Lessons from Leaders

I enjoy reading about people in history who have created something of significance or led during a significant time. Some of the people who come to mind: Thomas Edison, inventor of electric light and motion pictures, among other devices and processes; Abraham Lincoln, who lead his "Team of Rivals" through the transformative civil war to keep our precious union together; Harry Truman, who had to take over after a legendary leader, figure out how to end the war, and integrated the army; and Steve Jobs, who moved the computer into our homes while making it user friendly, revolutionized phones, music, and tablet computing.

Education has its innovative leaders as well. Horace Mann (1796-1859), who created the "Common School Journal." in which he advocated among other things, universal education of the masses. Richard Armstrong (1805-1860), the Minister of Public Instruction for the Kingdom of Hawaii, who actually implemented one of the first, if not the very first, system of universal education for the masses. And, John Dewey (1859-1952) who is the founder of the modern school design of mass education through standardized learning and teaching, homogeneous grouping of students by age, and subject.

Right now is an important time in education. To name a few: there are many disruptive educational innovations and experiments taking place such as charter schools with a variety of designs, themes, and pedagogical practices. Also, schools are moving from traditional instruction to a variety of online and technological instruction such as digital curriculum, virtual schools, and many combinations.

However, no city or state has truly adopted a system wide school design that moves away from the hundred year old school design of industrial mass education with bells and classes with 20-30 in a class, separated by age, learning and established standardized knowledge that will not be used in jobs of the future. We are stuck in the past because it worked for those in our countries leadership 30-60 years ago, so it must work for us. Even though we have, on average a 70% high school graduation, with about a 50% graduation rate for minority students.

What we know works, especially for todays' learners is not the large high school, where students get lost, but small learning environments, with project/problem based learning with real life application. We need smaller schools that are allowed to personalize learning. Todays students need to be interested and see the meaning behind what they are doing, before they will do it.

One of the reasons we are not able to do this is money. Another reason is the past. We can't break away from the past to see what the future needs.

Recently, I left my principal position in Oklahoma, because the educational cuts made me very uneasy as to 1) will I have a job at the end of the year and 2) what would education for my own children look like after all these cuts. I was able to secure a fantastic educational leadership position back in Hawaii.

Funding and belief systems are the foundational building blocks for redesigning students' educational experiences. We must develop the "next" system of educating our children through practices that are barely beginning to surface. I envision a "google" like high school, where students spend time in creative teams, not bound by seat time or walls, but only by their imagination. I envision schools with resources that fund ideas and prototypes, and creative opportunities for students to pursue and explore their passions. I envision schools that are not grouped by age, but students are able to move in and out groups, based on growing knowledge, skills, and expertise. I envision a school that gets away form the idea of "seat time" (seat time is the traditional time restraint that says you are bound to that subject and cannot get the credit until you fulfill a time requirement, regardless if you know the material already), and allow students to gain credits through competency, competencies that combine knowledge and skills with competency behaviors such as problem solving, critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, etc.

What is the limit? Mainly us, the adults who are in charge of leading and developing students. It is our need to be in control or our need to say it should be done a certain way, mostly the way it was done 20 years ago, when the policy makers and school funders were in school. Let us develop those next practices and get away form the old practices. If we can, we will see many students flocking back to school and/or staying in school, finishing early or on time and moving on toward a greater good for all.

Leading with Love

First as a teacher and then as an administrator, I often asked myself, what is keeping my at-risk student from learning? As a young teacher, I often looked at the external factors of family, home life, friends and then to internal factors of language skills, motivation, behavior, and potential processing/learning problems. All of these are factors I had no control over. So, I asked, how do I, as the teacher, help the student? If I had kept my focus on these elements, then I would never be able to help my student learn the skills and knowledge needed to be an educated and productive person.

Somewhere along the way, I realized that I cannot control these external and internal issues affecting the student. All I can do is impact the way I act upon these factors. What behaviors can I do, change, get better at, etc. to counter, improve, stimulate, and/or influence the student’s learning.

