Q&A
Effectiveness of NEST and PATH programs for students with and without disabilities
1:54:40
ยท
122 sec
Council Member Eric Dinowitz inquires about the NEST and PATH programs for students with autism. DOE officials explain that these inclusive programs benefit both students with disabilities and general education students, with NEST students graduating at higher rates than their peers in other programs.
- NEST program shows higher graduation rates for students with IEPs compared to District 75
- General education students in NEST also perform better than those in typical community schools
- Research supports that inclusive environments create optimal learning for all students
Eric Dinowitz
1:54:40
afternoon.
1:54:41
Hope you're doing well.
1:54:43
I wanna talk a little bit about these PATH and NEST programs.
1:54:47
You speak glowingly of them, about how it, it's inclusive, both general education and special education students.
1:54:56
And you spoke about, it's like a whole school community on board.
1:55:01
I I mean, to me, that just sounds like good education and what all our schools should be doing.
1:55:06
And you spoke about the graduation rates of kids with IEPs at NEST, for example, being higher than district 75, what is what is the achievement or what is the graduation rate and success rate of students, general education students in these programs?
Suzanne Sanchez
1:55:28
You're talking just wanna be clear about the general education students in the in the same class or in the same
Eric Dinowitz
1:55:34
Compared to compared to general education students in a in a typical community school program, how do the students Yes.
1:55:39
The general education students at NEST or PATH or any of these programs fare in comparison?
Suzanne Sanchez
1:55:44
So to your initial example, NEST students are graduating at a higher or on pace with their peers who do not have an IEP.
1:55:52
So they are either higher or on pace.
1:55:55
Path is is we don't have grad students who have graduated the system out of Path.
1:55:59
I think our oldest path student is either a second or a third grader, right now, and then one middle school.
Althea Stevens
1:56:04
So
Eric Dinowitz
1:56:04
What I'm asking is thank you for that.
1:56:06
What I'm asking is the comparison Yes.
1:56:08
Of the gen just the general education students at NEST compared to the general education students The NEST.
1:56:13
Who are not at NEST.
Suzanne Sanchez
1:56:14
The NEST students are graduating at a higher rate than their nondisabled, non NEST student peers.
Eric Dinowitz
1:56:22
So what I so I wanna make sure I understand.
1:56:24
The program like NEST is better both for students with disabilities and general education students.
1:56:29
Is that fair to say?
Suzanne Sanchez
1:56:31
That is fair to say, and there's, research is very clear that inclusive environments are create optimal learning environments for students who have IEPs and students who do not have IEPs.