SPECIAL EDUCATION CONTINUUM OF SERVICES INSTRUCTIONAL SETTINGS IN LISD

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1 SPECIAL EDUCATION CONTINUUM OF SERVICES INSTRUCTIONAL SETTINGS IN LISD Inclusion is a philosophy/a belief system for educating students with disabilities in the general education classroom. Inclusive practices incorporates a continuum of supports and services in the general education setting. It is not a self-contained setting such as Resource, Life Skills or BIC. A student can have multiple settings in their instructional day. A student may receive inclusion support services for Math and be Mainstreamed in all other curricular areas. A student may receive inclusion support for ELA and Social Studies and Mainstreamed for all other curricular areas. A student may be in a self-contained classroom setting for all core content areas and be Mainstreamed for electives or specials. These are the Inclusive Instructional Settings in LISD. Mainstream Instructional Setting The Mainstream Setting is an instructional setting where students with disabilities receive instruction in a core content area or other curricular area in the general education classroom. The student does not receive any push in or pull out services for instruction from the campus based special education teacher in that particular curricular content. The student may receive IEP accommodations and/or modifications. These are provided by the general education classroom teacher in consultation with the special education contact teacher. Examples: Special Education contact teacher and/or related service providers (OT, PT, counseling, etc) provide consultation services to the general education teacher. The Special Education contact teacher will provide assistance in accommodating instruction, monitor the progress of the student, provide intermittent support on a goal related to social skills or organization, collect data related to implementation of the student s goal(s), communicate with parent regarding progress and the unique implications of the student s disability on his/her performance, etc. Student receives speech services only (push in or pull out or combination). Student receives regularly scheduled in-class support from an itinerant teacher (VI teacher, AI teacher, etc) Inclusion Support Setting In the inclusive support setting the special education teacher or paraprofessional, under the direct supervision of a special education teacher, provides direct support for students with disabilities in the general education classroom. Instructional Settings in LISD SY Page 1 of 7

2 Teachers may work or move within 2 or more general education classrooms during a class period. Frequency and intensity of support varies among settings based on the needs of the students scheduled for that content area instruction. Minutes are documented on an inclusion log. Not all students who have a disability receive inclusion support in all settings. Services may be bell to bell, designated minutes per week. In addition services may be every day or 1 or 2 days a week. Special Education Teachers MUST collaborate with their general education teachers at least weekly in order to effectively implement the necessary supports for students that this setting requires. All models of inclusion instruction must be provided. These models include: Supportive Teaching/One Teach One Assist: One teacher takes the lead instructional role and the other rotates among the students to provide support. This person watches and listens as students work together, stepping in to provide one to one tutorial assistance when necessary while the other teacher continues to direct the lesson. Parallel Teaching: Two teachers work with different groups of students on the same concepts in different sections of the classroom. Concepts may be taught in different formats. Station Teaching or Small Group Instruction: One teacher is teaching a concept, the other is teaching a group that enhances or re-teaches a concept and another group might be working on independent practice or independent discovery. Alternative Teaching: One teacher manages the large group while the other teacher delivers an alternate lesson, or the same lesson with alternate materials or approaches to a small group of students for a specific instructional purpose. Team Teaching: Two teachers plan, teach, assess, and assume responsibility for all of the students in the classroom for that particular lesson. Roles may shift throughout the lesson but both teachers are fully engaged in the delivery of the core content. Inclusion Support Services are not: One teach one assist all the time One teach one sit Checking in with the general education teacher of record to see if they need anything Making materials or copying assignments while the general education teacher is teaching A paraprofessional can support instruction, re-teach, provide additional supervision, provide accessibility support, or provide behavioral support. They cannot be introducing new concepts nor can they be the only special education staff providing inclusion time listed on the IEP in the schedule of services. Instructional Settings in LISD SY Page 2 of 7

