School district gets mixed marks on special needs assessment, recommendations for improvements

A districtwide assessment on Waltham Public Schools’ special needs programming found a wealth of diverse programming and devoted staff but systemic problems with how those resources are delivered to students. 

The School Committee heard the results at its May 20 meeting from Jessica Thompson, a board-certified behavioral analyst and education consultant.

Despite finding an unusually high rate of staff cohesion and retention at Waltham’s schools, Thompson said there were structural issues with student placement processes. With seven specialized programs spread across the district, students were commonly shuffled between placements when they encountered challenges, rather than given the chance to grow, she said.

“It’s not that you need more programs or more people,” Thompson told the committee. “We need to ensure … that it’s the most efficient way for support to be delivered.”

Thompson was initially contracted at the beginning of the 2025-26 school year to support training for students with autism and the staff educating them. In the process of designing a training program, she recognized a need for a more in-depth analysis of the entire special education system at Waltham Public Schools. 

She said allocation of support across all the programs is another issue. She said when students are hastily placed, support is diluted. High-needs learners may not get access to the care they require if classrooms are crowded with students who could thrive in less restrictive settings, she added. 

Thompson recommended placing applied behavioral analysts, who are mid-level professionals and work under registered board-certified behavioral analysts, throughout the district. ABAs can handle day-to-day operations within special ed programs. This allows BCBAs, who are expensive to hire and harder to come by amid a nationwide shortage, to work and plan from the senior level they’re trained for. 

Having that extra support can help teachers in these programs navigate complex situations, Thompson said. 

If a student appears to stagnate, staff shouldn’t always rush to place them in a different environment. Instead, Thompson thinks more time and more focused educational strategies can pave the way for growth. 

“There’s a bit of a misconception at times that students that may have a different learning trajectory should be in a different setting. Really, the type of instruction that they’re receiving and the amazing community that they’re supported by [is] actually just what they need,” she said. 

Thompson encouraged district leaders to ask what students need rather than where they should be placed. 

The school district will pilot the ABA model, wherein a mid-level analyst works full-time with educators and is guided by a part-time BCBA, at Plympton Elementary’s special needs program next year. 

This is one part of Thompson’s recommended structural realignment phase and will be followed by an analysis of student success data. 

Thompson emphasized that the goals of her strategy for all of WPS include reducing out-of-district referrals for special needs students, which are costly. Additionally, she hopes that with more support, staff will be able to spread their workload more evenly and students can receive care more proportional to their needs.