Grants support students with disabilities
The Louisiana Department of Education announced Wednesday the recipients of the Building Pathways to High School Diplomas for Students with Disabilities Opportunity Grants.
The 66 districts and charter schools will use the $4 million in grant funding to improve graduation rates and provide career preparation and opportunities for students with disabilities after high school. The recipients approved for funding through the grant include 55 districts, 10 charter schools and the Louisiana Schools for the Deaf and Visually Impaired.
Nine districts in northeastern Louisiana and one charter school drew more than $540,000 to the area.
"These grants will allow districts and charter schools to better maximize the educational experience for students with disabilities, offering them an increased opportunity at success after high school with a diploma," said State Superintendent John White. "It is expected that this will further the progress made with ensuring all students can pursue a high school diploma that prepares them for meaningful post-secondary experiences."
Donna Sanderson, supervisor of secondary special education for Ouachita Parish Schools, said the $95,000 that the district received was the maximum available under the program. Services will benefit a "wide-ranging spectrum" of 599 students with physical, cognitive and learning disabilities.
The district plans to create school-based businesses that will allow students with a recognized disability to gain real-life work skills. The businesses, she said, will be started at four of the district's five high schools and could be up and running as early as this spring.
The multilayered approach also will include tutorials on how to search for employment and how to take standardized tests.
Sanderson said once the team who built the proposal came together, they tried to create the most comprehensive program they could.
"We didn't want anything less than the best," she said.
The result, she said, is a group effort that takes the support of the superintendent, the principals and teachers who will have to obtain industry-specific certifications to help with the business programs.
Ashley Brown, special education supervisor for Lincoln Parish Schools, said most of the $72,000 her district will receive will go toward purchasing curriculum for the Jump Start program. The rest, she said will go toward special education teacher training to help students earn credentials required by Jump Start.
The most recent data show a growth of more than seven percentage points in high school graduation rates among students with disabilities, from 29.3 percent in 2010-2011 to 36.7 percent in 2012-2013. Act 833 of 2014 established an alternate diploma pathway for students with disabilities, holding them to the same high expectations as their non-disabled peers.
Sanderson said the options for students created by Act 833 are "unlimited."
Grant recipients will use the funds to:
• Provide necessary equipment to offer students with disabilities access to career preparation experiences,
• Establish new partnerships with local businesses providing hands-on workplace experiences for students with disabilities adhering to Jump Start Internship Guidelines,
• Train and certify career education professionals through channels such as the Jump Start Super Summer Institute, and
• Provide research-based curriculum and high-quality instruction for students assessed on LAA 1.
Districts and charter schools receiving grant awards will be expected to increase district and school collaboration with Jump Start Regional Teams, supporting student success and leading to more students with disabilities graduating with an industry-valued credential through a Jump Start pathway.
Northeastern Louisiana districts and charter schools receiving a grant are:
- East Carroll: $30,555
- Franklin: $52,790
- Lincoln: $72,000
- Madison: $28,964
- Morehouse: $50,050
- Ouachita: $95,000
- Richland: $52,800
- Tensas: $52,800
- City of Monroe: $72,000
- D'Arbonne Woods Charter School: $33,600
- Total funds: $540,559
The amount awarded to each district or charter organization was based on the quality of the application and number of students with disabilities impacted by the funds. Grant recipients will operate through September 2016.
Online
To view a list of Building Pathways to High School Diplomas for Students with Disabilities Opportunity Grant recipients, go to http://bit.ly/1XHlUDf.
For more information about the education of students with disabilities, go to http://bit.ly/1Rn0Xh6.