Special Education Needs
Learning specialists work in collaboration with classroom teachers in both Primary and Secondary to remediate language-processing difficulties and/or provide instructional support for students with identified learning differences. The learning specialists, alongside the classroom teachers, use internal and external data to guide in the support.
Educational assessments are administered to determine a student's current level of academic performance, especially in the areas of reading, math and written language. The assessment also explores receptive as well as expressive languages, and the underlying processes of visual and auditory integration. When necessary, the Inclusion Team refers students to external specialists for Speech and Language, Psycho-Educational, Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy Assessments.
Individualized Education Plans (IEP) and Student Accommodation Plans (SAP) are created to ensure that students with identified learning differences gain access to their learning through research-based remediation, intentional differentiation, and targeted technology use. In addition to academic support, teachers and the Inclusion Team also address the social-emotional needs of all students.
The Inclusion Program uses the framework of the Response to Intervention (RTI) model to employ evidence-based practices to promote student success and ensure access to the curriculum across all levels of the school through academic support, language processing remediation, and speech and language services.
The Inclusion Team believes in a close partnership with the family. As such there is periodic communication between home and school.
Auxiliary services such as Occupational, Physical, or Speech and Language Therapy are provided by external specialists, contracted and paid for by the families. Should such specialists be available in Lusaka, AISL will facilitate in the referral and connection.
Response to Intervention Model (RTI)
AISL has adopted the Response-to-Intervention Model (RTI). Implementing this model requires collaboration between classroom teachers and learning specialists, and a strong partnership with parents. The model below is a brief description of the model.
Differentiation
When teachers differentiate their instruction, they tailor curricular content and teaching methods to match each student’s individual needs, whether the student needs learning support, is solidly keeping pace with the curriculum or is seeking to go beyond. The supportive and flexible learning environment at AISL is perfect for the implementation of differentiation. The learning specialists and literacy coaches support teachers with instructional planning and the implementation of differentiated teaching and learning through collaborative meetings in grade levels and departments.
What is Differentiated Instruction?
“Differentiation refers to a wide variety of teaching techniques and lesson adaptations that educators use to instruct a diverse group of students, with diverse learning needs, in the same course, classroom, or learning environment” (Abbott, 2014).
Goals of Differentiation
Classroom teachers’ efforts must be to challenge and support each individual student’s learning. Classroom teachers engage individuals and small groups using a variety of teaching strategies creating learning experiences that meet each child’s needs. The objective of differentiated instruction is to maximize each student's growth and individual success by meeting each student where he or she is rather than expecting students to modify themselves for the curriculum (Hall, 2002).