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SPECIAL EDUCATION DEPARTMENT The Special Education Department of the Livingston Parish Public Schools consists of the following:
1. One hundred sixty-five resource, self-contained and combination classroom teachers 2. Four itinerant teachers for early childhood special education students 3. One teacher of the visually impaired 4. One itinerant teacher of the visually impaired 5. Three itinerant teachers for the hearing impaired 6. One deaf education teacher 7. Five teachers for hospital/homebound students 8. Eighteen teachers for students classified as Gifted/twelve teachers for students classified as Talented 9. Thirty-six speech therapists (one speech therapist serves as Assistive Technology Co-Team Leader and one speech therapist serves as Augmentative Communication Specialist). 10. Twelve adaptive physical education teachers 11. Four special education nurses 12. One LPN 13. One SBLC Support Teacher 14. One Support Teacher for Students with Significant Disabilities 15. One Transition Support Teacher
CLASS ORGANIZATION
REGULAR CLASS: Special education students may be enrolled in all regular/general education classes with one or a combination of the services listed below:
RESOURCE CLASS: The resource room is a special education instructional setting in which a student reports for specific periods of time on a regularly scheduled basis for remedial or developmental instruction. Resource students attend the resource room on a part-time basis, remaining for a portion of the day in their general education classrooms. A student may spend at least 21%, but no more than 60% of the day in this special education class setting. Instruction is generally provided for not more than twelve exceptional students for any one hour of certified IEP time units.
SELF-CONTAINED CLASS: This is a special education instructional setting for disabled students who require more than 60% of the school day in special education instruction. Students’ ages in self-contained class should be kept within a 3 year age span. Many of these students are mainstreamed into vocational and academic areas with general education students when deemed appropriate by the IEP team.
COMBINATION CLASS: A combination class is a setting in which the same teacher provides special education instruction for self-contained and resource students. These classes must also conform to the 3 year age span rule.
GENERIC CLASS: A generic class is an instructional setting (self-contained, combination or resource) in which services are provided to disabled students with various impairments.
CATEGORICAL CLASS: A special education service model in which services are provided to some students categorically, by exceptionality. In Livingston Parish, Severe/Profound, Deaf/Hard of Hearing, Autistic and Visually Impaired students may be served in categorical special education class settings.
OTHER PROGRAMS AVAILABLE
GIFTED/TALENTED: The Gifted/Talented Program consists of eighteen itinerant teachers of the gifted, seven talented art teachers, three talented music teachers and two teachers for drama and theatre students. These teachers work throughout the parish. Students in grades kindergarten through twelfth, with current evaluations classifying them as Gifted and/or Talented, are enrolled in the program. This program now serves approximately three hundred (300) students. Elementary and middle school students classified as Gifted may enroll in the acceleration model of Gifted Education or the enrichment model. High school students may enroll in the Gifted English and/or Gifted Math classes.
SPEECH THERAPY PROGRAM: Speech/language services are available to students in early childhood special education (ECSE) classes through high school. Presently, there are thirty-six speech therapist serving students enrolled in regular classes, resource classes, combination classes and self contained classes. Any child meeting the eligibility criteria for Speech and/or Language Impairments, according the Louisiana Pupil Appraisal Handbook, may receive speech and/or language therapy.
ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY SERVICES: Assistive technology services are provided by a team made up of three full time members including two assistive technology practitioners (one speech therapist, one educational diagnostician) and an augmentative/alternative communication specialist (speech therapist). In addition, one occupational therapist serves on the team part-time and when need the team also draws on the services of on the Parish’s physical therapist. The assistive technology team is responsible for AT evaluations, providing needed AT devices, and trainings for school staff, students and/or caregivers and monitors student progress as needed. The AT team also maintains a lending library of software, devices, reading material for teachers use and provide technical assistance as needed.
