BLOG THREE

"What are you doing to meet the needs of your special education students?"

The main way in which I am meeting the needs of my special education students is by trying to follow their IEPs closely and adhere to their accommodations and modifications. The main ones that I focus on are whether or not students are allowed to use a calculator and whether or not students should be given extra time or a different testing space during exams.  I also have a paraprofessional in two of my classes and I try to make sure that he is working with my lowest performing students, many of whom are special education students.  This is important because it is very beneficial for those students to have one-on-one instruction and help, especially if we are moving on to a new topic.  I also try to pair my high kids with my lower kids so that they can work together and my high kids can act almost like tutors.  It seems to be a good system so far since the high students in general enjoy helping their peers, and the lower students feel comfortable asking for help from their peers.