Our Vision of Excellence in Special Education
In our special education settings, we strive to support students in building the skills they need to meet the demands of college and career and to
engage as productive citizens of the world. In addition to fulfilling Our Vision of Excellent Instruction for all core content areas, in our special
education classrooms:
Students work towards mastery of meaningful Individualized Education Program goals in their Least Restrictive Environment. As special educators, it is our legal
responsibility to engage students in differentiated work designed to support mastery of their academic, social/emotional, and functional IEP goals. From strong IEP design
representative of student present levels of performance, to implementation and assessment of these goals, we collaborate with students’ educational teams to help students
approach grade-level standards and provide them with access to equal academic and social experiences of their same-age peers.
Students learn the foundational skills they need to engage in rigorous, grade-level content.1 Where necessary, students work to develop a foundational set of skills that allow
them to access the rigorous, grade-level curriculum and set them up for success in the general education classroom. These include literacy and math skills as well as strategies to
improve their metacognition, executive functioning, social and life skills.
Students receive the supports they need to do the thinking. We understand how students’ exceptionalities affect their learning and behavior and create opportunities for all
students to demonstrate their thinking. We don’t use a student’s disability as a crutch and don’t let them use it as one either. In order to help them access content, effectively
transition within and outside of the special education classroom, and engage in meaningful and positive relationships with peers and adults, we may need to provide students with
additional supports that work to level the playing field for students with disabilities. We provide students only with the supports they need and work diligently to promote their
independence by gradually reducing said supports so that students either no longer rely on them, or become self-sufficient in replicating them. In rare circumstances, and only
when dictated by the IEP, we provide students with a modified curriculum.
Students have an advocate for their academic, social, and emotional needs. At the heart of special education is a civil rights issue; all students deserve an equal education, and
historically many of our students with exceptionalities have been denied this basic right given their differences. As special educators, we need to ensure our students are provided a
free, appropriate public education (FAPE) as required by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) just like their peers without disabilities. We act as advocates ourselves
and empower students and their families to advocate for their basic rights.
Students with moderate to significant/severe disabilities may engage in modified instruction that is not aligned to grade-level standards and is, instead, focused on acquiring
functional, life, and vocational skills. These decisions should be reviewed carefully with a student’s IEP team.
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Our Vision of Excellence in Special Education
Student Actions2
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Engage in differentiated, individualized or small-group instruction that is
aligned to grade-level standards and Individualized Education Programs (IEPs)
Learn foundational literacy and math skills to comprehend worthwhile text and
solve problems in the general education setting
Demonstrate metacognition by using strategies across settings and reflecting
on their approach to solving academic problems
Practice and demonstrate important social and life skills within and outside of
the classroom
Engage meaningfully with the IEP team and related service providers across
settings to access accommodations and modifications and meet academic,
functional, social/emotional, and behavioral goals
Persist through discussions and problem-solving tasks using functional mode of
communication, which may include the use of augmentative or alternative
communication systems
Engage in rigorous texts/materials and challenging content in multiple ways,
with or without the use of assistive technology and other supports
Demonstrate independence by responding to increasingly complex directions
and by implementing organizational and planning systems*
Respond to appropriately complex tasks and activities independently
Use visual supports and respond to teacher prompts (as needed) to execute
transitions with little interruption to instructional time
Track progress toward IEP goals with or without teacher support
Demonstrate an understanding of rules and expectations by monitoring own
behavior and/or by responding to positive behavior supports and interventions
Use self-regulatory skills to manage behavior and emotions
Embrace the needs of peers by providing them with the support and
encouragement they need to meet their goals
Demonstrate awareness of own academic, functional, social/emotional, and
behavioral needs by discussing their strengths and areas of growth
Advocate for their needs by requesting accommodations and supports, aligned
with their IEP, that will allow them access to the same content as their sameaged peers
Teacher Actions
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Collaborate with students’ IEP teams and related service providers to deliver
differentiated instruction that is aligned to grade-level standards and/or IEP goals
Use evidence-based practices for students with disabilities to teach foundational
literacy and math skills as a pathway to grade level work
Embed instruction on metacognitive strategies into content-based instruction to
teach students critical memory and engagement processes they can use to access,
retain, and discuss important content
Promote student independence by modeling and practicing social and life skills
Utilize students’ IEP teams and related service providers across settings to ensure
students receive the necessary accommodations and modifications
Provide multiple opportunities for students to engage in and respond to instruction
using their primary mode of communication, which may include the use of
augmentative or alternative communication systems
Make rigorous texts, materials, content, and activities accessible to students through
supplementary aids including annotated texts and assistive technology devices
Gradually release supports to promote student independence
Break down complex instructions and skills for students into smaller tasks
Use visual supports and other prompts to support efficient transitions
Monitor progress towards IEP goals and objectives and make adjustments to
interventions accordingly
Implement Behavior Intervention Plans (BIPs) that consider the function of students’
misbehavior
Use positive behavior supports including individualized and class-wide behavior plans
to prevent misbehavior
Use de-escalation strategies to intervene safely and appropriately when students are
in a crisis situation
Create an inclusive learning environment that celebrates students’ unique needs
Provide regular opportunities for students to discuss their strengths, areas of growth,
needs, and progress towards short and long-term goals
Teach, model, and practice assertive communication skills to support students’ ability
to advocate for their needs
Students with moderate to significant/severe disabilities may not demonstrate these student actions. Instead, students with moderate to significant/severe disabilities may
engage in modified instruction that is not aligned to grade-level standards and is, instead, focused on acquiring functional, life, and vocational skills. These decisions and related
actions should be reviewed carefully with a student’s IEP team.
These actions may not be appropriate for students in early elementary grades (PK-3.) The educational team should consider the appropriate time and ways in which students in
early childhood settings engage in these types of skills/activities.
Our Vision of Excellence in Special Education
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