Smaller Caseloads Equals Bigger Success

Children with Autism and other disabilities which affect their ability to access and make progress in the general education curriculum are provided with special education services to help them access and make progress in the general education curriculum. When children are included in the general education classroom they are typically placed on the caseloads of special education teachers who also manage the programs of 30 or more other students. These large caseloads may defeat the intentions of special education services. Sometimes special education teachers have more students on their caseloads than general education teachers. I pose this question: how are we supposed to provide intensive, specialized services of high quality when there are too many children on one’s caseload?

The answer is that it is nearly impossible to do so. When teachers have smaller caseloads they are able to program more effectively and provide more intensive services. Unfortunately, our school systems are not set up to make these smaller caseloads a reality. The reason that children are provided special education services is to provide them with specialized services to address their individual needs in order to help them access and make progress in the general education curriculum. It is unfair to assume that special education teachers will be able to provide these high level intensive services when they are spread so thin. We must continue to push for smaller caseloads at the federal, state, and local level to ensure that our students who are most at risk receive the quality services they deserve. Smaller caseloads are one step in ensuring bigger successes for our students with disabilities.