Special Education
John Glenn Middle School provides a comprehensive program for students with disabilities.
Special Education Disability Areas
LD - Learning Disability (severe underachievement, discrepancy and information processing condition. A learning disability can be in one or more of the following areas: oral expression; listening comprehension; written expression; mathematical reasoning, basic reading skill; reading comprehension and mathematical calculation)
EBD - Emotional Behavioral Disorder (severely aggressive, impulsive, withdrawn, or anxious and the condition affects interpersonal or educational progress)
DCD -6th / 7th grade DCD center based
The Functional Life Skills Curriculum was developed within the context of National, State, and District Academic Standards. The functional level is designed primarily for students with significant developmental cognitive disabilities, but may be appropriate for students under any disability category who need a more functional approach to learning basic skills. The goal of educating students with developmental cognitive disabilities is maximal participation in inclusive school and community environments. Students receiving Functional Life Skills Instruction will be exempt from state and district academic standards. However, the students will remain accountable to a performance outcome in a content standard at a level appropriate to their individual strengths, needs, and learning styles.
MMI or MMMI - Mild to moderate Mentally Impaired (IQ is 70 or below and at or below the 15th percentile in all four adaptive domains).
S/L - Speech and/or Language Impaired (two standard deviations below the mean on two standardized language tests)
OHI - Other Health Impaired (a medically diagnosed health impairment and inadequate academic progress)
PI - Physically Impaired (a medically diagnosed chronic, physical impairment, either congenital or acquired, that may adversely affect physical or academic functioning and result in the need for special education and related services)
HI - Hearing Impaired (a diminished sensitivity to sound, or hearing loss, that is expressed in terms of standard audiological measures)
VI - Vision Impaired (a medically verified visual impairment accompanied by limitations in sight that interfere with acquiring information or interaction with the environment to the extent that special education instruction and related services may be needed)
Referral and Evaluation
Before a student is referred for a special education evaluation, the referring team must conduct and document at least two instructional strategies, alternatives, or interventions while the student is in the regular education classroom. Then the pupil referral team determines when an evaluation is indicated. Once an evaluation is completed, a student must meet eligibility criteria set forth by the state and local district.
Placement in various settings
A students special education placement (level II-V) is determined by the amount of service needed to help a child be successful in the least restrictive environment. Our services to level II students are through consultation and monitoring. Level III students are in need of support during resource, during pull-out classes, or during a regular education class with support from a special educator.
Level IV students require a significant amount of help to be successful. They are mainstreamed in fewer classes, often with the support of a paraprofessional. This program is staffed differently because students need a greater amount of help.
An example of level V setting is the 916 program. This program is essentially self-contained and the staff to student ratio is 2/1.
Modifications and Adaptations
The paraprofessional works with the casemanager to carry out the Individual Education Plan (IEP) in the classroom. Feel free to communicate with the casemanager about modifications to help special education students in your classroom be successful.
The IEP team consists of parents, case manager, related service staff, regular education teacher, school administration. Periodic reviews must match the number of reports coming out of John Glenn for regular education students. Therefore 8 periodic reviews are sent out during the school year. A new IEP is completed annually and re-evaluations are completed every three years.
