Minutes
Quincy School Committee
Special Education Subcommittee Meeting
A meeting of the Special Education Subcommittee was held on Wednesday, January 17, 2018 at 6:00
pm in the Coddington Building. Present were Mr. James DeAmicis, Mrs. Kathryn Hubley, Mrs. Emily
Lebo, and Mr. Anthony Andronico, Chair. Also attending were Superintendent DeCristofaro; Deputy
Superintendent Kevin Mulvey, Ms. Sarah Anderson, Ms. Catherine Carey, Ms. Donna Cunningham,
Ms. Julie Graham, Mr. Richard Kelley, Ms. Maura Papile, Ms. Erin Perkins, Ms. Madeline Roy, Ms.
Allison Cox, Quincy Education Association President; Ms. Cassandra Beck, Quincy Parent Advisory
Council to Special Education President; and Ms. Laura Owens, Clerk.
Mr. Andronico called the Special Education Subcommittee meeting to order at 6:05 pm.
Director of Special Education Erin Perkins introduced the Special Education department staff Team
Administrators and each gave a brief overview of their roles working with elementary, middle, and
high school staff and outside Special Education placements. Mrs. Perkins explained that the Special
Education chairs at the elementary school level are the guidance counselors; at the middle school,
the Special Education teachers chair their own student cases; at the high school level, the role is filled
by the Special Education department chairs.
Special Education Team Administrators Catherine Carey, Donna Cunningham, Julie Graham, and
Richard Kelley presented on the Special Education Rights and Responsibilities, the goal being so that
educators will understand their role regarding special education; to enhance collaboration between
family and school personnel; and so that parents and school personnel will participate in special
education matters as knowledgeable partners. The Quincy Public Schools Special Education
Department operates under the federal Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Massachusetts Special
Education Law administered by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).
Students are eligible for Special Education if all three of the following are true: (1) the student has
one or more disabilities; (2) the student is not making effective progress in school as a result of their
disability or disabilities; and (3) the student requires specialized instruction in order to make effective
progress. There are 12 different types of disabilities defined by state and federal regulations:
Autism, developmental delay, intellectual impairment, sensory impairment/hearing; sensory
impairment/vision loss; sensory impairment/deafness and blindness; neurological impairment;
emotional impairment; communication impairment; physical impairment; health impairment; a
specific learning disability; or any combination of the above.
Special Education is specially-designed instruction to meet the unique needs of an eligible student
and/or related services necessary to access and make progress in the general curriculum. The timeline for entry into Special Education is up to 45 school working days, beginning with the parents’
consent to evaluate, followed by evaluation and a team meeting to determine eligibility. A proposed
IEP is then generated and /or placement recommendation. Services begin upon parental consent.
There are six principles of Special Education: (1) parent and student participation – it is the obligation
of the school district to make strong efforts, in multiple ways, to ensure parental and student
participation; (2) Free and appropriate public education; (3) Appropriate evaluation and three-year
re-evaluation; (4) Individualized Education Program (IEP) which contains written information on the
parents’ concerns and the students skills, a written explanation of how the disability affects the
student’s ability to learn and to demonstrate his or her learning; an identification of specific,
measurable goals which can be reached in a year’s time; and a listing of the services to be provided to
the student. (5) Least Restrictive Environment – to the maximum extent appropriate, students with
disabilities have the right to be educated in the general education environment and in the classroom
they would have attended if they did not have disabilities. Removal from the general education
program occurs only if the nature or severity is such that education in general education classes with
the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be satisfactorily achieved. (6) Procedural
Safeguards include right to written notice; right to consent/refuse; right to “stay put”; problem
resolution system; mediation and due process; timelines; confidential records; right to receive any
evaluations 2 days in advance of Team meeting, if requested.
Ms. Beck asked Ms. Graham to explain the IEP vision statement, which is created with the parent and
Special Education team (and includes the student once they are age 14) and sets goals for 1 to 5 years
in the future. Mr. Kelley said that once students are age 14, the process of creating a Transition Plan
begins and is part of the IEP for review and revision each year.
Mrs. Lebo asked for update on disability definitions, Mrs. Perkins said there is a parent-led movement
to add Dyslexia to the primary disability list. While QPS does include this diagnosis when made by an
outside resource, not all school systems are consistently doing this. Mrs. Lebo asked if QPS has the
capacity to diagnose dyslexia, it is currently considered a medical diagnosis and while teachers or
administrators may suspect it, they cannot confirm the diagnosis.
