How can the school support my student with special needs?

Those who have a specific learning need can qualify for an IEP. This stands for an Individualized Education Plan.

This document is very important for the special needs student when progressing through the school district. When building an IEP, there are many team members that play a part in this process called the Child Study Team. These team members include guidance counselors, case managers, teachers, and parents/guardians.

Because learning needs are wildly diverse, this IEP helps teachers, counselors, and administrators create a supportive learning environment for the student. This document is constantly being reviewed and evaluated as your student progresses throughout their education.

An IEP can benefit any student between the Elementary level through High School level. This document can also help your student be successful during SAT/ACT exams and college admissions.

Most importantly, an IEP has three components that will help your student succeed throughout their education:

This component organizes goals and objectives that your student can achieve by the end of each school year. The goals are based on test scores, grade level, and other factors that may affect your student’s learning. These are small, achievable goals that will help enhance the skills being taught in the classroom.

The importance of these goals are to set your student up for success over a period of time. This allows the student to achieve the goal at their own pace while keeping up with the curriculum being taught!

Some students may have learning barriers that prevent them from succeeding in the classroom. By implementing accommodations, these learning barriers are removed and the student can successfully complete the lesson without changing what is being taught.

For example, the student may benefit from an audio book rather than a physical book. An accommodation would include giving that student the option of an audio book without changing the lesson itself. The student can now benefit from using the audio version of the book as an auditory processing learner.

Modifications are individualized changes that we make to the lesson for a student. By modifying the work, we are usually changing the assignment and expectations at hand. For example, if the class assignment is asking the students to write a five-paragraph essay that needs to include three quotes from the book, the modification would include changing the expected number of paragraphs to three and expecting only two quotes from the book to support their reasoning.

By modifying the assignment, the student can focus on the specific skill being taught rather than the length of the assignment; quality over quantity. This also refers back to pacing: when chunking the assignment, the student’s needs are being met in order for them to succeed and get the most out of the lesson!

At Brainstorm Tutoring, our coaches are here to create a supportive learning environment in order to meet the needs of all students!