# Presentation: 690442

## Successful Practices for Students with Disabilities

- Rick Woodford
- Lincoln County School District #2
- Afton, Wyoming
- Archived Information

## Lincoln Co. School District #2

**Location: Star Valley and Cokeville, Wyoming**
- Encompasses an area spanning 100+ miles of highway
**Student Enrollment: 2,396**
- White=96.8%, Hispanic=1.7%, Other=1.5%
- 34% eligibility for free or reduced lunch
- 11.4% eligibility for Special Education (273 students)

**Notes:**
Our school busses travel 3,072 miles per day as we transport our students to and from school.

## Special Education Population

## Graduation Rates

## Challenges

**Recruiting and retaining a “highly qualified” staff of special educators**
**Inclusion: Ensure student participation in the general curriculum**
**Transition: Preparing students for postsecondary education and employment**
**Improving collaboration**
**Increase informed parent involvement**
**Measuring program effectiveness**

**Notes:**
Recruiting and retaining a “highly qualified” staff of special educators
Funding- Wyoming vs. other states
Post-school outcomes- Balancing reading, writing, math, and science instruction with life skills and vocational 					training.  Rural high schools ability to provide vocational training (no applied tech centers).
Tradition- difficult to promote major change in education
Circumstances in the home- supervision in the home, value of education, etc. Challenge 5:  Increase informed parent involvement in education planning, life planning, and decision-making.

## Begin with the right attitude!

**Focus ****on student learning**
**Promote professional**** growth**
**Pay attention ****to research and results**
**Challenge ****your students; challenge yourself**** **

**Focus, grow, pay attention, and meet the challenge!**

**Notes:**
Meeting the expectations of NCLB is difficult.  We must begin with the right attitude!
  Interview example:  “The intent and goal of NCLB is noble.”  Although we may not be able to meet every provision of the law, it (NCLB) will cause us to increase our capacity to better educate all children.”
  School Board Proclamation 

## Program Design

**A continuum of services with multiple options for students with learning disabilities**
**Effective (research-based) instruction provided through highly qualified teachers**
**Instruction that is tightly aligned with the general curriculum standards and assessment**
**A mechanism for providing students with specially designed instruction**
**A system that guarantees appropriate follow-through with IEP provisions and supports**
**A system for monitoring student progress**
**Effective communication**

## Extension:  Service Delivery Model for Students with Mild to Moderate Disabilities

- Facilitating Student Proficiency in the General Curriculum and Student Success in the General Classroom

## Continuum of Services 

**Traditional Continuum**

- Self Contained

- Residential

- Home Bound

- Content Specific Resource Classes

- General Classroom with Direct Supports

- General Classroom with Consult. Support

- General Classroom with Co-teaching

- Residential

- Home Bound

- Self Contained

- Skill Specific Resource Classes

- General Classroom with Extension

- General Classroom with Direct supports

- General Classroom with Consult. Support

**EExpanded Continuum**

**Traditional Continuum **

- Self Contained

- Residential

- Content Specific Resource Classes

- General Classroom with Direct Supports

- Home Bound

- General Classroom with Consult. Support

**IEP teams often make placement decisions that facilitate graduation. In the past, proficiency of standards has taken a backseat to graduation. **
**For decades students have been placed according to the “GRADUATION PATH” of least resistance.  **

**Notes:**
In many high schools, content specific resource classes are offered to students with mild to moderate disabilities.  Under this system, students are able to amass credits toward graduation despite receiving little or no instruction from a certified content area teacher.  Individualized instruction may or may not align with the general curriculum (state and district standards).

## Expanded Continuum

- Home Bound

- General Classroom with Consult. Support

- General Classroom with Co-teaching

- Residential

- Self Contained

- Skill Specific Resource Classes

- General Classroom with Extension

- General Classroom with Direct supports

**Eliminating course-specific resource classes requires students to receive initial instruction in the general classroom through a certified content area teacher.**
**Extension classes provide an effective service delivery system where students receive specially designed instruction that is closely aligned with the general curriculum. The instructional focus is on facilitating student proficiency on state and district standards. ****The general classroom becomes the path of least resistance**** for students with mild to moderate disabilities.  **

## The “Extension” Concept

**An “Extension” is a class where students receive specially designed instruction that is tightly aligned with the general curriculum from a specific core class (i.e. 9****th**** grade English).  Each extension is paired with a core companion class. It is an “Extension” of a general education class. Each extension provides students with:**
**A thorough ****review**** of previously introduced material, including academic feedback on homework and practice items**
**Specially designed instruction**** relating to each student’s IEP and course related standards **
**A ****preview**** of key concepts and information that will facilitate the learning of new material introduced in the general classroom**

## Extension vs. Resource

**Algebra I**

**Algebra I Extension**

**Resource**

**Algebra I**

**9****th**** grade**
**English**

**Physical**
**Science**

**World **
**History**

## Structure of Extension

## Graduation Rates Trend Data:Special Education

## Subgroup:  Special Education                                                    Percentage of WyCAS scores at or above partially proficient

**Subgroup:  Special Education                                                    Percentage of WyCAS scores at or above partially proficient**

## What do we need in order to meet the expectations of NCLB?

**Larger pool of highly qualified special educators**
**Fiscal resources (increased funding)**
**Technical assistance for the implementation of research-based instruction**
**The right attitude!**