Diverse Learners Plan
Jacklyn Smith
Special Education and Section 504
7/10/2015
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Diverse Learners Plan
Vision
Our vision is to create a learning environment that allows all students to have the same
opportunities to experience success in learning.
Philosophy of Educating Diverse Learners
The purpose of education is to prepare students for life. Potentially, by providing
students with this education, we create citizens that will continue and serve our society in the
best ways possible. We believe that all students can learn and we will meet whatever individual
needs a student may have. We believe that all students can learn. This means that we must do
whatever it takes to make sure that we are giving students the tools they need to allow them to be
successful. We believe that by differentiating instruction, using accommodations, and truly
getting to know our students will allow the teachers of this district to reach all learners. We know
that being exposed to differences allows our students to grow to accept and appreciate everyone
into adulthood.
Our districts responsibility is to provide disabled students with a free appropriate public
education in the least restrictive environment (LRE). Our district recognizes some students have
different educational needs than other students. It is our responsibility to find what the needs are
of every student and establish what the best environment for that student. Least restrictive
environment (LRE) will be based on the individual needs of the students and determined by the
IEP team.
The district will analyze each diverse learners progress through classroom assessments, IEP
goals, report cards, and Iowa Assessment data, and review our data from our Annual Progress
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Report (APR). We will use this data to make changes when necessary to benefit the student and
their individual needs.
Program Descriptions
Special Education

Legal Mandates or Requirements
All students are covered under (FAPE) free appropriate public education. Our
district recognized that students with special needs are entitled to an Individualized
Education Program (IEP), and are required to be placed in the (LRE) least restrictive
environment. The board will provide a free appropriate public education program and
related services to students identified in need of special education. The special education
services will be provided to the student from birth until the appropriate education is
completed, age twenty-one or to maximum age allowable in accordance with the law.
Students requiring special education will attend general education classes, participate in
nonacademic and extracurricular activities and receive services in a general education
setting to the maximum extent appropriate to the needs of each individual student. The
appropriate education for each student is written in the student's Individualized Education
Program (IEP). Students with IEPs are required to meet the requirements stated in board
policy or in their IEPs for graduation. It is the responsibility of the superintendent and
the area education agency director of special education to provide or make requirements
for appropriate special education and related services. Students graduating with IEPs are
prepared to participate in higher education, a training program or to be competitively
employed within one year of leaving high school.
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Children age 3 through 5 are provided complete special education services within
the public education system. The school district will work in conjunction with the area
education agency to provide services, at the earliest appropriate time, to children with
disabilities from birth through age 2. This is done to ensure a smooth transition of
children entitled to early childhood special education services.

Program Goals
a. To achieve the outcomes wanted for students with special needs teachers
and other staff members must work collaboratively using resources,
research based strategies, collaboration, and differentiation. All members
involved in working with the specific child will work together using the
IEP as the foundation of what the child needs to serve the child on an
individual basis. This means that services are granted in the (LRE) least
restrictive environment. All staff needs to be appropriately trained. Staff
will use progress monitoring to determine if strategies or services need to
be changed, along with collaboration between staff, students, and parents.
b.A crucial part to the success is collaboration between special education
teachers and general education teachers. The staff needs to be a
collaborative front in order to ensure success for the individual student
along with parental involvement in decisions. Decisions that will be most
beneficial for the student’s emotional health and create long term goals to
increase their success in the world after school need to be determined and
discussed amongst both staff and parents.
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
Identification and Entitlement Process
a. Child Find--State of Iowa policy states that all children with disabilities
from birth to age 21 and reside in Iowa are found, identified and
evaluated. AEA and LEA’s are responsible for:
1. Requesting parental consent for a comprehensive initial evaluation
for all children suspected of being eligible individuals under the
IDEA.
2.
Testing and evaluation materials and procedures utilized for the
purposes of evaluation and placement of children with disabilities
for services will be selected and administered so as not to be
racially or culturally discriminatory.
3.
Materials or procedures shall be provided and administered in the
child's native language or mode of communication, unless it
clearly is not feasible to do so.
4.
No single procedure shall be the sole criterion for determining an
appropriate educational program for a child.

