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Academics » Special Education

Special Education

Special Education is specifically designed instruction that addresses the unique needs of a student eligible to receive special education services. Special Education is provided at no cost to parents and includes the related services a student needs to access their educational program. It is the practice of educating students in a way that caters to their individual differences and special needs.

We offer an inclusion model known as the Resource Specialist Program (RSP). In the Resource Specialist Program, special education students are fully integrated into the general education program, receiving services from a resource specialist teacher and assistant. They are occasionally pulled out to a Learning Center room. Additionally, itinerant personnel provide various services to our special education students, including but not limited to Language and Speech (LAS), Occupational Therapy (OT), Counseling (COUN), Hard of Hearing (HOH), and Behavior Interventionists (BID/BII).

Key Practices

  • We maintain consistent communication with all teachers.
  • We stay updated on the materials students are learning in their general education classrooms, allowing us to provide support with classwork and supplemental materials.
  • We employ a combination of Push In and Pull Out teaching methods, spending time in the classroom with students and providing one-on-one and small group sessions.
  • We utilize math manipulatives, sensory exploration, and diverse furniture types to engage students with diverse learning disabilities.
 

Operation of the SPED program at Downtown Value

  • Our Special Education department tracks student progress through observational notes on targeted behaviors and academic performance when pushing into the classroom.
  • Teachers collaborate with the resource team to provide intervention services in the classroom, discussing upcoming learning goals to support students and scaffold content from teacher instruction.
  • Resource teachers break down information into smaller parts and implement graphic organizers as needed.
  • The Special Education department employs a pull-out method to work with students needing remediation in areas with foundational deficits.
  • The department excels in forming small groups to target specific study skills in comprehension and retention of academic content.
  • Downtown Value Special Education program offers services in language, speech, occupational therapy, DIS counseling, assisted physical education, and audiology.
  • The Special Education Department closely collaborates with the Student Support and Progress Team (SSPT) to evaluate interventions' effectiveness. During the second SSPT, the department collaborates to determine if further evaluation is needed for special education services.

Resources for Parents of Students with Disabilities

IEP Brochures and Guides

Meet the Team