Special Education

WHAT IS SPECIAL EDUCATION?

Special Education is the practice of educating students with special needs in a way that addresses their individual differences and needs in the least restrictive environment for that individual student.

What services are available for my child at PHCSE?

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In order to qualify for special education, a student must show a significant need for specially and specifically designed instruction and meet the criteria of a disability, as outlined in Chapter 14 of PA state law and the IDEA federal act. The following disability categories have been recognized for school-aged students by the state and by IDEA:

Autism
Blindness
Deafness
Emotional Disturbance
Hearing Impairment
Intellectual Disability
Multiple Disabilities
Orthopedic Impairment
Other Health Impairment
Specific Learning Disability
Speech/Language Impairment
Traumatic Brain Injury
Visual Impairment

Each student in the special education program has an individualized education plan. The student’s needs are addressed and monitored through a document individualized for each student in the special education program, called an Individualized Education Program (IEP.) This document highlight’s the student’s strengths, needs, and progress towards their individualized goals. All services documented in the IEP are provided by the school and are free of charge to the student’s parent/guardian.

Penn Hills Charter School of Entrepreneurship ensures that each student’s individualized needs are addressed by following and monitoring each student’s IEP. Specific services for students vary and are specific to each student’s needs.

Students with Disabilities

Our inclusion model will have students with disabilities paired with general education students. We believe that when students with disabilities can have their needs met in regular education classrooms they have the opportunity to learn and grow within communities that represent the kind of world in which they will live when they finish school. We must, to the greatest extent possible, meet their needs within an inclusive setting. This integration will work, especially when the special education teacher works side by side with the regular teacher. We want to create a world in which all children are welcome and in which they are not needlessly labeled. The Collaboration model helps to ensure children with learning disabilities get a free appropriate public education, including specialized instruction, in a regular classroom.