Battle Ground Public Schools

2015–16 COMMUNITY REPORT | 9 SPECIAL SERVICES SUPPORTS STUDENTS AND FAMILIES FOR LIFELONG SUCCESS Special education is a significant component of public education. Battle Ground Public Schools provides services to more than 1,700 students with special needs from birth to age 21. The district's special needs support services and programs encompass more than 250 certificated and classified staff. In addition to classroom support for special needs students, the department also manages the Futures transition program for 18 to 21-year-olds, offers developmental screenings for children birth to 3 years, and provides crisis intervention and de-escalation training for staff. Federal and state funding helps pay for these services. Still, the cost of special education services is more than the government provides. This year alone, Battle Ground put approximately $1.6 million in levy funds toward special education. However, the district has applied to the state to get a large portion of those funds back. When Battle Ground spends more than the federal threshold of $27,613 in services on an eligible special needs student, the district can recoup some of the money through a state and federal program called Safety Net. Safety Net awards are made based on a detailed application created for the funds spent on each individual student. Staff work hard to meet the requirements of the complex process, which benefits the district tremendously. This year, Battle Ground filed 44 applications for $600,000 in Safety Net awards. "The money we recoup from the Safety Net process is important to help us provide support to students," said Denny Waters, Executive Director of Special Services. "The awards help us keep more levy money in the district and available to other programs. I am proud of the work we do on our Safety Net application." CREATIVE LEARNING BGPS BEATS STATE GOALS FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS Battle Ground Public Schools has exceeded state goals for English language proficiency among students in the district's English as a Second Language (ESL) program, according to the latest results of the Washington English Language Proficiency Exam, or WELPA. ■ ■ 80.8 percent of students in the district's ESL program made progress toward achieving English language proficiency, compared to 77.9 percent of ESL students statewide. ■ ■ 21.3 percent of Battle Ground's ESL students have attained English language proficiency, compared to 16.7 percent across the state. English language proficiency means that the student reads, writes, speaks and comprehends English in academic classroom settings. Battle Ground uses levy dollars to support ESL students and employs specific teaching methods such as Guided Language Acquisition Design (GLAD) to intervene and help students advance in their English proficiency as they progress in academic content. The district puts great emphasis on language intervention in grades 3-6 in an effort to help these students learn English. "Our goal is to help them reach English language proficiency without missing content knowledge," said Glenna Ainley, the district's ESL program coordinator. "We have found a formula of classroom support and language development intervention that helps our kids successfully attain English proficiency and find academic success as well." NEW WRITING CURRICULUM EMPHASIZES WRITERS As the Washington State Learning Standards have changed, so too have the tools that teachers employ to help students grasp the concepts. Battle Ground Public Schools exercises care when it explores the best tools for helping to teach standards. The district wants to invest levy dollars in the most engaging and highest quality materials that support teachers' lessons. The district's new K-8 writing curriculum engages students in the types of writing that they are expected to employ the most after graduation: narrative, opinion and information writing. Battle Ground brought in the curriculum's experts to train teachers and implemented the writing curriculum across the district to help students develop and refine strategies for writing. "Anyone who has used this curriculum has nothing but good things to say about their kids becoming writers," said Sandy Grim, a Battle Ground Public Schools instructional support specialist for English language arts. "It's amazing to see that change." The district's high school level writing curriculum, called Come to Class, complements the K-8 materials and continues where they end by providing the writing practice and application that high school students need to be prepared for college and careers.

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