RLASD Special Education News

We are excited to begin a new year with a new way of communicating with our parents! The parent newsletter will be distributed quarterly to our families of students with exceptionalities under IDEA, and we hope it contains some information you will find useful. We want to "demystify" some of the language and jargon that often comes along with special education, and provide communication regarding happenings in the world of special education, in RLASD and beyond.

Feel free to contact us if there is a topic you would like to see covered in a future edition.

Dr. Yvette Line-Koller, Director

Mrs. Amber Mentz, Supervisor, 7-12 Programs

Mrs. Lindsey Dinsmore, Supervisor, K-6 Programs

The Office of Special Education plans to hold at least three parent training sessions this school year, as we did the previous year. Stay tuned for announcements regarding dates!

October 25, 2022 marks the end of the first marking period; soon thereafter, expect grade reports and IEP progress reports to be available.

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. If you are interested in joining us, please contact our office.

Annual IEP goals are one way teams can address your student's identified needs. Goal progress is monitored on a schedule set by the team, with reports going home with (at least) the same frequency as grade reports/report cards. Parents can also contact case managers to request current progress at any time.

Teams develop these goals with the intent of mastery by the time the next annual IEP is due. Baseline data is collected when new goals are developed, and goals are set based on current performance. However, sometimes our students exceed the goal expectation with earlier mastery, or need some extra help to grow during that IEP. When this happens, teams should revise IEPs by:

• adjusting the goal (if mastered - is a new goal needed?)
• adjusting instruction, such as SDI or interventions (if progress is not adequate - what else can we do?) and/or,
• adding supports

Look for your child's goals to continue to evolve over time, and celebrate mastery!

Some students will also have short-term objectives within their annual goals. Adding these can inform teams on a more regular basis whether adequate progress is being made. Whether a student has short-term objectives is decided by teams on an individual basis.

In order to be eligible for school-age services under IDEA, students must be eligible under one (or more) of the following exceptionalities. In addition, students must also require specially-designed instruction to access the curriculum in order to be eligible for special education services and supports. Click on each disability category to learn more:

• Intellectual Disability
• Autism
• Specific Learning Disability
• Other Health Impairment
• Speech / Language Impairment
• Orthopedic Impairment
• Emotional Disturbance
• Visual Impairment, including Blindness
• Hearing Impairment
• Deafness
• Traumatic Brain Injury
• Multiple Disabilities
• Deaf Blindness