Meeting of the Board of Regents | September 2009
Report of
REGENTS VESID COMMITTEE
to
The Board of Regents
September 14, 2009
Your VESID Committee held its scheduled meeting on September 14, 2009. All
members were present with the exception of Regent Tilles and Rosa who were excused. Commissioner–Elect Steiner, Interim Commissioner Huxley, Chancellor Tisch, Vice-Chancellor Cofield, Chancellor Emeritus Bennett, Regents Bottar, Phillips, Tallon and Young, Cea and Norwood also attended.
MATTERS NOT REQUIRING BOARD ACTION
Progress on Special Education In New York City:
The Committee reviewed data on the performance of students with disabilities in NYC including recent gains in 3 – 8 test performance as well as the continuing poor graduation rate and, within that rate, a substantial dependence on the local diploma. The Committee had an opportunity to dialogue with Laura Rodriguez, the new Chief Achievement Officer for Special Education and English Language Learners, and her Deputy, Dov Rokeach, and their intention to focus on such issues as the referral process; the classification rate and the disproportionate representation of certain groups in more restrictive special class settings; the issues with teacher preparation and professional development, especially the lack of content knowledge of many special class teachers and its impact on student access to instruction in the general education curriculum; and the supports needed for more consistent and appropriate Individualized Education Program (IEP) development that would guide instruction in a more explicit and effective manner.
The Committee also acknowledged the work of Pat Shubert, VESID’s New York City Coordinator for Special Education, who will be retiring at the end of this month after 25 years of service to the Department.
That concludes our report.