Includes services for students identified as having a Specific Learning Disability, and other disabilities in mild severity  such as  Autism; Deaf-Blindness; Emotional Disturbance; Other Health Impairment and authorizes service in grades TK-8

Goals:

• To support students with disabilities in accessing and progressing in standards-based core curriculum.
• Instruction and services for those students whose needs have been identified in an Individualized Education Program (IEP) developed by the IEP team and who are assigned to general education classroom teachers for a majority of a school day.
• Information and assistance to students with disabilities and their parents.
• Consultation, resource information, and material regarding students with disabilities to parents and to general education staff members.
• Coordination of special education services with the regular school programs for each student with disabilities enrolled in the resource specialist program.

Description: Instruction and services for those students whose needs have been identified in an Individualized Education Program (IEP) developed by the IEP team and who are assigned to the general education roster and classroom for a majority of a school day. Grade-level content standards and curriculum provide the foundation for all instruction.

Student Population: Students in grades TK-8 who are served through the Resource Specialist Program (RSP) are eligible for Services as a result of a Specific Learning Disability, and other disabilities identified as mild in severity that may include Autism; Deaf-Blindness; Emotional Disturbance; Other Health Impairment  that impacts learning in general education.

Service Delivery Model: In collaboration with the general education teacher, the resource specialist teacher implements a program of student support consisting of an array of services including:

•Direct Pull-Out or Push-In support- Students are either pulled out from the general education classroom for intensive academic instruction or the RSP teacher pushes into the general education classroom to provide support, as stated in the IEP.

•Co-teaching and Co-Planning (Middle School)- implemented with general and special education teachers paired together, sharing lesson planning, instruction, and assessment responsibilities to create a more inclusive classroom.

Service Provider: The RSP teacher provides instructional services to students with disabilities whose Individualized Education Program (IEP) team determines that service through the resource specialist program is the least restrictive environment. The RSP teacher support includes, but is not limited to, instruction that addresses needs in the IEP: Behavior strategies, Academic Skills, Organization and study skills,  Social skills, and Use of cognitive strategies.