Special Education Service Delivery
Priorities
Equal Ownership of Students
All students belong to all teachers on the team. “Our kids” vs. “Your kids” or “My kids.”
Personalized, Specialized Instruction
There must be dedicated, regular, consistent time for specialized instruction built into the schedule. It is more important
than homework, completing projects, grades, organization, CCSS, specials, etc. The purpose is to build skills in the areas
of basic reading (decoding), reading comprehension, math calculation, and math application. Special education service
providers will be asked to share their schedules for specialized instruction with each other so that it will be possible to
share services for children.
Access to CCSS for ALL
Always think “general education first.” The children on your caseload are general ed. students that happen to have
special needs, and may require accommodations and/or specialized instruction. Under No Child Left Behind legislation,
AYP, Focus School and high school graduation requirements noted in state and federal law, we must ensure that children
are participating in the general education curriculum to the greatest extent possible. Students taking the MEAP or MEAP
Access should always be included for instruction in the CCSS.
Inclusion / Least Restrictive Environment
The federal law demands and expects children to be in the least restrictive environment (LRE) as much as possible,
keeping the IEP and appropriateness in mind. This means being included with general education peers. A class of 25
students, with half on IEPs is not LRE. Special education is a service, not a place, and children on a caseload should be
grouped within the two homerooms on the team, and the special education service provider acting more as a consultant.
Facilitate Independence & Positive Self-Concept
It is important that we foster positive self concept for all students. Facilitating their independence and providing the
necessary accommodations and systems so that students can complete tasks themselves is the greatest gift we can give
students. Doing FOR students is not helping them become independent learners and thinkers, instead it sends them the
message that they can’t do it themselves. Making accommodations on the fly can also hurt a positive self concept, as
students perceive they are not as good as other students.
Identification of the Roles of the Teachers on the Team
A well functioning team should be clear about the specific role of each teacher on the team. Preferred examples of
primary responsibilities are below:
Role
Gen Ed Teacher Spec Ed Teacher
Plan and deliver content
X
Prepare Accommodations
X
XX
Implement Accommodations
X
X
Specialized Instruction
X
Facilitate IEP paperwork & meetings
X
Implementation of the IEP
Document progress on IEP goals and objectives
revised 10/17/12
spec ed priorities.doc
X
X
X
Special Education Service Delivery
Priorities
Role
Gen Ed Teacher Spec Ed Teacher
Grading
X
X
Parental Contacts
X
X
Behavior Management
X
X
Self Awareness of the Learning Styles
At this age, teachers should be helping children understand their own particular learning styles, and the strategies that
help them learn best. Helping kids become more aware of their own learning increases ownership of their learning, which
leads to higher achievement. With parental consultation, helping children understand why certain accommodations are
necessary can be valuable to them in the future.
revised 10/17/12
spec ed priorities.doc