Individualized Education Plans

by Isabel Li staff reporter

Special education at Mounds View High School includes a variety of programs that tailor to each student’s individual needs. These range from accommodations in the classroom to attending school at a separate learning center with smaller class sizes and teacher-tostudent ratios.

Each student in the program has an Individualized Education Plan (IEP), which the student, their parents and staff members develop together. The evaluation process for these IEPs consists of a test for IQ, information processing, behavior assessment and autism, as well as referrals from doctors according to Principal Rob Reetz.

Mounds View’s special education department has 27 staff members who specialize in different areas. Some, like Kaitlyn Miller, are paraeducators who work with special education students one-on-one or in groups to support them in their schoolwork and day-to-day endeavors. Others, like Avery Colwell, teach classes — such as Academic Skills (a class that helps students develop their organization, note-taking and study skills) or Communication Skills (a class that works on social interactions and self-advocacy) that help students develop specifc skills they may struggle in.

from others. So they’re all learning from each other.” to prepare them to be more independent,” said Miller. “[It teaches] them life skills so that they can maybe someday move to a community where they are inde- “We

Colwell is also one of several teachers who coteach, which is when a special education teacher joins a general education classroom and shares the load of teaching with another teacher to accommodate students on IEPs. “I’m in the general education classroom, and there’s four to 10 students [on IEPs] in that general education classroom,” she said. “I teach alongside the science teacher, and I think that’s great because I don’t think students should have to go to a separate part of the school and get different instruction.”

Both students on IEPs and students without IEPS beneft from interaction with one another. “Students that are in general education are gonna go out into the world and they are going to be with people that have disabilities,” said Colwell. “I think it’s a lot for those students that are in general education too, to learn a lot

504 Plans

A school’s main focus when it comes to their students is making sure that everyone is treated equally and every student is protected. A 504 plan helps ensure the protection of students with physical or mental impairments that substantially limits their ability to do one or more major life activities.

Academic 504s were the result of the passage of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. This act laid the foundation for future legislation that protected disabled Americans, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act in the 1990s, and ensured that students with impairments that limit their academic experience could not be discriminated against. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act applies to all public schools, as well as private schools that receive federal funding.

This plan helps qualifed students get the general education they need and participate in other school activities. In order for a student to qualify for a 504 plan

The special education curriculum is far more similar to a traditional high school curriculum than most would expect. Students still go through a six period schedule and have all of their core classes, including math, English, science and social studies. However, there are many variations as to how students at tend these classes. “Some students par ticipate in algebra classes, English class es [and] grade level [classes]. Others maybe do some of those core classes in a special ed room, and they are in choir, phy ed, culinary arts [and] art class,” said Paraeducator Glenn Thomas.

One student, for example, has one period in the morning where they get ready for the day and receive support from a special education teacher. “It’s a spot where I can plan out my day, organize what I need to do, get help with work and just support of really any kind,” said the student. “I can get accommoda- tions in [my regular] classes if I need, but usually I’m not using those. So the rest of my day is pretty [much] just like a ba sic school day. But I think the most important part of my day is probably being here in the morning.”

Besides the six period school day, the special edu cation program also gives students many opportunities to do activities that give them real-world experience. For example, some students go on outings every Thurs day. “We go to parks. We go to libraries. Sometimes we go shopping in the mall. We go to Cub Foods and buy food for our kitchen,” Thomas said. often help the kitchen staff cook school lunches using those ingredients.

Ultimately, the goal of these programs is to pre pare students for lifelong success. “Some of them go to college, but a lot of them go into another program

Alternative

the student’s parents or guardians must request an evaluation.. This evaluation may involve assessments by school personnel, as well as input from the student’s healthcare providers. If the student is found to be eligible, the school will work with the parents or guardians to develop a 504

At Mounds

This spread features the diversity of programs to Mounds View students, including Individualized Area Learning Center. Each of these programs that caters to their

All students mentioned in this article are associated with

Student with a 504 plan that outlines the accommodations and services that the student will receive.

Some common disabilities that guarantee eligibility for a 504 plan include Attention Defcit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), diabetes, epilepsy, hearing or vision impairments, chronic health conditions, such as asthma or allergies and mental health conditions, such as anxiety or depression. “For me, I think I’m pretty sure I had to show an actual doctor’s note for approval [stating] that I was diagnosed with ADHD,” said a student with a 504 plan.

A 504 plan is different from an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) in that a 504 plan focuses on providing students with modifcations to their regular sched-