Mrs. Perkins said dyslexia and language-based learning disabilities are sometimes associated. A
student may have language-based learning disabilities including dyslexia or a student may have
dyslexia or dysgraphia alone.
Mrs. Perkins introduced the presentation on Special Education Pathways in the Quincy Public Schools,
reviewing the Special Education mission statement focused on empowering students and stressing
that Special Education is a service provided to support students, not a place that students are
directed to. In addition to academic services, student support is provided by music, physical,
occupational, emotional therapies.
Starting at the Pre-Kindergarten level, the pillars of Special Education are to identify students as early
as possible; maximize exposure to language; meet students at their developmental level both
academically and socially; and to prepare students for the transition to Kindergarten and beyond.
Learning the skills of self-regulation in a classroom environment are easiest under age 6. Both the
Snug Harbor and Della Chiesa Early Childhood Center have integrated classes of 3- and 4-year old
students (8 typically-developing peers and 7 students on IEPs for various reasons). In addition, CARES
for Pre-Kindergarten (students with autism) is at the Della Chiesa ECC and there are currently 8
classrooms with 69 students. Pre-Kindergarten students may go on to attend Kindergarten,
Transitional Kindergarten, or continue in CARES classrooms. There are currently two Transitional
Kindergarten classes, at Atherton Hough or Lincoln Hancock; each has 8-11 students. CARES classes
for elementary school grade levels are at Snug Harbor and Squantum.
At the elementary level, the pillars of Special Education are to provide a free and appropriate
education for all of our students so that they may be successful in the least restrictive environment;
and to identify students as early as possible and provide scientifically research-based reading, math,
and writing interventions based on individual student needs.
Through the Integrated Learning Team process, general education students are identified as needing
support for Literacy, Special Education resource room, and/or English Language Education. For all
three programs, there is at least one specialist in each area at each elementary school. For students
who have not made effective progress under these programs, placement in a specialized program will
be made: CARES, Learning Center, STARS, and LDC.
CARES (Autism Spectrum Disorders): maximum of 9 students, a teacher, and two aides. ABA (Applied
Behavioral Analysis) services are provided by one certified teacher and two consultants.
Paraprofessionals are also trained in ABA and two teachers are working on certification. Inclusion
opportunities as appropriate for the individual student’s needs and based on student IEPs. CARES
students begin at Della Chiesa ECC and transition to either Squantum or Snug Harbor for Grades K-2.
At Grade 3, students may be fully integrated or continue at Snug Harbor for Grades 3-5.
The Learning Center program is for students with intellectual or developmental delays. The program
provides individual or small group instruction in a highly structured environment. Inclusion
opportunities are provided as appropriate for the individual student’s needs and based on student
IEP. Currently, the program begins at Della Chiesa ECC and moves to Squantum for K-5.
The Language Development Program is designed for students who present with a language-based
learning disability and may also demonstrate weaknesses in receptive language. Individual or small
group instruction in a highly-structured environment with inclusion opportunities as appropriate.
LDC begins in Grade 1; students may come from Transitional Kindergarten or may enter from general
education at any grade. Students may attend Snug Harbor or Atherton Hough for Grades 1-5.
The STARS program is for students who present with emotional impairment and students require
individual or small group instruction in a highly structured environment; inclusion opportunities are
provided as appropriate. Students may enter the program from the Transitional Kindergarten or
enter at any elementary grade. The program is located at Parker for Grades 1-5.
For Middle School Special Education, students are ages 11-13, but vary dramatically in terms of
maturity. Students transition from children to young adults during the middle school years. For
middle school, additional pillars are to promote collaborative practices across educational settings
between general and special educators and service providers, while providing academic, social, and
emotional supports necessary so that students enter high school on the path to college and career
readiness.
Middle School Special Education includes Inclusion Support, Resource Room Support, and Specialized
Programs (CARES, Learning Center, STARS, LDC). Teachers are supported through the Middle School
Math Special Education Team, which provides opportunities for collaboration with Math content
teachers on curriculum goals, classroom strategies, and unit development that directly align to the
specific needs of students. Diagnostic tools include the iReady and MAP assessments.
