Collaborative Teaching

Preschool Special Education Services

Programs for Students with Hearing Impairments

Self-Contained Placements 

Programs for Students with a Visual Impairment

Specialized Placements

Speech and Language Programs

Behavior Intervention Programs

The MPS Behavior Intervention Program (BIP) is a highly structured classroom setting designed for students with emotional and behavioral difficulties. The purpose of the class is to help students learn school behaviors, which will enable them to be successful in a less restrictive classroom setting (i.e. resource class or general education class). Although the primary focus is on teaching appropriate behaviors, academic instruction is also emphasized. Instruction is individualized according to student's behavioral and academic functioning levels in accordance with their Individual Education Plans. A low student-teacher ratio helps ensure success.

There are four main components of the Behavior Intervention Program:

• Set rules and consequences

• Encouragement and praise

• Positive self-esteem and decision-making skills

• Daily communication with parents/guardians about behavior and work skills

Self-Contained Placements PALS "Practical Application of Life Skills" and CBI "Community Based Instruction"

Self-contained placements provide an educational setting for children whose disability is such that education in the general education environment cannot be achieved satisfactorily because of the nature or severity of their disability. These programs offer more structure and task-oriented activities in a small setting. Class sizes vary and are taught by highly qualified special education teachers with paraprofessional support. All activities are designed to provide each student access to the core curriculum through the Extended Standards which are developed by the Alabama State Department of Education. Students in these programs also work on life skills, functional academic skills, and supported communication/social skills.

Language Units

These classes provide specially designed instruction for specific students who have significant language delays which impede the student's ability to be successful in the general education environment. The majority of these students receive instruction aligned with the Extended Standards, Collaborative Teaching.

Collaborative Teaching is a service delivery structure in which teachers (special education and general education) with different knowledge, skills, and talents have joint responsibility for designing, delivering, monitoring, and evaluating instruction for a diverse group of learners in general education classrooms. Many special education students are now receiving instruction in collaborative classrooms. General and special education teachers support classrooms with heterogeneous distribution of students. The general education teacher provides curriculum expertise within the grade-level content area and a special education teacher serves as an intervention specialist providing alternate methods of instruction in order to meet varied student learning needs.

Model One-Consultant

The special education teacher serves as a resource for the general education teacher to suggest and assist with appropriate instructional materials and methods for addressing the needs of the students.

Model Two-Inclusion Designs

• Supportive Teaching- one teacher provides instruction while the other monitors and assists. Supportive Teaching is fundamental to collaboration and is present in most models of collaborative teaching.

• Station Inclusion- teachers instruct small groups of students while other students work independently in learning stations.

• Dual Supportive Inclusion-similar to Supportive Teaching, but includes alternative roles during the lesson.

• Alternative Inclusion- one teacher leads an enrichment or alternative activity while a second teacher or paraprofessional works with a small group of students that require one-on-one or small group instruction to achieve desired goals.

• Parallel Inclusion-the general education teacher (highly qualified on content), introduces the lesson. The class divides into two groups and both teachers provide guided instruction. Preschool Special Education Services

Preschool Services

A team of qualified professionals, including the parents, determines eligibility for special education as outlined in the Alabama Administrative Code. The disability must adversely affect the child's educational performance in the preschool environment and as a result, must require specially designed instruction.

An Individualized Education Program (IEP) is specifically designed for each student utilizing the Alabama Developmental Standards for Preschool Children with Disabilities. IEP goals may include skill development in the areas of Daily Living, Social /Emotional, Language and Literacy, Math, Science, Creative Arts, and Physical Development. These developmental standards collectively reflect standards and curricula used in the various settings throughout the community. These developmental standards also serve as a natural progression to the kindergarten standards contained in the Alabama Course of Study and are necessary for each child to function as an active and successful participant at home and in the community.

Preschool special education services are provided in a setting that allows the child opportunities to interact with nondisabled children to the greatest extent appropriate. Special education and related services developed by the IEP team are provided to children placed in natural environments selected and provided by their parents. Community based programs may include MPS K-4 Programs, Head Start, Success by Six, private preschool/daycare, mother's morning out, etc. Special education services for students age 5 and eligible to attend kindergarten are provided at the child's zoned elementary school.

Referral Information

Children ages 0-2 residing in Montgomery County and in need of special education evaluation or services are referred to Early Intervention Child Find 1-800-543-3098.

Children receiving Early Intervention (EI) Services are referred to the MPS Special Education Preschool Department nine months prior to their 3^rd birthday by the EI service provider.

Children ages 3 through 5 residing in Montgomery County, are referred for evaluation and special education services by contacting Sharron Tomlinson, Preschool Special Education Facilitator.

Children age 5 and eligible to attend kindergarten are referred for evaluation and special education services by contacting the special education facilitator at the child's zoned elementary school. 

Children ages 3 through 5 residing outside of Montgomery County and attending a community-based program in Montgomery County are referred to the county of residence for special education evaluation and services.

Preschool students, ages 3 through 5, may be referred for evaluation by contacting the following:

Sharron Tomlinson, Preschool Special Education Facilitator

1153 South Lawrence Street
Montgomery, AL 36104
334-269-3808 sharron.tomlinson@mps.k12.al.us

Programs for Students with Hearing Impairments

Eligibility

A student who is hearing impaired is one who has an impairment, whether permanent or fluctuating, which adversely affects a child's educational performance. The term includes both deaf and hard-of-hearing.

