Academics
Special and Gifted Education
Special Education
A team of special education teachers works closely with grade-level teachers and specialists to provide identified students with specialized instruction in the classroom (push-in) or in a resource room setting (pullout). ICS practices full inclusion and provides support within that model to benefit the individual student. Independence Charter special education students participate in all classes and competitions.
Gifted Education
ICS does not run a separate, pull-out program for students identified as “gifted.” Students may be tested and identified as gifted, an identification that remains with the student even after leaving ICS for high school. The ICS curriculum is already an enriched one, providing arts education and second language acquisition for all students. We have transitioned from a more traditional pull-out program to one that focuses on providing more enrichment activities for all ICS students. We suggest that students seeking enrichment outside of the classroom join clubs such as Odyssey of the Mind and Drexel Physics, which encourage critical thinking and problem solving. In addition, we will hold regular “Enrichment Challenges” for all ICS students in the form of challenge questions and activities at all grade levels. Finally, and most importantly, the most current research in education promotes the idea of differentiating instruction to meet all students’ individual needs, a skill which we are developing in all of our teachers. While there is no specific program or teacher dedicated exclusively to students who are identified as “gifted,” all teachers will receive regular professional development on meeting the enrichment needs, as well as other individual learning needs, of each student.
Special Education Annual Notice
The Philadelphia Public Schools and the Philadelphia Intermediate Unit (IU26) provide special education and related service to resident children with disabilities who are ages three through twenty-one. The purpose of this notice is to describe (1) the types of disabilities that might qualify the child for such programs and services, (2) the special education program and related services that are available, (3) the process by which the public schools screen and evaluate such students to determine eligibility, and (4) the special rights that pertain to such children and their parents or legal guardians.
Children Served in Special Education Programs
Special education services are available to children who have one or more of the following physical or mental disabilities:
- autism
- deaf/blindness
- emotional disturbance
- hearing impairment including deafness
- mental retardation
- multiple disabilities
- orthopedic impairment
- other health impairment
- specific learning dis.
- speech or language impairment
- traumatic brain injury
- visual impairment including blindness
Special education is designed to meet the needs of each eligible student, including specifically designed instruction conducted in the classroom, home, community settings, hospitals, institutions and other settings. Related services are available to students include transportation, corrective and other supportive services that help an eligible student benefit from special education. Examples include: speech pathology and audiology, psychological services, physical and occupational therapy, social work services, school health services, medical services for diagnosis or evaluation, parent counseling and education, recreation counseling services, rehabilitation counseling services and assistive technology services.
Referral of Children for Screening and Evaluation
The Public Schools/IU26 has procedures to identify children needing special education. Those procedures are “screening” and “evaluation.” If a disability is suspected, teachers, other school personnel or parents may refer a child for screening and/or evaluation. Parents suspecting that a child may have a disability and need special education can request a screening or evaluation at any time by contacting their school principal. Screening of children, using immediately available data sources such as health records, parent interview and history, functional vision and hearing evaluations, and speech and language screenings are completed on request. If the screening leads to a recommendation for evaluation, the evaluation team will conduct the evaluations. No evaluations may be conducted without written parental permission. Consult your school counselor for further information.
State and federal law affords many rights and protections to children with disabilities and their parents. A summary of this rights and protections follows. Interested persons may obtain a complete written summary of the rights and protections afforded by the law, together with information about free of low cost legal services and advice, by contacting the special education coordinator or principle of the local public school.
Rights and Protections
Prior Written Notice: The public school must notify you in writing whenever it proposes to initiate or to change the identification, evaluation, educational program or placement of a child or whenever it refuses to initiate or make a change in identification, evaluation, educational program, or placement requested by a parent. Such notice must be accompanied by a written description of the reasons for the proposal or refusal, the options considered, if any, and the reason why such options were rejected.
Consent: The public school cannot proceed with an evaluation or reevaluation or with the initial provision of special education and related services with out the written consent of the parent. A public school may override the lack of consent for an initial evaluation by requesting the approval of an impartial hearing officer of judge following a hearing. If the parent fails to respond to a written request for permission to revaluate, however, the public school may proceed with the proposed revaluation with consent. A public school may not seek a hearing to override the refusal of a parent consent to an initial placement in special education.
Protection in evaluation Procedure: Evaluations to determine eligibility and current need for special education and related services must be administered in a manner that is free of racial, cultural, or linguistic bias. Evaluations cannot consist of a single test or assessment and testing must be a valid measure of the psychological, social, emotional or other learning characteristic or behavior that the school is using it to measure. Testing and assessment must be administered in accordance with professional standards and the criteria established by the publisher. It must be administered in the native language of the child.
For more information .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), Special Education Coordinator.
