SpEd Essentials Slides
Staff Professional Development
15–20 Minute Briefing
Demystifying Special Education
A practical guide to codes, service minutes, collaboration, and our shared commitment to every learner.
Shared Ownership
All kids are our kids
Clarity & Roles
TOR, TOS & Classified
Actionable Practices
Compliance & Push-in
Our Culture
All Kids Are Our Kids
Foundation
Our Shared Community Mindset
Every student belongs in our building community first. IEPs provide specialized services so students can thrive alongside peers, not apart from them.
Belonging by Default
Every student is first and foremost an essential member of our general education school community.
Collective Teamwork
General and special educators partner actively to plan, adapt, and scaffold learning together.
High Expectations
Accommodations remove structural barriers without diluting grade-level learning goals.
Key Takeaway: General education is the starting point for every student—not a privilege to be earned.
Roles Defined
TOR vs. TOS: Who Does What?
Staff Collaboration
TOR Teacher of Record
Legal Case Manager: Writes the IEP, coordinates case conferences, and oversees legal compliance.
Primary Liaison: Point of contact for parents, evaluation requests, and IEP revisions.
Directs Support: Guides classified staff in implementing accommodations.
TOS Teacher of Service
Direct Instruction: Any certified educator providing direct academic or behavioral instruction.
Goal Implementer: Delivers specialized instruction targeting specific IEP goals.
Progress Tracker: Collects baseline and progress monitoring data to report back to the TOR.
Gen Ed Connection: You are often the student's essential TOS for general curriculum access!
LRE Placements
Decoding 50, 51, 52, & 53
Least Restrictive Environment
Code 50
80% or More in Gen Ed
Student spends almost entire school day in general education classrooms with peers.
Standard: Inclusion with push-in or consult. Also may include pull-out math or ELA.
Code 51
40% to 79% in Gen Ed
Partial day in Gen Ed; pulled out for specific core academic or resource support.
Standard: Resource room / pull-out math or ELA.
Code 52
Less than 40% in Gen Ed
Majority of day in self-contained special education setting; joins peers for appropriate inclusion.
Standard: Self-contained or intense life skills.
Code 53
Separate Public / Private
Educated in a specialized separate public day school or specialized private facility. (Learning Center)
Standard: Specialized center / alternative school.
Service Delivery
How Service Minutes Can Be Met
Delivery Pathways
Push-In Support
Focuses on gen ed, on grade level curriculum
How It Works:
• Real-time assignment chunking
• Scaffolded guided practice
• Peer modeling in Gen Ed
Pull-Out Groups
Delivered in the resource room for explicit, intensive skill remediation away from classroom distractions.
How It Works:
• 1:1 or small-group phonics/math
• Low-distraction environment
• Direct IEP goal intervention
Classified Staff
Delivered by paraprofessionals under direct supervision and instructional planning of certified staff.
How It Works:
• Teacher plans, para reinforces
• Accommodation implementation
• Consistent progress data logging
Scheduling Flexibility: Minutes can be met in daily segments, weekly blocks, or co-taught rotations—as long as total IEP minutes are delivered and logged.
Delivery Models
Push-In vs. Pull-Out vs. Consult
Service Options
Push-In
Inside General Ed Class
SpEd teacher or classified staff supports student directly inside the regular classroom during core learning.
Best For: Scaffolding grade-level tasks, peer modeling, and social integration.
Pull-Out
Separate Resource Room
Student transitions to a smaller setting for intensive, targeted intervention or specialized curriculum.
Best For: Intensive phonics remediation, reduced sensory load, and discreet drills.
Consult
Teacher-to-Teacher
SpEd staff collaborates directly with the Gen Ed teacher to adapt materials, review data, and solve barriers.
Best For: Students near independence who only require environmental accommodations.
A single student's IEP can combine models (e.g., 90 min Pull-Out Math + 60 min Push-In ELA).
Classroom Practice
Making Push-In Support Effective
Active Facilitation
High-Impact Push-In Looks Like:
- Prompting independence: Giving wait time before stepping in to answer.
- Circulating support: Helping a table group so the student isn't singled out.
- On-the-fly chunking: Breaking teacher directions into visual steps.
- Observational notes: Recording behavior or participation patterns.
Practices to Avoid:
- The "Velcro" approach: Hovering so closely that peers cannot interact with the child.
- Doing the work: Scribing or solving problems for the student instead of guiding.
