Special Education
The Everest Value School Special Education Program ensures that the unique needs of students with disabilities are met through additional services, supports, programs, specialized placements, or environments. The core purpose of special education is to provide specially designed instruction and intervention, as well as to give students with learning disabilities access to the same educational programs, and/or activities that are available to their non-disabled peers. Everest offers a Special Education program that works as a cohesive team to provide an individualized educational plan and a foundation that enables students to critically and actively think, communicate and create. Inclusion at Everest Value School ensures that students will be mainstreamed in the general education curriculum and will have access to grade level standards with supports and accommodations as needed. Our staff of resource specialist teachers work with students using various strategies to help them access the general education curriculum.
Our special education program prides itself on building relationships with our students and supporting their growth with positive reinforcement. We collaborate closely with our ELD program so that she can best serve our English language learners who have special education services. What makes our SPED intervention team so unique is that we have the ability to offer support on many levels. The following staff make up the intervention team: SPED coordinator, RSP teacher, BII, and two Special Education Assistants that push into the classroom to work directly with our students. Our team is proactive in identifying students who show signs of having a learning disabilities and put the correct interventions in place to help struggling students access the curriculum.
How the SPED program at Everest operates:
- As a resource department, we push into the classroom and work directly with the students who need supports by giving them individualized attention.
- Our Special Education department uses a system of tracking student progress by using observational notes on targeted behaviors and academic performance when pushing into the classroom. These observations are a primary source of monitoring progress, and helps identify what the students need support in.
- Teachers regularly collaborate with the resource team to provide intervention services as needed in the classroom. The resource team discusses upcoming learning goals to best assist students in the classroom and scaffold the content from teacher instruction.
- The resource teachers chunk information into smaller parts and implement graphic organizers as needed.
- The resource department also uses a pull out method, to work with students who need remediation in areas where they have foundational deficits.
- The strengths of the department is in its ability to form small groups of students to target specific study skills in comprehension and retention of academic content.
- The Everest Value Special Education program provides students who qualify for services based on their eligibility in the area of language, speech, occupational therapy, DIS counseling, assisted physical education and audiology.
- The resource department works closely with our Student Success Team (SST) to provide evaluation after various interventions have been provided. During the second SST, the special education department collaborates with the team to decide if evaluation is needed to see if the student qualifies for special education services.
- If the team agrees on further evaluation, our specialists conduct a variety of comprehensive assessments to determine if the student is eligible for special education services.
Special Education during Distance Learning
Due to unforeseen circumstances related to COVID-19, Everest Value School’s facilities have been temporarily closed. Everest Value School will continue to provide educational opportunities virtually and will continue to provide services described in the operative IEP to the greatest extent possible. Because students are no longer receiving services on-site, this circumstance may constitute a change in placement. This change is temporary, and will only be maintained through the duration of the school closure. The re-opening of any facilities will be determined by the Principal, Chris Medinger, subject to guidance from local, state, and federal health officials.
Everest Value School staff are committed to serve every child in an individualized way aligned with the protections outlined in the IDEA. The Special Education Coordinator, David Zitin, has carefully researched best practices in virtual services and will be deploying George Miserlis and the intervention team to give live virtual support via Zoom to assist students make progress on their IEP goals as well as with their online assignments in their Google Classrooms. Everest has also partnered with Direct Ed, Total Education Solutions, and Edlogical to provide specialized services such as Speech and Language, Occupational Therapy, Adapted Physical Education and Behavioral Intervention. Our counselor, Ms. Nunez, has made herself available to reach out with live virtual support for students as well. Every member of our team is dedicated to creatively implementing the resources and expertise at their disposal to provide the best support possible for our students. The entire Special Education team has been very proactive in setting up services quickly and reaching out to parents to set up schedules.
Resources for Parent of Students with Disabilites
IEP Brochures and Guides
 Mr. George
RSP Teacher
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 Ms. Delgado
RSP Teacher
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 Ms. Rosa
RSP Teacher
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 Ms. Karina
BII
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 Mr. Alexander
BII
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