It begins with philosophy. I start with the philosophy, the belief that the student can and wants to learn, no matter what he/she says or does internally and/or externally. If I don’t believe the student wants to learn and can learn, then I cannot help the student. But, if I do believe, then I have an opportunity to make learning in any child a reality.

Some students are harder to reach then others; this is just the nature of the game. My level of commitment, of desire to “crack this nut” or solve this learning dilemma, is the extent that I can deal with my internal and external factors to achieve my goal of helping this student learn. Helping the student learn is no longer the student’s problem, with a philosophical belief/mindset, it has now become my opportunity.

Yes, we want the student to take ownership of their own learning and if they don’t, it is hard to motivate the student and help the student learn, it just makes it harder, not impossible if I maintain the belief that the student can and wants to learn.

Where do we start? We start with the leadership of “love.” When we lead with love, then we have the opportunity to reach all students. Love always believes, always trusts, always hopes, keeps no record of wrongs; love always perseveres, and most importantly, love “NEVER FAILS.”

If we love our students, then we will never fail them. We have to keep problem solving, keep pushing ourselves to reach them. In the end, I have never had a student fail to respond to me when I loved them from the heart. I have had students fail to respond to me, when I was angry with them and not loving them. They may not get to where I want them to get, but if I start with love, then I have at least knocked down the barrier that affects the student the most - my belief and my attitude which ultimately affects my actions. So in order to be effective, I need to begin with the attitude of love, this will keep me from being ineffective as an educator.

Professional Capital

My first teaching experience was as a long-term substitute, teaching fifth grade in Richmond, California. The total population was 100% free lunch, with many students well below grade level academically. Soon after I began as a long-term sub, the school adopted a "scripted" curriculum that told me what to say and how to say it. At first, as a new, inexperienced, untrained teacher, I liked the curriculum. But as I received professional development and university training, I began to change my mind. I was not allowed to go beyond the script and use my professional training. I felt frustrated. I saw my students and I as robots, going through the motions. We were physically present, but emotionally and intellectually uninspired.

After three years, I changed schools, At my new school, I was allowed to experiment and use my training. I began dialoguing and discussing what worked and what didn't work with other teachers. We discussed data and teaching practices. We read articles and went to training to learn the latest and best teaching practices and assessments. It was a great environment to learn the art of teaching.

As a teacher, I became a facilitator of learning. I placed my students in groups, and allowed them to collaborate and discuss their ideas, just like I was allowed to learn. I had them write, think, present, give and get feedback, and revise their thinking and writing. From this practice, I saw students on all academic levels learning.

In the book The Principal: Three Keys to Maximizing Impact, Michael Fullan writes about "Professional Capital." Professional Capital is made of three forms of capital: Human Capital, Social Capital, and Decisional Capital. For the sake of this article, I want to focus on the idea of Social Capital.

Social Capital is about the quality and quantity of relationships and interactions between colleagues in the workplace. The concept is that groups and the focus on improving the group interactions through collaboration, discussions, and dialogue, the school as a whole will improve. Through this Social Capital the school develops a "shared depth" that allows the teachers and teaching practices to improve through problem solving and developing expertise.

To me, it makes sense intuitively, to create an atmosphere where Social Capital can thrive. As a leader, I try to educate myself and then my staff. I try to get them to learn new information, new ideas, best teaching practices, and then discuss and see how it applies to their practice. I want them to learn as much from each other as they would from anyone else. This, of course, is a work in progress, but something to strive for.

Lessons in Leadership: The Speed of Trust

Stephen M.R. Covey has written and lectured on the "Speed of Trust." According to Mr. Covey, trust is established through character and competence. As a new leader coming into an existing organization, I set out to build trust as a foundation for change.