- Passive sitting: Sitting quietly at the back waiting for someone to ask for help.
- Isolating corner desks: Placing the student in a bubble away from classroom flow.
The ultimate goal of push-in is to build student independence, not lifelong adult reliance.
Staffing Guidelines
Classified Staff & Push-In Minutes
Classified Staff Role
Do Their Minutes Count?
YES — With Proper Supervision
Classified staff can deliver and count toward push-in minutes when working under the direction of a certified teacher.
• Certified teacher designs instruction and accommodations.
• Classified staff implements strategies and reinforces skills.
• Ongoing check-ins ensure alignment with IEP goals.
Critical Boundaries
What Classified Staff Cannot Do
Cannot design initial curriculum or introduce brand-new core concepts alone.
Cannot assign formal student grades or determine IEP service changes.
Cannot conduct official parent-teacher conferences or progress meetings.
Classified staff are vital instructional partners—clear direction makes them unstoppable!
Communication
Routing Concerns: Certified Staff First
Legal Protocol
1
Notice & Document
Whether you are a Gen Ed teacher or classified staff member, write down objective facts (times, antecedents, academic obstacles).
2
Contact the TOR
All concerns regarding IEP accommodations, behavior escalations, or service times must go directly to the student's TOR.
3
Action & Conference
The TOR can adjust strategies, consult specialists, or initiate a formal case conference to review the IEP with the team.
Crucial Rule for Classified Staff
When parents ask about progress or behavior, kindly redirect them: "Mrs. Smith is the Teacher of Record—let me connect you with her so she can share official updates!"
Classroom Reality
Different Needs in the Gen Ed Setting
Practical Scenarios
Processing Speed
Student Profile: Needs time to retrieve concepts and respond.
• Provide advance warning before calling on them.
• Reduced problem count (focus on mastery over volume).
Executive Function
Student Profile: Easily overwhelmed by multi-step assignments.
• Visual checklist on desk (Check off Step 1 before Step 2).
• Clear designated workspace with minimal clutter.
Emotional Regulation
Student Profile: Frustration spikes during transitions or testing.
• Pre-planned 2-minute reset card or sensory tool.
• Praise for proactive coping before outbursts occur.
Fair isn't everyone getting the exact same thing; fair is everyone getting what they need to succeed.
Legal Compliance
Service Minutes & Compliance
Legal Mandate
Common Causes of Missed Minutes
- School interruptions: Convocations, field trips, drills, or spirit rallies.
- Standardized testing windows: Altered daily schedules and room closures.
- Staff / student absence: Lack of substitute coverage for specialized staff.
What Happens & What We Do
Compensatory Services: If minutes fall significantly behind due to district factors, make-up time is legally owed.
Accurate Tracking: Log delivered minutes diligently every week—audit trails protect the school and the student.
Advance Notice: Let your SpEd team know about upcoming class schedule changes ahead of time!
Bottom Line: Service minutes are a binding legal contract between the school district and the family.
Next Steps
Partnering for Tomorrow
Action Checklist
1
Review IEP At-a-Glance
Know your students' accommodations, minutes, and goals before planning key units.
2
Touch Base with Your TOR
Schedule a quick 5-minute sync with the TOR regarding push-in schedules and classified support.
3
Champion Every Child
Foster high expectations, celebrate small wins, and treat every child as an essential member of your room.
Questions? We are here to support you!
Special Education Team • Building Stronger Teams Together
SpEd Presenter Guide
Facilitator Resource • 15–20 Min Session
SpEd Essentials Presenter Notes
Demystifying Special Education: Staff Briefing Delivery Guide
Companion to Slides
Pacing Target 1–2 min per slide; save 3–5 min for final questions.
Tone & Culture Supportive, demystifying, non-judgmental, collaborative.
Preparation Have sample redacted IEP At-a-Glance sheets on hand.
1
Title: Demystifying Special Education
1 Minute
Script Hook: "Special education can feel like a tangled web of acronyms, legal rules, and mystery minutes. Today is about taking down those walls so we all feel confident supporting every learner in our building."
Presenter Tip: Validate that feeling overwhelmed by paperwork is normal; today provides clarity.
2
Our Culture: All Kids Are Our Kids
2 Minutes
Talking Points: Emphasize that general education is the primary setting, not a reward. Students with IEPs are first and foremost general education students receiving specialized services.
