Rosedell’s ACSE Impact Award Puts Inclusion Practices in Focus

Recognition for an inclusion program matters most when it prompts a closer look at what students experience during an ordinary school day: where they learn, who supports them and whether they can participate alongside peers. Saugus Union School District reports that Rosedell Elementary School received the 2025–26 Impact Award from California’s Advisory Commission on Special Education (ACSE), highlighting a program designed to expand general-education access for students with disabilities.

What the award recognizes

According to Saugus Union, Rosedell Elementary was recognized at the district governing board’s regular meeting on October 20, 2026. The district says the award went specifically to the school’s Rosedell Inclusion Program, rather than serving as a broad recognition of the entire district.

Saugus Union says ACSE established the Impact Award in partnership with SELPA Administrators of California and California County Superintendents. According to the district’s announcement, the award is intended to recognize local education agencies, schools, systems, initiatives and programs that produce positive outcomes for students with disabilities in California.

The district reports that Santa Clarita Valley SELPA Executive Director Tracy Peyton-Perry and ACSE Commissioner Dawn Hamilton attended the board meeting to present the award to Rosedell representatives. Saugus Union also says that a congratulatory video from Dr. Rachel Heenan, director of the Special Education Division at the California Department of Education, was shown during the meeting.

Why the Rosedell model is relevant to families and educators

Saugus Union describes the Rosedell Inclusion Program as an elementary-school approach that integrates students who might otherwise be placed in isolated special day classes into general-education settings. The district says participating students are in those settings for 95% or more of the school day.

That reported level of access is significant because inclusion is not simply a placement decision. For a student and family, the practical questions include whether classroom instruction is accessible, whether support is available at the right moments, and whether the student can build relationships and take part in the full life of the school. For educators, the work involves planning, adapting instruction and coordinating among professionals while keeping each student’s individual needs central.

According to Saugus Union, the program’s support structure includes co-teaching, paraeducator support, behavior services and intensive interventions, along with individualized behavioral, social, emotional and academic support. The announcement does not provide information about the number of students served, how students enter the program, the particular interventions used, or how progress is measured. Those are important details for families and education professionals seeking to understand how a model might operate in practice.

Reported results deserve both attention and context

Saugus Union says Rosedell has seen increased access to the least restrictive environment and improvements in academic diagnostic scores in English language arts and mathematics through its practices and interventions. The district did not publish the underlying scores, comparison periods, assessment names or student-level outcomes in its announcement. As a result, readers can reasonably view the award as recognition of the program’s reported direction and design, while avoiding conclusions that go beyond the information released.

For parents, a useful next step when discussing any inclusion program is to ask clear, student-centered questions: What supports will my child receive? How will the team communicate? How will goals and participation be reviewed? What happens if a support is not working? These questions help keep conversations focused on individualized services rather than labels or a one-size-fits-all model.

Teachers and school teams can also use the recognition as a prompt to examine collaboration. Co-teaching and paraeducator support can have different effects depending on scheduling, role clarity and shared planning time. The district’s description points to a multi-part support system, not a single strategy, which is a useful reminder that meaningful participation often requires coordinated work across general education, special education and student-support staff.

Learning support beyond the classroom

Students may also benefit from a consistent way to revisit a lesson, explain their thinking aloud or practice a skill outside school hours. COSMIQ is a free voice-driven AI tutor, free forever for every K–12 student, that can offer a low-pressure setting for practice and questions; it is best used as a supplement to, not a replacement for, the supports and instructional decisions made by a student’s school team.

For families supporting a child with disabilities, technology tools are most useful when they fit the learner’s communication preferences, accommodations and current goals. A student’s educators and family remain the people best positioned to decide how outside practice connects to classroom instruction and an individualized plan.

A local recognition with broader questions

According to Saugus Union, the ACSE Impact Award recognizes Rosedell Elementary’s effort to provide extensive general-education access with individualized support. The announcement offers a concrete local example of inclusion-focused work, while leaving open practical questions about implementation and evidence that deserve ongoing attention. For the Saugus Union community, the value of the recognition will ultimately be reflected in continued, responsive support for students and transparent conversations with the families and educators who know their needs best.