Effective Special Education Staffing
Anyone with any involvement with public schools is aware that the country is in the midst of a shortage of special education staff. VocoVision has been an excellent provider of online special education teachers for more than a decade, long before the Covid-19 pandemic began. VocoVision places online special education teachers, speech language pathologists, school psychologists, occupational therapists, teachers of the deaf and hard of hearing, teachers of the visually impaired, and other highly qualified special education professionals in school districts across the United States to provide services to students with disabilities.
What is Special Education?
Taken directly from the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, special education is specially designed instruction, at no cost to parents, to meet the unique needs of special education students. Public school districts around the United States must staff highly qualified special education teachers in order to provide a free and appropriate public education to students receiving special education services.
Special education in practice begins with academic supports in the general education setting and includes teaching in the resource room setting, as well as related services as directed by the student’s Individualized Education Program. These related services may include speech and language, occupational therapy, social work, physical therapy, and other relevant services as needed. These providers and services work together to ensure that students with disabilities have successful educational outcomes and one way they could do so is by providing distance learning solutions that allow students and parents more flexibility and one-on-one time.
Why is Special Education Important?
Special education allows students to work with professionals and special education teachers in order to reach their full potential and close their learning and skill gaps. The use of online special education teachers and other professionals has given school districts and parents excellent opportunities to meet the needs of their students with disabilities.
Schools have a legal obligation to provide the services that are outlined in the Individualized Education Program of the child. These services are put in place to make sure that students with a disability can make adequate progress in their education. Special education ensures that students with disabilities are provided with a free and appropriate public education.
What are the Benefits of Effective Special Education Staffing?
High quality special education staffing has a direct impact on the education of students with disabilities. When school districts can be fully staffed with highly qualified special education teachers, the students benefit the most. Research shows that quality teachers are the single most important factor for successful student outcomes.
Increased Focus on Special Education Outcomes
Special education is focused on helping students with disabilities reach their potential so that they may possibly no longer need special education services. Utilizing the Individualized Education Program (IEP), the special education professionals craft a plan that addresses the skills needed for each individual student to help them excel and get the time and attention they need.
VocoVision has a deep pool of highly qualified online special education teachers available throughout the United States that can assist special education directors and school districts with effective special education staffing solutions. Online special education teachers can help with outcomes for students with disabilities in a variety of ways. The teachers can be placed in a traditional classroom setting, both as a co-teacher in a general education setting or as an online special education teacher in a resource class setting. In either case, with the help of an onsite facilitator, students can work on their unique goals as well as the general curriculum. VocoVision online special education teachers can also be utilized to work individually, or with small groups to provide online learning for special education students. Finally, as schools are still faced with students that are either electing to stay remote or in temporary quarantining status, VocoVision teachers can serve students in their home environment.
Hiring Top Special Education Teachers
Having the best special education staffing greatly impacts student outcomes. In order to accomplish this, school districts must have robust recruiting processes in place in order to find and hire the best special education teachers. They must find teachers that have the required educational background and are prepared to provide high level academic instruction, including literacy support, providing behavior support, teaching non-academic social skills, and helping students navigate the many technological needs of the 21st century.
High-Quality Online Programs For Special Education Students
Offering high-quality online programs for special education students provides special education students with the quality of learning they need to be successful. Being so, it is important to hire the right special education teachers with the skills, certifications, and training necessary to provide these high quality programs.
Final Thoughts on Effective Special Education Staffing
In summary, when school districts are fully staffed with high-quality special education teachers and other special education professionals, students with disabilities are given the top-notch education that they deserve and are federally entitled to.
VocoVision provides special education staffing services by helping fill online special education jobs as well as other highly qualified and trained special education jobs, including speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, teachers of the deaf and hard of hearing, teachers of the visually impaired, and others. School districts have learned that online education is a viable means, and the volume of online special education jobs is increasing at a rapid rate.