Special Education Welcome to Open School Special Education! Teachers (Specific Learning Disabilities): ELC:  Jennifer Kalenborn SLC:  Sheri Gonsioroski and Kim Totushek Speech and Language:  Judith Feldman Teaching Assistant: Josh Adams Students: Open School is proud to serve students from K-12th grade with a variety of special education categorical disabilities: Autism Spectrum Disorder, Developmental Cognitive Disability, Emotional Behavioral Disorder, Other Health Disability, Specific Learning Disabilities, Speech and Language, and Traumatic Brain Injury. Occupational Therapy and Adaptive Physical Education Services are provided by Saint Paul Public Schools staff, on a once a week basis, for those students that qualify. To provide our Special Education Students with the least restrictive learning environment, our goal is for them to be enrolled in General Education Courses throughout the school day.  Each student will be enrolled in a minimum of one Special Education Class Period a day, to provide support based on individual student needs.  Our students and their families bring a rich diversity to our Open School Community. Philosophy “The Special Education Department of the Saint Paul Public Schools recognizes and supports the importance of individualizing the educational experience to meet the unique needs of each student. The Individualized Education Program (IEP) Team, of which the parents are important members, strive to foster the student's development of a positive self-concept and identity within the larger community. The focus is to provide the student with the tools to become self-sufficient, contributing members of society.” (From the SPPS Special Education Website - 2006) “When students believe that success is possible, they will try.  So our first priority in any class is to help students believe in themselves and their ability to learn.  We can guarantee students that they will have the best year ever if we ask three things of them and we do the rest: they show up everyday, they come with the attitude that they could and will learn something and they try.” (From the Special Education Newsletter (2006)Accelerated Path to Excellence) Focus: The major focus of the program is to work on basic skill practice (Reading, Written Language, and Mathematics) and the completion of various activities to meet IEP goals.  This may also be in the form of Transitional activities (age 14 or 9th grade+). These skills are mastered by participating in a variety of skill reinforcement activities specifically chosen, for each individual student, based on their IEP goals.  It is an expectation of the student that they are making adequate progress towards their IEP goals/objectives and that they are demonstrating that they are meeting the minimum requirements in their General Education Courses. Reading: A student with a reading disability shall demonstrate the ability to comprehend, interpret, and evaluate information in fictional reading, listening, and viewing selections by: 1.retelling a story, including major characters, setting, sequence of events, and conflicts; 2.showing evidence of an ongoing process for expanding vocabulary; 3.interpreting literal and figurative language and imagery; 4.categorizing events, behavior, or characters; 5.predicting logical cause and effect sequence; and 6.evaluating fiction according to pre-established criteria. Students will be able to demonstrate that they are able to comprehend non-fiction in the same critical manner as the fictional material. Students with basic reading goals will complete instructional lessons using the Don Johnston Start to Finish Books, Read 180 for Special Education (Selected Students), Sonday Phonics S.O.S. Reading Software, the 4 Blocks, and the AGS Reading Skills for Life Series. Written Language: Students with written language goals will demonstrate the ability to independently use the pre-writing software programs of Inspiration or Kidspiration.  Also used to build basic reading skills are the Homework Wiz, CoWriter, DraftBuilder, and WriteOutLoud computer programs.  A student shall demonstrate the ability to write using grammar, language mechanics, and other conventions of standard written English for a variety of academic purposes and situations by writing original compositions that: 1. describe, narrate, or explain observations of human events or situations; 2. analyze patterns and relationships or ideas, topics, or themes; 3. construct support for a position, argument, plan, or idea; and 4. evaluate an idea, topic, or theme based on expressed criteria.  This will be completed in part by utilizing the Writer’s Notebook. Mathematics: Students with Mathematics goals will demonstrate their ability to use mathematical skills in their day to day life by completing lessons in the Everyday Math, AGS Life Math Series, Saxon Math, or Touch Math. Students will develop basic skills in the following areas: 1. computation, measurement, numbers, and number sense, time, money, counting, calendars, schedules, personal finances, and fractions; 2. demonstrate the ability to analyze and synthesize information in order to apply mathematical skills in real-life situations; 3. plan for, access, and engage in a variety of both familiar and unfamiliar functional mathematics experiences; and 4. demonstrate the ability to comprehend, interpret, and evaluate information from a variety of real-life sources.Individual accommodations/modifications may be made on a per student basis regarding the attainment level of skills necessary to pass statewide and district assessments. Assessment (Monitoring Progress): All Special Education Students are given the IRI (Informal Reading Inventory) annually to monitor basic reading and skill attainment in word identification and silent/listening reading comprehension.  Areas of basic skill deficiency and transitional needs (beginning at age 14 or 9th grade) are determined through Special Education assessments every three years.Other Services:Transition Services and Mobility Training are available to students through District Support Staff as determined necessary by the student’s IEP Team.