The federal shutdown is adding more challenges to special education, which is already hobbled by the closure of key Education Department offices, as well as funding and staffing cutbacks. But AI could offer an assist.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon has nearly eliminated the Office of Special Education Programs, which administers the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and the Office of Civil Rights, which handles complaints.
“The IDEA regulations are still law, but the operational support is gone,” David Bateman, Ph.D., of the American Institutes for Research, said in a webinar hosted by Parallel Learning. “There are 7.5 million students who rely on IDEA and the $15 billion in funding.”
Bateman says the disruption on the federal level will create additional responsibilities at the state and district levels, as well as in the classroom.
“There will be less uniformity in student experience. Instructional time will decrease. It will create confusion and anxiety for families. Funding will be disrupted. Professional development will end or be delayed. There will be more risk of procedural mistakes,” Bateman said.
For special education teachers, the federal disruption could mean a higher caseload and the accompanying documentation, as well as delays in evaluations and reevaluations. But Bateman says teachers also need to document the issues they face.
The Individual Education Plan documentation, which involves an evaluation, objectives and tracking for all children in special education, can take anywhere from three to 10 hours, depending on the complexity of the student’s needs.
Teachers are increasingly turning to AI to write the Individual Education Plans required for all children in special education.
A recent survey by the Center for Democracy and Technology, a nonprofit organization that researches technology and civil rights, found that 57% of special teachers use AI, 15% use AI for IEPs and 31% to track student progress. The survey of 1,018 parents and 806 teachers, including 275 special education teachers, was conducted between June and August.
Some teachers use open-source generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT or Claude, while others utilize specialized platforms like Playground IEP or Magic School AI, which can be used district-wide.
The newest AI tool for special education teachers is Streamline, developed by Better Speech, a speech therapy telehealth company that is branching out into edtech.
Maura Connor, COO of Better Speech, says their research found that teachers and administrators have reservations about using many generative AI programs because they are based on open systems, where all the data is fed into the larger ecosystem.
“We found they were experimenting, but were concerned about having intellectual property going into a Large Language Model. And they were worried about AI hallucinating,” Connor says.
Better Speech developed Streamline on a closed system that can be customized by districts with their own restrictions and policies.
“The system can identify what was input by a teacher versus what was generated by AI. Anyone who is auditing will see both things,” Connor says. “Every time there is an entry, the user can read, edit and revise it before they sign off on it.”
“It’s not just for generating IEPs,” Connor says. “It helps teachers develop good habits for documenting every session. With Streamline, you can quickly dictate a note, mark a progress tracker, track minutes and generate a report. It’s saving them time that they can then spend with students.”
Streamline has a red, yellow, green system to track student progress. A teacher or principal can look at a dashboard and see which students have red flags, indicating they need more help, Connor says. It also features a parent portal to enhance family engagement.
“AI helps with tracking and provides insights into gaps in coverage. It can look at capacity and help schools and districts reallocate teachers and manage their caseloads,” Connor says. “It helps leaders make smart decisions about caseload management.”