As Deadline Nears, Austin ISD Works Through Backlog for Special Ed Services

Evaluations are picking up speed


Dru McGovern-Robinett, assistant superintendent of special education at Austin ISD during the Jan. 11 meeting (screenshot via Austin ISD)

We're getting a clearer picture of the progress the Austin Independent School District is making in addressing one of its major priorities – eliminating its backlog in evaluations for students seeking special education services. Data provided at the Jan. 11 board of trustees meeting showed the backlog is almost worked through.

Dru McGovern-Robinett, the assistant superintendent of special education at AISD, told the board that the backlog dropped from 1,780 last January to 306 this month – an 82% decrease. The district is also conducting more of the evaluations that are not part of the backlog. McGovern-Robinett said one year ago, only 52% of initial evaluations were completed on time. "In December, we saw that 99% of initial evaluations were completed [on time]," she said. "But the goal – [AISD's] and the state's and the federal government's – is 100%. So we are not relenting."

By law, public schools are required to provide an evaluation for special education services to every student who requests one within 45 school days. Austin ISD began falling behind on that responsibility in 2020, as evaluators quit during the COVID pandemic. By 2022, the backlog had become a crisis. Parents complained to the Texas Education Agency that their kids were waiting months just to be evaluated for services, much less to receive them. In March, the TEA cited the breakdown in announcing it would take over the district's special education department. The district cut a deal with the agency in September to retain control of the department. The deal stipulates that the district eliminate the backlog by Jan. 31. If the district doesn't, TEA has promised to take over special ed.

“These are numbers that make us kind of have to say, ‘Really?,’ because they’re just so impressive.”   – Austin ISD Trustee Lynn Boswell

AISD has hired more evaluators since the summer and they are racing against the clock. At the Thursday meeting, Superintendent Matias Segura said the district has exceeded its goals. For example, a district goal for the fall semester was to finish 1,644 evaluations. The district completed 2,358. Another goal was to decrease the number of unfinished evaluations to 3,039. The district lowered the number to 1,984.

After Segura spoke, McGovern-Robinett presented a graph comparing 2023 to 2022 evaluations. "With each of the bars, the numbers that are reflected there are actual students with heartbeats and minds and families that are looking to see what their particular needs are."

Jennifer Baker, director of compliance and operations with AISD, said the district recently hired a fourth supervisor (each supervisor oversees 74 evaluators) and more evaluators. She noted that the new hires have been attracted in part by pay increases the board OK'd last summer. And she said evaluators have been working weekends and holidays.

"This winter break, we tested 12 out of the 14 days," Baker said. "We had 75 evaluators, contractors and Austin ISD staff, school psychologists, diagnosticians, and speech language therapists, who evaluated 176 students – which is pretty fantastic. We also offer weekend testing. Since the beginning of the school year, we've held eight weekend testing sessions with an average rate of six to seven students being tested each weekend."

After the presentation, the trustees asked questions and congratulated Baker and McGovern-Robinett. "These are numbers that make us kind of have to say, 'Really?,' because they're just so impressive," trustee Lynn Boswell said. "It is so much what we've hoped and dreamed of and wanted."

Baker said that she was proud of her team. "But I would be remiss if I didn't say they are tired. We're tired. There's a lot that goes into working all week, on the weekends, on holidays."

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KEYWORDS FOR THIS STORY

Austin ISD, Special Education, Texas Education Agency, Dru McGovern Robinett, Jennifer Baker

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