3 Resource Instructional Setting A Resource Instructional Setting is any amount of time that a student receives intensive direct instruction from a special education teacher, in a separate setting from the general education classroom, to address the specific goals in their IEP. These are typically goals related to reading, writing, or math objectives in their IEP. Resource must be intensive accelerated instruction aligned with the student s enrolled grade level TEKS. Students must have specific goals related to the instruction they are receiving in the pull out resource time. Each campus must be able to provide resource services. Each elementary campus will provide an option of services that allows for pull out time that does not replace the entire core content area. Services will be provided as necessary for the student to make progress in the enrolled grade level curriculum. The only time that Resource services should replace the core content instruction for the entire class period is when the student's assessed instructional level is significantly below the enrolled grade level (at least 2 years or more) and the student has modified academic achievement for the core content area. Examples of Resource Instruction to address critical skills in the student s IEP: Elementary: Student is pulled 4-5 times weekly by the special education teacher for 30 minutes for intensive reading instruction (assuming the typical ELA block is for 120 minutes for all students). Student still receives some of the enrolled grade level instruction from the general education teacher. Student is pulled 3 times a week by the special education teacher for 30 minutes a week for intensive math instruction based on IEP goals. Student is functioning significantly below grade level in reading, and writing. Student is pulled daily for minutes for intensive instruction. Grade given by special education teacher and student has modified academic achievement in the core content area. Each secondary campus will provide Resource classes which replace the general education class for the core content areas of English/Lang Arts, Reading or Math. The student s assessed instructional level must be significantly below the enrolled grade level (at least 3 years or more) and the student has modified academic achievement for the core content area. Middle Schools and High Schools can continue to provide intensive reading resource classes that are addressing the student s IEP for reading and not considered as a replacement for the general education ELA class. Life Skills Instructional Settings Life Skills classes are designed to provide a structured instructional program for students whose functional and academic needs cannot be met in other settings. Students will participate in the general education classroom or in general education activities to the maximum extent possible to meet their academic, social/emotional and vocational needs. IEP goals and objectives will be developed in order for students to access grade level TEKS. Instructional Settings in LISD SY Page 3 of 7

4 Academic Life Skills (ALS) Setting Academic Life Skills instruction focuses on the following: Assisting each student in experiencing success in academic and/or elective subjects at his/her ability level. Students in Academic Life Skills classes exhibit significant academic needs which are pervasive in all areas. These needs cannot be met in the resource setting. Assisting each student in securing functional/self-help, vocational and job-related skills as appropriate. Assisting each student in obtaining socialization skills to be used in daily and community living. Increasing skills that lead to independence within the community. Academic and Vocational (HS,MS)/Prevocational (Elem) Life Skills (AVLS) Setting Academic and Vocational/Prevocational classes provide a more intensive functional based instruction in areas of academic, self-help, vocational, socialization as well as daily community living skills that promote independence. Instruction in this setting includes components of both the academic life skills and functional life skills programs that focus on vocational and pre-vocational development. Life Skills instruction focuses on the following: Assisting each student in experiencing success in academic and/or elective subjects at his/her ability level, integrating academic instruction into meaningful age appropriate functional activities. Assisting each student in securing functional/self-help, vocational and job-related skills as appropriate. Assisting each student in obtaining socialization skills to be used in daily and community living. Increasing skills that lead to independence within the community. Functional Life Skills (FLS) Setting Functional Life Skills classes are designed to provide instruction for students whose educational needs cannot be met in other settings. Students have severe to profound delays in the area of cognition and are generally non ambulatory and/or medically fragile. Educational programs emphasize basic life skills with the integration of functional prerequisite academics. An integrated IEP may be developed to ensure coordination of services. The focus of instruction in the Functional Life Skills classes is: The establishment of skills in tolerating environments, choice making, visual and/or auditory stimulation and the use of appropriate forms of communication. The building of independence in daily living skills, social interactions, emotional development and recreation/leisure activities. The building of tolerance in fine and gross motor development and environmental awareness. The provision of assistive technology to access the environment or for communication as determined necessary by the ARD committee for students in order to meet individual educational goals. The provision of positive behavioral supports and interventions when needed. Instructional Settings in LISD SY Page 4 of 7

5 Training in vocational/pre-vocational skill areas when determined by the ARD Committee to be appropriate for secondary students. A centralized class for students who are medically fragile and require intensive nursing assistance in order to attend school and access their IEP is also available at a designated elementary campus. Behavior Intervention Class (BIC) Setting Behavior Intervention Classes are for students with severe emotional/behavioral concerns that adversely affect the student s, or others, educational performance, and whose needs cannot be met appropriately in other settings. The BIC provides a higher level of structure and individualization for student success. BIC will provide a self-contained setting for students who cannot be educated in a less restrictive setting, such as a combination of general education classes, as well as other special education settings. An individualized Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP) may be implemented in any of these settings based on student need to ensure success. Teaching for Emotional, Academic and Motivational Success (TEAMS) Setting The TEAMS classes located at the Purnell Support Center will focus on the instructional and behavior management/social adjustment needs of those students who have become persistently disruptive of the educational process in spite of reasonable attempts in less restrictive settings to help them learn behaviors appropriate for school. These students will require very high levels of structure and very restrictive behavior management procedures with a concentration on learning to function positively in social situations requiring cooperation, compliance with rules and directions, and ability to control impulses. Communication Class Setting Communication classes are designed to provide a highly structured instructional program for students with an Autism Spectrum disorder, or other disorder(s) whose academic, communication and behavioral needs cannot be met in other settings. The focus of the Communication class is to provide class instruction with the following features: A verbal language (behavioral) approach to language acquisition (assumes students do not acquire language incidentally (i.e., just by being around others). A high degree of classroom structure physical, academic and behavioral Emphasis on the development of effective communication skills through specialized, direct instruction based on the principles of applied behavior analysis and Skinner s analysis of verbal behavior. This includes, but is not limited to, high rates of reinforcement, fast-paced instruction, discrete trial training and a behavioral approach to the acquisition of language. The daily schedule of activities includes intensive teaching trials with carefully arranged contingencies (prompting, fading, careful shaping, transfer of stimulus control use of motivating operation, differential reinforcement, etc.) Management of behavior through an individualized Behavior Intervention Plan recognizing that many children with Autism or other developmental disorders Instructional Settings in LISD SY Page 5 of 7

