Youngstown schools training teachers to ID special education needs

YOUNGSTOWN

A new support system is being put in place to catch students before they fall behind in Youngstown City Schools.

“Here we have people working together far more than in the past,” said Linda Yosay, special-education consultant from the Mahoning County Educational Service Center.

The district’s new Multi-Tiered Support System is seeking to cut down on labeling students in need of special education prematurely.

“Just because a student is struggling behaviorally or academically doesn’t mean they’re special education [students],” Yosay said. “We are still looking for indicators if they might be, though.”

Currently, 23 percent of students in the district are considered in need of special education.

“We realize for some of those students, getting that extra assistance has been very helpful. However, if they don’t have a disability, they should be back in general population,” Yosay said.

The new system is being put in place first through educators’ professional development and second by passing it onto students, said Timothy Filipovich, city schools chief of academics, accountability and assessment.

“We are working on transforming our teachers,” said Amanda McGinnis, district deputy chief of transformation.

Read more about the situation in Saturday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.