The Somerville Special Education Parent Advisory Council released a report in September outlining significant concerns within Somerville Public Schools’ special education programming.
The volunteer, state-mandated council — which advocates for students with disabilities — compiled the August report using district testing data, public records and testimony from parents and educators. Its aim was to better understand the district’s challenges and recommend long-term improvements.
The report highlights significant academic disparities: Only 12% of students with disabilities in grades 3–8 met or exceeded grade-level expectations in reading, compared to 46% of non-disabled peers. In math, 10% of students with disabilities met standards, versus 39% of other students.
SSEPAC attributes these outcomes in part to staffing shortages that undermine the district’s Multi-Tiered System of Support, which provides escalating interventions for struggling students.
“The idea is that everyone gets Tier 1 support,” Liz Eldridge, SSEPAC chair and incoming School Committee member, said. “Tier 2 is for children that are maybe starting to fall behind. … Then Tier 3 is for children that are diagnosed, and they might be receiving Individualized Education Plan support.”
The report provides evidence that the district does not currently have enough staff to deliver Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions consistently, leaving many students without the required support they need.
“Broadly, there was definitely evidence of missed services. There were educators and service providers saying that they didn’t have enough hours [in the work day] … to meet the requirements of children’s IEPs,” SSEPAC representative and an author of the report, Samantha Steiner said.
IEPs must be written based on student need, regardless of whether staffing is sufficient to meet those needs.
Eldridge clarified why the report was made and her hopes for its results.
“[The SSEPAC report] was never intended to be a tool of criticism,” Eldridge said. “The goal of writing it was to inform and to hopefully make the systemic change that would benefit not only our students but our educators [and] our school system as a whole.”
She further explained how the idea for the report emerged.
“I think the eye-opening moment for many SSEPAC members was when we heard our educators stand up during budget discussions saying they couldn’t meet the needs of our students” Eldridge explained. “[The] deep feeling from those educators [was] that they just needed support and they needed help, and they really [wanted] to do their job well, but they were struggling to be able to do that.”
Steiner said the council’s work took on greater urgency after the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s determined that Somerville “Needs Assistance” under Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act for the 2024–25 school year.
“It was over the summer that we learned about … Somerville getting the designation of ‘Needs Assistance’ … due to accountability data, the [rubric for] achievement for students with disabilities and documented non-compliances,” Steiner said.
In a statement to the Daily, Somerville Public Schools outlined steps taken for the 2024–25 school year to improve staffing and compliance.
“Additional special education staff were allocated to Winter Hill and East Somerville to address identified shortages,” a spokesperson wrote. “Midyear adjustments included the addition of a shared school adjustment counselor, a resource room teacher and a part-time speech-language pathologist to balance caseloads and ensure compliance.”
The district's statement also described how it plans to address DESE’s “Needs Assistance” determination.
“The Special Education Department has initiated a proactive process of meeting with [principals, assistant principals and special education department coordinators] to review MCAS data for students with disabilities,” the district wrote. “These meetings focus on identifying performance trends, analyzing root causes and developing targeted action steps.”
Eldridge said the previous lack of proactive intervention in the district was particularly concerning.
“Right now, we’re not stepping in until kids need intensive support. … That’s weeks to months of struggle,” she said. “Your small reading problem in first grade that we [waited] to address until fourth grade has gone from being a reading problem to a social-emotional issue and maybe a behavioral challenge.”
The district added that it aims to reduce delays by expanding inclusive practices.
“Expansion of inclusive practices has also been a major highlight of the district’s ongoing work. Co-teaching models have been implemented … supported by the Inclusive Practices/Co-Teaching Working Group,” the statement read.
The group includes educators, administrators and parents and is tasked with reviewing models, identifying professional development needs and making recommendations for future expansion.
As Eldridge prepares to join the School Committee, she hopes to strengthen collaboration and ensure that both students and teachers receive the support they need.
“We have the opportunity to start moving down a different path. We have a new mayor, we have a really engaged SSEPAC,” Eldridge said. “Are we going to keep doing the same thing, or are we going to maybe look at things differently and really value diversity, equity [and] inclusion? … Simply moving in the right direction and moving with intentionality and trying your best — that goes a long way.”
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this article referred to a statement provided by the School Committee. It was actually provided by the Somerville Public Schools. This update was made on Dec. 2.
