Report: Remote learning caused special education students to fall behind during pandemic
New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli in January, 2019. Credit: Jeff Bachner
The shift to remote learning during the pandemic disrupted special education services for disabled students statewide, including Long Island, likely exacerbating an already widening achievement gap, according to a report released Wednesday.
The report by State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli found that when schools shut their doors to fully in-person learning in March 2020, shifting to remote or hybrid options, 464,000 students with disabilities statewide — representing 18% of the K-12 enrollment — lost out on vital services.
"Remote learning disrupted the entire educational system, but the students who need special education services were especially impacted," DiNapoli said in a statement. "An essential part of this year’s school reopening plans should be determining how to compensate for the learning losses students suffered and to ensure they succeed in their educational goals."
For example, the absence of in-person learning made specialized classroom settings and small group instruction for students with individualized education programs (IEPs) virtually impossible, the report found.
Services and therapies that typically require hands-on, face-to-face interaction or specialized equipment, including occupational or physical therapy, had to be provided remotely, limiting their effectiveness, the report said.
A May 2020 survey of 1,500 families by Parents Together, a national advocacy group based in Manhattan, found that only 20% of students with IEPs were receiving all of their services, while nearly 40% received no services at all.
Meanwhile, parents of children with IEPs were more than twice as likely to say their child was doing little to no remote learning and that distance learning was failing, according to a June 2021 report by the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights.
In Nassau County, 79% of 26,643 students with disabilities graduated, compared to 95% of general education students, according to data for the 2019-20 school year provided by DiNapoli's office. Meanwhile, 17% of Nassau students with disabilities were still enrolled after four years, compared to 2% of general education students.
In Suffolk, 78% of 35,557 students with disabilities graduated during the 2019-20 school year, compared to 93% of general education students, DiNapoli's office said. In addition, 16% of Suffolk students with disabilities are still enrolled after four years, compared to 4% of general education students.
The comptroller's office found troubling data in New York City, which educates nearly half of the state’s students with disabilities.
The City Department of Education reported in February that nearly one-fourth of students with special needs — roughly 54,000 students — were not receiving all special education programs mandated under their IEPs. Another 4%, or about 9,000 city students, did not receive any services under their IEP, city officials said.
The pandemic's long-term repercussions may affect future special education caseloads.
During the 2019-20 school year, the number of city youths referred for special education services declined nearly 27%, from 22,000 students to 16,000, the report found.
Proficiency gaps between students with disabilities and general education students also widened during the pandemic on state English Language Arts and math assessments, the comptroller's report said.
But DiNapoli said an increase in state education aid expected over the coming years, along with more than $15 billion in federal emergency education funds included in COVID relief packages, could address some learning loss.
"School districts should consider approaches for prioritizing spending state and federal aid on special education programs and related services, which represent an urgent need," the report said.
Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.
