Accommodations for special education

If you're a classroom teacher, more likely than not you have at least one student with an IEP or Individual Education Plan. This plan is a written, legal document that outlines the student's disability, present levels of performance, and educational and/or social-emotional goals. During the IEP meeting, much of the discussion is focused on which

Teaching Strategies Teaching Strategies Articles

Preparing for Your Special Education Classroom If you've been teaching a while, you probably have a pretty good routine in place, but I feel like there is always something I can "do better next year." Even after starting the school year multiple times I always tell myself, "Next year, I'm going to to do this.....!" Here are some things I have done to help prepare for what always seems to be a hectic time of year, with new kids, and sometimes a new grade level or school. Once you get the IEP…

Categories of Students with Disabilities are explored in detail here for educators

Learn about types of accommodations for special education students in math, reading, writing, homework & tests, and organization. Download a free printable!

Special Education teachers are the masters of data collection! At times, collecting data can be overwhelming, especially when you sometimes have to outsource the collecting to other teachers, specialists, or teaching assistants. Tracking accommodations is necessary to make sure an IEP is being followed and can be helpful in determining which accommodations should be added to or removed from the IEP. Believe it or not, collecting data on accommodations and modifications does not have to…

Visual Classroom and Daily Schedules Time saving, print and go visual schedules. These visual schedules include both printable and editable options. They are easy to edit and modify to meet your student's needs. You will find them to be naturally motivating with visual completion of tasks and provides students with ownership of their daily routine. What is is visual schedule and how does it help? A visual schedule uses pictures to communicate upcoming activities and tasks for children. Many…

Getting the needed accommodations for struggling students can be a long and arduous process. Whether you pursue 504 or IEP accommodations, there are some things you can do to help assure that you will be pleased with the outcomes. In this blog post, I share a few tips and strategies. What Do I Know? Over the past 20 years, working as a learning specialist, educational therapist, and advocate, I have attended countless 504 and IEP meetings. Some meetings went amicably and resulted in the…

Being a new special education teacher can be overwhelming and stressful. Check out The FIRST thing to do as a new special ed teacher.