4 Questions to Ask as a Special Education Admin

1. Do you know the professional development needs of all your special education staff?
   
   What staff development opportunities have your special education staff been given the opportunity to attend? As both a teacher and a para, I was afforded opportunities for professional growth that many may not get in today's educational system.  Funds were more readily available and school districts invested those funds to see that educators were highly qualified. It is my opinion that the more you as a special education administrator can provide quality professional development opportunities, then when it comes to an audit, your staff will have more confidence in their positions in the schools where they serve.
   

2.  Does your special education staff know what to write into the 11 strategies of the Autism supplement?
   
   This is a critical question for all Texas special education administrators. The 11 strategies contained in the Autism supplement in Texas is what guides the programming needs for a student with autism spectrum disorder. I have seen the supplement filled with anecdotal data, rather than raw data that explains why a particular service is needed. You can be certain that an auditor will look at the supplement of a student’s file that is pulled during an audit.
   

3. Would teaching staff feel confident/competent to explain how they are utilizing research-based practices?
   
   For many educators that I have interacted with over 28 years in public education, when research and evidence based practices and interventions are brought up in discussion, they rarely know where to find them, let alone what actual research evidenced based practices they are using in their positions in special education. It is imperative that all educators know where to find and to be able to demonstrate that they are using these practices with students with autism spectrum disorders.
   

4. Is your district transparent with their policies and procedures?
   
   I have seen many district special education departments that put their operating policies and procedures on their district websites.  I think transparency in education has been a missing component for far too long. Transparency allows the public to see that we are saying what we do and doing what we say in education. The more transparent we become the more our parents understand our special education processes and they are less likely to raise as many issues when it comes to a parent forum for audit purposes.

These four questions will help you self assess your district’s policies, procedures, and practices.

If you are looking for third-party help in performing a full audit, proactively understanding any holes in your program, please contact me!