Hamilton County schools' inclusion rate for special needs students trails national, state averages

Dr. Kirk Kelly, Hamilton County Schools interim superintendent, second from right, and Christie Jordan, director of accounting and budgeting, right, present the schools' fiscal 2017 budget to the school board.
Dr. Kirk Kelly, Hamilton County Schools interim superintendent, second from right, and Christie Jordan, director of accounting and budgeting, right, present the schools' fiscal 2017 budget to the school board.

At the start of summer, 6-year-old Samuel Horne was struggling to learn his alphabet and play on the playground.

Now he can say his ABCs, write his name and wants friends to join him on the slide.

"This is life-changing," said Cale Horne, Samuel's father.

Samuel is autistic, and Horne said the progress his son made this summer is monumental, preparing him for a productive school year as he enters kindergarten at Nolan Elementary.

Horne is one of several parents who say their autistic children are speaking more and getting better at learning in group settings because of the instruction they've received this summer alongside students without disabilities.

"Secluding these kids doesn't have any social or academic benefits," Horne said. "There are huge benefits having kids with disabilities in classrooms with their typical peers."

That is why a handful of families across the county have chosen to enroll their kids in the REACH summer learning program, launched out of the Chattanooga Autism Center.

REACH provides instruction from a board-certified behavior analyst to students with autism and other disabilities and blends them in classrooms with other students who do not have disabilities.

Corey Bayless' son Joshua attends REACH, and she said it's important for him to play with kids who don't have disabilities so he can see how they interact.

"Kids pick up each other's behaviors," Bayless said. "They pick up negative behaviors if that's all they're around."

In Hamilton County public schools, about 80 percent of students with intellectual disabilities are separated from nondisabled students in Comprehensive Development Classrooms for most of the school day, according to data from the Tennessee Department of Education.

Standardized testing data from 2015 showed the Hamilton County Department of Education did not meet the state's goal of narrowing the achievement gap between students with disabilities and their peers. In each tested subject, students with disabilities trailed their nondisabled peers by about 30 percentage points.

National research shows inclusion programs with appropriate classroom supports benefit all students and can work to help close the achievement gap. School districts like Metro Nashville Public Schools have pushed in recent years to include more students with disabilities in regular classrooms with added supports, and the achievement gap between these groups of students is narrowing.

Margaret Abernathy, exceptional education director for the Hamilton County Department of Education, said she and her department work to "provide what is appropriate for each child."

Each situation is handled individually, Abernathy said. The district first considers full inclusion for exceptional education students, but being in a regular classroom is not appropriate for every child, she said.

"We are not isolating kids," she said. "We are providing what they need."

Abernathy said she's talked with Metro Nashville officials about the way they're approaching exceptional education, and said she is always considering new options.

"But just because we are looking at it doesn't mean we think we are doing it wrong here," Abernathy said. "We are always open to listening to parents' concerns and working with them."

Parents involved in the REACH program say Hamilton County Schools has a long way to go before their intellectually disabled students are included in regular curriculums and general education classrooms, but they appreciate having REACH as an alternative over the summer.

REACH meets at Trinity Lutheran Church in Hixson. On Wednesday, the students engaged in games and learning activities while instructors complimented and encouraged good behavior from all, regardless of disability.

"Don't just scream, say you're excited," Jeanette Castillo, a board-certified behavior analyst, told Lochlin Johnson.

Gently holding Lochlin's hands, Castillo helped him lock his fingers and hold them to his chest, repeating the words for him to hear, "I'm excited."

Lochlin struggles to speak, but he nodded at Castillo's instruction and, with a big smile, went back to playing Hungry Hungry Hippos with classmates.

Lochlin's mom, Marie Johnson, directs REACH, and said she watches her son thrive on the days he gets to go to this class.

"He is so proud of himself," she said. "Afterward he is able to better focus and communicate."

Castillo said she appreciates how REACH uses the inclusion model, as national research and her own experience show it helps all students develop and prepares them for the real world, teaching kids about diversity.

As the instructors helped with math practice, some students added up numbers written on blocks, while others, depending on their abilities, practiced counting the blocks by stacking them.

"Everyone is learning," Castillo said. "And they're learning together."

Contact staff writer Kendi A. Rainwater at 423-757-6592 or krainwater@timesfreepress.com. Follow on Twitter @kendi_and.

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