What Programs, Supports, and Services are available?

The Division of Special Education provides a continuum of program options to students found eligible for special education. Individualized Education Program (IEP) teams must consider the general education classroom first in exploring the best setting for the delivery of special education services to students with disabilities. Special education services and supports are provided in a variety of ways including, but not limited to:-

1) Regular education program

Regular education program is synonymous with the term “general education”. General education is the program of education that children should receive, based on state standards and evaluated by the annual state educational standards-based assessments.

2) Resource specialist program

The resource specialist program provides:

i) Instruction and services for students whose needs have been identified in an IEP and who are assigned to regular classrooms

for the majority of the school day.

ii) Coordination of special education services with the regular school programs for students with disabilities enrolled in the resource specialist program.

iii) Services in different models (i.e. collaborative planning and teaching, direct instruction to students, consultation with staff and parents.)

3) Designated instruction and services (also referred to as “Related Services”)

A. Speech and language services:

i) School-based Speech Therapy supports the educational program for students who have a disorder in communication involving articulation, language, fluency, and/or voice.

ii) Speech and Language Pathologists (SLP) work as members of a multidisciplinary team that serves children school-wide in the development of communication and language skills needed for school success.

iii) Delivery depends upon the assessed needs of the student (i.e. direct services, consultation, group services, parent training.)

B. Audiological services:

i) Audiologic evaluations are provided by Educational Audiologists for children from birth - 22 years of age.

ii) If a child is not testable at the Audiological Resource Unit (ARU), the audiologists refer the child to his/her private physician or audiologist and follow-up accordingly with the family.

iii) District schools and pre-school programs refer students to the ARU that they suspect may have a hearing loss either by a failed

audiometric screening or because of teacher or parent concerns.

C. Orientation and mobility services:

i) Provided to students with visual impairments in the area of specialized skills, including the use of the white cane, to travel in a safe and oriented manner.

ii) Instruction designed to promote equal access as well as integrated opportunities within a student’s classroom, school, and community environments.

D. Instruction in the home or hospital provides:

i) Services for students who are home or hospital bound and are eligible for instructional services on their first day of confinement when the confinement is anticipated to result in an absence of at least ten (10) school days as verified by the medical diagnosis of a California licensed physician.

ii) Instruction in subjects and courses correlating with the student’s home school program. It does not replace, over an extended period of time, the regular required instructional program.

E. Services for pupils with chronic illnesses or acute health problems:

i) Specialized services may be provided to pupils determined eligible pursuant to section 3030(f). Such services include but are not limited to:

• Individual consultation;

• Home or hospital instruction; and

• Other instructional methods using advanced communication technology.

ii) For pupils whose medical condition is in remission or in a passive state, the IEP team shall specify the frequency for monitoring the pupil's educational progress to assure that the illness does not interfere with the pupil's educational progress.

iii) When a pupil identified pursuant to section 3030(f) experiences an acute health problem which results in his or her non-attendance at school for more than five (5) consecutive days, upon notification of the classroom teacher or the parent, the school principal or designee shall assure that an IEP team is convened to determine the appropriate educational services.

iv) If there is a pattern of sporadic illness, the IEP team shall convene to consider alternative means for the pupil to demonstrate competencies in the required course of study so that the cumulative number of absences does not prevent educational progress.

F. Adapted physical education services provide:

i) Adapted Physical Education (APE) for individuals with disabilities who have a significant motor deficit in one or more of the

following areas: perceptual motor skills, locomotor skills, object control skills, physical fitness, and adaptive behaviors that

cannot safely and successfully participate in the general physical education program.

ii) APE has different service delivery models for students with varying disabilities. Service delivery models include direct/co-

teaching, specially- designed, collaboration, and consultation. It is recommended that general and adapted physical educators

use a collaborative, consultation, or co- teaching approach to provide the maximum amount of joint participation between

disabled and non-disabled children.

G. Physical and occupational therapy services:

i) Physical therapy

• School Physical Therapy (PT) focuses on students and their achievement of purposeful, goal-directed activities that improve their functional performance during their school day.

