Special EDge
November 13th, 2025
December 11, 2025
A Short Note
I want to acknowledge the incredible collaboration I’ve been seeing within teams. The way you’re coming together—sharing ideas, laughing together, supporting one another—is creating truly profound experiences and outcomes for kids. Your collective work is making a real difference, and I’m grateful for the heart and professionalism you bring every day.
STAS and SIRC
Reminder:
This guidance outlines when and how school psychologists should participate in STAS and SIRC processes at the middle and high schools. The purpose is to streamline communication, ensure teams include the right expertise, and support safe, equitable decision-making for students.
25-26 Child Count Data
Please click the link below to look at this year's child count data, as well as our historical trends. Overall, we are up 40 students total with IEPs. With the overall decrease in enrollment, that puts the district at 12.5% of students receiving special education services.
As a reminder, December 1 of each school year is the day that we report the total number of students with IEPs in BLS. This is the number that ODE uses to base our funding for the following year. School districts get a "second ADM weight" for each student with an IEP up to 11% of the district population. BLS is currently at 12.5%.
Educational Technology
Are you interested in what apps are available to students?
- Check out apps we have available here
- If there is an app you need or a student needs for educational purposes, submit a Help Desk ticket - please be sure to write the purpose of why you need the particular app, in the ticket
Are you interested in an app we do not currently have purchased? For any educational technology app that someone wants to try:
Submit a Help Desk ticket that you want to evaluate a particular app - please list the intended educational purpose for wanting the app to be evaluated
Instructional Technology will evaluate for: Instructional Tools Evaluation Checklist
Approved or Denied based on meeting the standards
Purchased (if approved)
Deployed through Educational Technology
*You can also ALWAYS reach out to BLS educational technology or the AT specialist if you have questions about an app you’re interested in.
Elementary Learning Specialist Math Opportunity with Kerry Morton
Transform your mathematics classroom and build a truly inclusive learning environment! We invite K-5 Classroom and Special Education Teachers to join a powerful professional learning series focused on enhancing mathematics instruction and inclusive practices using Amplify Desmos Math and get PAID! Learn more here. Register here.
We are excited to introduce a new section of the Special EDge this week - Campus Kudos! This will be a weekly addition to the blog, highlighting two schools per week (in random order). We will be celebrating ways that the school’s Student Services team has been working to promote inclusion, belonging for students, and working as a team to support each other. Input will be coming from all over - Coaches, admin, school psychologists, and ESD providers to name a few! Stay tuned each week to see which school is highlighted and what kinds of amazing work they are doing to support students.
This week we are celebrating Ensworth Elementary and High Desert Middle School!
ENSWORTH ELEMENTARY
Sara Young (Director of Student Services) shares: “The Ensworth team meetings feel like JOY! It's immediately evident how much the team genuinely enjoys one another. Meetings are productive and respect is oozing out of each team member, but they're also filled with so much laughter and fun. Everyone is ready to jump in to support one another. General education teachers, the student services team, and the administration is constantly working together to find ways for students to be successful. There is always thoughtful planning about what kids can do and ways in which they can be successful, so they can participate in field trips and important moments in their classrooms. “
Go Ensworth!!
HIGH DESERT MIDDLE SCHOOL
Ashley Ellsworth (Occupational Therapist) notes: “There have been a lot of shifts to High Desert's school team this year and overall, I feel that many have been positive. I have noticed progress in collaboration, communication, organization, and feelings of support within professional dynamics. The team has stepped in when there are changes in schedules and routines. I can tell how much the SpEd team cares about the students they support :)”
Josh Marks (Director of Student Services) gathered input from the High Desert Middle School team, and notes that the team has worked to increase students’ access to learning by pre-teaching, and ensuring students have access to their accommodations needed to be successful in class. Consistency and meaningful connection with students happens during Resource class periods, which also helps students access their general ed classes with more success.
In addition, High Desert Middle School has implemented many strategies to increase feelings of belonging for students, including creating class norms, empowering students to advocate for themselves to their teachers, and building safe communities within the classrooms. In addition, the case managers move up with their case load from year to year so they can build a stronger connection with the student and family, and support them all throughout their middle school career.
Go High Desert!!
Important Dates and Upcoming Events
- December 17: Teacher Directed SIW
- December 22-January 2: Winter Break
- January 7: Building Directed SIW
- January 14: Teacher Directed SIW
- January 21: Educator Network Day
- January 28: Teacher Directed SIW
- January 30: End of Semester
- February 27: CPI Initial Training
- March 10: CPI Refresher Training
- May 12: CPI Refresher Training
*CPI Registration: Click HERE
Action Items
- Review STAS and SIRC processes around school psychologist involvement (middle and high school)
- Check out Child Count Data
- Learn about Educational Technology
- Elementary Learning Specialists check out the information from Kerry Morton
- Check out the incredible work of teams in Campus Kudos!
- Save the Date for upcoming events
Contributions to the Blog
Do you have something you'd like added to the blog? Please reach out to Sara Young at sara.young@bend.k12.or.us if you'd like to share something!
Previous Blogs
Previous Special EDge Student Services Blogs: