Continuum of Services
Continuum of Services
Transitional Support Services
Temporary services, specified on an IEP, can be provided to a regular or special education teacher to aid in the provision of appropriate services to a student with a disability transferring to a regular program or service in a less restrictive environment.
Related Services
Supportive services can be provided to assist students with disabilities. These can include speech-language pathology, audiology services, interpreting services, psychological services, physical therapy, occupational therapy, counseling services, orientation and mobility services, parent training and counseling, school health services, school social work, assistive technology services, and other appropriate developmental or corrective support services.
Consultant Teacher Services (CT)
CT services are define as direct and/or indirect services provided to a school age student with a disability who attends general education classes, including career and technical education classes, and/or to such student’s general education teachers.
Direct CT services means specifically designed individualized or group instruction provided by a certified special education teacher to a student with a disability to aid the student to benefit from the student’s general education classes.
Indirect CT services means consultation provided by a certified special education teacher to general education teachers to assist them in adjusting the learning environment and/or modifying their instructional methods to meet the individual needs of a student with a disability who attends their classes.
CT services are provided to a student while they are participating in instruction in the general class. It is not a pull out service.
If a student’s IEP indicates CT services, the IEP MUST specify the general education class(es) (including career or technical education classes, as appropriate) where the student will receive the services. If CT services are being provided to elementary students, the IEP should indicate the elementary class and, if possible, the subject areas of instruction when the CT would be providing services to the student (e.g. during reading groups; during math instruction). If CT services are being provided to middle or secondary students, the IEP must specify the subject(s) where CT will be provided (e.g. English, math, science).
CT Services can only be provided by a certified special education teacher – a person certified or licensed to teach students with disabilities. A teaching assistant cannot be assigned as the CT nor can the teaching assistant work under the supervision of a special education teacher to provide this service.
The minimum number of hours for CT services is 2 hours per week – in any combination of both indirect and direct.
Integrated Co-Teaching Services
Has been added to the continuum effective 7/1/08. Integrated Co-Teaching requires a special education teacher and a general education teacher providing instruction in a regular class with no more than 12 students with disabilities in the class.
Teacher aides/teaching assistants can not be in place of the special education teacher.
Resource Room
Resource room means special education program for a student with a disability registered in either a special class or regular class who is in need of specialized supplementary instruction in an individualized or small group setting for a portion of their school day. It is for the purpose of supplementing the regular or special classroom instruction of students with disabilities. Supplementary instruction means specially designed instruction provided to the student that is in addition to and not in place of the student’s instruction in his or her general education classes. Specialized supplementary instruction must be occurring in the program for each student. While the teacher may use homework assignments as the vehicle to provide such instruction, a resource room should not be a study hall.
Each student requiring a resource room program shall receive not less than 3 hours of instruction per week in such program.
There may be more than 5 students assigned to a resource room provided that the instructional group size during the resource room period does not exceed 5 and that there is another teacher/teaching assistant in the room. While a teaching assistant can be assigned to assist in the delivery of resource room services, he or she cannot provide such services in place of the special education teacher.
The location of a resource room program can be the general education class. However, the specialized supplementary instruction provided to students grouped together for purposes of the resource room must be in addition to, and not in place of, instruction provided to other students in the general education class.
Special Class
Special class means an instructional group consisting of students with disabilities who have been grouped together because of similar individual needs for the purposes of being provided specially designed instruction. A special class may be provided as a separate class or as a class within a general education class.
A special class can be located in the same classroom as a general education class. The general education teacher provides instruction to the nondisabled students in the class and the special education teacher provides instruction to the students with disabilities. There may be some cooperative instruction occurring.
The chronological age range within special classes of students with disabilities who are less than 16 years of age shall not exceed 36 months. There is no limit for students 16 years or older.
A certified special education teacher must be assigned to provide specially designed instruction to a special class. A teaching assistant under the direction of the general supervision of the special education can assist the special education teacher to provide specially designed instruction.
Champlain Valley Educational Services
Services of CVES itinerant teachers are contracted to meet the needs of Hearing Impaired, Visually Impaired, or Other Health Impaired students. Teacher of the Visually Impaired, Teacher of the Deaf, Assistive Technology, and Occupational Therapy are also provided by CVES itinerants. These students may also be serviced by regular, resource room, or special class programs within the district.
CVES special class services are also contracted for those students whose disabling conditions are such that a district special classroom is not appropriate and the CSE feels placement in a more appropriate setting is warranted.
Home and Hospital Instruction
Students with disabilities who are recommended for home/and or hospital instruction by the CSE shall receive a minimum of five hours per week at the elementary level, preferably one hour per day. At the secondary level ten hours per week, preferably two hours per day, shall be provided.
Private School (Residential Placement)
No pupil with a disabling condition shall be placed in a private school unless an application to the Commissioner has been made by the Board of Education, which shall include suitable examinations and evaluations as may be necessary to ascertain as may be necessary to ascertain the physical, mental and emotional factors which contribute to the suspected handicapping conditions and establish the fact that the pupil is disabled to the extend that appropriate public facilities for instruction are not available.
Such placement must be determined to be the least restrictive environment appropriate to the pupil’s educational needs.