A Purposeful Plan To Tackle Disproportionality

Rapides Parish, Louisiana, Reduces Referrals to Special Ed

When Rapides Parish in Louisiana was found to have serious disproportionality problems, they decided to tackle the issue in a proactive fashion. They established a steering committee that included representatives from regular education, special education, parent groups, and the community. The goals the school system set out to accomplish included:

• creating an awareness of the issue of disproportionality and culturally responsive practices in all areas;
• identifying target schools to implement early intervening services focusing on reading and math;
• appropriately identifying students with disabilities for special education through the use of Response-to-Intervention (RtI) and increased focus on culturally responsive assessment practices;
• implementing Positive Behavior Support (PBS) programs district-wide.

The Rapides Parish School District laid out a five-year action plan to address disproportionality, its correlates, and achievement and behavior gaps. The plan was presented at the National Center for Culturally Responsive Educational Systems' (NCCRESt) February 2007 conference, Leadership for Equity and Excellence: Transforming Education.

Early outcomes from Rapides Parish's disproportionality reduction efforts were encouraging; referrals for initial special education evaluations were way down and, more important, the percentage of Black students within the emotionally disturbed, mentally retarded, and specific learning disability categories was dropping.

Also of note was the increase in the percentage of Black students being identified as gifted and/or talented. Teachers, families, and students reported increased enthusiasm and support for the initiatives. For more information, contact: Rapides Parish School District  and the National Center for Culturally Responsive Educational Systems.

Excerpted from Truth in Labeling: Disproportionality in Special Education.  Source: Mary Beth Klotz, NASP.

More Case Studies Addressing Disproportionality:

• Systemwide Response-to-Intervention in Clark County, NV 
• Fairbanks School Board Committee Monitors Special Ed Placement
• Baltimore City Schools Reduce Suspension Rates