I am not sure where to post this question so I will start here. The special education teachers that I work with have talked about changing the way our programs are set up. I teach students with emotional disabilites from K-12. Most of mine are from 6th through 12 grade. Most of mine are with me all day. The other special ed. teachers, there are 3 more, have all the other students that are either LD, ADHD, and some MR. The more severe students are in another room. Like myself, the other teachers have 6th-12th grade students and we all teach every subject that student might need. We were thinking about either teaching just one type of subject or each doing certain grade levels regardless of disability. For example, I might teach just math for grades 6-12 or I would be the special education teacher for grades 6 and 7th. We felt that we would feel better about our jobs and do a better job with our kids. At this time I teacher every subject at every level and it is wearing me out. I might have a student who does very well in math or one who is very low and I do not have time to make the activities that would help the lower student. This new set-up would allow us that extra time and we would not have the same students for as long. I have had some of the same students for 4 years. What I would like to know is how your Jr. high and High school arranges its special ed. department. We are a rural school distrist and the special ed. teachers could pretty much make the decision about how we would like to set this up. Your suggestion are all welcomed because right now we are just thinking about doing this. Thank you in advance and I am sorry that this is so long. Cynthia Davis
Re: Special Education school set-up
I teach LD in a city district of 8000 students. We have two junior highs, 7-9. They each have a different special ed. setup. At the first jr. high, there are three LD teachers, each responsible for one grade level. Each teacher has an aide and between the teacher and the aide they either support or teach all classes for the LD children in that grade. The trouble is they only see the students for one year and then they move on. The good part is the teacher really gets to know the reg. ed. staff and curriculum that she is working with at that grade level. I just wish that the teacher would follow one group of students through all 3 grades to ensure some continuity for the student.
At the other junior high the CD(MR), LD, and ED teachers mix the students up. One teacher teaches all math, one all English, one goes into all tech classes where SP.Ed. students are included, one goes into all social studies, and one into all science. Two teachers are self-contained with the most severe CD, and ED students. The only trouble with this model is that LD students are often the least disabled and when they are included in sp.ed. classes with more severe CD and ED students the LD students get the least amount of attention. Plus socially being linked to the more severe students can be troubling.
Our high school uses the same model as the second jr. high school. Teachers seem to like this because it gives them more flexibility in programming for their students.
I teach at a middle school (6-8) We have 5 special ed teachers. I teach mostly 6th grade math, language and reading. i also teach 2 thinking skills classes for all grades. We have an inclusion teacher for each grade. They go into the reg. classroom and have their students for tutoring as a class. Most of these teachers also teach either math or language for 7th or 8th grade. We have one self contained class for those students unable to go into the regular classroom. All of our students except the self contained are included for at least some of the day.
Nan