The Special Education programs available at Emerson Elementary School campus consist of a PPCD or Preschool Program for Children with Disabilities class; a Kindergarten Co-Teach class; Resource; Content Mastery and Inclusion Classes. Assistive Technology and Related Services are also provided when a need is identified.

Inclusion

This is a Special Education model whereby all the special ed. students are in the regular education classrooms.  A special ed. teacher or aide goes into the regular classroom to assist students with class work for part of the regular school day.   By law, students should be in the Least Restrictive Classroom setting which is the general ed. class when the disability allows.  Thereafter, they may be moved into a more restrictive setting only if they are not successful in the general ed. classroom with IEP, modifications and direct assistance. Content Mastery is when a special education student is pulled out of regular ed. classroom for additional assistance with re-teaching or reviewing of a previously taught objective.

Co-Teaching

This is when a special education teacher and a regular education teacher teach both regular and special education students together in one class room.  Both teachers equally share responsibility and accountability for all the students in the co-teaching classroom.

HISD Special Education Website
Special Education in Texas
Early Childhood Intervention

Referral Process

Teachers should get to know their students before a referral is made.  There must also be documentation of sustained research based interventions that was used prior to the referral.  After the referral is made, the IAT/Referral Committee will decide whether to test or not to test.  A special education label is very serious and once given is very difficult to remove.  Therefore, everyone involved should be cautious.  When a student is tested and is qualified, the ARD committee will meet to decide the best plan of action.

ARD Process

An ARD/IEP committee is usually made up of parents, regular and special ed. teachers, evaluation personnel an administrator and or other professionals (when appropriate).  They meet to discuss how best to meet a student’s individual educational needs.  The teachers will provide information about classroom progress and conduct.  During the course of the meeting, an Individual Educational Plan and modifications will be developed for the student if necessary.  The committee meets every year to discuss progress or lack of progress.

Modifications and IEP

Modifications are allowances and/or accommodations that are given to special ed. students to help them succeed in the classroom.  It varies from student to student depending on their particular situation.  The ARD committee determines the modification needed per subject for each student in the classroom as well as on the TAKS-M, TAKS-Accommodated, or TAKS examinations (on grade level).  However, TAKS modification must also be one that the student is already receiving regularly in the classroom. IEPis the Individual Education Plan that is developed for students in the academic area that they qualify in.