Abstract
This chapter presents a case study analysis of a junior/high school service delivery model that services identified students with a variety of disability categories under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. This model is unique because it is rare for a school to have such a variety of different placement options for students with exceptionalities. Typically, school districts have several options, but not to the extent presented here. This chapter explains the different support options within the service delivery model. The chapter concludes with a discussion about future trends for service delivery models.
TopCase Analysis
As discussed in Chapter 3, the continuum of service for students identified under IDEA with a disability is vast. Some can find academic success in a general education classroom with only the general education teacher working with them. Others need to be in a co-teaching situation where the special and general education teacher are instructing together or side by side. Still others need to be in a self-contained classroom with a small number of students and a teacher and paraprofessional who work one-on-one with each student. Despite the need of the student with an exceptionality, the Ever-Ready school district has a service delivery model to fit each scenario.
The Ever-Ready school district is small and rural. In the 2017-2018 school year, there were only approximately 1,700 students in Grades 8-12, which includes the combined population of their junior and high schools. The school has hired 15 teachers who are certified with a special educator’s license, and 77.4% of these teachers are considered accomplished under the state teacher evaluation. The school also has hired 10 paraprofessionals who serve as one-on-one aides as well as assistants within the classrooms. There are 186 identified students with an exceptionality, which is about 11.1% of the total student population. Of these students, 93.4% attend school daily, and 62.2% graduated during the 2017-2018 school year. Most of the students who attend the Ever-Ready school are Caucasian (86.3%), whereas 6% are Hispanic, 3% are Black, and 3.4% are multiracial (Ohio Department of Education, n.d.).
The Ever-Ready school incorporates most of the services on the special education service delivery model continuum (see Chapter 3). The school has a specialty reading class for those who are not reading on grade level. There are co-taught classes in the content areas of math, language arts, sciences, and social studies. Self-contained classrooms and resource rooms are also part of this school’s repertoire. Each type of class is described below.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Resource Room: A classroom where students with mild disabilities can go to get assistance with their learning.
Co-Teaching: General and special education teachers working together in a general education classroom.
Paraprofessional: Teacher’s aide who typically works one-on-one with a student with a severe disability.
Individual With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA): Federal law that states must follow if they want funding to educate students with exceptionalities.
Specific Learning Disability: A type of disability in which students have difficulty comprehending what they read and also struggle with writing.
Emotional Disturbance: A type of disability that presents itself with inappropriate behavior.
Self-Contained Class: A classroom for students with a moderate to severe disability.
Specialty Classes: Elective classes like music, art, and foreign languages.
Guided Notes: Partially filled in notes given to a student with an exceptionality so the student can keep up with the class and not spend so much time taking notes, which can be a challenge for some students.
Decoding Skills: Skills used to figure out an unknown word when reading.