Norman Public Schools Special Education

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Norman Public Schools Special Education
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• The pessimist sees difficulty in every
  opportunity.
• The optimist sees opportunity in every
  difficulty.
• -- Winston Churchill

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Interventions are considered by some to be the
stuff you have to do to get the student
referred.
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What are interventions?

• Interventions are
• supplements to core curriculum
• instruction linked to assessment
• increased exposure to curriculum
• a more intensive focus of curriculum
• small group or 11 instruction.

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What are interventions?

• Interventions are not
• moving students to front of room/by teachers
  desk
• conferencing with parent/student
• retention
• referral for special education
• cutting list of spelling words in half.

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What do interventions look like ?
Selected
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Targeted
10-15
Universal
50-75
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What do interventions look like ?

• Tier 1 All students effective instruction
  proactive/preventative (differentiated
  instruction).
• Tier 2 Some students (at-risk) supplemental to
  core curriculum (Title 1 Reading and Math,
  counseling groups, and mentoring).
• Tier 3 Individual students more intense
  extended duration (intensive instruction and
  remediation of specific skill deficits).

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Resources

• Florida Center for Reading Research www.fcrr.org
• Intervention Central http//www.interventioncentra
  l.org
• Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports
  (PBIS) www.pbis.org

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Intervention Integrity

• Intervention integrity the degree to which a
  planned intervention is implemented as designed.
  (Gresham, 1989)
• It is the integrity of the intervention that
  helps determine why the intervention was
  successful or unsuccessful.
• Interventions implemented with integrity are more
  likely to move you toward your goal of improved
  student performance.

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How do I know that the student is responding to
the intervention ?

• Data is an important part of determining whether
  the student is responding to the intervention.
  You generate and collect data everyday.
• The best way to tell if an intervention works is
  to implement it and monitor student progress.
  Effectiveness is not about a teacher or team
  predicting the likely success or nonsuccess of
  an intervention.
• Progress monitoring examines the effectiveness
  of an intervention, documents progress, provides
  accountability, determines if changes are needed,
  and motivates toward the goal (examples running
  records or benchmark assessments).

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When should I involve the site intervention team ?

• When a student experiences problems that
  interfere with learning, utilize your site
  Intervention Team. The team can be instrumental
  in recommending interventions and assistance for
  identified target areas of concern.

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Intervention Team Process

1. Contact your site administrator regarding how you
   can be added to the agenda for the next
   Intervention Team meeting.
2. Be prepared to discuss the targeted concerns that
   you have regarding the student and what
   interventions have been implemented and how long
   they were implemented.
3. Work with the Team to develop an intervention
   plan (should include timelines and data
   collection).

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Intervention Team Process

1. Attend follow-up meeting to report how the
   student is responding to the intervention
   (include data to support).
2. If the student is responding, continue the
   implementation.
3. If the student is not responding, the team will
   determine whether adjustments need to be made or
   whether a disability may be present and a
   referral for special education should be made.

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When should the Intervention Team refer for
special education?

• The students rate of growth is such that they
  will not reach the benchmark.
• or
• The supports required are of such intensity they
  cannot be provided solely in general education
  curriculum.

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Referral for Special Education

• Review existing data
• Gain parent consent
• Complete rating scales/student evaluation
• Eligibility meeting (We have 45 school days from
  date of parent consent to eligibility meeting)

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Eligibility under IDEA

• A child may not be eligible as a child with a
  disability under the IDEA if the determinant
  factor is
• lack of appropriate instruction in reading,
  including the essential components of reading
  instruction
• lack of appropriate instruction in mathematics
• limited English proficiency (LEP)
• the child does not otherwise meet the eligibility
  criteria under the IDEA.

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Areas of Disability as Established by Federal Law

• Autism
• Deaf-Blind
• Hearing Impaired
• Developmental Delay
• Emotional Disturbance
• Intellectual Disability
• Multiple Disabilities

• Orthopedic Impairments
• Other Health Impairments
• Specific Learning Disability
• Speech or Language Impairment
• Traumatic Brain Injury
• Visual Impairments

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Individualized Education Program (IEP)

• The IEP is
• A written commitment of necessary resources
• A management tool
• A compliance document ensuring a free appropriate
  public education (FAPE) in the least restrictive
  environment (LRE)
• A method of evaluating the extent of the childs
  progress toward meeting the annual goals
• A transition plan including, when appropriate,
  the Districts responsibilities or linkages
  before the child leaves the school setting.

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What are my responsibilities as a general
education teacher?

• Participate in IEP meetings
• Implement the IEP as written
• Make the necessary accommodations or
  modifications as listed on the students IEP

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General Education Teachers Role in Special
Education

• 75 of all students with disabilities spend 40
  or more of their day in general education (U.S.
  Department of Education, 2001)
• 96 of general educators currently teach students
  with disabilities or have done so in the past
• General educators have an average of 3.5 special
  education students assigned to their caseload.

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Norman Public SchoolsSpecial Services

• 2087 Students with Disabilities (2007-2008)
• 109 Special Education Teachers
• 20 Speech-Language Pathologists
• 13 School Psychologists
• 2 Occupational Therapists
• 3 Certified Occupational Therapy Assistants
• 2 Physical Therapists
• 2 Physical Therapy Assistants
• 4 Educational Interpreters for the Deaf
• 1 Transition Specialist

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Questions???