Special Education Programming Overview

The Frederic School District is dedicated to its students who are serviced through the special education team. We are committed to the challenge of engaging students in learning activities that will allow them to make progress toward Common Core State Standards in our efforts to exceed local, state and national standards. We thrive to support a safe learning environment for all and to allow for our students to be prepared for life following high school.

In addition to providing child specific, individualized and differentiated instruction, our team provides a full range of specialized educational services to students with disabilities. It is our goal to ensure that each student has the opportunity to have access to general education curriculum and general education standards and achieves to his/her greatest potential. 

Our special education team does its best to determine the most appropriate educational environments for each student. This determination is made with the child’s parents. We prefer to educate our students with disabilities with their non disabled peers whenever appropriate. Our students are currently benefiting from a solid team teaching model from pre-school through high school. When making these decisions we must consider the needs of each student as an individual. We will consider placement in an environment other than the general education classroom when the nature or severity of the disability is such that education in the general education class cannot be achieved satisfactorily even with the use of supplementary aides and services. Each child is placed in the educational environment best suited to deliver the services specified in the students Individualized Education Plan, regardless of the student’s disability. Program placement decisions are made in order to ensure the best fit for each child to reach his/her potential.

Special Education Defined

Special education is a broad term used by the law to describe specially designed instruction that meets the unique needs of a child who has a disability. The specially designed instruction, otherwise known as special education services, provides comprehensive and individualized programs for students with disabilities. Services are provided to students ages three through high school and to some students until age 21 by a public school system free of charge. Students are identified in accordance with Federal and State laws governing public schools. The Special Education Department provides specialized instruction based on the student's written plan called an Individualized Education Program (IEP). Students with the following impairments and a need for special education may receive special education services:

Related Services are provided when they are necessary for the student to benefit from their special education program and may include:

We are committed to providing high-quality learning experiences for each student in our schools. Our vision is that students are provided the most inclusive learning environment so that they become independent, confident self-advocates who turn present successes into positive post-secondary outcomes. Please feel free to contact the special education team with questions.

The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction website provides a number of resources related to special education, including eligibility criteria, referral information, links to external resources, and information about the rights of children and parents.

Screenings

Comprehensive Screening

The Frederic School District has a comprehensive screening program to locate and screen all children with suspected disabilities who are residents of the district. Children are referred for special education evaluations by school staff including the classroom teacher, parents and other community service agencies (such as Polk County Birth to Three, Head Start, area preschools and day cares). Below are different set procedures the Frederic School District utilizes to identify students with suspected disabilities.

Three Year Old Screening 

Each year the Special Education Team conducts pre-school screenings for three and four year olds who are not yet enrolled in school. Parents may register to attend and learn about child development and for the child to be screened for potential need areas. These screenings allow for district staff to assess a child’s social, emotional, cognitive, motor and speech development as well as vision and hearing. Please watch the district newsletter and special education web page for upcoming Screening Days. If you have a concern regarding the development of your child ages 3-5, please contact the Director of Special Education or School Psychologist. You do not need to wait for the next Child Development Day for a screening. 

Universal Screening 

Universal Screeners are utilized in all grade levels, starting with four-year-old kindergarten. Universal Screeners allow our teachers to identify students who may be in need of additional academic support. Typically students who are two or more grade levels behind their peers in reading/and or math are identified as needing interventions in those content areas. Please see more information below about Response to Intervention.