Instructional Services

Special Education Services are coordinated with, and are an integral part of, the districts total instructional program. These services are individualized to meet the needs of each student, and are continuously reviewed and modified based on student progress and the latest educational research.

All students with disabilities in the Military School Districts Cooperative, regardless of identified need or condition, are provided a well-balanced curriculum that includes the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). TEKS are the statewide instructional goals and objectives that represent core knowledge, skills, and competencies all students should learn to be effective and productive members of society.

In the Military School Districts Cooperative, numerous instructional options are available under the direction of the Department of Special Education to meet the needs of students with disabilities. Options that may be provided include:

General Education Class Instruction with:

Modification

Most students with disabilities are able to remain in a general education setting with modifications being made as designated by an ARD/IEP committee. Supplementary aids and services or assistive technology devices or services may be made available for the special needs learner in the general setting, according to the IEP.

Consultation

To promote students with disabilities remaining in general settings or in general physical education classes, consultation is provided by a special education teacher or specialist in the area of the deficit when appropriate.

Collaborative Teaching/Resource Teaming/Co-Teaching

Special education student remains in the general classroom and is instructed in the general curriculum (TEKS) with the remainder of the class. The special education teacher and the general education teacher teach collaboratively. The student receives any modifications, supplementary aids and services or assistive technology devices or services needed, as specified in the IEP.

The special education student remains in the general classroom during direct instruction and is instructed in the general curriculum. The student may go to the Content Mastery Center for support during independent work or for test administration as indicated on the IEP.

An itinerant teacher provides both direct and/or indirect services for students with disabilities by providing consultation to school personnel, training for families, and direct instruction when required for teaching unique skills. Students with visual or auditory impairments may remain in general classes and receive services of itinerant teachers who are specially trained. Orientation and mobility instruction is provided for students with severe visual impairments when recommended by the ARD/IEP Committee.

Speech/language therapy is provided for the evaluation and intervention for correction of communication disorders of articulation, language, fluency, and voice. It is provided for eligible students whose communication skills adversely affect their developmental and/or academic skills. The program is conducted in individual or group therapy sessions. Some services may be provided through consultation or collaboration with the students general and/or special education teacher(s).

Adapted physical education is designed to provide students with developmental disabilities the opportunity to enhance the quality of life, community living, and the recreational environment by assisting the regular physical education teacher in meeting the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for the individual student.

A special education teacher in a resource class setting may instruct students with learning difficulties as necessary when they are unable to achieve satisfactorily in regular, remedial or modified classes in reading, language arts, mathematics, science or social studies. This service may also be used to supplement and support students with disabilities whose primary instruction is provided in the general education setting. Emphasis may also be placed on development of organizational, study and/or social skills.

The CBVI program is designed to teach general vocational skills to middle/high school students with disabilities through work experiences at job sites and special education instruction.

This instructional arrangement is provided as a special education support to students who have a competitively paid job with a regular schedule. Special education personnel are directly involved in the implementation of the students IEP that includes vocational goals and objectives.

Students with disabilities may receive on a full-day or part-day basis instruction from the special education teacher(s) and related service personnel. Integration from the self-contained class into regular aspects of the school curriculum is made available and achieved in accordance with individual student strengths or needs and as specified in the IEP.

This program in the Military School Districts Cooperative is called the Academy. The Academy is a program for students that are experiencing significant emotional/behavioral concerns and are not being successful on a general education campus. The school provides support both academically and behaviorally. Counseling social skills is a component of the program as well.

This program is designed for those students who would benefit from functional academics in a structured, consistent, small group setting with emphasis on self-help, communication and motor development. A modified curriculum incorporating the Domestic, Community, Recreation, Leisure and Vocational domains is used to meet the unique needs of the individual students.

This program is for student ages 0-21 who are deaf or hard of hearing. Services are provided to eligible students in a variety of instructional settings. Assistance may be provided in the areas of reading comprehension, oral and written language structure, vocabulary building, as well as speech reading, auditory learning and correct usage of note takers and/or sign language interpreters. Information about audiograms and on the use and care of amplification and other assistive devices is also provided.

For children ages birth to three who have been identified with a visual impairment, auditory impairment, or deaf-blindness, services may include developmental skills training and parent training.. Services are provided in the home, other facilities or on a campus, depending on the needs and skills of individual students.

This program is for eligible students ages 3 through 5, who have been determined by the ARD/IEP committee to require early academic intervention. These students receive services under the direction of a certified special education teacher at designated elementary schools. Students three and four years of age are in a half-day program unless otherwise recommended by an individual students ARD/IEP committee. Students five years of age are in a full-day program unless otherwise recommended by an individual students ARD/IEP committee.

Speech or language impaired children who are three or four years old receive speech therapy by a certified or licensed pathologist from the students home attendance schools.

Students who cannot attend school for a minimum of four consecutive weeks according to a physicians orders are served at home or hospital bedside by a homebound teacher. These services may also be provided to chronically ill students who are expected to be confined for any period of time totaling at least four weeks throughout the school year as documented by a physician.

ESY services are individualized instructional programs beyond the regular school year for eligible students with disabilities. Services are provided in accordance with the students IEP at no cost to parents.