Special Education Program Update

1
Special Education Program Update

• January 2010

2
Current Teachers and Staff

• Rio
• Theresa Wheeler, Special Education Teacher
• Jennifer Garcia, Special Education Teacher
• Shana Kinsman, Special Education Paraprofessional
• Diane Rosellini, Special Education
  Paraprofessional
• Rupi Rai, Special Education Paraprofessional
• Janeen Marquez, Special Education
  Paraprofessional

3
Current Teachers and Staff

• Cobblestone
• Tara Worthington, Special Education Teacher
• Alles Reis, Special Education Paraprofessional
• Juli Watri, Special Education Paraprofessional
• Teresa Drake, Special Education Paraprofessional

4
Current Teachers and Staff

• Riverside Meadows
• Paige Milgate, Special Education Teacher
• Debbie Delaney, Special Education
  Paraprofessional
• Marci Cuff, Special Education Paraprofessional
• Rhonda Ledford, Special Education
  Paraprofessional
• Ellen Foley, Special Education Paraprofessional

5
Current Teachers and Staff

• Plumas Lake Charter School
• Theresa Wheeler, Special Education Teacher

6
Specialists Contracted with Yuba County Office of
Education

• Adapted P.E. Services
• Diane Freitas
• Speech and Language Services
• Lisa Squires and Teresa Root

7
Specialist Contracted with Sutter County Office
of Education

• Deaf and Hard of Hearing Teacher (DHH)

8
Specialists Contracted by PLESD

• Steps Therapy Inc.
• Tara Delaney, Jesus Carrillo and Rebekah Fox
• Occupational Therapy
• Together Behavior Services
• Eve and Danny Dineen
• Behavior Support Plans, Behavior System
  Development, Social Skills and Interaction
  support

9
History

• Before 2004
• All Services were provided by the Yuba County
  Office of Education
• 12/2002 three students with IEPs
• 12/2003 five students

• 2004-2005
• 1 special education teacher
• All other services provided by the Yuba County
  Office of Education
• 12/2004 29 students with IEPs
• 12/2005 51 students with IEPs

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History

• 2006-2007
• 12/06 64 students with IEPs
• 4 Special Education Teachers-special education
  services and intervention support
• 2 Special Day Classrooms
• 2 Resource Specialists
• Special Education Paraprofessionals-special
  education services and intervention support

11
History

• 2007-2008
• 12/07 70 students with IEPs
• 4 Special Education Teachers-special education
  services and intervention support
• 2 Special Day Classrooms
• 2 Resource Specialists
• mid year transitioning to Learning Center Model
• Special Education Paraprofessionals -special
  education services and intervention support

12
History

• 2008-2009
• 12/08 61 students with IEPs.
• 4 Special Education Teachers
• 3 Learning Centers-serving a variety of student
  needs and continuing to have an Special Day
  Classroom structure if needed and intervention
  support
• 1 Special Day Classroom, focus on serving
  students with Autism and Severe Speech and
  Language Impairments
• Special Education Paraprofessionals-special
  education services and intervention support

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Current

• 2009-2010
• 12/09 56 students 1/21/10 61 students receiving
  PLESD special education services
• 4 Special Education Teachers
• 3 Learning Centers providing Special Education
  Services and intervention support
• 1 Special Day Classroom, focus on serving
  students with Autism and Severe Speech and
  Language Impairments
• Special Education Paraprofessionals-special
  education services and intervention support

14
Learning Center Service Model

• Idea began in 2000 with the introduction of
  collaborative models of instruction
• Learning Centers started to be put in to place in
  school around 2004
• Part of a tiered system of instruction
• Support in the core classroom
• Support/instruction in the learning center
• Instruction in a special education classroom only

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Learning Center Service Model

• Pros
• Allows students to spend the most time possible
  in their classroom with core instruction
• Students are part of the school population
• They have a homeroom classroom
• Allows students the most amount of time possible
  with nondisabled peers
• Allows for flexible grouping based on student
  needs
• More support or less
• Specific explicit instruction in a skill area

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Learning Center Service Model

• Pros cont.
• Allows for ongoing progress monitoring by two
  teachers or more
• Creates an environment where all students feel
  welcome not just those who receive special
  education services and begins to dissolve the
  social stigma attached to being a special
  education student.

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Learning Center Service Model

• Challenges
• Scheduling
• Collaboration
• Communication
• Parent/Caregiver concerns
• Requires more staff management skills
• Staff Training
• Understanding-staff, students and community

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Goals for the Future

• That the services PLESD is able to offer continue
  to grow. (Long Term)
• 2 Learning Centers per site
• Expanded levels of student and teacher support
• Ability provide Speech and Language Services
• The County does a spectacular job but there are
  limits to how we can integrate their staff into
  our support schedules.
• Increase support for students on the Autism
  Spectrum
• Support at each school site

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Goals for the Future

• Increased training for teachers and
  paraprofessional (Short Term)
• That staff and the community will have a greater
  understanding of what Special Education Services
  are and how they affect students. (Short Term)
• They are not Special Education Students.
• They are PLUMAS LAKE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DISTRICT
  STUDENTS who receive special education services.

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Questions

• Any questions that I can answer?