Wicomico Recovery Plan 2020 -2021

23 SPECIAL EDUCATION Special Education and related services will continue to be provided to Wicomico County students with disabilities in accordance with the mandates under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 (IDEA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to ensure these students will have access to and be provided equal opportunities to progress in the Maryland Common Core State Standards. Throughout the closure, continuity of learning plans established through distance learning plans, in concert with parents’ input and agreement, have been implemented and will continue to be in the new school year. As needed, IEPs and 504 accommodations plans will be reviewed and revised to provide access to a free, appropriate public education (FAPE) consistent with the districtwide continuity of learning and recovery plans for all students. The general education classroom provides students the opportunity to access grade-level content standards through the implementation of specially designed instruction. Within these inclusion classes, Special Education teachers collaborate with general education teachers to plan and deliver high quality lessons with appropriate diverse instructional strategies and supplemental aids and services to meet all students’ learning n eeds to the maximum extent possible during both synchronous and asynchronous instruction. All students will participate in synchronous virtual instruction four days per week and asynchronous learning one day per week. WCPS will provide a schedule for each instructional level. Traditional grading and attendance practices will be in place. Special Education teachers and related service providers will provide asynchronous instruction one day per week in small groups and individually depending on the student s’ IEPs and their social, emotional, academic and functional performance goals. Delivery of specific instructional intervention programs (i.e. Wilson Reading, Fundations, RAZ kids, Math 180, Read Alive!, etc.) will occur during guided and/or independent activities times or through other asynchronous instructional times for all students using Google Classroom and/or Zoom. Instructional collaboration will take place using a variety of platforms (Microsoft Teams, Zoom, WebEx) to allow for special education and general education teachers and related service providers to develop and evaluate the achievement of goals and state standards through specially designed instruction. Additionally, secondary transition planning and instructional activities will be provided as outlined in the affected students’ Individualized Education Program (IEP), ages 14-21, through virtual learning. Special Education teachers or instructional assistants under the guidance of the Special Education teacher and secondary transition program specialist coach will assign individualized activities and provide transition supports to those students using Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Career Cruising and Virtual Job Shadowing platforms. These virtual instructional programs engage student learners in career and college readiness and provide special educators with tools for evidence-based learning and planning for future goals and objectives development. Consideration of services will also be reevaluated for each student in alignment with their IEPs and post-secondary goals for employment, education/training and independent living. Work-based learning will be addressed in the home environments as appropriate until such time as community-based internships and employment can be considered safe under the CDC guidelines and in collaboration with the individual businesses and partner agencies.