Continuum of Services and Placement Process
a. The IEP team will make certain that students with disabilities have
complete access to the general education classroom and grade level
content. Each students placement will vary based on the following:
1. General education with consultation. The student is served in the
general education classroom without any accommodations or
modifications to the curriculum, instruction, testing or grading.
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The service provider is responsible for consulting with general
education teacher and monitoring the student’s progress according
to the IEP.
2. General education with consultation/accommodations. The student
is served in the general education classroom with consultation and
support from the special education teacher. The general education
teacher is responsible for direct instruction, testing, grading and
behavioral management as specified in the IEP. The special
education teacher support may include assisting the general
education teacher with the design and preparation of materials,
adaptations and accommodations. The special education teacher is
responsible for monitoring the student’s progress on IEP goals.
3. General education with direct special education support in the
general education classroom. The student receives special
education support for the general education curriculum in the
general education setting. The special education teacher, support
service provider, or trained paraprofessional will be in the general
education classroom to provide direct instruction, instructional
support, or other assistance to the student or a group of students,
through models such as collaborative or co-teaching. The special
education teacher/service provider is responsible for monitoring
the student’s progress on IEP goals.
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4. General education with direct special education support outside the
general education classroom. The student receives special
education support for the general education curriculum outside the
general education setting. When the services cannot be
appropriately provided in the general education setting, the student
may receive selected services or all services he/she needs in a
separate educational setting (including, but not limited to special
classes, special schools, home instruction, and instruction in
hospitals and institutions). The special education teacher/service
provider is responsible for monitoring the student’s progress on
IEP goals.
5. General education with reverse consultation – For a small
percentage of students with IEPs, the student receives general
education content instruction through reverse consultation. The
special education teacher who teaches any of the core academic
areas must have the state-required endorsement for the subject
area, or the academic subject (curriculum) must be under the
supervision of a teacher who is licensed appropriately for the
academic area. The teacher who is licensed for the academic area
and who is “supervising” the curriculum assigns the student’s
content grade, provides content strategies and assessments, and
problem-solves concept attainment. The name of the teacher who
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is supervising the curriculum is listed somewhere in a permanent
file of the student.

Program Planning
a. When determining instructional planning and decision making the IEP
team will be involved. This team includes the student, the parents, special
education teacher, general education teacher, other service providers,
nurse, LEA Representative, and/or the administrator. Parents are a huge
part of the IEP team, and all input will be taken into consideration when
developing the IEP. Data will be looked at in considering accommodations
for students. Strategies and intervention data should be used in
determining how students are served.

Progress Monitoring
a. Students will be assessed based on their IEP goals. Teachers will progress
monitor every other week, using the assessment listed with each IEP goal.
Teachers will use a four point decision making rule to determine when
instructional strategies should be changed. Teacher can also use personal
judgment to change strategies before data becomes too deep. Long-term
outcomes will be evaluated yearly at the IEP review, and every third year
during a re-evaluation. Progress should be tracked throughout the school
year, and in cases in which students are meeting grade level expectations,
services can either be decreased to document for potential exit, or students
can be put on a 45 day trial to determine if student can still uphold
achievement without services.
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
Student/Parent Rights and Dispute Resolution Process
a. Procedural safeguards are given to and reviewed annually so that parents
are aware of the rights they have, and decisions they can make. Parents are
granted the right to Due Process regarding:
1. Identification
2. Evaluation
3. Placement
4. Provisions of FAPE to their child.
b.Parents have the right to discuss their student’s IEP at any time. If changes
are not made parents can take the steps necessary in Due Process.
Section 504

Legal Mandates or Requirements
a. Section 504/ADA requires the provision of a free and appropriate
public education for students who are identified as having a disability.
The regulations define this: The provision of an appropriate education
is the provision of regular or special education and related aids and
services that (i) are designed to meet individual needs of disabled
persons as adequately as the needs of nondisabled persons are met and
(ii) are based upon adherence to procedures that satisfy the
requirements of 104.34 (LRE), 104.35 (evaluation), 104.36 (procedural
safeguards) Section 504 applies to all schools receiving federal funding
as a way to alleviate discrimination based on a disability. Our district
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receives federal funds therefore we are required to offer equal access to
all services offered. It is the responsibility of general education to
manage the accommodations for student with physical or mental
impairments. Compliance with Section 504 is the responsibility of
regular education staff and the building principal.

Program Goals
a. The goal of the 504 plan is to level the playing field for students. This
allows parents to work hand in hand with those in the district to ensure
that they are receiving FAPE. The student’s 504 plan legally ensures
that students will be treated equally at school. Our district strives to
create and put a plan in place that will assist students to achieve at high
levels in general education setting whenever possible regardless of their
disability.

