Special Education

Elementary Special Education Services:
Special Education provides services mandated by federal and state guidelines for students who, for a variety of reason, require special services and supports to succeed in the classroom.

When a child is having difficulty in school, the first level of intervention involves the schoo'ls staff--including teachers, principal, guidance counselor, nurse, etc. in trying different strategies to address the child's difficulties. The Special Educator and Title I teacher are involved in classroom teaching, small group instruction, and individual tutoring on a regular basis to supplement instruction and support children's success in the regular classroom program.

When a child's difficulties are such that the teachers feel more information and intervention are needed, a referral is made to the special educator, Judy Carpenter, who then meets with the parents and classroom teacher to plan an evaluation to determine what the child will need to ensure academic success. The evaluation addresses areas of concern, and may include outside specialists such as a school psychologist, adaptive physical education specialists, medical, vision, and hearing specialist. When the evaluation information is gathered, the Evaluation and Planning Team, which includes the parents, the child's teacher, the special education teacher, and other relevant school personnel, meets to determine if the child is eligible for special education services.

The majority of Craftsbury children eligible for special education fall into the category of Learning Disabled. This means that there is a significant difference between a child's learning capability, as measured by a standard intelligence test, and their performance in school--there is usually some area of learning difficulty, some difference in learning style that has caused the child to have difficulty in school. Other categories of disability served by Special Education include learning impaired, physically handicapped, speech and language impairments, visual and/or hearing impairments, severely emotionally disturbed, and multi--handicapped. Every child eligible for special education services is served within the regular classroom and program as much possible. The teachers and parents meet at least once a year to develop an Individual Education Plan (IEP) which determines the child's learning needs and how they can best be met. Services might include accommodations in the classroom, supplementary instruction and special strategies to enhance learning. the goal is to meet the child's learning needs in the least disruptive way possible.

Special Education Sequence (Grade 7-12):
The individual Special Education programs at Craftsbury Academy are based on a continuum of academic services. The first step is to help every student identified for special education understand his/her disability and what that disability means for his/her success in the middle and high school curriculum. Second, is to help every special education student identify and understand his/her basic learning style – using the Gardner theory of multiple intelligences, right/left brain characteristics and learning modalities – visual, auditory, kinesthetic. Third, is to help each student develop a personal learning scheme which uses his/her strengths to strengthen his/her weaknesses. Of particular emphasis are personal organization, time management, personal responsibility, taking pride in his/her work and work completion. Once these skills have begun to be put into practice, we strive to build an excitement for learning with the goal of making students independent, lifelong learners.

Working with assigned classroom tasks we work on reading skills, reading comprehension, writing skills and writing quality. Working from the portfolio rubrics, we work with students to develop focus, purpose, voice and organization in their writing. If we have done our job well, by 11th grade, students need assistance only for exams and long written projects. By senior year, they proceed through their academic programs with minimal special education supports. They will graduate having successfully completed graduation requirements and be prepared to be active, self-sufficient and productive members of their communities and independent life-long learners.s