Administration Article GCS: Special Education
Rhonda Schaar, Director of Special Services, Greenville City School
Looking to hire dedicated employees who love to come to work and work exceptionally hard? You’ve come to the right place. Project Life is a Career Tech program that provides students with disabilities with an opportunity to gain work skills. “Project LIFE is tailored for youths with intellectual and developmental disabilities, aiming to empower them to make informed and successful choices about their future.” https://www.btprojectlife.org/ Mrs. Julia Slyder’s Project Life class is able to join authentic work sites during the day and gain real-life supervised job experiences. Mrs. Slyder explains, “Project Life has become a literal life saver for many of my students who did not envision a future for themselves. We currently have two former students who have been hired by local businesses based on their internship during our program. I couldn’t be more proud of their accomplishments and grateful to the local businesses that support our program.” This is a great example of what Special or Exceptional education for students with disabilities should lead to.
Special Education or Exceptional needs education are terms used to describe meeting students where they are helping those students grow to where they need to be developmentally, academically, and socially. These services are managed by each school with each child’s individual needs taken into consideration. After multiple interventions and a Response to Intervention Process, a testing process, and data-based suggestions for an individual plan a team which includes the parent plans goals for the student’s next year of specially designed instruction. In Ohio, the schools follow a guide book called the Ohio Operating Standards.
Through Greenville’s organizational system, I am fortunate to work with the families and staff working to meet the needs of our students who need this specially designed instruction. This plan allows students to have a safety net in their education and bridge the gap of learning with their same age peers. Greenville is responsible to ensure all students within our geographical region are receiving a Fair and Appropriate Public Education as outlined by the Ohio State Operating Standards https://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Special-Education . I encourage each person to research the world of Special Education in Ohio. It is an evolving opportunity to improve our educational service to children and their families.
The state of Ohio has included recommendations to “improve the learning experiences and outcomes for our students with disabilities.” Each Child Means Each Child: Ohio’s Plan to Improve Learning Experiences and Outcomes for Students with Disabilities. https://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Special-Education/Improving-Educational-Experiences-and-Outcomes. This guidance is supporting schools in planning for specific areas of improvement using a set criteria and getting to the problem early. This plan from the state also builds the capacity of educators through professional development and focuses on postsecondary readiness and planning.
At Greenville we have a community that supports our efforts and various groups that collaborate with the schools to ensure the children of our community are intervened with early, teachers are trained in the ever-widening needs of our students, and opportunities for training to be ready for life as an adult. A special thanks to Wayne Health, The Brethren’s Retirement Community, Beauty Systems Group, Project Life, Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities, and Darke County Disabilities for their continued support of our students and assistance in the development of and implementation of our Project Life Program at Greenville High School.