Identification and Entitlement Process
a. Child Find dictates that districts must "undertake to identify and locate
every qualified handicapped person residing in the recipient's
jurisdiction who is not receiving a public education.” Districts must
take appropriate steps to notify students with disabilities and their
parents or guardians about this child find duty. And districts must
conduct an evaluation of students "who, because of handicap, need or
are believed to need special education or related services." Any student
with a disability, as defined by Section 504, are entitled to FAPE. An
appropriate education for a Section 504 disabled student may require
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the provision of specific accommodations and related services in order
to meet the needs of the student. Section 504 focuses on ensuring a
level of access to educational services and the learning process for
qualified disabled students that is equal to that given non-disabled
students.

Continuum of Services and Placement Process
a. To the maximum extent possible disabled students must be placed with
their non-disabled peers. Just like in special education, (LRE) least
restrictive environment is looked at in determining a student’s
placement. Also, if necessary other related-services (if qualified for
under section 504) may be granted.

Program Planning
a. Section 504 requires a written accommodation plan describing
placement and services in which accommodations must be
individualized, modifications can be made to regular programs, or the
provision of different programs may be necessary, and accommodations
should be designed to meet the individual educational needs of students
with disabilities as adequately as the needs of other students are met.
Decisions must be based on information drawn from a variety of
sources and all information must be documented as considered. The
accommodation plan should be signed by all members of the student's
team.
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b. This plan must include accessibility and typically will focus on
accommodations and modifications.

Progress Monitoring
a. Once a plan is written, all things listed must take place. This plan
should be reviewed annually with all team members involved. Any
member can call for a review at any time. The student’s needs may
change, and a review may be necessary to determine once again what is
best for the child.

Student/Parent Rights and Dispute Resolution Process
a. Parents have a right to have their child take part in, and receive benefit
from, public education programs without discrimination based on a
disability. Parents have the right to receive notice with respect to the
identification, evaluation, or placement of the child. Their child has the
right to FAPE. They have the right to be educated in facilities and
receive services comparable to those provided students without
disabilities. The child can receive special education and related services
if she/he is found to be eligible under the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act (IDEA), or to receive reasonable accommodations under
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. Educational placement decisions
should be made based upon a variety of information sources, and by
individuals who know the student, the eligibility data, and placement
options. The district will provide the student an equal opportunity to
participate in non-academic and extracurricular activities offered by the
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district through the provision of reasonable accommodations. Parents
can file a formal complaint with the Iowa Department of Education or
the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights.
Closing the Achievement Gap
In order to determine what it takes to close the achievement gap, you have to establish
what exactly the achievement gap is. Our district believes that the achievement gap is where a
student is, in comparison with where a child is supposed to be at that particular time. Although
there is not ultimate fix when looking at tackling the achievement gap, there are many things that
our school district does so that this gap does not get larger. First, we have all teachers on board.
Next we teach to the Iowa Core, and use (MTSS) Multi-Tiered Systems of Support, along with
analyzing student data. Closing the achievement gap is the job of all of the staff in our district.
In order to ensure success for all students to make progress and close the achievement
gap all teachers must be on the same page. All have to be willing to participate and own each
students successes and failures. All teachers must be trained properly when it comes to teaching
all students. They must be willing to try researched-based strategies, implement technologies,
accommodate to all students, and differentiate.
All students need to be exposed to the same instruction and base for education. This
means that all teachers are teaching to the standards, and are implementing strategies that allow
this curriculum to be accessible by all students. Some students need and require specially
designed instruction on top of what is taught to all.
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Next we need to make sure that we have in intervention system in place for ALL students
including both those who struggle and those who are high achieving. Interventions must be
research based and taught one to one or in small groups. Documentation needs to take place to
gauge student progress and all teachers must be involved. (Special education teachers, Title
Teachers, and General Education Teachers)
Lastly, teachers need to be able to take data and make things happen with it. This means
tracking the appropriate data and using it to the best of their ability. Students’ progress needs to
be tracked consistently, and used to make decisions on both an individual basis and whole group
basis. To do this appropriately, teachers will be working collaboratively to analyze data, share
teaching strategies, and guide each other to find out what works best for students.
Conclusion
When it comes to our vision “Our vision is to create a learning environment that allows
all students to have the same opportunities to experience success in learning.” It is our job as a
district to do anything possible to make sure that all students are successful. We need to create
opportunities for parents to collaborate with the school when it comes to determining what is
best for particular students.
Our diverse learners should all be granted to same accessibility to education as those
without difficulties. A student regardless whether they are in special education, or need a 504
plan must be given and granted the same opportunities as those who do not have difficulties. A
student that may not necessarily need special education may find success with a 504 plan, and
sometimes a 504 plan may not be enough for a student to be successful due to lack of specially
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designed instruction. All students regardless of their disability must all be served to the best of
the district’s ability, and are covered under FAPE.