Pittsburgh Public Schools presents 3-year special education plan; corrective actions reduced but gaps remain

Assistant Superintendent Patty Camper presented Pittsburgh Public Schools' state-required three-year special education plan to the Education Committee on April 14, saying the document is intended as a roadmap to "improve outcomes, expand opportunities, and ensure every student with disabilities reaches their full potential."

The plan links cyclical monitoring, compliance checks and improvement planning to target system-level changes, Camper said. She told the committee the district was cited for corrective action in 16 of 21 monitored areas during the 2023 cycle and has reduced that number to six as the district moves into the 2026 plan period. "While this reflects significant progress, there remain persistent areas that require focused attention," she said.

Camper highlighted three indicators driving the plan. On assessments (indicator 3), participation of students with disabilities has increased; Camper said participation now meets the state's 95% target, but proficiency in both English language arts and math remains well below state goals, pointing to the need for stronger instructional alignment and supports. On discipline (indicator 4B), she said the district is in a warning status for two consecutive years for Black students with disabilities who were suspended 10 days or less in one school year and urged consistent, proactive behavior supports to reduce removals from instruction. On educational environment (indicator 5), Camper said the district has reduced out-of-district placements but more students are spending less than 40% of their day in general education, a finding the plan aims to reverse by strengthening inclusion practices and placement decision processes.

The plan's system-level recommendations include standardizing diagnostic tools and IEP goal development, building structured data-review cycles, expanding tiered behavior supports and alternatives to suspension, providing de-escalation and restorative-practices coaching, and using annotated IEP templates and an educational-benefit review process to support placement decisions. Camper said the plan was developed through steering and subcommittee work, principal and parent input, and will be submitted to the Bureau of Special Education pending board approval.

Board members asked for more detail about where suspensions are concentrated; Camper said high schools show higher suspension rates than K–8 and cited fighting as the largest suspension category. Directors also asked for examples of positive practice; Camper pointed to Pittsburgh Arlington's house system and other school-level successes while noting the plan intentionally focuses on gaps identified by monitoring.

Next steps: the committee will consider the plan for governance review; if the board approves it this month, Camper said the district will submit it to the Bureau of Special Education and begin implementation planning.