Special Education Programs

Programs for all special education students are determined through collaborative efforts by a team of individuals known as the Individualized Education Program Team. Members include parents, teachers, Child Study Team members, and the student if age 14 or older. All placement decisions are determined individually and are chosen to address the unique needs of the student.

Special Education Programs Serve and Focus on the Following:

• Are for students deemed eligible ages 3-21 years old
• Are Free (regardless of income)
• Are staffed by caring professionals
• Help meet each child's needs
• Involve the family, school and community
• Are available through your local school district

Our district offers a full array of program options at all grade levels. Beginning with the least restrictive option our programs include:

1. General education with Supports and Services.
2. General education with Resource Center support.
3. A Self Contained special education class.
4. Placement in a special education class in another school district.
5. Placement in a private school.
6. Home instruction.

More than 90% of our special education students receive services in our own schools. The remaining students participate in highly specialized programs designed to meet their very unique needs.

Currently the district offers special class programs for students with a broad range of physical, emotional and psychological disabilities. At both the elementary and secondary levels the district operates self-contained programs for students with mild to moderate learning disabilities. These classes can serve up to 15 students with the addition of a classroom aide.

The district offers several innovative programs specifically designed to address the needs of classified students. Teachers and support staff continue to participate in ongoing professional development opportunities in order to keep them abreast of the latest instructional strategies. As a result, our district is currently implementing the following programs.

My Reading Coach

Throughout the district, special education classrooms are continuing to utilize cutting edge instructional techniques that incorporate technology into instruction. My Reading Coach: Platinum Edition is the districts latest instrument to achieve this goal. This program supports a variety of students depending upon their needs.

A speech pathologist and master reading teacher, Jim Larrabee, developed this reading method at the request of his principal who noticed that students in his class consistently scored at the highest reading levels. Jim, the virtual reading teacher, interactively diagnoses and teaches each student. The program is based on cognitive learning theory, providing students the opportunity to build a learning model and continually refine it through practice activities and individualized feedback. The powerful learning lessons and sequences augment and reinforce each other while increasing in complexity.

My Reading Coach: Platinum Edition Empowers The Student.

My Reading Coach is unique and effective because it motivates students to be active participants by providing:

• An excellent command of phonics
• A thorough understanding of word structure
• An easy to master and apply syllabication method
• Consistent rules and strategies that make application of word attack skills automatic
• Skill practice and targeted remediation as needed
• Comprehension strategies that work
• A positive understanding of personal accountability
• A basic understanding of Grammar to aid comprehension and writing
• Encouragement to be engaged in the learning process, as the reading Coach positively interacts with each student at least every 30 seconds
• The positive self-esteem that comes with success

Wilson Fundation - K - 5

Accelerated Math – District Wide

Accelerated Math is a 5-Step individualized program designed to help students meet standards.

• Step 1 – Individualized Daily Assignments – Computer-generated practice sheets, always at each student’s current achievement level, let the student show his or her work.
• Step 2 – Automatic Assignment Scoring – Student transfers practice sheet answers to “bubble cards” and scans them, instantly scoring all work.
• Step 3 – Individual Diagnosis and Instructional Guide – TOPS (The Opportunity to Praise a Student) report is printed, showing the student’s score, problems missed, and specific objectives on which the student needs practice.
• Step 4 – Personal Guided Conference – Using the TOPS report and work shown on student’s practice sheet, you quickly zero in on specific problem areas and solve them.
• Step 5 – Automatic Printing of Next Assignment – The program prints a student’s next practice sheet adjusted to previous results – with additional practice on objectives that need work, and new objectives to replace those mastered!