Somerville Public Schools: Understanding the 'Needs Assistance' Special Education Determination
- Samantha Steiner
- Jul 17
- 3 min read
To our fellow parents in the Somerville Public Schools community:
The Somerville Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) is committed to fostering transparency and accountability within our district's special education services. In line with these goals, SEPAC proactively requested the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's (DESE) Annual LEA Special Education Determination Matrix for Somerville Public Schools through a public records request. We are now sharing this important information regarding the 2024-2025 school year's IDEA Part B determination. Somerville Public Schools has received a "Needs Assistance (NA)" determination.
What Does "Needs Assistance" Mean?
Somerville earned 30 out of a possible 41 points, resulting in a score of 73%. This places the district in the "Needs Assistance" category. This determination indicates that while the district is meeting many special education requirements, there are areas identified for improvement and support.
Key Areas of Determination:
The determination is based on a matrix that evaluates three main areas:
Performance: This section assesses how well students with disabilities are performing in areas like graduation rates, dropout rates, and MCAS proficiency in reading and math across different grade levels.
Somerville earned 11 out of 20 possible points in this category.
While the district performed well in some areas, such as the percentage of children with disabilities in a regular classroom 80% or more of the day (Indicator 5A), there are areas where performance is below state targets, particularly in MCAS proficiency for students with disabilities.
Compliance: This section reviews the district's adherence to federal and state special education regulations.
Somerville earned 15 out of 16 possible points in this category.
The district received a score of 1 for "Number of Findings of Noncompliance (SY2023-2024)," with 5 total findings of noncompliance, all from the Problem Resolution Systems (PRS). Attachment A provides more detail, listing PRS Case Numbers PRS0011267 and PRS0011266 with a finding issue date of June 21, 2024.
Other Considerations: This category includes factors like timely and accurate data reporting and fiscal considerations.
Somerville earned 4 out of 5 possible points in this category.
The district met its Maintenance of Effort (MOE) in FY23 and submitted timely and accurate Equitable Services Child Count data. However, the Indicator 7 Useable Records percentage was 20.90%, below the state target of 23.70%, resulting in 0 points for this specific metric.
What are the Implications of a "Needs Assistance" Determination?
As a result of this determination, Somerville Public Schools is:
Prohibited from using the flexibility available under the Maintenance of Effort (MOE) provisions of IDEA. This means the district is required to expend at least as much state and local funds for special education in 2025-2026 as it spent in the last year it met MOE.
Required to participate in technical assistance. This assistance will focus on root cause analysis and improvement planning in the identified areas of need. More information regarding mandatory technical assistance will be provided by DESE.
Moving Forward
The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education emphasizes its commitment to improving the quality of technical assistance and intervention for schools and LEAs in special education. This includes coordinating support from various offices to help districts address their specific needs.
We encourage our community to stay informed as Somerville Public Schools works with DESE to implement the necessary improvements and continue to provide high-quality special education services to all students.