I first heard of the "Speed of Trust" from a compact disc (cd), The 4 Imperatives of Great Leaders. When coming to my new leadership position, I wanted relational and leadership trust. Part of this desire had to do with my previous assignment, where as an assistant principal and part of a turn around team, the principal set a hostile tone against the existing staff. Many teachers and staff members were put off by this "change leader" making them resistant to change.

Naturally, people are resistant to change. Establishing a hostile environment showed me that people will double down on their resistance and unite against the leader, making change next to impossible. This established an "us v. them" culture. To bring change in this atmosphere, you have to fire everyone or force people to change by exerting power.

Fast forward to my new position, I set out to build trust. First I needed to establish my character. Character is about having integrity. For me having integrity meant determining my own assessment of the needs and strengths of the employees and the organization as a whole. I had heard from others in the district the needs, problems, and strengths of the school, but I knew I needed to treat people with dignity and respect, while gaining their respect. I had to listen to the employees and move at a pace they could move without giving up. I believed them and trusted their integrity as professionals. I did not question their motives but gave them what I wanted from them-trust and respect.

Of course I made mistakes, but by trying to establish consistent integrity,  I could see the employees begin to let their guard down. This made them open to moving in a direction that was best for all stakeholders.

Today, we finished our first of six, six-week Terms (one of the changes we established). We have averaged around 90% attendance v. around 70% last year. We had students, who had previously lost credits due to attendance, gain 2 credits. The culture of the staff is one of collaboration and support. Though this culture was there before I came, it was challenged when I came in with a mandate to bring change. I look forward to building on the momentum we have begun and it has all worked out for the benefit of the students and our community.

Challenges to Leading an Alternative School

One of the greatest challenges of leading an alternative school is managing all of the "needs." We have students who come from extreme backgrounds such as abuse, mental health needs, social/emotional needs, and academic needs (on both extremes, the need to be challenged and the need for assistance).

These needs manifest themselves in a variety of behaviors. For example, I have students who are anxious and when they get anxious, they can explode or shut down. They may get anxious about academics or about being around too many people; this could lead to becoming physically and/or verbally aggressive, which can trigger other student's triggers. Keeping the peace on a daily basis is tough. Teachers walk the line of keeping the students on-task, engaged, challenged, and yet not anxious or shutdown. It is a tightrope many days.

Some keys to dealing with so many behaviors in such as small environment are:

1. Relationships. We try to keep each student in a solid relationship with an adult in the school. Our teachers and secretary play a vital role in helping students remain calm and/or calm down once they reach the breaking point. Students need to feel loved and respected. Respect goes far and a caring heart goes even further. Students will respond to how they are treated.

2. Emotional intelligence and recognizing triggers before they reach the irrational stage. We have to keep abreast of the pulse of each individual student and how their mood will play during the day. Many times students will come to school on edge due to something that happened before school; this sets the tone for the whole day. We have to recognize the mood and help them cope and focus on the real need, which is their education.

3. Setting expectations and being consistent. Students need to understand that there are consequences and rewards to specific behaviors. Students needs to be reminded of the expectations. They respect boundaries and structure, because often times, school is the only place they have it.

4. Voice and choices. Students need to know that they will be listened to. If they can express themselves and feel like they are listened too, even if you tell them "no," they can respect that. Students want to have a voice and want to have some control over their lives and choices.

5. Being flexible. Knowing when to allow a student to work and/or take a break; knowing when a student needs to be pushed and when they need to be free to sit out for a minute We don't always get this right, but having an attitude of flexibility is a key to helping students with a variety of needs. Sometimes I have to see that what a student needs is an ear and not  the strong hand of discipline.

These are some keys to what I believe help students in alternative school. Let me know if you can think of others.

Leading An Alternative School

Last year I became principal of an Alternative High School in my hometown. It has been a great experience. In one years time, we have made some amazing changes.

One change has been our school design transition from a traditional six class, two semester, traditional schedule to a four class, block schedule with six, six week Terms. Before, with the old schedule, students could earn six credits in a school year. Now, students are able to earn twelve credits in one school year, two credits per Term (.5 credits for each class).