HOMEBOUND/TEMPORARY EDUCATIONAL SERVICES (TES): TES are instructional services provided to a student in an alternative setting (usually the home) for a specified length of time. The student is enrolled in general education and as a result of physical illness; accident of emotional crisis cannot attend school for 15 days or more. Special education students may also receive TES via their IEPs. TES provided to general education students are based upon the impact the length of the temporary illness would have on their educational program. TEA provided to special education students must ensure a free appropriate public education (FAPE). A copy of the newly revised TES booklet may be obtained from the Special Education Department.
EARLY CHILDHOOD SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES: The parish has seventeen (17) early childhood special education classes. The classes are located at Albany Elementary School (2 classes), Eastside Elementary School (2 classes), Frost Elementary School (2 classes), Gray’s Creek Elementary School (1 Class), Levi Milton Elementary School (2 classes), Live Oak Elementary School (3 classes), Seventh Ward Elementary School (1 class), Springfield Elementary School (1 class), and Walker Elementary School (3 classes). Early childhood special education students from all over the parish attend these centrally located classes. ECSE students are also served in Headstart, day care centers and in the home by four itinerant early childhood special education teachers. The parish also provides an Early Childhood Special Education Coordinator to work with the teachers.
PINE RIDGE SCHOOL: Pine Ridge School serves students with a wide array of disabilities. Presently, Pine Ridge School serves approximately forty (40) students including regular education students in the At Risk Program.
PUPIL APPRAISAL CENTER: Thirty seven qualified pupil appraisal examiners, including certified school psychologist, qualified school social workers, educational diagnosticians, and three speech and language pathologist are housed at the Pupil Appraisal Center in Walker. Three school psychologist and two social workers serve as Behavior Intervention Specialists, and one school psychologist services as a SBLC Pre-Referral Intervention Specialist, one educational diagnostician and two speech/language pathologist serve on the Assistive Technology Team. Pupil Appraisal personnel are not limited to providing services solely to students referred for an individual evaluation. Many students experiencing learning and/or behavior difficulties benefit from research based pre-referral intervention services that eliminate the need for referral for an individual evaluation. A major emphasis of pupil appraisal personnel is to work with parents and school personnel to assist students to remain in and profit from the regular educational program, whenever possible.
COMMUNITY BASED VOCATIONAL (CBV) TRANSITION SERVICE: Special Education students that are enrolled in the CBV program have the opportunity to participate in continuing education, vocational activities, general community activities, recreational activities, and leisure activities, and age appropriate integration with natural environments. The CBV students are working on graduating from Livingston Parish Public Schools with a skills certificate or a certificate of achievement. The CBC students are now using Occupational Pre-GED Hands-On Curriculum along with the general education curriculum. This is being used in all the Livingston Parish High Schools. The competencies covered with this curriculum include Auto Detailing, Carpenter Helper, Child Care Assistant, Food Service Assistant, Personal Care Assistant, General Office Assistant, Horticulture/Nursery/Greenhouse Workers, Lawn Care Workers, and Retail/Stock Assistant. This hands-on program provides a direct link between students, schools and businesses. At the present time, students in the CBV program are receiving on-site training in school cafeteria, school offices/libraries, food preparation, lawn care, and a school store. An assessment lab for determining job competencies is housed at Denham Springs High School. These CBV students have the opportunity to take vocational education courses as well as other courses for Carnegie unit credit. In addition to the functional courses within the occupational course of study, a vocational training program is provided utilizing a combination of school-based and community-based experiences. The program is designed so that, as students move through the courses, they spend increasing amounts of time in the community. It is hoped that the emphasis on social skills training combined with community based instruction, job sampling, and job placement will greatly enhance their opportunities for successful transition from the school setting to adult society and the work place.
