The Austin Independent School District announced on Tuesday the end of its three-year journey under a Special Education Agreed Order with the Texas Education Agency.
The TEA put the district under the order in 2023 due to its failure to provide adequate special education services in accordance with federal and state law. In a Tuesday press release and corresponding press conference, district leadership confirmed the order is no longer in effect.
To achieve this milestone, the district completed more than 10,000 special education evaluations and meetings to connect students to tailored support and services. It established district-wide standards and implemented them at every campus to ensure a consistent experience for all students.
The district designed and implemented a district-wide support plan to ensure every child gets the personalized support they need. That led to the special education team growing by more than 250 specialized providers and evaluators.
Additionally, the district launched a new digital management platform to ensure timely and accurate reporting on each student’s service plan and hosted more than 100 family engagement sessions to strengthen community trust.
Superintendent Matias Segura said, “By elevating the quality of our evaluations and the integrity of our service delivery, we have turned a period of intense work into a profound opportunity to grow and deepen our commitment to the families we serve.”
According to the press release, the district is now seeing clear and measurable signs that the system is responding to the changes. In third grade reading, for example, the 2024-25 STAAR results for students with disabilities show students outperformed the state average by three percentage points.
In second grade reading and numeracy, data shows double-digit drops in the percentage of students with disabilities needing academic interventions. In first grade, data shows that fewer students are flagging at-risk for dyslexia on the screener, which is a sigh of strengthened core literacy instruction.
“Our next chapter is dedicated to deepening inclusive practices and ensuring that every student receiving special education services has access to high-quality, specialized instruction aligned to grade-level standards,” the press release states. “The district will continue to invest in our teachers and staff so they have the tools to help every child thrive.”