Before, the curriculum was self-paced, tests and worksheets that students completed on their own. Students were not challenged to think critically, collaborate, communicate, or be creative. These "4Cs" are known as the basis of 21st century learning. The skills students really need to know.

With the help and support of the faculty, we have digital curriculum, 100% project/problem based learning focused on these 21st century competencies. We have gotten away from low level knowledge, known also as Depth of Knowledge (DOK) level 1 to DOK levels 3 and 4. Now, students are expected to write and speak, collaborate, and think critically and creatively about solving problems and applying real life, authentic learning experiences.

This Friday we are about to complete our first six week Term. Though this is a work in progress, our students are engaged, attendance is up, and students who were not learning are about to get their first credits.

Much work has gone into this and much more will be demanded. The staff has done a great job buying in and is on board. They are being pushed and pushing each other. It is a joy to see.

Special Education: What Everyone Should Know

I remember the first time I sat in a meeting for a student that wasn't learning in my class. I was an emergency hire in a high needs school. I had veteran teachers around me and my administrator. The question was asked, “what is the need of the student?” the need was the student was far behind, couldn't sit still and was not learning in my class and was not producing any work. They then asked me, “What interventions had I done for the student?”  I really didn’t know how to answer the question. I had tried to get the student to sit down and do her work. But she kept getting up, she kept making excuses and she kept coming to school late. What else could I have done? What needed to be done?

As a parent or a teacher you need to understand what special education is, what its purpose is, and how it's meant to help students.   At the time, I did not know what special education was and I did not know what the special education process was. 

What is Special Education?

Special education is Specially Designed Instruction and services provided to students through an Individualized Education Plan (IEP). Typically students under and IEP are not performing at grade level academically, socially and/or emotionally due to a disability, diagnosed or un-diagnosed.  To be eligible for special education and its related services a student must be found eligible by a multidisciplinary team which include the student’s parents or guardians (and if parents elect to bring an advocate to speak on their behalf and interest), school personnel such as a general education teacher, a special education teacher, and a school and/or district administrator. Other professionals may attend based upon the needs of the student, usually those who know the strengths and needs of the child and/or are skilled professionals who assess and/or interpret formal assessments and/or service a student such as a school or clinical psychologist, a skilled nurse, a speech language pathologist or an occupational or physical therapist.

The Special Education Process

Below is the special education process, from before a student is designated as a child under the special education label to the IEP and its implementation.

1. Pre-referral
2. Referral
3. Evaluation
4. Eligibility
5. Individualized Education Plan (IEP) development
6. IEP Implementation
7. Annual Reviews
8. Tri-annual Evaluations

1. The pre-referral period. Often the initial concerns start with someone working closely with a child who is struggling to learn at the typical rate and/or in the typical manner other children of their age or grade level are learning. During the pre-referral period, the teacher should observe and document the difficulties in learning and/or behavior of particular student. The teacher should also communicate with the parent and discuss the concerns and educational history of the student. The teacher should find out if other teachers expressed concerns and if so, what worked and what did not work for that student. The teacher should also research the educational history and progress of the student including looking at past standardized test scores, previous work samples, previous report cards and teacher comments.

The pre-referral period is also a time to try differentiating instruction and try interventions to determine if there really is a disability impacting and impeding the student’s learning. Engaging a student in the learning process is a complex, dynamic process. Teaching is part art and part science. What one student or group of students respond too and find engaging, another might not understand or be as engaged. That is why teachers should differentiate and use a variety of instructional approaches to meet the academic and behavioral needs of his/her students. Offering a variety of ways students’ recognize and intake learning experiences and output what they learned gives more opportunities for students success without an IEP.

Teachers should be monitoring and assessing the various interventions and pedagogical methods used to help the student who may be struggling. It is here the teacher is closely monitoring progress. If the student responds favorably and shows measurable progress in learning, the student does not need to go to the next phase. If, after trying a variety of strategies and tools, the student is still not making progress, then a referral may need to be made to the multidisciplinary team or student study team to look at what interventions have been tried and to what degree of success; and then, if the student needs to be evaluated for special education. 

