Inclusion Philosophy
In accordance with IB philosophy, Las Colinas Elementary supports the inclusion of all students in the Primary Years Program. This includes but is not limited to:
- Safeguarding the interests of all students;
- Actively seeking to remove barriers to learning and participation;
- Providing an appropriate education that allows students to achieve their personal potential;
- Embodying an environment that is welcoming, healthy and child-friendly. (From Learning Diversity in the International Baccalaureate programmes: Special educational needs within the International Baccalaureate programmes, 2010)
The mission of Las Colinas Elementary is for students to be lifelong learners who communicate with care and respect with inquiry and action in their community. All students are considered IB students and participate in the PYP. All students are expected to engage with the IB Philosophy and learn and demonstrate Learner Profile Attributes, global-mindedness, and service in action. Students are assessed to the individual appropriate level. Students are not excluded from IB because of a disability. There are no financial issues with supporting special needs in the IB program. We are an open admissions school.
Students with disabilities and IB
Special education needs refers to candidates with individual learning, physical, sensory, behavioral or social needs who have the intellectual ability to meet all curriculum and assessment requirements of IB, and who require accommodations to demonstrate their level of achievement. This may include students eligible for special education services requiring specially designed instruction, as well as students served through Section 504. Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD has a Child Find obligation to locate, evaluate, and identify students’ birth through 21 years of age with a disability, eligible for special education services. In the State of Texas, an Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) Committee reviews evaluation data, determines eligibility for special education services, and puts an Individual Education Plan (IEP) in place. The IEP includes supplemental aids and services and appropriate accommodations for students to help them succeed in
the general curriculum. These accommodations are required for all undertakings, including the IB Primary Years Programme, which the student participates in. Students with the following special needs participate in IB PYP: Speech and Language Impairment, Learning Disability, Auditory Impairment, Visual Impairment, Autism, Orthopedic Impairment, Emotional Disturbance, and Other Health Impairment.
Las Colinas Elementary ensures that students with disabilities are educated to the maximum extent appropriate with their non-disabled peers. The goal is to provide access to the general curriculum and educate students with disabilities in a general education classroom with supplemental aids and services to the maximum extent appropriate for each individual student’s needs. Some principles of providing differentiated instruction include:
- Valuing and affirming the language, culture and identity of each student
- Knowing and using students’ prior knowledge to build new understandings
- Scaffolding instruction with small groups, use of mother tongue, or visual aids
- Extending the learning through interaction with rich materials in their cognitive tasks
At the start of each school year, Las Colinas Elementary staff participates in professional development activities on special education, inclusive practices, and the use of accommodations for students with disabilities.
Special Needs Policy Review
This policy is evaluated every two years by the Head of Schools, IB Coordinator, Director of Advanced Academics, Special Education Department Chair, and Special Education teachers. It is the responsibility of the IB Coordinator to ensure the success of the special education needs policy review.