Special Education

The mission of the Adapted Physical Education team is to ensure that every student with a disability has access to appropriate programs designed to develop physical fitness, fundamental motor skills, individual and group game skills, and sports so that the student can participate in community-based leisure, recreation and sport activities. The developmentally appropriate programs may include:

Regular physical education without modifications

Regular physical education with modifications

Recreation and leisure activities

SAISD instructional activities

Special Olympics

ECSC (Early Childhood Special Education)

Adult Years Vocational Program (AYVP) provides educational opportunities for students who have completed course requirements for graduation and are returning for additional instruction in employability or daily living skills. Students gain this experience through work-based learning opportunities at local business and/or non-profits and through enterprise opportunities on the AYVP campus.

The Alternate Learning Environment (ALE) program services individuals with mild to severe cognitive disabilities grades 1st through 12th and into adult years programming when appropriate through age 21. Students in the ACE program have Individualized Education Program (IEP) goals that require an alternate curriculum and smaller staff-to-student ratio in order for the student to make adequate meaningful progress. The ALE program is a more restrictive placement for students and where possible students should have a combination of services to include as much time as possible in the general education setting. This allows students to have an opportunity to interact and benefit from non-disabled peers and a fuller range of curriculum.

The goal of assistive technology is to provide access for students with IEPs to benefit from their educational program. According to IDEA section 300.5 “Assistive technology device means any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of a child with a disability. The term does not include a medical device that is surgically implanted, or the replacement of such a device.” A student’s ARD Committee determines the need for assistive technology required for a student to meet IEP goals and make progress in the general education curriculum.

The SAISD campus at the Bexar County Juvenile Detention Center provides a full instructional day to all residents of the facility. Students take four core classes in Math, ELAR, Social Studies, and Science. In addition, students take an intervention class focused on literacy and a Physical Education course daily. The campus provides services to all special education students, 504 students and EL learners through tiered interventions in the classroom.

Goal of the Program: The Behavior Support Program is designed to address the individual needs and learning styles of students with disabilities who exhibit moderate to severe behavioral challenges and need access to grade level academic instruction.
Campus Request for Behavior Support

The goal of a co-teach program aligns with an inclusive philosophy where a general and special education teacher work collaboratively to provide all students access to grade-level curriculum and opportunities to engage meaningfully with the content while delivering specially designed instruction to those students with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs).

The goal of Disability Services Curriculum and Instruction is to provide instructional materials, instructional guidance, curriculum frameworks, teacher training and support, and professional development so that students receive specially designed instruction. The provision of specially designed instruction is unique to a student's individual needs and ensures that all students have access to the general education curriculum. For more information, please contact Casie Bland, Director of Disability Services.

The goal of Disability Services Curriculum and Instruction is to provide instructional materials, instructional guidance, curriculum frameworks, teacher coaching and support, and professional development in order for students to receive specially designed instruction. The provision of specially designed instruction is unique to a student’s individual needs and ensures all students have access to the general education curriculum. For more information, contact Casie Bland, Disability Services Director.

Progress in the General Curriculum

The goal of the DHH program is to meet the needs of Deaf/Hard of Hearing students from birth to age 22 by providing services and specially designed instruction as designated by their ARDC. These services may be provided by a variety of specialized staff such as Certified DHH teachers, Interpreters, Audiologists, and Deaf Support Specialists. Students will also have access to accommodate materials and technology as identified in their IEP.

The 504/Dyslexia Department oversees compliance with the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504) which is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against persons with disabilities. The department oversees identification of Section 504 eligible students as well as implementation of 504 Service Plans.

In addition, we seek to evaluate students exhibiting characteristics of Dyslexia and once identified, provide targeted instruction in accordance with the Dyslexia Handbook 2021. For any questions, please contact the 504/Dyslexia Department at 210-554-2570.

Go to 504/Dyslexia Department website

The Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) Program is a continuum of specialized supports and instruction that functions on the belief that early intervention decreases the life-long effects of disabilities and helps to develop and enhance the strengths of the child. The ECSE Program is designed for students ages 3, 4, and 5. Each child should be viewed, accepted and taught as a unique individual. ECSE provides a program of highly individualized services to provide the full continuum of Special Education Services. Each child’s individualized program is designed to effect positive change in all areas of development including language and communication, social skills, behavioral skills, self-help skills, and gross and/or fine motor skills.

