What resources are available for a teacher like me in Macon, Georgia, to address the needs of potential special education students in my classroom? To answer this question I started by visiting the Bibb County School District website where I found helpful information. Jennifer Mellor is listed as the executive director of the Special Education department or the Program for Exceptional Children as my school district calls it. Additionally, the names, titles, and contact information are listed for 19 other staff members in this program. Of particular interest to me were links to powerpoint presentations that offer differentiation ideas for teaching math and other subjects to special education students.
Another powerpoint link, Supporting Multiple Disabilities through Differentiation, states that differentiation is “providing interrelated activities that are based on student needs for the purpose of ensuring that all students come to a similar grasp of a skill or idea.” It also indicates that differentiation not only allows the inclusion of special ed. students, but also gifted and culturally diverse students helping achieve classroom heterogeneity. Some differentiation strategies for teaching math are utilizing visual and graphic descriptions of math problems, demonstrating and encouraging thinking aloud in math, and giving peer-assisted learning activities.
There is even a link to elementary, middle school, and high school curriculum resources. I downloaded the zip file for middle school and found the sections for science full of interesting pdf’s. Unfortunately, the math resources were non-existent but the special education department’s website had already provided me with great math resources.
Bibb County School District’s website also provides a link to the Georgia Department of Education Special Education Services website. This is the part of the GDOE that assists local school districts in serving students with disabilities. “These services focus on enhancing student achievement and post-secondary outcomes through implementation of regional and statewide activities for students, families, educators, administrators, and other stakeholders” says this website. It had the following interesting graphic:
There is a section with answers to frequently asked questions which are divided into the following categories:
If you are a new teacher like I am, you may wonder what the referral process is for special education. On the Special Education Service section of the GDOE website, there is a link to the Special Education Rules Implementation Manual. In Georgia, we have the Georgia Student Achievement Pyramid of Interventions. All public school students start in Tier 1 but if a student is struggling with his or her studies he can be moved to Tier 2 where the student's need is addressed by proven strategies that help most struggling students. If when the student's progress is evaluated it is found to be still lacking, the student advances to Tier 3 where a student support team does more in depth need analysis and application of scientifically proven strategies for improvement. If after further evaluation the student is not showing adequate progress, the student will be referred to special education testing with parental approval. If testing is approved and the student is determined to have a disability an individual education plan will be designed and implemented with parental approval. This will place the student in Tier 4. Public schools have the option but not the obligation to pursue the overturning of parental disapproval if they feel it is best. Here's my impression of the pyramid.
As a private school teacher, I wrongly assumed that Tier 4 students in Georgia could only have their needs met in a public school. However, after interviewing my private middle/high school registrar I learned otherwise. I asked her if she had ever recommended that one of our students be evaluated by the local school district for a learning disability and if the parents had followed through with her recommendation. She indicated that the school had made many such recommendations and parents almost always do get their child tested. She responded to my question regarding what determines whether a student should be referred by saying that depends on the evaluation by the student's teacher in consultation with our school resource teacher who has specialized training in special education. I assumed that once a student is diagnosed with a disability that the student would leave our school in order to implement the IEP he or she receives. But the registrar said that if our school and resource teacher can implement the IEP, the child is able to stay. At times the student only needs longer testing time, oral testing rather than written exams, or extra help with reading. The registrar even volunteered that some Tier 4 public students can request a transfer to our school, and the Georgia Department of Education will assist with tuition costs. However, students who are assessed with a disability after first attending our private school do not qualify for any state tuition assistance. I also spoke briefly with our school's resource teacher who confirmed that our school does not have the resources to serve the needs of many special education students and therefore is not able to enroll many.
My search for special education resources yielded me a number of interesting finds. I hope they are helpful to you. If you have some resources that you can share with me, please leave me a comment. Thanks!
