It’s a dirty little secret but many students who are referred to special education may actually be the resulting history of a shortage of appropriate instruction in reading and math, a deficiency of appropriate behavioral interventions, or a lack of ESL or ELL proficiencies. Many of these students are classified as learning disabled – when, in fact, they are not.
While assessments are crucial to determining who qualifies for special education and who doesn't, having the correct methodology and instruction along the way is imperative to accurately determining who needs these services.
Administrators and educators are primarily responsible for ensuring that the right instruction is available to students who are struggling with reading, math, behavior and/or English Language Learners (ELL).
Consider the following best practices as you are planning for the 2011-2012 instructional needs of students who need remedial reading help:
Do you use a research-based, systematic, explicit phonics approach to reading?
Do teachers simplify vocabulary and teach key vocabulary words?
Do teachers use words and phrases during instruction that are comprehensible and meaningful to students?
Does the reading instruction build upon phonics skills and common sight words?
Do teachers enunciate clearly and moderate the pace of their speech?
Do teachers use a multisensory approach to reading?
Do teachers provide opportunities for discussions in the classroom?
Are they able to draw out those students who don’t typically participate in classroom discussion?
Do teachers know how to modify reading instruction based on assessment outcomes?
When Should Students be Referred to Special Education Services?
Unless teachers have programs and professional development opportunities to help them with prevention and early intervention, they may feel that they have no alternative but to refer students to special education.
As part of the RTI or special education curriculum, make certain that you have a suitable reading program that arms teachers with the tools and methodologies they need to be effective teachers. This means handing them more than a new reading basal, it means giving teachers the tools they need to actually teach reading.
Assess special education services correctly. Above all, teach every student to read! If you’re interested in free teacher training workshop, click here >