Special Education Program
Peha International School is an inclusive school. We welcome learners with special educational needs if we are able to meet those needs. At Peha School, we believe that an inclusive school community in which learners with special educational needs learn with their typically developing peers is the best approach for all learners. Research has proven that inclusion creates one of the best learning environments not only for learners with special educational needs, but the who school community.
At Peha International School we design programs to meet learners’ needs. Learners with special educational needs attend classes with their typically developing peers to the extent that they can. The rest of the time is spent working on skills that might not be explicitly taught in class. Some of those skills include fine motor skills, gross motor skills, specific communication skills, social skills and behavior management skills. The program uses a combination of push in and out services to provide appropriate instruction in an environment that is as least restrictive as possible.
Since Rwanda does not have many Special Education educators, Peha International School employs assistant Educators to work individually with learners. The assistants receive ongoing training on the skills that they need to support the learners with their learning. The assistants work closely with the Special Education Educator and the Special Education Coordinator to make sure that the learners are getting the help they need. Assistants are trained in evidence based strategies and general information like:
- Universal design for learning
- Functional behavior analysis
- Categories of disabilities and their characteristics
- Sensory integration
- Assessment strategies
- Multiple intelligences
- Behavior reinforcement strategies and more
The Special Education Coordinator creates an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) for learners with special needs. The IEP is created after the learner has been observed, and assessed for a period of two months (if they are new). Observations and assessments are made by the SPED Coordinator, the SPED Educator, as was the learner’s Educators where possible, to obtain the learner’s current level of performance, as well as appropriate goals that are challenging but achievable Once the IEP is finalized, a meeting is held with all the stakeholders; parents, Principal, homeroom Educator, teaching assistant, SPED Coordinator and SPED Educator. The purpose of the IEP meeting is to share the goals that have been drafted, as well as to get everyone involved in the child’s education on the sa page. For returning learners, their IEPs are reviewed every year and goals are adjusted as needed. The learner’s IEP must include the following areas as appropriate:
- Parent and learner concerns
- Learner’s strengths
- Vision statement
- Curriculum areas affected by learner’s disability
- Current level of performance
- Accommodations and modifications
- Other educational needs
- Measurable annual goals
- Manageable objectives
- Assessment consideration
- Non-participation justification
Peha International School places learners with special educational needs according to their age, as opposed to their academic performance. This gives the learner in the program a chance to interact with their same-age peers. Interaction with their same-aged, typically-developing peers allows the learners to be in an environment that fosters their language and behavior development. Having learners in the program in regular classrooms gives them more opportunities to learn age-appropriate behaviors.
If a learner that is already enrolled at PIS needs special education services, we follow a ten-step referral process to determine the learner’s needs and make sure that the program is the appropriate intervention to help them perform to their fullest potential. Below is the outline of the ten steps:
- Educator completes the Initial Concerns Form
- Special Education Coordinator conducts the initial classroom observation
- SPED Coordinator Interviews concerned Educators
- SPED Coordinator interviews the learner’s previous Educator
- SPED Educator assesses the learner’s academic performance
- SPED Coordinator conducts second and third observation
- SPED Coordinator conducts additional assessments as needed
- SPED Coordinator interviews the learner’s parents
- SPED Coordinator compiles the evidence and writes recommendations for intervention
- SPED Coordinator, SPED Educator, Principal, Educator, and learner’s parents have a conference to discuss and agree on a plan
We believe that learners with special educational needs deserve an education like any other learner, and we provide it to the best of our ability, with the resources available. Having learners with special educational needs here at Peha International School makes our school a more wholesome community, that is representative of the real world. We work hard to prepare all learners to be successful members of their communities after they leave Peha International School
