RLASD Special Education News
Parent Edition: Volume 1 Ed. 2 - October
Welcome!
This month, we will review specially-designed instruction and least restrictive environment.
Feel free to contact us if there is a topic you would like to see covered in a future edition. Look for our next newsletter in the new year!
Mrs. Amber Mentz, Interim Director/Supervisor, 7-12 Programs
Mrs. Lindsey Dinsmore, Supervisor, K-6 Programs
Important Dates and Upcoming Events
We held our first parent training session on September 8, and had some great discussion on the topic of transition. Angie Stuth, Transition Coordinator, joined us and was a wealth of information on transition services at RLASD. Our next training will occur on Monday, December 12, 2022, from 5 to 6 p.m., and will focus on interpreting your child's special education assessments and reports. We will meet in person at LJM Elementary with multiple individuals sharing their unique assessment expertise.
Our Parent Advisory Group began meeting during the 2021-2022 school year, and has some great participants representing a diverse group of students with exceptionalities. During these meetings, we discuss general special education concerns or questions that might be prevalent in our community. In our last meeting, we reviewed some ideas for upcoming parent trainings, and we meet again October 25. If you are interested in joining us, please contact our office.
November 7, 8, 10 - parent/teacher conferences - see your building schedule for details!
November 23 - 28 - no school for students
December 26 - 30 - winter break
January 10 - end of second marking period / first semester
My Child's IEP: Specially-Designed Instruction
In August, we reviewed IEP goals and how they are one way in which IEP teams can address student needs. We also reviewed how students become eligible for special education supports under IDEA. One component of eligibility is the need for specially-designed instruction to access the general education curriculum.
Specially-designed instruction:
...means adapting, as appropriate to the needs of an eligible child, the content, methodology, or delivery of instruction.
...may involve any aspect of the student’s instruction, including materials, techniques, assessments, and activities.
...addresses the unique needs of the child that result from the child’s disability.
...is provided by school staff.
The purpose of SDI is to ensure access of the child to the general curriculum, so that the child can meet the educational standards within the jurisdiction of the public agency that apply to all children.
The specially-designed instruction portion of your child's IEP will not always stay the same, and must be individualized per student need. As needs change, SDI changes. A need listed in your child's evaluation or reevaluation report must be addressed via an annual goal and/or specially-designed instruction.
IEP teams must consider SDI at least annually. As children get older, they are able to identify what SDI are helpful and what they need in the classroom to be successful.
SDI also include PBSPs, or positive behavior support plans, when students' behavior impedes learning of themselves or of others.
Specially-designed instruction is NOT:
...the same for each child in a class or program.
...an exhaustive list of general accommodations unspecific to the individual need.
...reliant on the student to request.
Specially-designed instruction can include:
- accommodations
- modifications to the curriculum
- adapting: content, methodology, or delivery of instruction
- supplementary aids and services
What are some examples of SDI?
- testing: small group, modified math tests to exclude extraneous information
- writing: grading for content and focus only (no deductions for conventions), desk reference of commonly misspelled words
- reading: items read aloud/text to speech
- fine motor: use of pencil grip
- executive functioning: use of skeletal notes/cloze notes, organization check-ins
This is a small representation of how IEP teams meet the needs of our students. Teams can be creative - there's no strict "SDI list" from which they need to select.
Parents, staff, and students benefit from reviewing these SDIs together regularly and determining which continue to be beneficial and what could potentially be added to meet the identified student need.
Quarterly IEP Topic: Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)
Federal law mandates that, “Special classes, separate schooling, or other removal of children with disabilities from the regular educational environment occurs ONLY if the nature or severity of the disability is such that education in regular classes with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily.” (from PaTTAN)
In plain language, the least restrictive environment for each child is designed to ensure the most participation with typical peers as appropriate, depending on student strengths and needs. This looks different for each child and changes as needs change.
A student with a disability is not to be removed from regular classrooms solely because of needed modification in the general curriculum. Teams must consider what supplementary aids and services can be provided in the general education classroom prior to removal to a more restrictive setting. Students can receive special education supports and services, while also attending the general education classroom with their peers.
