Planning for Extended School Year (ESY) During a Pandemic The past several months brought about unprecedented shifts in how schools are providing instruction to complete the 2019–2020 school year. As the year ends and health and safety concerns related to providing face to face instruction remain uncertain, special education directors are facing news challenges in planning ESY. [More]
Utilizing Paraprofessionals to Support Virtual Learning Recently, due to the COVID-19 emergency, school districts, teachers, and families across the U.S. have scrambled to create and provide meaningful virtual instruction to students. As everyone joins the efforts to crowdsource resources, manage logistics, and develop formal procedures, it is essential for teachers to consider how paraprofessionals can play an important role in delivering supports to students. There are more than 1.2 million paraprofessionals currently working to support various academic, behavior, and social needs of students, and their contributions during this critical time impact the quality of services students receive. [More]
Delivering Related Services Remotely During the COVID-19 Crisis The COVID-19 emergency has prompted school districts across the United States to rethink how they provide related services to students with disabilities, many of whom are presently receiving limited educational supports and no services at home. According to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 (IDEA), related services include speech and language therapy; occupational therapy; physical therapy; and counseling services. One way to deliver related services remotely is known as telepractice. Under telepractice, related services are delivered remotely using a web conferencing tool, web camera, laptop, tablet, or smartphone to deliver services. [More]
Conducting IEP Meetings During COVID-19 By Matthew Korobkin, Senior AdvisorOver the next several weeks, school districts and families of students with disabilities may be concerned about how IEP meetings will be convened and how timelines will be met. During a time of “social-distancing” because of COVID-19, school districts should consider hosting remote IEP meetings in order to meet the timeline requirements set forth by their state education agency. [More]
Essential Elements of IEP Goals The Individuals with Disabilities Act of 2004 (IDEA) establishes annual goals as an integral part of a child’s Individualized Education Program (IEP). Since IDEA was reauthorized in 2004, there has been a push from the U.S. Department of... [More]