Prompt: "When a student struggles, our first question shouldn't be 'Where do they go?' but 'What scaffold do they need right here?'"
3
Roles Defined: TOR vs. TOS
2 Minutes
Talking Points: Clarify that the TOR (Teacher of Record) holds the legal case file, manages annual IEP conferences, and interfaces with parents. The TOS (Teacher of Service) delivers instruction—often including Gen Ed teachers!
Key Distinction: Gen Ed teachers are essential TOS team members providing core curriculum access.
4
LRE Placements: Decoding 50, 51, 52, & 53
2 Minutes
Talking Points: Demystify state/federal LRE numbers. Code 50 = inclusion with push-in or consult (also may include pull-out support); Code 51 = resource pull-out; Code 52 = self-contained; Code 53 = separate facility.
Takeaway: These codes describe time in general ed environments—not the student's personal potential.
SpEd Essentials • Presenter Guide Page 1 of 3
Section 2
Service Minutes & Delivery Models
Slides 5–8 Facilitation
5
How Service Minutes Can Be Met
2 Minutes
Talking Points: Walk through practical fulfillment pathways: push-in scaffolding during core tasks, pull-out resource rooms for explicit skill remediation, and supervised paraprofessional support. Highlight scheduling flexibility across the school week.
Scripted Example: "A student's 60 weekly minutes can be met through daily 15-minute push-in guided practice blocks, two 30-minute pull-out intervention sessions, or co-taught station rotations."
6
Push-In vs. Pull-Out vs. Consult
2 Minutes
Talking Points: Compare the three service environments. Push-in provides real-time scaffolding in the regular classroom. Pull-out offers distraction-free intensive drills. Consult is teacher-to-teacher problem solving.
Highlight: A student can have both push-in for ELA and pull-out for math—it's tailored to goals!
7
Making Push-In Support Effective
2 Minutes
Talking Points: Address the "Velcro paraprofessional" phenomenon. High-impact push-in fosters independence, prompts wait time, and circulates among peers so the student is never socially stigmatized.
Core Maxim: "We support students to build self-advocacy, not adult dependency."
8
Classified Staff & Push-In Minutes
2 Minutes
Talking Points: Confirm that classified staff minutes count legally when directed by certified personnel. Clearly delineate boundaries: classified staff implement accommodations, but do not assign grades or diagnose deficits.
Action for Teachers: Give your paraprofessionals lesson outlines 24 hours ahead whenever possible.
SpEd Essentials • Presenter Guide Page 2 of 3
Section 3
Protocols, Compliance & Next Steps
Slides 9–12 Facilitation
9
Routing Concerns: Certified Staff First
2 Min
Talking Points: Walk through Notice → Document → Contact TOR. Protect classified staff from parent interrogation: coach them to politely defer progress questions directly to the TOR.
10
Different Needs in the Gen Ed Setting
2 Min
Talking Points: Review the three profiles (processing, executive function, emotional regulation). Emphasize fairness: fair is everyone getting what they need to succeed, not identical tasks.
11
Service Minutes & Compliance
2 Min
Talking Points: Highlight legal gravity. Service minutes are legally binding contracts. Remind staff to notify the SpEd team ahead of assemblies or field trips to prevent missed minutes and compensatory hours.
12
Partnering for Tomorrow: 3 Action Steps
1 Min
Call to Action: 1) Read student IEP At-a-Glances; 2) Sync with the TOR for 5 minutes this week; 3) Approach every student with high expectations and shared ownership.
Facilitator FAQ: Anticipated Staff Questions
Q: "What if an accommodation feels unfair to other students?"
A: Use the eyeglasses analogy: we don't deny glasses to a student with low vision because other kids don't have them. Accommodations level the playing field, not the standards.
Q: "Can I say no to a push-in schedule if it disrupts my lesson flow?"
A: Push-in times are tied to IEP minutes, but schedule adjustments can be co-planned with the TOR to align with independent practice or station rotations.
Q: "What should I do if a student refuses their accommodation?"
A: Never force an accommodation publicly. Offer discreet choices (e.g. noise-canceling headphones vs. quiet corner). Document refusal and notify the TOR so the case conference committee can review.
Recommended 2-Minute Turn & Talk (After Slide 12): "Turn to a colleague: What is one concrete adjustment you will make this week to support a diverse learner or collaborate with a push-in team member?"
SpEd Essentials • Presenter Guide Page 3 of 3
