Teaching through the gaps: Inside Kanawha County’s special education classrooms

Down the hall, her fellow teacher Brody Potter's day shifts between guiding students with a learning disability through math problems and putting on a lab coat to lead them through hands-on experiments.

Both teachers say they find joy in celebrating student victories that don’t always show up neatly on standardized tests — a first successful read-aloud, a solved problem, a step toward independence.

"There's this notion that just because a student is in special education means that they're foolish, or that they can't do something. Oftentimes, [that's] not the case," this first part is not a sentence. Potter said. "It can be as simple as just changing how something is presented, and then that student can really, really shine. If they can't, then let's focus on what they can do."

A gap in proficiency

At the end of each school year, West Virginia students take either the general assessment or, for those with the most significant cognitive disabilities, the alternate assessment. The general assessment measures proficiency on the West Virginia College and Career Readiness Standards and is required for students working toward a standard diploma. The alternate assessment, by contrast, is given one-on-one in short sessions called “testlets� and is adapted to each student’s needs. Students on this track often graduate with an alternate diploma that reflects individualized standards and is, therefore, not accepted for college.

Statewide results of these assessments show wide achievement gaps.

Of the approximately 4,450 students with disabilities who took the general assessment in the 2023–24 school year, only about 10% were proficient in math and 11% in reading. Students taking the alternate assessment scored higher — 25% were proficient in math and 32% in reading — but still well below their peers without disabilities, who reached 33.6% proficiency in math and 42.7% in reading.

That gap between students with and without disabilities is a key measure the state tracks. For example, in fourth grade math and reading in 2021, the proficiency gap between the two groups was about 24 percentage points. This gap widened to 27 percentage points in 2023. Eighth graders, however, narrowed the gap in both subjects over the same period, while 11th graders saw mixed results — holding steady in reading but still missing the state’s gap-reduction target.

Proficiency also varied by disability type. In Kanawha County, no students with intellectual disabilities, emotional disturbances or blindness/low vision scored proficient in math. Students with speech impairments performed much higher, with nearly half deemed proficient in both reading and math, and 34% proficient in science. Students categorized as blindness/low vision reached 30% proficiency in reading but fell short in other subjects.

Under federal law, the state conducts annual audits on indicators such as graduation rates, test performance and inclusion in general education. Based on those audits, Kanawha County has prioritized improving proficiency among students with disabilities. Assistant Superintendent Megan McCorkle called it a “moving target,� noting that results are often a year old and influenced by factors like the pandemic. Even so, she pointed to ongoing steps such as classroom walk-throughs, staff training and program monitoring.

“We’re moving in the right direction,� McCorkle said.

Parents weigh successes and challenges

For some families, the system is working. Taylor McClanahan credits Kanawha County Schools with dramatically improving her son Reese’s quality of life. Now, McClanahan says 15-year-old Reese has gained communication and social skills and feels welcomed by teachers, aides and even cafeteria staff. He was also switched from alternative standards to the general standards.

“So I bawled and cried when my son went from alternative achievement standards to general standards,� she said. “I was constantly worried about whether I was doing what’s right for my child.�

The transition opened new doors — even college possibilities — but also new challenges, like managing a new set of educational standards and expectations.

“My world felt both bigger and scarier,� she said, adding that she has felt well-supported by Kanawha County Schools throughout the process.

But at a May 13 open house, other parents voiced concerns: lost instructional time due to school activities, general education teachers not implementing accommodations, and feeling unheard when raising issues. Families also wanted more visibility for special education programs and more chances to contribute feedback.

In recent years, KCS has also faced allegations of violence against students with special needs, including one incident at Holz Elementary this past April where a teacher was accused of dragging a 3-year-old nonverbal student across a room, causing scratches and red marks. 

Frustrations have led some parents to consider the Hope Scholarship, a state program that allows families to use public dollars for private or home schooling. Tim Ickes, who has three adopted sons in special education, told the school board at its June 12 meeting he was weighing that option after repeated concerns over staffing and IEP implementation.

McCorkle cautions that parents don’t always find what they’re hoping for when they leave, however.

“Typically, none of the options afforded through the Hope Scholarship will accommodate a student with an IEP,� she said. “I’ve seen the false hope that some of our parents have when they withdraw — and then they’re back a few months later.�

When students return, she added, schools must reestablish IEP eligibility, often putting students behind.

Staffing struggles

Special education remains the hardest-hit area in the nation’s ongoing teacher shortage crisis, according to data from the Learning Policy Institute. For the 2024–25 school year, 45 states reported shortages in special education, making it the most widespread gap across the country. These shortages mean more students with disabilities are taught by noncertified or substitute teachers, or see their services scaled back.

Overall, about 1 in 8 teaching positions nationwide — more than 411,000 — are either vacant or filled by someone not fully certified, according to a June 2025 analysis from the Learning Policy Institute. That number is up from last year, showing shortages are deepening rather than improving.

McClanahan, who is also a social worker and a professional education advocate, said she feels that if schools had more resources for behavioral support, the proficiency gap between disabled and non-disabled students could be reduced. She emphasized that one of the biggest challenges in special education is the need for more funding to appropriately train and support teachers and especially paraprofessionals (aides). Unless you have a quote right after backing up what you are saying someone 'feels,' it should be 'said she/he feels' 

If aides received higher wages and better support, she said, there would be more enthusiastic and effective professionals in the classroom, which would benefit students with disabilities. McClanahan also said teachers are often left to "just deal with" behavioral issues, which can take up time, hindering academic progress.

According to the LPI, data shows the shortage is driven by two main factors: fewer people entering the profession and high teacher turnover. Enrollment in teacher preparation programs has dropped in many states, while about 90% of annual demand comes from teachers leaving the classroom for reasons like low pay, job dissatisfaction or career changes.

For students, this means larger class sizes, canceled courses and limited access to specialized instruction. Students from low-income backgrounds and students of color are most affected, since schools in their communities are more likely to rely on noncertified teachers. Districts also bear heavy costs —between $12,000 and $25,000 annually— for every teacher who leaves.

Rural schools, in particular, struggle to fill positions due to limited resources, smaller tax bases and distance from educator preparation programs — factors that leave them especially reliant on out-of-field teachers.

At the time of reporting, KCS had more than 80 full and part-time vacant positions across all its schools for special education instructors, aides and interpreters.

Cogar has noticed these shortages in her own classroom.

“We have some shortages in our county with special education teachers and aides. Right now, I have an a position open in my classroom hasn't been filled, but the county is trying."

Both she and Potter emphasized that it was a challenging job to meet the diverse and complex needs of their students.

Cogar said the struggles come from "just being able to meet everybody's needs with the resources that we have."

“As a public institution, there's always going to be students that fall through the cracks," Potter said. "There's always going to be a part of me that is wishing I could do more for these kids."