Direct Instruction/Consultative Services

Qualified students who have entered school receive services from a certified teacher of students with hearing impairments. Hearing-impaired teachers maximize their student's auditory skills by focusing on auditory processing and auditory discrimination skills; communication needs including expressive oral and written skills; receptive language skills; and working cooperatively with sign language interpreters when appropriate. Teachers have the expertise to work with a variety of hearing losses, students with cochlear implants, state-of-the-art hearing amplification technology, as well as classroom amplification.

Programs for Students with Visual Impairments 

Eligibility

       A student who is visually impaired is one who:

• has been determined by a licensed ophthalmologist or optometrist to have no vision or to have a serious visual loss after correction, and
• has been determined by a functional vision evaluation and a learning media assessment, conducted by a certified teacher of the visually impaired, to have a need for special services

Direct Instruction/Consultative Services

Qualified students who have entered school continue to receive services from a certified teacher of students with visual impairments. Many students benefit from individualized instruction to address educational needs, which are unique to students with visual impairments. Direct instruction may be required to teach concepts, use of functional vision, Braille reading and writing, abacus, use of low vision aids, keyboarding skills, use of Assistive Technology, and organizational skills. Other students are more appropriately served through consultative services. In this model, the teacher of students with visual impairments works with the multidisciplinary team to ensure that the curriculum, materials, and methods are adapted for each student's individual needs.

Self-Contained Placements

PALS "Practical Application of Life Skills" and CBI "Community Based Instruction"

Self-contained placements provide an educational setting for children whose disability is such that education in the general education environment cannot be achieved satisfactorily because of the nature or severity of their disability. These programs offer more structure and task-oriented activities in a small setting. Class sizes vary and are taught by highly qualified special education teachers with paraprofessional support. All activities are designed to provide each student access to the core curriculum through the Extended Standards which are developed by the Alabama State Department of Education. Students in these programs also work on life skills, functional academic skills, and supported communication/social skills.

Language Units

These classes provide specially designed instruction for specific students who have significant language delays which impede the student's ability to be successful in the general education environment. The majority of these students receive instruction aligned with the Extended Standards.

Specialized Placements

Children's Center is a specialized placement that provides special education services for severely disabled and medically fragile students in Montgomery County. 

McInnis School is a specialized placement that provides special education services for students with severe cognitive delays and behavioral needs.

Extended School Year Services (ESY)

ESY services may be provided to a student that has a documented loss of an acquired critical skill as a result of an interruption of special education or related services. The failure of the student to recoup the skill must exist to the extent that an unreasonable (more than 9 weeks) amount of time is required to regain the critical skill.

Special Education Services for Parent Placed Private School Students

Montgomery Public Schools provides initial special education evaluations and re-evaluations for private school services. Speech services are provided in the areas of articulation and fluency only through a service plan agreement between Montgomery Public Schools and the private schools in Montgomery County.

Private school students age 5 and eligible to attend kindergarten through students age 21 that reside in Montgomery County, may be referred by contacting the zoned school special education facilitator or the MPS Department of Special Education 269-3808. 

Private school students residing outside of Montgomery County and attending a private school in Montgomery County should be referred to the county of residence for special education evaluation. 

Private school students residing outside of Montgomery County and attending a private school in Montgomery County may receive speech services in the areas of articulation and fluency. 

To refer a parentally-placed private school student for a special education evaluation, contact the student's Montgomery County zoned school.

Services for students determined eligible to receive speech services in the areas of articulation and fluency are provided at the student's zoned school.

Special Education Services for Home School Students

Montgomery Public Schools provides initial special education evaluations and re-evaluations for home school students. Speech services are provided in the areas of articulation and fluency only.

To refer a home school student for a special education evaluation, contact the student's zoned school.

Services for students determined eligible to receive speech services in the areas of articulation and fluency are provided at the student's zoned school.

Speech or Language Impairment

Students with a communication disorder in the area(s) of articulation, voice, fluency, or language that adversely affects educational performance may qualify to receive special education services under the disability area of Speech or Language Impairment. In order for a student to be eligible for speech/language services, the communicative disability must prevent, limit, or interfere with the student's ability to interact and respond appropriately in learning and social situations in the school setting or in the case of a preschool child, in the natural environment. The speech language pathologist provides assessment and intervention for articulation, fluency, voice and language disorders. Language intervention may also be provided by the special education and general education teacher. The provider of the services is determined by the IEP team.

What are Communication Disorders?

An Articulation Disorder refers to the atypical production of speech sounds characterized by substitutions, omissions, additions or distortions that cause connected speech to be unintelligible or intelligible only to familiar listeners or within known contexts. 

A Voice Disorder results when a student's voice is abnormal in vocal quality, pitch, loudness, resonance and/or duration and is inappropriate for the student's age and gender. The voice deviance is noticeable and distracting to any listener and adversely affects communication.

A Fluency Disorder results when a student exhibits frequent and /or noticeable interruptions in the rate or rhythm of speech characterized by hesitations, repetitions, prolongations, interjections, revisions, pauses and incomplete phrases and/or sentences. Excessive tension, struggle behavior, and/or secondary characteristics may accompany dysfluent speech. 

A Language Disorder results when a student's ability to comprehend or use spoken language is adversely affected. Errors in syntax, morphology, semantics and/or pragmatics are observed.