Heartland Programs
The child with an exceptionality in your classroom
Inclusive Classrooms:
At Heartland Programs each classroom includes a diversified population. One special and diverse group includes
children who have some exceptionality or combination of exceptionalities. Having children with special needs in the
classrooms provides a rich opportunity to facilitate learning for all students in many unique ways. This is called an
inclusive classroom.
Each classroom has an Early Childhood Disabilities (ECD) specialist, who is an employee of the Central Kansas
Cooperative in Education (CKCIE), assigned as the main teacher or as a consultant. The consultant meets
regularly with the classroom staff.
In coordination with the ECD teacher several things need to be accomplished:

Determine which children are identified with an exceptionality.
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Determine who the case manager for that child is. This can be the ECD teacher or consultant, the
Speech/Language Pathologist (SLP), or the Physical Therapist (PT).
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Meet with the case manager to review the unique needs of each child, as well as techniques and strategies
to facilitate the learning of that child in your classroom. It is recommended you review the Individualized
Education Program (IEP) and the evaluation information in the special education file.

With your team, plan how to incorporate the needs of each child within the lesson plans for the whole class.
This may mean providing a few, simple accommodations to allow a child physical access to the
environment and materials or the accommodations may be more significant requiring lesson plans to be
modified.
The child with special needs requires support services in order to benefit from the educational program. In all
cases, education must be free and appropriate for the individual. For the most part, children with special needs will
have been identified and their IEP written before they enter the classroom. However, there are some children who
have not been identified prior to being enrolled. They may appear to function at a significantly different level than
the same age peers.
If you suspect a child has exceptional needs, but is not yet receiving support you need to:
1. Write down your observations of the areas of concern.
2. With your paras, brainstorm different ways to address the areas of concern. Try the interventions,
documenting each effort/method.
3. If several methods have been attempted without success or minimal success, consult with your EES about
SIT process.
There is much more information needed as you become more involved in the instructional year. You will need to
know how to monitor progress. You may become involved in assessment and will need to become familiar with the
evaluation process, IEP meetings, and forms.

The case manager for the child will know most of what you need to know and be able to provide forms and
resources.
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The school psychologist is an available general resource for information also.
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The school psychologist is also available for consultation on issues beside special education concerns,
such as parental concerns, classroom management issues, and the rights and safeguards of parents and
more.
Having a child with special needs in your classroom does involve more effort. However, we have discovered the
opportunities provided by having an inclusive program far outweigh the challenges. Working together, we are
constantly reminded of the unique qualities of each. Enjoy and grow in YOUR inclusive classroom.
Education Policy and Procedure
05/19/08