Introducing STEP: the Specialized Technological Education Platform
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To: Joanne LaCrosse, Director of Special Education Services, New York State Education Department
From: Brian Caballo (Bronx High School of Science), Aishah Daiyan (Brooklyn Latin School), Samayeeta Maitra (Delhi Public School Ruby Park), Elijah Qin (Temple City High School), and Ahmya Rivera (Northeast Academy for Aerospace and Advanced Technologies)
In order to provide the best learning environment for students with disabilities and health concerns (D/H), it is important to ensure that proper resources are adequately provided. More often than not, special education students are not prioritized, and thus do not receive the best education they can. Our policy is to implement a specialized learning software as an essential part of D/H students’ curriculum to bolster academic performance and inclusion, ultimately creating a cost-effective solution that sufficiently tailors to students’ individual needs.
Background
In the 2015-2016 school year, 65% of high school students with disabilities graduated, which pales in comparison to the 84% of all high school students that graduate. This expresses a pre-existing educational struggle faced by D/H students. Hence, with poorer resources and lacking services, special education students are bound to face exacerbated struggles during remote learning necessitated by the coronavirus pandemic.
The population of students requiring special education services is considerable; in the 2018-2019 school year, 14% of students aged 3–21 received services, or 7.1 million students nationwide. Of the 7.1 million students, 33% had specific learning disabilities. With such a tremendous, unprioritized population, it is important to consider the accessibility and effectiveness of online educational tools used. Such tools should not be limited to use in the times of remote learning, but continuously in the future, as the D/H student educational struggle has been a persistent issue that has not been effectively addressed.
Recommendation
In order to support D/H students with an easily accessible educational service, we recommend the Department of Education require the implementation of a universal online specialized learning classroom platform, STEP, that will become an integral part of the general education of D/H students.
Similar to popular classroom platforms like Canvas and Google Classroom, STEP offers an online classroom experience revolving around organization and communication. However, STEP takes the experience of D/H students in mind and strives to cater to their needs. Teachers from multiple classes can post assignments with simple phrasing consisting of only due dates and coursework instructions. Courses are viewed as individualized classrooms that match the curriculum to the pacing and style of its personalized student, which better fits the needs of each student. Speech recording is another feature included for Dyslexic or speech-impaired students to easily navigate through the website features and voice out any questions or tabs they want to go to. Other features will be available depending on the needs of the student. The implementation is to begin as soon as possible in order to give students ample time to familiarize themselves with the software.
Evidence and Analysis
Figure 1: Total Expenditures vs Special Ed. Expenditures
It is evident that a lack of special education resources stems from a lack of funding and prioritization. Figure 1 displays a study conducted from 1998-2007 in which the amount of educational expenditure for special learning needs was less than 15% of the money spent on total education, mainly due to the lower population of special education students. However, as the years progressed, the amount spent on special learning continuously declined while total expenditure decreased, showing an insufficiency in regard to special learning needs.
Figure 2: Special Ed. Complaints Over 5 Years (NYCDOE, 2019)
The lack of funding ultimately exemplifies the lack of concern over students with special learning needs. However, the implementation of STEP benefits both parties, students and schools. Students are able to learn effectively while being among their peers while also costing the district an insignificant amount of money. In fact, on average, the usage of a school administration software costs $5.94 per student monthly.
Additionally, for many years, D/H students and parents have been complaining about the lack of technological educational assistance used in the classroom, as seen in Figure 2, which is concerning as society and the workforce are becoming increasingly reliant on technology.
The implementation of STEP also entails a curriculum where technology is largely used. In other words, D/H students are able to develop important skills while also learning their course material effectively.
Additionally, in a questionnaire conducted by a school on the usefulness of technology skills for special learning students (e.g learning to email, learning about and how to use cloud storage, etc), it was generally found that students found it useful and would prefer to utilize it in their everyday lives. The data collected is considerable; providing D/H with necessary resources enables students to succeed in both their academic studies as well as their future careers—making the implementation of STEP ever-crucial.
Policy Impact & Limitations
The implementation of STEP will assist D/H students to obtain a more effective and personalized education. Additionally, STEP can provide once uneasily obtainable resources, such as mental health support for D/H students. In this way, D/H students can have quality education regardless of an environment change, and useful tools that they can benefit from in the future. With this, parents are at ease knowing that teachers and peers can easily be contacted with the click of a button. Their knowledge of technology may translate to greater opportunities in the future. Therefore, the implementation of STEP will enable students to perform to the best of their ability, both in preparation for their future careers and their current course material.
Figure 3: STEP Website Platform
However, with the addition of new software, there must be a learning curve, which may be troublesome for some students. Additionally, because education is to become mainly technology-based, issues with WiFi and a lack of devices may negatively impact learning. Lastly, as students with special learning needs exist everywhere, schools with lower funding may not be able to afford the platform.
Conclusion
For much too long, society has placed too little concern over students with special education needs. Our current system already harms D/H students, as they are continuously not being provided adequate resources. Therefore, the usage of STEP may best benefit D/H students widely. Students will not only be able to receive the care they need but also be benefitted from the social support and technology skills gained through STEP, both of which can be used for their careers in the future. Rather than continuing to uphold standards of education that are inconsiderate and less inclusive to D/H students, implementing a new program that specifically caters to special learning needs levels the educational field. Therefore, implementing such a change is critical in maintaining education equivalency for disadvantaged D/H students.
References available in full pdf.