A very exceptional report

Chesterfield County Public Schools recently received a glowing exit interview from a team of auditors who visited the school division to review its exceptional education efforts. The review was for compliance with federal regulations and procedures. The visiting team of auditors held conferences, reviewed data and discussed 14 special education indicators from the commonwealth.

While a formal written report likely won’t be available until March, the exit interview yielded a great deal more positive comments than recommendations or findings. The team members noted that there is generally a limit on positive comments allowed in the report, so they would have to be selective and include the ones that were most powerful.

Among the comments

• The climates in all 10 schools visited was engaging and very inclusive.
• Inclusion was excellent throughout the school division.
• There was excellent organization in documentation and files.
• There were many outstanding programs ongoing within schools.

o Tomahawk Creek Middle’s Lunch and Learning
o Gates Elementary’s co-teaching and co-planning
o Bird and Manchester high schools’ transition focus

Overall, the review was excellent. This is extremely encouraging, as Dr. Kalkofen noted, considering the unusual amount of scrutiny from several parties in recent months.