Triannual State Special Education Review Comes to Burlington

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) this week is in the process of conducting a review of Burlington Public Schools. Each district in the Commonwealth undergoes Integrated Monitoring Review every three years by DESE to review the implementation of special education policies and procedures and identify any potential areas for concern.

This year's review will focus on many aspects of special education programming, including Individualized Education Program (IEP) implementation and oversight; facilities; staffing, certification and professional development; equal access; and more. As a part of this review, records are reviewed and interviews are conducted with district staff and administrators. School visits are also conducted, and focus groups with students and teachers might also be held.

Parents of students with IEPs were notified of this review and invited to fill in a survey that should take about 5-10 minutes. However, this survey, which came from "Alchemer" with the subject line, "Public School Monitoring needs your feedback!" is reported to have gone into many parents' spam folders. While the original due date for the survey has passed, the survey is still open and the Buzz is told it will remain open until December 20 in order to ensure all families of children in the special education program have the opportunity to provide their input.

If you are the parent of a student with an IEP and didn't receive the survey, please check your spam folder and ParentSquare for the survey link. If you can't find it in either of those places, contact the district at 781-270-1800 to request a new link be sent to you. Families and other stakeholders can also contact Joan Brinkerhoff, Monitoring Review Chairperson, at (781) 338-3715 or Joan.L.Brinckerhoff@mass.gov to request a telephone interview. Translation and other accommodations will be made available if necessary.

The report from this review, including the state's requirements for further action, if any, will be available within about 60 business days of the visit, or by mid-February. The public can access the report here. This is also where the public can find a copy of Burlington's 2022 report.

The Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning, Dr. Lisa Chen, has been working with teachers and school & district administration since her tenure began in 2023 to review the curriculum across the district, a process which she has said will provide for more access points and equitable instruction for students with different learning needs.