OPTION III: Option III currently has one hundred thirty students (130) enrolled in the program. Six (6) students exited the program with a GED during the 2004/2005 school year. Twenty-six (26) students received Industry Based Skill Certifications through Welding and C.N.A. at the Walker site. Twenty-two (22) Option III students received Locally Designed Skill Certifications through Welding, Hospitality Tourism Management, and Print Shop Technology at the Walker site. In addition, twelve (12) students received Locally Designed Skill Certifications through Home Based School Programs during the 2004/2005 school year. These certifications included C.N.A., Food Service Assistant, and Beginning Worker Skills.
The Option III program presently offers Welding and Business Management on the Walker campus. This school is located at 13330 Burgess Avenue, Walker, Louisiana. The school’s instructional staff consists of two Welding Teachers, two Business Management Teachers, one Pre-GED Teacher, one Welding Aide, one Special Ed. Aide, and one Guidance Counselor.
There are currently eighty-nine (89) students enrolled at the Walker site. There are also forty-one (41) students enrolled in Option III at their Home Base Schools.
INCLUSIVE EDUCATION: In Livingston Parish, there are 26 schools that are providing inclusive education. There are 13 elementary schools, 6 high schools, and 7 junior/middle schools providing inclusive services to special education students. An Inclusion/Staff Development Coordinator has been added to the Special Education Staff at the Central Office to help assist administrators and faculty with the challenges that are presented in the inclusion process. The team inclusion approach enables exceptional students to remain in the general education classroom via the IEP process. The students receive the expertise of the content teacher and the expertise of the special education teacher or the trained Para educator. The two teachers work collaboratively to provide all students in that class with individualized attention, accommodations, and modifications that are appropriate for each student. Inclusion improves all students’ chances of succeeding in the general curriculum.
TECHNOLOGY: All special education teachers have computers in their classrooms. Technical assistance with computers and software is available to all special education teachers and related service personnel. The provision of this service assists special education personnel and related service providers in planning for students, teaching students and assessing students more effectively via the computer. This technical assistance is provided by the Special Education Technical Assistance Coordinator.
CHILD SEARCH: Child Search is the process by which a local school system, in accordance with the State Child Search Program documents that annual and ongoing activities are conducted to identify and local children age’s birth through 21 suspected of being exceptional and needing special education and related services.
LARGE PRINT BOOKS: Large print books are available to students needing this service. An eye report, completed by a physician, is submitted to the Special Education Department and forwarded to the State Department of Education for approval.
ITINERANT PERSONNEL: All schools are served by itinerant personnel as needed and depending upon the services required. Presently there are more than eighty-seven (87) itinerant persons employed with the Livingston Parish Public Schools through the Special Education Department.
LOCATION AND NUMBER OF SPECIAL EDUCATION CLASSES
2. Albany Middle 5 3. Albany Upper Elementary 4 4. Albany Lower Elementary 5 5. Denham Springs High 6 6. Denham Springs Freshman High 4 7. Denham Springs Junior High 6 8. Denham Springs Elementary 4 9. Doyle High 4 10. Doyle Elementary 5 11. Eastside Elementary 6 12. French Settlement High 2 13. French Settlement Elementary 3 14. Freshwater Elementary 3 15. Frost 4 16. Gray’s Creek Elementary 5 17. Holden 5 18. Levi Milton Elementary 6 19. Lewis Vincent Elementary 3 20. Live Oak High 4 21. Live Oak Middle 7 22. Live Oak Elementary 5 23. Maurepas 2 24. North Corbin Elementary 3 25. North Live Oak Elementary 3 26. Northside Elementary 3 27. Pine Ridge School 5 28. Seventh Ward Elementary 3 29. South Live Oak Elementary 3 30. South Walker Elementary 3 31. Southside Junior High 6 32. Southside Elementary 3 33. Springfield High 3 34. Springfield Middle 5 35. Springfield Elementary 4 36. Walker High 6 37. Walker Junior High 5 38. Walker Elementary 7 39. Westside Junior High 4 40. Literacy & Technology Center 1 |
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Livingston Parish
Public Schools Central Office is located in
Livingston, Louisiana.
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