. It took them an entire semester to reduce the size of my classes to the legal limit. Now does this sound like a school district that is going to control class sizes?