The goal of an Extended School Year (ESY) program is to prevent or decrease the likelihood of skill regression caused by an interruption of special education services during extended periods when school is not in session. Conversely, it is not to enhance the present levels of educational performance exhibited by students with disabilities. The need for ESY services is based on the construct of skill regression and the student’s limited capabilities for recoupment. An ESY program may be provided only when it is determined that a student may regress in a critical skill area to such an extent that recoupment of the skill loss would require an unusually long period of time to recoup or make it unlikely to recoup the present level of educational performance.

The goal of the Inclusion/Resource program is to provide inclusive services and specially designed instruction in the least restrictive environment as designated by a student’s ARDC. Teachers or paraprofessionals may provide mainstream/in-class support, co-teaching, or resource instructional support in order for students to make progress in the general education curriculum and meet individual goals.

The goal of homebound and hospital instruction is to maintain a continuity of educational services for students with disabilities who have significant health or medical conditions that prevent them from attending a public-school setting during the school year. Documentation from a licensed physician is required for eligibility.

Parent Programs is a support provided to families of students with IEPs that help strengthen home, school and community partnerships. Services include informational groups, resource connection and support from Parent Liaisons and Social Workers.

Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports (PBIS) is an evidence-based three-tiered framework to improve and integrate all the data and practices affecting student outcomes every day.

Project SEARCH provides students who have completed their course requirements for graduation and seek world experience with specific employability skills and experience working as peers with non-disabled adult employees. The goal of the program is for interns to be competitively employed at higher than minimum wage salaries within one year of completing their internship.

The goal of Psychological Services is to assist schools to locate and evaluate students who are likely students with a disability resulting in the need for individualized, specialized instruction, including related services. This includes children with disabilities who are homeless or are wards of the State, and children with disabilities attending private school. The purpose of these services is to assure all students with disabilities receive a free and appropriate public education and are educated with their non-disabled peers to the greatest extent possible within the least restrictive environment.

The goal of the RDSPD is to meet the needs of students from birth to age 22 who are deaf/hard of hearing by providing services and specially designed instruction as designated by their ARDC to make progress in the general education curriculum and meet individual goals. These services may include a variety of supports from a Certified Teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Certified Interpreters, Audiologists, and Deaf Support Specialists. Students who are deaf/hard of hearing also have access to accommodate materials and technology as identified in their individual education plan (IEP).

