Special Education
Fort Couch Middle School's unique design of the Enrichment Resource Center (ERC) allows access for all students in our school to receive supplemental instruction at various times throughout the school day. The Enrichment Resource Center comprises a team of teachers and teacher aides specially trained to educate children with varying needs. The team members are integrated into daily school life, and staff and students welcome their assistance.
The Enrichment Resource Team includes three special education teachers and several teacher aides. With the variety of expertise among the staff, the roles vary to meet the needs of all students.
One special education teacher provides resource instruction for those students whose Individualized Education Plan (IEP) necessitates support that is best facilitated in a "pull out" setting. Students in this class have mathematics and/or language arts instruction that correlates to grade level curriculum with appropriate modifications and adaptations. These students are included in the regular education program for science, social studies, foreign language, and expressive arts, with support from teacher aides when warranted.
The remainder of the ERC team provides support to students with IEPs within the regular classroom setting and assistance to all students in the class. Thus, there are no stereotypes and no children are singled out as "different." The content teacher and the ERC teachers collaborate on the presentation of instruction and materials to ensure every student's success.
The teachers' aides provide support for all identified and non-identified students in the regular classroom setting. All of the teachers on the ERC team are available prior to the school day, during AM and PM homeroom, and during activity period.
Access to Fort Couch's physical environment, as well as participation in curricular and extra curricular programs, is offered to all special needs students. Our school building is fully handicapped accessible in compliance with the law. Our building provides sidewalks with wheelchair ramp accessibility, an elevator, and wheelchair-accessible bathrooms. Special education students identified with a physical or mental disability participate in a wide variety of activities that occur during the school day, as well as after school. Special needs students participate fully in all interdisciplinary projects such as the Nationality Fair and Oregon Trail. Special needs students are selected to be library helpers on a weekly basis to assist with shelving books, circulating books for other students, and performing a variety of other tasks during their scheduled time. Many special needs students join and actively participate in after-school sports and clubs.
Assessment:
A broad range of services is provided for students with special needs as they enter Fort Couch Middle School. At the end of the sixth and eighth level, an IEP transition/reevaluation meeting occurs. This team comprises parents, students, a school psychologist, regular education teachers a guidance counselor, and special education teachers. At this reevaluation meeting, the IEP is developed; based on the student's learning needs and styles, an individual class schedule is designed.
Monitoring of identified and non-identified students occurs informally on a daily basis in the regular education classroom, as well as through formal weekly meetings. These weekly meetings include the four academic teachers, the special education teacher, and the guidance counselor who focus discussion on student performance. At this point, a parent conference may be scheduled and students referred for additional support through the ERC. The ERC is represented on the Student Assistance Team and often plays a key role in developing strategies and plans for students at risk.
A continuum of services is provided for identified and non-identified students in a variety of settings. A special education teacher provides pull-out instruction for students identified with an IEP prescribing the need for intensive instruction in mathematics and/or language arts. The other two special education teachers provide instructional support within the regular classroom setting. Two teachers in the classroom allow for flexibility of support services ranging from a co-teaching model to teaching in small instructional groups. In addition, this arrangement facilitates a small group-testing environment, with minimal distractions, so that content can be read aloud and questions can be clarified. Tests are modified and adapted, and when appropriate, demonstration tests and other alternative assessments are used. Our special education students are provided with on-going curriculum-based assessments in the regular classroom and are evaluated by both the regular and special education teacher. The special education teachers have been trained in the Learning Strategies Curriculum designed by the University of Kansas and have implemented these strategies in regular classroom settings, as well as in small group instruction outside of the regular classroom.
Staff Development
Specialized training occurs as part of our on-going professional development for all special education and regular education teachers. Our special education teachers have been trained and certified in the Learning Strategies Curriculum from the University of Kansas. This intensive training took place over two years and required the teachers to attend a seven-day workshop each summer in Lawrence, Kansas. The special education teachers are also trained in non-violent crisis intervention through a formal program developed by the Crisis Prevention Institute. They have attended a variety of workshops with information related to obsessive/compulsive disorder, Tourette's syndrome, self-mutilation, behavioral issues, and other special needs topics.
Our special education teachers are offered staff development "flex" options to complete individualized projects with the regular education teachers. Together they develop new strategies for instruction, alternative assessments, and modification of the curriculum. To ensure preparedness for special needs students entering a regular education classroom, the special education teachers meet prior to the first day of school with every teacher in the building to review each student's IEP. Modifications and adaptations necessary for each student's success, and any other issues that would impact the student's performance in the classroom, are discussed. This is a scheduled in-service day dedicated to prepare teachers for the upcoming year.
Resources:
Our special education teachers are very visible within the community as they speak at PTA meetings, Fall Open House, and Partners in Education (PIE) meetings. For parents whose child is identified with an IEP and moving to the high school, a small group meeting involving the director of special education and the high school guidance counselor focuses on transition issues.
One resource within the community available to help staff and students is the Parent and Child Guidance Center. This organization provides assistance for students who need therapeutic support services (TSS) during the school day. A behavioral specialist meets regularly with teachers to discuss and monitor progress. Our professional staff regularly collaborates with the Center staff on behalf of our students.
Special education professionals assist regular education faculty in learning to use any assistive devices that enable children to be more successful in school. The school provides services for students who need practice in occupational, speech, physical, vision, and auditory therapy. Further, the English as a Second Language (ESL) program provides instruction and support for students whose native language is not English. Rather than teaching students in an isolated setting, a certified ESL teacher creates language-friendly, high-interest units of instruction that integrate language skills across the disciplines. Communication with the student's classroom teacher helps determine the amount and level of instruction. The ESL teacher is available to assist in the regular classroom with specific assignments and the modification of materials. Together, the S3 group, academic teams, counselors, ESL professionals, and the nurse provide a multi-layered framework that ensures concentric circles of support for students in need.
Partners In Education (PIE)
A committee of the USC Parent Teacher Council (PTC), Partners in Education (PIE) offers a support group for parents with special education students in our district. Through meetings and special events, PIE provides on-going support and opportunities for parents and their children. Parent coordinators work in collaboration with the director of special education and other district staff.