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Center-based developmental programs focus on skill development for students with significant cognitive impairment and/or autism spectrum
disorders.
All programs work within the context of state and district guidelines.
Developmental Team Philosophy
The teachers drafting the portion of the Framework dealing with Developmental Center-Based Programs adopted a can-do attitude about
standards while still recognizing the complex environment in which center based teachers work. The transient nature of the student population; the variety of academic levels presented by students in a given
classroom; and the lack of content expertise among an often small teaching staff whose license areas are in special education are all factors that impact standards delivery in developmental programs.
Philosophy:
As educators of and advocates for students with multiple developmental disabilities, we strive to help students build life skills that
enable them to become as empowered and connected as possible. We recognize that some students will be exempt from the state level of the standards. However, students will remain accountable to a performance
outcome in a content standard area at a level appropriate to their individual strengths and needs.
Student Story
The following student story helps help illuminate the needs of students and teachers in Developmental Programs.
Referencing IEPs at the Site
When students qualify for special education services, the vehicle for providing those services is the IEP (individualized education plan).
Instruction is based on individually assessed needs and defined in IEP goals and objectives. Graduation standards and statewide testing do not alter the sanctity of the IEP; nor should they distort it nor detract
from the IEP process. A standards-referenced vs. standards-driven approach to the IEP keeps the proper perspective.
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Standards and the IEP
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Move from . . . . . . . .
Standards-driven
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To
Standards-referenced
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- primary focus on achieving the standard
- based on items from assessment
- goals are limited to academic curriculum choices
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- primary focus on student’s individual needs
- based on team decision-making
- goals organized around needs rather than content areas
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Site-Level Decisions
Center-based programs for special education students have a difficult challenge in bringing standards-referenced education to their
students. The decisions made at these sites, however, can incorporate the best of the thinking from both general education and special education.
The framework includes a decision-making timeline for center-based developmental programs. It offers an integration of the embedding
model for standards found in general education and the individualized model for standards found in special education. By following the planning steps, a site reaps the benefits of the products or outcomes.
Decisions and Documentation
When students are able to work at the state level of the Preparatory and High Standards, smaller sites may be challenged to offer
standards instruction that is beyond the content expertise of the staff. The community and distance learning models may be a solution to this dilemma. This suggestion is included in the steps that will
guide a small site in planning, detailed on the two site planning charts.
Another particular challenge for center-based special education sites is to coordinate standards assessments with all other due process
information. A Year-at-a-Glance Due Process form can be set up on a spreadsheet to keep track not only of IEP-related dates but the standards assessment dates as well.
If a high school student cannot achieve a High Standard at the state level of performance, one of two decisions needs to be made. Either
the student is able to do parts of the standard or parts of an aligned Preparatory Standard (middle, intermediate, primary), in which case the modifications would be made and achievement recorded as “Pass
Individual,” or the student is not able to work in the standard at all, in which case “Exempt” is recorded. To assist teachers in determining if students can do parts of an aligned Preparatory Standard, all levels
of the standards are included in Appendix 1. The high school level of each learning area is printed first, with middle, intermediate, and primary levels immediately following.
Exempting a student from a standard through a decision of the child study team is a valid option that does not exclude that child from the
system of standards. By exempting a student in the careful, considered manner presented here, the student is included in a system of standards and is meeting the intent of the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) reauthorization to move students toward a general education curriculum.
Students who might be exempt from a number of standards are often in developmental or developmental transition programs.
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