Student-Centered Decisions/Staffing and Scheduling

Description:

The standard for making decisions about a student with disabilities follows the same continuum from least to most segregated settings and we use a clear model for ensuring that each decision is based on the needs and capabilities of the student.
Practices:
  1. Staffing and scheduling decisions are based solely on the needs of individual students. Decisions are not made on the basis of labels, places or available services or space.
  2. Our school uses an objective, student-centered process for determining staffing that is consistent across grade levels/departments.
  3. No single approach (co-teaching, support facilitation, resource etc.) is the only service delivery option for special needs students in our school.
  4. Scheduling for special needs students is determined before the master schedule is prepared.
  5. Special education teachers recognize they may serve multiple roles throughout the day on the basis of student needs. Their roles are not defined by place or disability category. On the basis of student needs, a special teacher may provide both in-class support and support in a specialized setting.
Phases of Implementation:
Excellence Phase
  • Stakeholders Staffing and scheduling decisions are based solely on the needs of individual students through an objective, student-centered process. Decisions are not made on the basis of labels, places or available services.
  • Administrators and teachers know that schedules must be flexible as students move in and out of the school and as individual students’ needs change over time.
  • The times when high needs subjects are scheduled (such as ELA) are varied throughout the day in order to provide needed services to all students
Implementation Phase
  • The natural proportion of students with disabilities in general education classrooms (8% - 12%) is maintained if special education support is not provided for the whole class period or every day.
  • Scheduling for students with disabilities is completed at the beginning of the master scheduling process.
  • Special education teachers and paraprofessionals are incorporated into the schedule to minimize duplication of services and increase the pool of in-class support providers.
Initiation Phase
  • The first consideration for placement for students with disabilities is the general education class with their age/grade peers.
  • Individual student needs are determined prior to creating the master schedule.
  • Hand vs. computer scheduling is used to accommodate the support needs of individual students.
  • Special populations teachers recognize that they may serve multiple roles throughout the day on the basis of student needs. Their roles are no longer defined by location or disability category.
Resources: (more to come)