The Louisiana Department of Education is joining forces with the LSU Human Development Center in New Orleans to train educators and develop more efficient ways for teaching students in special education programs.
The partnership is part of the implementation of Act 833, signed into law by Gov. Bobby Jindal last year. Act 833, written in part by state Sen. Dan Claitor, R-Baton Rouge, serves to increase the pathways of grade promotion for students with disabilities and make the process easier on students and teachers.
The LSU HDC is part of the LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans and works to offer education and support to people with disabilities. LSU HDC will develop programs to train and support teachers, families and school administrators in the process of developing Individualized Education Plans, according to the state Department of Education.
Paul Mooney, associate professor of education, said the program could provide more resources for educators and students with disabilities. A team of teachers and administrators of students with disabilities or special needs meets to determine an education plan for the student to follow, and the plan developed is the student’s IEP.
“It could mean aides coming into the general education classroom for some parts of the day, like reading or math,” Mooney said. “Or some work done outside of the general education classroom — whatever it is that the team of people has decided is needed for the student.”
According to the Department of Education, there are more than 100,000 meetings conducted across the state each year to develop education plans for students with special needs.
Mooney said students in the College of Education at the University are trained to create and structure IEPs for students with disabilities, but the additional support from the partnership can be helpful.
Elementary education sophomore Jessica Breaux said she believes the development of these materials will be helpful for teachers.
“I think that this is much needed,” Breaux said. “I actually just took a special education class last semester, and we went over IEPs.”
The program in the Department of Education will have training courses for special education teachers across the state and make online materials available for families and teachers by the 2015-16 school year, according to the Department of Education’s website.
“We are committed to developing materials that enhance the knowledge and skill of IEP teams, including families and students with disabilities,” said Director of Program Area for LSU HDC Alan Coulter in a press release.
LSU HDC’s training materials for teachers and families will give an overview of the IEP team process, how to create measurable goals for students with special needs, classroom accommodations and support and how to create the least restrictive environment for the student.