SpecialEdSimplified is a small business founded by two Special Education Teachers, Erica Price and Christina Willoughby, in order to create curriculum for a very small, but important student body – students with moderate to severe disabilities.
In the past, students with moderate to severe disabilities have been unsuccessful or made limited progress when accessing the general education curriculum in math, reading, writing, social studies, and science. We have now discovered an essential need for these students to be included in different integrated instructional settings.
No Child Left Behind and IDEA mandate that standards-based learning is to be provided to all students, including those with moderate to severe disabilities. These students must also show progress in state standards-based learning activities. Alternate Assessment objectives have been aligned by states to include achievement standards in the areas of math, reading, writing, social studies, and science. As a result, classroom instruction is obligated to provide students with moderate to severe disabilities with activities that align to state standards, and enable these students to make progress.
When appropriate modifications are accessible, this student body can significantly participate and make measurable progress. Instructional approaches must facilitate student skills in both written and oral communication processes, due to communication being included in all aspects of instruction. Instructional techniques must incorporate modified activities within the differentiated formats, which will provide for participation and learning.
As teachers become accustomed to different instructional techniques, they must also understand the differences that must be included for students who have significant cognitive, sensory, motor and communication disabilities. SpecialEdSimplified emphasizes individualized modifications and how our students can successfully apply this new information to their real-life situations. Guided practices using student-engaged scaffolding techniques provide an extremely effective framework for instruction in these core content areas, which require higher order thinking skills, and enable students to make the necessary progress for academic and vocational success.
