Department of Special Programs and Student Services
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Department of Special Programs and Student Services |
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The Plymouth-Canton Community Schools offer a
variety of programs and services for students receiving special education. Once
the student has been evaluated by a Multidisciplinary Evaluation Team (MET), an
Individual Educational Program Team Committee (IEPT) is then convened for the
purpose of determining eligibility. After eligibility for special education has
been established, the IEPT develops goals and objectives and decides what
programs and services are appropriate to meet the educational needs of the
individual student. Placement decisions are based on the principal of least
restrictive environment and may range from a general education placement to an
out-of-district center based specialized classroom program. The following is a
list of some of the special education programs and services offered in the
Plymouth-Canton Schools. ADAPTIVE PHYSICAL EDUCATION SERVICES
Adaptive Physical Education provides instruction of basic sports
and recreation skills without emphasizing competition to impaired individuals
while keeping their disabilities in mind. Middle School Healthy living and daily fitness techniques including flexibility
and exercise are emphasized. Team
and individual sports are taught depending on the variety and extent of the
disabilities and students involved. A.P.E. Autistic Recreation (School Year
- Middle and High School) The main emphasis of this class will be to provide a safe
atmosphere where recreation and daily fitness along with simple and brief sport
skills are covered. This is an
extremely low-level course where following directions and community based
activities will be stressed. (Example
activities - Daily flexibility stretching, sit-ups, push-ups, jumps, swim,
roller skate, ice skate, basketball, fitness walks, stationary bike riding,
audio & video aerobics, etc.) A.P.E. Sport Samplers (High School) The objective of this class is to
constantly develop and improve the human bodies’ fitness and motor
coordination levels. A variety of
team and individual sports including recreation and fitness activities will be
taught in this course including but not limited to: Fall
Locomotor Skills
Scooter
Games
Crab Soccer Parachute
Aerobics
Fitness Tennis Badminton FootballCircuit Training
Obstacle
Course Stair Laps Winter
Volleyball
Swimming
Fitness Locomotor Skills
Bowling
Softball Hockey
Aerobics
Frisbee Golf Basketball
Lacrosse
Throw & Catch Lawn Games - Kosh, Frisbee, bocce ball, horseshoes, kickball, etc. CATEGORICAL
CLASSROOM PROGRAMS Categorical Classroom Teachers typically provide services for students who require intensive support. They can provide reading and math instruction as well as instruction in other subjects. In addition, they provide consultation and assistance for their students who may be mainstreamed in regular education classrooms. At the elementary level, students are assigned to a specific classroom program. Generally, the categorical classrooms are identified as LD (Learning Disabilities), CI (Cognitively Impaired) or EI (Emotionally Impaired). Students are placed according to their unique needs and teacher expertise. At the middle and high school levels, categorical classroom teachers may also teach academic subjects in a variety of classroom settings. CATEGORICAL
PROGRAMS OFFERED AT THE COUNTY LEVEL In addition to the categorical classrooms that
are offered by Plymouth-Canton, center based programs for students whose
disabilities are considered to be low-incidence and whose needs require
specialized programs. Because individual local districts in Wayne County might
not have enough students to comprise an age-appropriate classroom for students
with a low-incidence disability, students from several districts are grouped
together to form a classroom. Such classrooms and programs are offered by
various local districts and are open to students from particular regions.
Examples include programs which serve students with visual impairments (VI),
hearing impairments (HI), physical impairments (PI), moderate and severe
cognitive impairments (CI), severe multiple impairments (SXI), and autistic
impairments (AI). In addition, day treatment programs are offered for students
with severe emotional impairments and special vocational programs are offered
for students aged 16 to 25. HOMEBOUND SERVICES The job of the homebound teacher is to
provide an opportunity to keep the student up-to-date with assignments and
tests. This is to be done with the cooperation of the Regular Education Teacher,
Homebound Teacher, and participating student. The Homebound Teacher
will coordinate all work including tests and assignments with the Regular
Education Teacher. The student who applies oneself will then be able to return
to a regular classroom situation after his/her illness.
