Dec 1, 2024, Grand Forks (ND) Herald: Grand Forks School Board: population increases for special education, multilingual students
The share of students in the district with individualized education plans has continued to trek upward, while the multilingual population has rebounded dramatically after several years of decline.
GRAND FORKS – Grand Forks Public Schools’ share of students with individualized education plans continues to climb, while the increase in multilingual students marks a significant rebound after years of decline.
District administrators shared data on two of the district’s more significant specialized programs during an annual report to the School Board on Monday.
Some 19.8% of the student body had some kind of IEP as of Dec. 1, 2023, when the federal government conducted its annual count, up from 19.6% the same time last year.
Special Education Director Elisa Diederich said she expects that number to continue climbing when the official count is taken in the coming days.
The share of students with IEPs has been increasing steadily over the last decade, up from 14.8% in 2014.
The current near-20% of students with IEPs is comparable to other large school districts, like Fargo, West Fargo, Minot and Bismarck.
Lately, the district has added a sixth autism classroom at the elementary level, Diederich said, with an average class size of eight, “which is a pretty heavy class size.” . . .
Early Childhood Special Education – which serves children ages 3 to 5 with developmental delays – has also seen increases, Diederich said.
The district has seen its share of special educators grow through its resident teacher program and para-to-teacher programs at UND, but still needs more school psychologists, as well as occupational therapists and speech pathologists.
The district is now able to bill more special education costs through the state’s Medicaid program, Diederich reported, instead of having to pay out of pocket. . . .
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