Crossroads: Your Trusted Resource for Deaf Education in Texas

The goal of related services is to provide supportive services or activities necessary for students with disabilities to maximize their educational outcomes in their Individualized Education Plan (IEP). Related services include transportation, occupational therapy, physical therapy, audiology and interpreting services, counseling, in-home training, orientation and mobility, and music and art therapy.
Art therapy is a research-based profession that uses art as a therapeutic medium to address cognitive, communication, social, physical, emotional and behavioral needs. An evaluation is required prior to proving the therapy to ensure it will meet the needs of the student. Art therapy can both be provided through direct and consultative delivery models.
Audiologists can perform evaluations and make recommendations for services. They also fit hearing aids and adjust equipment as needed. Certified interpreters of the deaf at SAISD ensure the general curriculum is accessible to students with auditory impairments that require sign language.
Counseling as a related service is provided to eligible students with disabilities in support of their ARD/IEP. The services may be provided to eligible students by contracted licensed service providers including, Licensed Psychologists, Licensed Specialists in School Psychology (LSSP), and Licensed Professional Counselors. Counseling may be offered as a direct service to the student to improve social-emotional coping skills and to generalize these skills to the school setting.
In-Home training is primarily intended to promote generalization of desired skills and behaviors from school to the home and/or community settings. The training may address behavior, self-care, communication and socialization skills. It is not intended to promote the acquisition of new skills nor is it intended to improve academic skills (i.e. tutoring or the completion of homework assignments). As generalization of the targeted skills occurs, the training will shift from the trainer to the parent (via Parent Training) to facilitate long-term maintenance of the skills and behaviors. Parent Training is de-signed to teach parents skills through observation, modeling and participation in a variety of activities. This training is for parents to acquire an understanding of their child’s disability and for them to become familiar with the learning principles and effective teaching strategies which will assist in promoting the generalization of skills from school to home.
Music therapy is research supported allied health profession that uses music as a therapeutic medium to address cognitive, communication, social, physical, emotional and behavioral needs. In the education setting, music therapy is commonly provided as an IEP related service or as educational enrichment. Music therapy can be provided through direct and consultative delivery models.
Orientation and mobility (O&M) are an important and integral part of the curriculum in the comprehensive delivery of services to children with visual impairments in the public-school settings. Orientation is the process of using sensory information to establish and maintain one's position in the environment; mobility is the process of moving safely, efficiently, and gracefully within one's environment. The goal of O&M instruction is for visually impaired persons to be able to travel in any environment as independently as possible. To reach this goal, O&M instruction must begin at the earliest possible age.
Occupational therapy addresses the physical, cognitive, psychosocial and sensory components of performance. In schools, occupational therapy practitioners focus on academics, play and leisure, social participation, self-care skills (ADLs or Activities of Daily Living), and transition/ work skills.
The physical therapist participates in the identification of students with serious gross motor impairments and works closely with the classroom teacher to support the educational program through direct or consultative services. Direct services focus on skills related to gross motor educational needs, such as transfers, mobility, positioning, and energy conservation. Consultative services include working with staff, families or administration to increase skills to assist to meet the gross motor educational needs of the student.
Transportation must be considered as a related service when it is required due to a student’s disability. Some reasons that transportation may be provided include: safety concerns for the student placement and placement at a cam-pus that is not the student’s home campus due to clustering of services required in the IEP.

Subject to the provisions of the ARD Committee guidelines and this guideline, the LEA may contract with a residential facility to provide some or all the special education services listed in the contracted child's IEP.

Through the implementation of the SAISD policies and procedures as outlined in the Legal Framework for the Child-Centered Special Education Process, the SAISD ensures the provision of services to children in residential facilities within the district as required by the Individuals with

Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and its accompanying federal regulations, state statutes and regulations.

Social, Emotional, and Academic Development (SEAD) is the integration of all learning dimensions into the educational experience in support of positive outcomes for students through whole-child development. Please visit our page - SEAD & Restorative Practices

The Safe Optimal Learning Environment (SOLE) program services individuals with multiple, severe, complex, disabilities grades 1st through 12th and into adult years programming when appropriate through age 21. Students in the SOLE program have Individualized Education Program (IEP) goals that are based in prerequisite skills for grade level content and require an alternate curriculum. The SOLE classroom falls under the category of an ACE room, but has a much smaller student to staff ratio. The purpose of a SOLE room is to provide a safe place for students with complex access needs to engage meaningfully in their learning through custom learning environments catered to the individual student. This may include getting out of their wheelchair to explore in an alternate position, pacing that allows for full access to communication needs, and scheduling that incorporates routines as learning opportunities.

The goal of the school-based speech-language pathologist (SLP) is to remediate, improve or alleviate student communication and swallowing problems within the educational environment.

The Office of Disability Services provides guidance and support to ensure all eligible students participate in state testing. The State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) includes annual assessments for:

Reading and Mathematics, grades 3-8

Science at grades 5 and 8

Social Studies at grade 8

End-of-course (EOC) assessments for English I, English II, Algebra I, Biology, and U.S. History

TEA has developed the STAAR Alternate 2 to assess students in grades 3-8 and high school with significant cognitive disabilities. Students must meet participation requirements set by TEA in order to take this type of assessment.

Transition is best defined as a coordinated set of activities that are based on the student's individual needs. These activities can take place in a variety of ways which will always be focused on allowing the student to progress toward meeting their post-secondary goal. Please go to our site for more information.

Transition & CCMR

The goal of the VI program is to meet the needs of Visually Impaired students from birth to age 22 by providing services and specially designed instruction as designated by their ARDC to make progress in the general education curriculum and meet individual goals. These services may include support from a Certified teacher of the Visually Impaired, Orientation and Mobility Specialist, and/or Braillists. Students will also have access to accommodate materials and technology as identified in their IEP.

Programs & Services