For CARES, students from Snug Harbor transition to Sterling for Grades 6-8. For the Learning Center,
students transition from Squantum to Broad Meadows. For the Language Development Class,
students transition from Snug Harbor and Atherton Hough to Broad Meadows. STARS students
transition from Parker to Point Webster for Grades 6-8. At all middle schools, multiple inclusion
opportunities are provided for all students as it meets their needs for socialization and academic
support. Teachers collaborate on co-teaching and inclusion opportunities and students are
integrated in homerooms, lunch, and specialists. The STARS program has a dedicated Guidance
counselor working closely with the students in the program, to give them the tools to self-regulate in
a general education setting.
For the high school level, the middle school pillars of providing collaborative practices and academic,
social, and emotional support are continued. At Quincy High School, students are generally from
Broad Meadows, Central, Point Webster, and Sterling. Resource Room options are available for
Math, English, Social Studies, and Science for all grades as needed. There are currently Inclusion
Classes for English, Math, and Science content area classes.
At North Quincy High School, students are generally from Atlantic, Central, and Sterling; there are
Inclusion Math, English, and Science classes, but currently no separate Resource Room classes. Both
high schools offer Learning Strategies for Grades 9-12. Ms. Beck asked for clarification that if a NQHS
student had Resource Room needs, there would be suitable supports available. Ms. Anderson said
that adjustments are made at each high school as determined to meet individual student needs.
Specialized programs for high school: CARES and the Learning Center (combine into one program);
PASS at North Quincy High School; GOALS; and PACE (upper LDC) at Quincy High School. The
CARES/TLC students in Grades 9-12 are from Broad Meadows and Sterling and are working on selfadvocacy, portfolio assessment, and towards a certificate.
The PACE program consists of students from LDC at Broad Meadows and some CARES students from
Sterling. With consistent support, these students are working on transitioning to inclusion and
general academic classes. These students take MCAS and graduate with a diploma.
The STARS program at Point Webster transitions to the GOALS program for Grades 9-12. Students
may transition in and out at any grade, small group academic, social, and emotional interventions are
provided.
The PASS program is based at NQHS and is a program for students with social-emotional and/or
mental health concerns. The goal of the program is to develop coping skills and self-regulation
strategies that will enable them to return to the general setting. Group and individual counseling, life
skills, and collaboration with outside agencies are key components of the program.
The Transition Program (LEAP) is for students ages 18-22 and provides a unique and meaningful
educational experience together with real world learning opportunities that will empower young
adults with disabilities the knowledge and skills needed for a successful transition into the
community. The program emphasizes community-based instruction and community work experience
with a focus on the development of social skills, independent living, and financial literacy. Students
are training for custodial and food services positions in Quincy Public Schools and training and
internship opportunities will be provided by a number of outside agencies. Mrs. Perkins said we have
been working with a partnership with Massasoit Community College and two students may take
classes there next fall.
Out-of-District students are placed for a variety of different reasons. As a team, after exhausting the
resources within Quincy Public Schools, a recommendation for outside placement will be made.
There are many resources for placement, 161 students currently in out-of-district placements,
ranging from Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12 and beyond to age 22. 47 students are places for
autism, 40 for emotional needs, 18 for multiple needs, and 14 for language. Through the LEAP
program, some older students are transitioning from an outside placement to NQHS.
Mrs. Perkins completed the presentation by noting that as educators, we are always striving to
improve practices through strengthening the relationship between general and special educators.
There are overlaps for Professional Development and also Special Education-specific Professional
Development. Mrs. Perkins thanked School Committee for support and parents for entrusting their
students to the Special Education Department.
Mr. DeAmicis thanked the presenters, their commitment to the students is evident by the depth of
their knowledge and the initiatives over the last few years.
Ms. Beck then presented an update on behalf of QPAC, which is currently working in collaboration
with the Special Education Department and the YMCA to create inclusion opportunities; working on
pairing Parent Academy events with QPAC meetings. Gingerbread House event was the biggest ever;
Enchanted Village trip was magical. Parent concerns are being addressed as they arise through the
Special Education department and Dr. DeCristofaro, there are no open issues at this time.
Dr. DeCristofaro thanked the Special Education team which is made up of extraordinary teachers and
administrators and the strong relationships carefully nurtured between parents and staff.
Mrs. Lebo made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 7:30 pm. Mr. DeAmicis seconded the motion
and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.