Special Population Student Support and Protocol

The protocol at our school site for special populations is not laid out in a step by
step procedure on any one document, but I will attempt to describe each of the
core components and requirements of the support system with regard to special
education, behavioral diagnoses, and ESL students.
In order to create an accessible curriculum for every student with a
prescribed IEP there are measures taken both inside my classroom and also in the
Academic Success class, which is head by the special education department. Each
student has legal requirements that I must meet which correspond to their
disability, deficiency, or need that I strive to carefully consider whenever planning
any lesson, activity, or assessment. First, in all instruction there are several core
elements of planning that I always include which are: a copy of the PowerPoint
printed out, cloze notes for any direct instruction, an array of visual media (pictures,
videos, etc.), one on one support which includes rereading instructions and
questions aloud, and even scribing for one student. By completing each of these
requirements I believe I work hard to create access to the content with modification,
but rather accommodation.
There are additional scaffolds in place to help not just these students but any
and all such as sentence frames, chunking material, and additional class-wide or
individual checks for understanding. I also strive to create instructional materials
and lessons that tap into students multiple intelligences or various learning
modalities, opportunities both individually and groups, and also inquiry style
learning in which students are guided through the learning process with supports,
but ultimately the approach is student-centered.
As for the ESL students I teach the Sheltered ELA 7 (for Spanish speakers)
which uses a wide range of the scaffolds mentioned in the previous paragraph as
well as instruction that includes both written and spoke Spanish. The content also is
intended to be culturally responsive in that it promotes student personal
experiences and family backgrounds, while also tapping into culturally relevant
material.
Another area of focus for two students in particular are behavior support
systems which include: prescribed and/or requested breaks after certain amounts of
time, positive rewards and communication patterns, and the avoidance of triggers
(negativity, excessive punishment, unnecessary attention, etc.). These students are
particularly challenging in that on top of their IEPs they can also be very high need
in terms of attention and socio-emotional energy which can detract from my ability
to help other students. That said, there are other supports if for some reason a
student enters a state in which they influence the classs ability to function such as
contacting the SPED teacher and/or front office.
Outside of my classroom the special education students also have an
Academic Success class which is a small group environment in which the SPED
teacher focuses on one to two subjects per day to provide additional support where
needed. Once a month the teacher and I meet to discuss areas of concern both for

the group and individuals, and devise plans to meet their needs both in my
classroom as well as hers. This way her class acts as another scaffold or
intervention in which she can provide additional one on one time when I cannot.