• School Physical Therapy assesses and provides intervention for students’ needs based on their medical diagnoses and impact on their ability to physically access their school campus. Areas of assessment include analysis of potential environmental barriers and physical access, as well as underlying issues, including posture, balance, strength, coordination, motor control, mobility, gross motor skills, and endurance.

• School physical therapy may involve task or environmental adaptations, and PT intervention may consist of a combination of direct treatment/intervention, consultation, collaboration, and monitoring, as well as consultation and intervention for all students.

ii) Occupational therapy

• School Occupational Therapy (OT) is a support service to a student's special educational program emphasizing the importance of performance in the school environment.

• School Occupational Therapy assesses and addresses the following underlying performance areas: postural stability, fine motor skills, visual perception, visual-motor integration, sensory processing, and self-care during the school day and social participation.

• Occupational Therapy services may include an adaptation of a task or the environment and consist of a combination of direct intervention, consultation, and monitoring.

H. Vision services provide:

i) Blind partially sighted services to eligible students with a documented visual impairment (VI) diagnosis that is provided

from an ophthalmologist or an optometrist and a Functional Vision Assessment that impacts the student’s academic

performance in the core curriculum or alternate curriculum.

ii) Services from VI itinerant services to students in general education classrooms.

iii) Services in a VI special day program on a general education campus.

iv) Itinerant services for students at a special education school.

I. Counseling and guidance services, including rehabilitation counseling, provide:

Educational counseling provided by school psychologists and/or school social workers in which the pupil is assisted in planning and implementing his or her immediate long-range educational program and/or personal counseling in which the pupil is helped to develop his or her ability to function with social and personal responsibility.

M. Psychological services other than assessment and development of the IEP:

Educationally Related Mental Health Services (ERMHS) involves intensive counseling services intended to ameliorate learning and behavioral problems of individuals or groups through applied psychotherapy. These services are typically provided by licensed clinical social workers (LCSW) or school psychologists in the public school setting.

N. Parent Counseling and Training:

Training geared toward assisting parents in understanding the special needs of their child and providing parents with information about child development. These trainings are held at school sites or local district offices throughout the District by LCSWs or school psychologists.

O. Health and nursing services provide:

i) Health assessments as part of the IEP process.

ii) Recommendations to IEP teams regarding necessary supports and accommodations due to health reasons.

iii) Health-related services defined in the IEP, including physical health care procedures.

iv) Assistance to students who have extensive health needs including medical protocols.

P. Social worker services provide:

i) Individual and/or group counseling for students and his/her immediate family.

ii) Consultation with students, parents, teachers, and other personnel regarding effects of family and other social factors on the learning

and developmental requirements of individual students with exceptional needs

iii) Developing a network of community resources, making appropriate referrals, and maintaining liaison relationships among the school,

the students with exceptional needs, the family, and the various agencies providing social, income maintenance, employment

development, mental health, or other developmental services.

Q. Specialized services for low-incidence disabilities, such as readers, transcribers, and vision and hearing services:

i) Assistive technology (AT):

• Tools required to maintain, improve, or increase functional capabilities to bridge the gap between student’s performance

• and demands of the curriculum.

• Provides access to the curriculum through a range of supports based on the individual needs of the student.

• Interpreters, notetakers, readers, transcribers, and other individuals provide specialized materials and equipment for

• students with low incidence disabilities as determined by student’s assessed needs.

R. Interpreting services provide:

• Oral transliteration services, cued language transliteration services, sign language transliteration, and interpreting services,

• and transcription services, such as communication access real-time translation for students who are identified as deaf or hard of hearing.

• Special interpreting services for children who are deaf-blind.

