Deborah Steinberg can pinpoint what she treasures about being a district Learning Support teacher who helps students with special needs succeed in school.

“I think it’s the positive relationships that I develop with the students, because when you have a positive relationship, you can get to the academic piece in a more productive way,” said Steinberg, a Delta Program faculty member. “Just allowing them to see that their exceptionality is not a weakness, but something they learn to accommodate for and balance out with their strengths. To help them find that balance is something I find rewarding.”

Steinberg is among the district’s thirty-five Learning Support staff members who assist eligible students K–12 with their general education classes. Part of the special education program, LS teachers and paraprofessionals provide extra instruction and coaching in reading, writing, math, classroom time management, and organization.

They also may arrange testing accommodations, check comprehension of classroom subjects, communicate with general education teachers and families, or anything else dictated by a student’s Individual Education Plan (IEP).

Along with the LS program, the district offers autistic, emotional, hearing, multiple disabilities/life skills, speech/language, and visual support services within the special education framework. Students receiving learning support services are included in general education classes as much as possible.

Director of Special Education Sharon Salter said LS services benefit students with a wide range of disabilities and needs by providing accommodations, modifications, and goals written into the IEPs.

In the 2015–2016 school year, 357 out of the 755 students with disabilities in the district received LS services as their primary support. LS services also assisted another 100 students receiving autistic support services.

“We have a strong learning support system, and what’s helpful is we have a lot of support from the general education teachers,” Steinberg said. “So they also serve as advocates for the kids; we’re working with them to provide the assistance individual students need.”

One of the LS program’s successes has been the Read 180 class, which uses a sequenced online curriculum to boost below-grade reading skills. “Our data with it has shown remarkable growth with the program,” said former Director of Special Education Pat Moore, who retired in June.

Heather Pringle, a State High Read 180 teacher and the district Read 180 Consultant, has enjoyed seeing some of her students sharply improve their comprehension—and embrace books overall.

Noting the progress “has been no small feat,” Pringle attributed it to committed teachers and paraprofessionals, a supportive administrative team that provides professional development opportunities, trusting parents, and hard-working, persevering students.

“Our small class manifests itself into a community of caring individuals,” Pringle said. “We celebrate our successes and motivate one another when there are disappointments. Like anything in life, there are days where a student is discouraged. It’s so important for them to remember that it’s just that one day. That one day doesn’t make or break who they are or can become.”

Pringle says that she hopes all of her students can have the kind of positive in-class experience that one student shared in this written reflection: “To me, this classroom gave me tremendous amounts of positive insight that a kid with a learning disability can accomplish wonders in his life. I would like to thank you for what you did in my life.”