The Shaker Standard
Today Nathan is a charming, chatty,
enthusiastic 21-year-old who will graduate
from Shaker Heights High School next
June (by federal law, special education
students qualify for services through high
school or until age 22). He is among the
District’s estimated 790 students who
are on an Individualized Education Plan,
a legal document that details the special
education services a public school student
will receive, along with measurable goals
for his or her achievement.
This group of students comprises
15 percent of Shaker’s diverse student
population. Many of these students
sit alongside typical peers for the
entire school day in general education
classrooms, receiving support from
a tutor, aide, co-teacher or assistive
technology. Others participate in
the curriculum in a more restrictive
environment where they also receive
special services such as speech, physical
therapy, and occupational therapy in a
dedicated Resource Room that serves
students with similar needs. There are
others who spend some of their school
day in a general education classroom
and another portion in small-group
instruction with tutors and specialists.
“Shaker Heights is a premier
District that accepts best practices,
not minimum compliance in special
education,” says Steve Rogaski, M.Ed.,
director of Human Resources and Pupil
Services at the Educational Service
Center of Cuyahoga County, which
provides special education services,
student programs, and professional
development, and helps school districts
in Cuyahoga County and Northeast Ohio
support the implementation of federal
and state regulations.
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“The District has also focused on closing that achievement gap between
students with disabilities and special needs and typical students. Shaker does
what’s best for children. That’s its standard,” says Rogaski.
The District’s standard is rooted in its mission: to nurture, educate, and
graduate students who are civic-minded and prepared to make ethical decisions;
who are confident, competent communicators, skillful in problem solving, and
capable of creative thinking; and who have a career motivation and a knowledge
of our global and multicultural society.
“The mission applies to all students, regardless of their station in life and
where they stand in terms of ability,” says the District’s parent mentor Holly
Palda. “What unites us as parents is that we all want our children to succeed and
share a sense of well-being. The idea of having specialized support is important
because it allows parents whose children are on a different path to make
decisions about their child’s education in an informed way.”