2. The Referral. The referral maybe submitted by any person connected with the child, a teacher, parent, physician, specialist such as a school or family counselor, school or private psychologist, or another adult care taker or service provider.

The person submitting the referral for a child in a K-12 school should raise the concern with the appropriate official at the school level, either a counselor, teacher, school psychologist, or other official who is responsible for initial referrals for special education.

If the child is ages 0-3, the parent should seek help from the child’s pediatrician or in some cases the Department of Health; if the day-care provider or pre-school teacher has concerns, they should inform the parent and the parent should raise concerns with the pediatrician or in some cases, the Department of Health.

3. Evaluation. Once the referral is submitted, a multidisciplinary team meeting is convened. The multidisciplinary team should consist of the classroom or general education teacher, a special education teacher, a district or school personnel who can designate funds, and a person who can administer and interpret assessments such as a school or clinical psychologist. Other specialists whose expertise may be sought such as a speech pathologist, occupational therapist or a physical therapist and a school counselor may be present if there are concerns. The reason for the referral should be brought before the multidisciplinary team and a discussion should be held; the team should consider the concerns and any work samples, test results, and interventions and data collected during the referral period.

During this discussion the team must consider and make a decision on whether or not to evaluate (conduct a series of assessments and observations) to determine if the child needs special education or if the teachers and team members should continue with another series of interventions. Part of the team’s consideration should include if the student is suspected of having a disability that adversely affects or impedes the child’s academic progress.  

If the team decides the child is to be evaluated, the evaluation must be completed and another meeting must be held to discuss the results of the evaluation within 60 days. The evaluation may consist of norm-referenced, standardized tests such as academic and cognitive assessments (also known as IQ tests), interviews, observations, and class work, or something else that may render important and relevant information related to the child’s educational and functional needs.

4. Eligibility. Once the evaluation is complete, an eligibility meeting is held. At this eligibility meeting, the evaluations are shared along with any other current information such as progress in class or lack there of and other information that may be relevant to the teams decision.

5. Individualized Education Plan. If the team finds that the student does qualify for special education and related services, then an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) is created. The IEP consists of the student’s current levels of academic and behavior performance, both strengths and needs. The needs of the student will lead the team to develop yearly measurable goals and within the goals are measurable objectives that when met, will determine progress toward the specific goal the objectives fall under. For example, a student may need to learn to increase the fluency in reading (need in the PLEP). The goal for this need may be: over the course of a year the student will increase their fluency from 100 wpm to 130 wpm. The objectives may be: 1) the student will increase site word recognition from the 300 list to 800 list with 90% accuracy 4 of 5 probes; 2) the student will read with an individual tutor (peer or adult) 600 words aloud per day 4 days a week for 7 of 9 weeks out of the quarter; 3) the student will read a list of 100 nonsense, decodable words with 90% accuracy 4 of 5 probes.

The objectives are building blocks to meeting the goal of increased fluency. The sight word practice will help because a student needs to be able to recognize and recall sight words since they are not decodable. The student also needs to increase the speed of his/her abilty to read nonsense, decodable words, therefore, practicing on nonsense words will reinforce the fundamentals of decoding. and the student needs to read and practice reading words in real situations and then be corrected if they make mistakes. The goals and/or objectives, meet the needs of the student to help them close the learning gap or give them access to the general grade level curriculum.

Special Education focuses on strengths and needs, not diagnosis. A diagnosis may label a child and give you information as far as the type of disability the student poses, but simply because a student has a diagnosed disability such as Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) does not necessarily mean the student needs special education or related services. Special education focuses on what are the needs of the student as they relate to education. If a child has a gap in learning, or needs assistance access the general education due to specific weakness that are cause by a disability, the IEP should address the weakness that are causing the gap. The child needs to have the need for specially designed instruction.