6 exhibit strong and persistent negative behaviors that impede teaching and learning. Social skills development recognizing the importance of language development in the demonstration of social skills. It is important to note that a significant component of social behavior involves verbal behavior, and if a child cannot mand (request), respond with intraverbal answers to the mands of others, or serve as the listener, social interactions will be limited. Preschool Program for Children with Disabilities (PPCD) Classroom Setting PPCD is a program for students with disabilities ages 3, 4 and some 5 year olds. These classes are designed to provide instruction for students with delays in cognition, communication, psychomotor, self-care and social-emotional areas. To qualify for PPCD classroom supports, a student must exhibit a severe delay in one or more areas, or a moderate delay in two or more areas. Options for the PPCD program include self-contained, Inclusive/blended classrooms, and kindergarten with Special Education support through inclusive supports or resource. Speech Therapy Speech therapy is considered an instructional service in Texas instead of a Related Service. It is available to all students in LISD who meet the eligibility requirements. A referral is made through the regular special education referral procedures. (see Child Identification: Referral Process/Regular Education) Speech pathologists assist eligible students to improve articulation, language, voice and/or fluency skills to meet their academic needs. The speech/language pathologist utilizes a service delivery system in which services may be provided through direct, consultative or an integrated service delivery model. An important component of the integrated service model is providing speech services in the general education classroom through collaboration with the general education teacher. Elementary Medically Fragile The LISD has a unique classroom setting available for students who are medically fragile and require intensive nursing services. This is the Medically Fragile Classroom on the Central Elementary school campus.. This classroom is staffed with a Registered Nurse, a certified special education teacher, and a paraprofessional. Instruction in the classroom is specially designed to meet the individual needs of students. Homebound Setting Homebound is a setting for providing special education and related services to eligible students who are served at home or hospital bedside. The students are expected to be confined for a minimum of four (4) consecutive weeks as documented by a physician licensed to practice in the United States. Homebound instruction may also be provided to chronically ill students who are expected to be confined for any period of time totaling at least four (4) weeks throughout the school year. The student's ARD/IEP Committee shall determine the amount of services to be provided in this instructional arrangement/setting in accordance with federal and state laws, rules, and regulations. Home instruction may also be used for services to infants and toddlers (birth through age 2) and young children Instructional Settings in LISD SY Page 6 of 7

7 (ages 3-5) when determined appropriate by the child's Individualized Family Services Plan (IFSP) Committee or ARD/IEP Committee. Homebound students are generally unable to participate in extracurricular and co-curricular activities, work programs, outside jobs and other activities away from home under normal circumstances. Ability to participate in activities outside the home could affect the ARD Committee's determination of the need for homebound instruction. A responsible adult must be present in the home while a homebound teacher is providing instruction. Vocational Adjustment Class/Services The Vocational Adjustment Class (VAC) is a special education vocational program that is offered on the high school campus. This instructional arrangement is designed for students with disabilities who desire vocational training and are unable to make progress in regular vocational programs. The curriculum of the VAC program includes on-the-job training and frequent supervision at work sites in the community. Employment opportunities and training are based on vocational evaluation, student needs and abilities, teacher recommendations and parental preference. Admission to the Vocational Adjustment Program is made by the Admission, Review and Dismissal (ARD/IEP) Committee. Adapted Physical Education (APE) Physical education services, specially designed where necessary, will be provided as an integral part of the educational program of each student with disabilities when age appropriate. The ARD/IEP Committee should consider multiple support options when making decisions about the physical education needs of identified students with disabilities. These decisions may be based on an adapted physical education evaluation. Instructional Settings in LISD SY Page 7 of 7