Homebound services do not ensure that all credits will be
maintained; some lab and participation classes are lost if an absence is too
extensive. The classroom teacher has the last word in a recommendation regarding
this. Earning a passing grade in classes where material can be delivered is
always the responsibility of the student. Homebound services are not designed for short-term illness.
Homebound teaching is for children who, for a minimum of two weeks, cannot
possibly attend the regular classroom. While
receiving homebound services it is understood that the child is also unable to
participate in athletics, dance, part-time employment or other extracurricular
activities. If the child is able to
participate in such activities; it is reasonable to expect him/her to attend
school.
INFANT/PRESCHOOL
SPECIAL EDUCATION PROGRAM (IPSEP) The Plymouth-Canton School District operates a
special program which serves the needs of infants and young children with
disabilities from birth through five years of age. The focus of service is on
the child as a member of the family unit, and intervention is multidisciplinary
in nature. A variety of professionals (including teachers, speech and language
therapists, occupational and physical therapists, school nurse, psychologist,
and social worker) provide evaluation and services in the school and/or home
setting. PSYCHOLOGICAL
SERVICES
The School Psychologist evaluates referred students to help determine special education eligibility, consults with staff, students and parents, serves referred children from infancy through high school graduation, and is available to offer support in crisis situations with members of the school community. RESOURCE
ROOM PROGRAMS Resource Room Teachers provide services to
students whose disabilities require a moderate amount of intervention. Resource
Room Teachers perform a wide variety of services such as reading instruction,
math instruction support for special subjects, homework assistance, and many of
the same specialized interventions and services that the teacher consultant
provides. In addition, the Resource Room Teacher at the elementary level
provides diagnostic services similar to a teacher consultant. At the middle and
high school level, Resource Room Teachers may teach academic subjects through a
departmentalized model to students in special education. At all levels, Resource
Room Teachers may co-teach a particular class with another teacher in regular or
special education.
SOCIAL
WORKER SERVICES
School
Social Workers (SSW) a hold Masters Degree in Social Work as well as
certification by the State of Michigan as a School Social Worker.
SSW serve as a part of child study teams, which identify students who are
experiencing academic difficulty. Additionally,
SSW along with other team members provide evaluation of students for
handicapping conditions such as Autism, OHI (Other Health Impairment) or
Emotional SPEECH AND
LANGUAGE PROGRAM Plymouth-Canton offers speech and language services for eligible
students whose disabilities require such intervention. The speech and language
teacher is responsible for evaluating students with suspected speech and
language disabilities and serves as a member of the evaluation team. The teacher
of students with speech and language disabilities most often serves students in
small group sessions. The services may be provided in the student's classroom or
in the classroom of the speech and language teacher depending on individual
needs, class schedules, and group composition. Students may receive speech and
language services in combination with other special education services if the
MET and IEPT determine such services to be necessary. The speech and language
teacher also serves as a consultant for regular and special education teachers
regarding students with disabilities in their classrooms.
For eligible students, two speech and language classes
are taught at the high school for credit. The classes are filled by referral
from a speech/language teacher. As
part of those classes, the students participate in several field trips, during
which targeted speech and language skills are practiced. TEACHER
CONSULTANT (TC) SERVICES The teacher consultant
has expertise in one or more areas of special education. The TC may provide
diagnostic services, consultation and direct services to students. The TC also
consults with and provides assistance to regular and special education classroom
teachers and parents regarding the student's individual needs and the student's
general ed class status. TEACHER CONSULTANT (TC), OUTREACH SERVICES Specialized teacher consultants are also available from Wayne
County on an "outreach basis." Such TC’s possess special knowledge
about students with particular disabilities and are available to consult with
all local staff who work with such students. For example, Outreach TC’s are
available for students who have vision disabilities, hearing disabilities,
physical disabilities, behavior disabilities, and autism. TEACHER CONSULTANT - INCLUSION
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