Progress reports are given over the course of the year reporting the progress toward the goals and objectives. Data collected should be monitored weekly and progress reports should be sent home to the parents at least once a quarter, usually at the same time as the student’s report card. For a student in an inclusion class, the progress report should be a combined effort between the general education teacher and the special education teacher.

Progress may be reported as no progress, emerging, adequate progress, and mastered. Goals and objectives that are mastered should be taken out of the IEP. The teacher should work to maintain the achieved goal or objective; but a new goal or objective should be established. The final year end progress report should be a key document at the annual review discussed below.   

6. Annual Reviews and Triennial Evaluations. At a minimum, the IEP has to be reviewed at least once a year, but may be reviewed as many times as the team decides to meet and review in order to ensure the student is able to receive educational benefit through implementation of the IEP. The multidisciplinary team should get together and review the progress made toward the previous year’s goals and objectives. The Present Levels of Performance (PLEP) should be revised to accurately reflect the student’s current needs and strengths;  the goals and/or objectives should be adjusted, removed, or continued based upon the students progress and the needs in the PLEP.

The multidisciplinary team should meet every three (3) years to discuss if a an evaluation needs to be conducted; if the team feels the need to collect data through formal assessments and observations to determine progress, make sure adequate services are being provided, if there are other academic or behavior concerns or factors that have surfaced since the previous evaluation or for other various reasons the team may decide. 

What Role Does the General Education Teacher Play in this Process?

The regular or general education teacher should be involved in every step of this process. The prereferral process is the time the general education monitors and gets to know the student by observing and trying to determine the needs of the students as well as the strengths. This is also the time to determine what the student responds to, the students learning style and the child’s nuances and behaviors. A relationship should be established a teacher should make sure it not due to external factors such as problems at home or a conflict between the student and the teacher. Research shows, that students end up in special education due to irritating actions of the student that the teacher does not like.

The prereferral process is the time to collect as much as objective data as possible. Data such as reading fluency, reading comprehension; sight word vocabulary; math fluency; math problem solving, number sense; writing fluency, writing quality such as ability to write a complete sentence, paragraph, narrative, and expository piece.

When and if the time comes where the multidisciplinary team needs to meet and discuss whether or not to evaluate the general education teacher should bring the objective data for the team to analyze and use to help make decisions on: how is the child progressing compared to the rest of the students, where does the child’s education progress fall (High achieving, middle, low, very low, etc)?; is there something explainable that might be getting in the way of the child’s learning (Home environment; recent illness; social problems; adolescence; needs glasses; etc)?; and/or What interventions have you done with the student (more will be discussed later in this book regarding interventions)?

At the eligibility meeting, you may answer whether, in your opinion, the instruction needs to be changed enough beyond what you or any other general education teacher would do for the average student to learn. In other words, beyond regular instruction and beyond differentiation, does this student need, specially designed instruction in order to learn and make academic progress. 

At the IEP meeting you need to provide current information on skills and behavior the student can do compared to a typical student in the grade level and compared to the grade level standards. At the IEP meeting, your help in determining goals for the student and how the to help the student achieve those goals would; and when it comes time to discuss the placement of the child, either in the regular education class or in a special class or special school, etc.

Where Did Special Education Come From?

Special education can trace its roots back to the civil rights movement. Parents of special needs kids and reformers had long sought better situations for special needs students. The civil rights movement was the spark that led to the first laws protecting the rights of special needs students.

Prior to the 1970s, there were no federal laws protecting children with disabilities. Children with disabilities were either placed in regular public schools with no additional supports or they were placed in special schools or public institutions such as schools for the deaf and blind or deaf and dumb. Local school districts were allowed to refuse enrollment to students with disabilities. Many states misplaced children with disabilities; for example, students with average intelligence but physical handicaps were placed in classes for students with mental retardation (MR).  Two important court cases that established the equal protection under the law for students with disabilities are: Pennsylvania Association of Retarded Children (PARC) v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; and Mills v. Board of Education (Martin et al, 1996).