4) Special Classes

A. Special Day Class (SDC) Mild-Moderate

i) The SDC-MM program is designed for students with disabilities who are participating on the general

education/core curriculum and are working toward a high school diploma. Some students may require State/District

approved waivers to complete the diploma requirements. However, some students in the SDC-MM program

will earn a certificate of completion if all District and State graduation requirements are not met.

ii) Students enrolled in SDC-MM programs are assigned to special education classroom teachers for a majority of

a school day (usually more than 50%), and those minutes are counted as outside of the general education program.

iii) Whenever appropriate and feasible, students from the SDC-MM program may be included/mainstreamed in

general education classes or programs, especially when a particular course or activity is not offered within the special day

program.

iv) The curriculum to be used in SDC- MM programs is the District approved core curriculum, and teachers may supplement the curriculum with targeted or intensive materials and instruction as appropriate.

B. Special Day Class (SDC) Moderate-Severe

i) The alternate curriculum special day program (SDC-MS) is a setting that serves pupils with moderate-to-severe disabilities which impact the student’s academic, non-academic, cognitive, and adaptive/daily living functioning.

ii) Students enrolled in SDC-MS programs are assigned to special education classroom teachers for a

majority of a school day (more than 50%), and those minutes are counted as outside of the general education program.

iii) At the high school level, the SDC-MS program is designed for students with disabilities who will not

enroll in the “a-g” sequence of courses or work toward a diploma and will instead work toward a certificate of completion.

iv) Whenever appropriate and feasible, students enrolled in the SDC-MS programs may be

included/mainstreamed in general education classes or programs pursuant to their IEPs in order to provide opportunities to

engage with typical peers in the least restrictive environment.

5) Nonpublic, nonsectarian school services

• Nonpublic, nonsectarian school means a private, nonsectarian school that enrolls individuals with exceptional needs pursuant to an IEP,

employs staff with appropriate credentials authorizing special education services, and is certified by the State.

• The governing board of the District may contract with State-certified nonpublic, nonsectarian schools or agencies to provide special

education services when an appropriate public education program is not available.

• Contracts with the nonpublic school or agency contain assurances that the school or agency will comply with applicable Federal and State

laws and regulations.

• Placement at a nonpublic, nonsectarian school will be reviewed annually at the IEP meeting.

6) State Special Schools

• The State operates three special schools in California: California School for the Deaf, Riverside; California School for the Deaf, Fremont;

California School for the Blind, Fremont.

• State Special Schools may be considered by an IEP team if an appropriate public education program is not available in the District.

7) Extended School Year

Extended school year services shall be provided for each individual with exceptional needs who has unique needs and requires special education and related services in excess of the regular academic year. Such individuals shall have disabilities which are likely to continue indefinitely or for a prolonged period, and interruption of the pupil's educational programming may cause regression, when coupled with limited recoupment capacity, rendering it impossible or unlikely that the pupil will attain the level of self-sufficiency and independence that would otherwise be expected in view of his or her disabling condition. The lack of clear evidence of such factors may not be used to deny an individual an extended school year program if the IEP team determines the need for such a program and includes extended school year in the IEP.

A. Extended year special education and related services shall be provided by the school district offering

programs during the regular academic year.

B. Individuals with exceptional needs who may require an extended school year are those who:

i) Are placed in special classes; or

ii) Are individuals with exceptional needs whose IEPs specify an extended year program as determined by the IEP team.

C. An extended year program, when needed, as determined by the IEP team, shall be included in the pupil's IEP.

8) Behavioral Intervention

Behavioral interventions, supports, and other strategies are used in consideration of the student’s physical freedom and social interaction, are administered in a manner that respects human dignity and personal privacy, and ensures a student’s right to placement in the least restrictive educational environment.

9) Transportation

Transportation is available as a related service if it is necessary for a student to receive FAPE. In making this determination, the IEP team must consider: (1) the needs of the student; and (2) the least restrictive form of transportation appropriate for the student.

Transportation is provided as a related service for students with disabilities if the following conditions exist:

• A student is placed by the District at a school other than their school of residence, which is referred to as the “home school.” “Home school” is defined as the student’s school of residence or school of choice.

• A student’s disability prohibits them from getting to school in the same manner as their non-disabled peers. If the student requires transportation, the justification must be included on their IEP.