Specialized instruction is instruction provided to students with disabilities. This instruction can adapt the methodology, delivery, or content a teacher uses to help disabled students have equal access to the regular education curriculum. Some students require specialized instruction in order for them to make progress and close the gap in their education. Without this specialized instruction, they could potentially fall further behind their peers.
Students with disabilities can receive specialized instruction in many different ways, including in the general education classroom with proper support and modifications or accommodations, using check-ins and check-outs, through a resource room, in a co-taught classroom, in a special education classroom, at a separate school, within a residential facility, or in a homebound or hospital setting. The IEP determines the least restrictive environment for the child to receive the specialized instruction they need to make educational gains and close the gap between a general education student and the student with special needs.