Special education

Course Descriptions

English Essentials

Grade: 9 -12            Credit: 1.0 English        Length: Year

Prerequisite: Recommendation of IEP Team

Course Description: This course is designed to develop students' basic skills in Communication Arts, using a variety of methods. The emphasis of this class is reading comprehension and writing strategies. Students will analyze and respond to various forms of literature, including fiction, short stories, poetry, and nonfiction articles. The Missouri EOC for English II will be administered upon mastery of this class.

Algebra Essentials

Grade: 9 -12            Credit: 1.0 Math        Length: Year

Prerequisite: Recommendation of IEP Team

Course Description: This course introduces basic Algebra concepts and is constructed to meet each student's needs according to their level of mathematical ability. It is designed to help students overcome weaknesses in the area of mathematics. It emphasizes the concepts necessary to prepare students to be successful in Algebra 1. It introduces the student to the use of inverse operations to solve simple equations. Students will also explore equations, probability, geometry, graphing on the coordinate plane, percent, proportions, and multiple step equations. 

Corrective Reading Lab I & II

Grade: 9 -12            Credit: 1.0 Elective        Length: Year

Prerequisite: Recommendation of IEP Team

Course Description: Students are introduced to new words and word types, phonemic relationships, long and short vowel sounds, new sound combinations, and new word endings.  They apply learned skills by reading stories of increasing length and complexity and then answer comprehension questions both orally and in writing. They will practice fluency skills on a daily basis and keep record of their performance on a graph. Their improved performance will provide the students with evidence of their ability to retain and apply decoding skills they have been taught.

Reading Lab III

Grade: 9 -12            Credit: 1.0 Elective        Length: Year

Prerequisite: Recommendation of IEP Team

Course Description: Students will learn a variety of Reading Comprehension and Vocabulary strategies to help support their comprehension in content courses.  The students will read a variety of fiction and nonfiction texts and be given time to read text of their own choosing.  Students will participate in Literature Circles, group projects, direct instruction, and independent work.  Student will be able to make inferences, predictions, connections, visualize, summarize, and use questioning strategies to increase their comprehension of the material being read. Students will be given assessments each term to provide students with evidence of their growth in the area of comprehension. 

Reading Essentials 1

Grade: 9 -12            Credit: 1.0 Elective        Length: Year

Prerequisite: Recommendation of IEP Team

Course Description: Students are introduced to word attack skills such as: phonemic awareness including sound/word pronunciation and identifying sounds in words.  They will also learn strategies for decoding and word analysis including sounding out/blending, sound/letter relationships when spelling, and visual discrimination.  They will practice fluency skills on a daily basis and keep record of their performance on a graph. Their improved performance will provide the students with evidence of their ability to retain and apply decoding skills they have been taught. 

Reading Essentials 2

Grade: 9 -12            Credit: 1.0 Elective        Length: Year

Prerequisite: Recommendation of IEP Team

Course Description: Students are introduced to word attack skills such as: word pronunciations, consonant blend words, words with endings, sounds made by letter combinations, reading and saying vowel sounds.  They apply learned skills by reading stories of increasing length and complexity and then answer comprehension questions both orally and in writing. They will practice fluency skills on a daily basis and keep record of their performance on a graph. Their improved performance will provide the students with evidence of their ability to retain and apply decoding skills they have been taught. 

Life Skills Curriculum Classes

Grade: 9-12             Credit: 1.0 Elective        Length: Year

Prerequisite: Recommendation of IEP Team

Course Description: The Life Skills program includes courses offered to high school aged students who need more support with curriculum and social aspects, and whose post graduate goal is supported employment or independent living. The program is designed to offer hands on experiences to real world, life related experiences and to guide them into skills or behaviors that will help them become successful in everyday life. The program offers courses related to Math Skills, English Skills, Community Based Vocational Instruction, History Skills, Life Skills, Food Skills, and Science Skills. 

Learning Strategies

Grade: 9-12             Credit: 1.0 Elective        Length: Year

Prerequisite: Recommendation of IEP Team

Course Description: This course helps students develop language and communication skills. It covers strategies for comprehension, vocabulary, study skills, self advocacy, and test taking. 

Life Choices

Grade: 9-12             Credit: 1.0 Elective        Length: Year

Prerequisite: Recommendation of IEP Team

Course Description: Life Choices is a program designed to focus on social emotional self awareness, self advocating strategies, and anger and stress management skills while in a supportive environment. Students will learn successful coping and behavioral strategies to better control and manage their behaviors inside the classroom and in the community. Life Choices also focuses on building positive relationships with the goal that students will be better able to communicate their needs in an appropriate manner and interact appropriately with peers and adults. 

Study Skills

Grade: 9-12             Credit: 1.0 Elective        Length: Year

Prerequisite: Recommendation of IEP Team

Course Description: A class that empowers students by helping them understand their strengths and weaknesses and teaching them critically important executive function strategies. Executive function skills such as strategies, motivation, awareness, resilience, talents, and success are taught. This class will offer students a chance to receive extra support on academic skills and social skills as well.

Cooperative Work Experience (COOP)

Grade: 9-12             Credit: 0.5-2.0 Elective        Length: Semester/Year

Prerequisite: Recommendation of IEP Team

Course Description: This program is available for qualifying high school students with disabilities whose IEP indicates the need for work experience in a competitive setting and who are also eligible as clients of the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. Program goals include the acquisition of general skills related to performing work under supervision, as well as, job-related skills. COOP is a school-sponsored program in collaboration with the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) designed for an individual student to gain paid employment as part of the school course of study. Students with IEPs who are certified eligible by DVR may qualify for this program facilitated by an IEP team decision to participate. 

Community Based Vocational Instruction (CBVI) 1, 2, 3

Grade: 9-12             Credit: 3.0 Elective        Length: Year

Prerequisite: Recommendation of IEP Team

Course Description: Community Based Vocational Instruction (CBVI) is an IEP team decision and an approved program available for high school students in need of work experience in a competitive setting. CBVI is a vocational program specifically designed for students with disabilities during their last two years of school and before, if appropriate. The goal of the training program is to expand the vocational training opportunities beyond traditional school buildings, to community-based sites where students can learn appropriate work behaviors and specific work skills in a naturally occurring environment. Students gain valuable work skills while working along with the employee at each community site. Students are evaluated and supervised by the SSD teacher and/or paraprofessional, are transported by the school district to the worksite during school hours, and understand that they will not receive wages while participating in this training program.