Presuming Competence in Students with Significant Disabilities For too long, students with significant disabilities (SWSD) have been understood as little more than collections of low test scores and high needs. The very nature of a significant disability prevents educators from knowing with any certainty what a student’s true capabilities are, but the simple fact that a student’s IQ has been identified as “low,” or that they have complex physical or communication challenges, doesn’t automatically mean they are incapable. [More]
PCG Offers Free Special Education Planning Resource to Aid Schools’ Reopening Preparations Amid Pandemic Public Consulting Group, Inc. (PCG), a leading consulting firm supporting state and local education agencies across the country, today announced the launch of its Special Education Reentry Checklist: a free resource to help special education departments prepare for schools to reopen for the 2020–2021 school year amid the COVID-19 pandemic. [More]
Collaboration to Support Students with Significant Intellectual Disabilities in Fall 2020 Superintendents, school administrators, and local health officials are working feverishly to determine the safest instructional model for school districts after the COVID-19 closures. Although many details remain uncertain, school officials need to cautiously think through next steps if schools are to reopen successfully. [More]
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]
Connecting Social Emotional Well-Being, Mental Health, and Suicide Prevention: Strategies for Addressing a Child’s Call for Help Since late February and early March of 2020, due to the COVID-19 emergency, school districts across the nation have experienced school closures, which have impacted the delivery of instructional continuity. Many have managed to shift instructional practices to distance learning with varying degrees of success. [More]