In the 1971 case Pennsylvania Association of Retarded Children (PARC) v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, PARC contested a state law requiring students to reach the “mental age of 5” before they were allowed to enter public school (Martin et al, 1996). The ruling established that a child had a right to a Free  Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) up to the age of 21 with the right to have an educational program appropriate to their present performance level; It also set the precedence that each student had a right to be place in his/her least restrictive environment (LRE).

In Mills v. Board of Education (1972), the ruling established the right that every child with a disability was protected by the Fourteenth Amendment, which is equal protection under the law. Equal protection means a right to procedural safeguards including prior written notice of a change to their child’s eligibility, educational program, and/or placement. This establishes the parents’ right to due process.

These and additional court cases led to the first national law for students with special needs, Public Law 94-142. Also known as the 1975 Education for All Handicapped Children Act, Public Law 94-142 set the foundation for today’s special education services. Reauthorized in 1997 as the Individuals with Disability Education Act or IDEA and again in 2004 as the Individuals with Disability Education Improvement Act (IDEIA) these laws give each student the right to a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) and the right to be receive this education in the least restrictive environment (LRE).

For further reading on the history and establishment of Public Law 94-142 and IDEA and the court cases that help establish it please read:

Manasevit, Plagata-Neubauer & Winters 2007

Martin, Martin, & Terman, 1996

Zimmerman, 2002

What is Special Education and Related Services?

Special education is when a child needs Specially Designed Instruction and related services to access the general curriculum. Specially Designed Instruction (SDI) is when the curriculum or the delivery of the curriculum and/or instruction is changed or delivered in a way that meets the unique needs of a child who has a disability that impedes the child’s access to the general curriculum. For example, if you deliver the same instruction to a group of 20, or 15, or 10 or even 5 students and a child learns, then that is not specially designed instruction. But if you deliver instruction to a group, large or small, and one child fails to learn and you have to change your delivery or curriculum so the child can learn it, then that may be considered specially designed instruction. If the child continually fails to learn when presented with regular pedagogical techniques and curriculum used for  typical children and you have to individually change the instruction enough times for that one child, then the child may need SDI all or most of the time and therefore may need special education. Please see chapter _, for a discussion on the difference between Differentiated Instruction and Specially Designed Instruction.  

Related services are the services that help a child who needs specially designed instruction most of the time or in specific subjects. For example, a related service to a special education student may be occupational therapy (OT). OT would help develop fine motor skills so the student can learn the skills necessary to perform like an average or typical student. Another example is counseling services for a student who may need to learn coping skills when faced with frustrating situations or a student who may need speech therapy to help the student articulate his/her words appropriately.

What Special Education Is NOT

Special education is not a dumping ground for students who need “extra help.” Special education is not for students who have gaps in their education and need to get caught up. Special education is for students who have a legitimate disability and need help accessing the grade level education and/or learning the prerequisite skills required for learning grade level work or future grade level work. For example, if a student has a legitimate reading disability, that student may need to be taught reading or writing differently than the average or typical child. That student may need extra time to read and my need to form letters with his/her fingers or may need an electrical device to read into to check to see if he/she learned what they need to learn.

Many times today, special education maintains a focus on basic skills students continue to fail to learn year after year such as multiplication tables or telling time on an analog clock. Students spend so much time on simple skills like this (year after year) and they never get into higher level critical thinking skills. If a student doesn’t know his/her multiplication tables (unable to memorize due to a disability) then give the student a calculator and teach him how to do algebra, geometry, and physics. If the student is unable to grasp the concept of reading an analog clock, give him/her a digital clock and teach him her a higher level concept. By keeping students with special needs on basic skills, we are handicapping them more than their disability ever would.

Special education should be individualized and it should be specific to that child. If you are mainly differentiating for your students, then that is not special education. See Appendix A for further discussion on the difference between differentiation and specially designed instruction.