Special Education February 26,

What is Special Education? o IDEA – Individuals with Disabilities Education Act  Mandates 4 duties of every school district Special Education 2

Child Find - Identify o Advertising o Screening o Information from parents, pre-schools, other schools upon enrollment IDEA – 4 Duties 3

4 Evaluation A multi-disciplinary team, including a school psychologist, will work to determine: o Does the child have a disability? o Is the child in need of specially designed instruction? Pennsylvania is one of very few states where giftedness is provided for under Special Education.

IDEA – 4 Duties 5 The IEP The IEP (Individualized Education Program) team, including parents, will develop a program that meets the students’ needs.

IDEA – 4 Duties 6 Placement Where will the program be delivered? o Look to the regular education setting first and foremost.  Methacton seeks to minimize out of district placements because it is best for the family and mitigates cost. o FAPE – Free and appropriate public education.  ONLY students eligible for special education services are entitled to FAPE. o LRE – Least Restrictive Environment  Methacton’s audit revealed that we have work to do in this area. Since 1975, special education programming is provided at roughly twice the cost of regular education.

Special Education in MSD 7 Our Students Methacton’s special education students range from those whose needs are few to those whose needs are so great, that they cannot be provided for in our schools with our staff. o Speech and language therapy o Physical therapy o Contracted services o Medical services 25% of Methacton’s students have an IEP. This represents an 88% increase over past 6 years.

Special Education Staff 8 Elementary Schools Building Professional Staff Support Staff Students Arrowhead Audubon 3.54, 2 agency aides31 Eagleville Woodland 57, 3 agency aides34 Worcester , 2 agency aides26 Skyview TOTAL Teachers and assistants provide support for students with needs identified in the areas of autistic support, emotional support, learning support, and life skills support.

Special Education Staff 9 Secondary Schools Building Professional Staff Support Staff Students Arcola , 2 agency aides155 Methacton H.S. 1611, 1 agency aides263 TOTAL Teachers and assistants provide support for students with needs identified in the areas of autistic support, emotional support, learning support, and life skills support.

Special Education Mandates 10 Caseload ItinerantSupplementalFull-Time Learning Support Life Skills Support (Grades K-6) 15 (Grades 7-12) Emotional Support Deaf/Hearing Impaired Blind/Visually Impaired Speech and Language 658 Physical Support Autistic Support 1288 Multiple Disabilities Support 1288

Special Education Mandates 11 Classroom Space o The room must be a space that was designed for use as a classroom. o The classroom must be close to the ebb and flow of school activities. o The noise level in the classroom must be reasonable to allow the children to learn. o The classroom must be accessible to children with disabilities and contain at least 28 sq. feet of space for each child.

Costs % 14.11% 14.53%13.90%

Costs School Year In , we anticipate NO out of district placements, reducing our costs in this area to $0.

Questions? Thank you! 14