| Grants Support New Solutions
to Classroom Access By Students with Disabilities
(Santa Fe, NM)--The New Mexico Public Education Department
(NMPED) announced today that 11 public school districts, including two
charter schools, and three Regional Educational Cooperatives (RECs)
would receive $292,866 in federal Individuals with Disabilities Education
Act (IDEA) grant funds to support new solutions to classroom access
by students with disabilities.
“Under IDEA, students in our public schools with disabilities
are entitled to spend at least 80 percent of their day in regular education
classrooms. The grant recipients are committed to meeting this goal
through novel solutions, which will lead to improved outcomes for all
students,” said Secretary of Education Dr. Veronica C. Garcia.
Under the grant, districts and RECs will seek to provide the following:
· Differentiated Instruction, a learning model that requires
teachers to be flexible in their approach to teaching by adjusting the
curriculum and presentation of information to learners rather than expecting
students to modify themselves to the curriculum.
· Universal Design, whereby products and environments are designed
to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without
the need for adaptation or specialized design.
· Cooperative Learning, a learning method that provides teachers
with effective ways to respond to diverse students by promoting academic
achievement and cross-cultural understanding.
· Co-Teaching, where two teachers, usually a teacher of general
education and a teacher of special education, work together to teach
all types of students. The teachers’ experience and knowledge
benefit the students in general education and the students in special
education.
· Team Teaching, to allow for greater flexibility in instruction,
provide a variety of approaches, model collaboration and allow for greater
observation of students to better meet their needs.
The funded districts and schools are as follows:
| DISTRICT |
FUNDS AWARDED |
Albuquerque Public Schools
Corrales Elementary, Hodgin Elementary, Mark Twain Elementary, John
Adams Middle,
Taylor Middle, Cibola High and Stronghurst Alternative School |
$50,167 |
Cloudcroft Municipal Schools
Cloudcroft Elementary, Cloudcroft Middle and Cloudcroft High |
$10,000 |
Eunice Public Schools
Caton Middle |
$10,000 |
Gallup-McKinley County Public Schools
Gallup Middle |
$9,925 |
Lordsburg Municipal Schools
Central Elementary, Dugan-Tarango Middle and Lordsburg High |
$28,500 |
Moriarty Municipal Schools
Moriarty Elementary |
$13,920 |
Ruidoso Municipal Schools
Nob Hill Elementary and White Mountain Intermediate |
$17,500 |
Santa Fe Public Schools
Turquoise Trail Elementary (charter school)
Monte del Sol Charter School |
$5,000 each |
Socorro Consolidated Schools
Parkview Elementary, San Antonio Elementary and Zimmerly Elementary |
$15,000 |
Taos Municipal Schools
Enos Garcia Elementary |
$10,000 |
Truth or Consequences Municipal Schools
T or C Middle |
$5,000 |
| Regional Education Cooperative #4 Northeast |
$60,000 |
| Regional Education Cooperative #5 Central |
$14,994 |
| Regional Education Cooperative #8 Pecos Valley |
$37,860 |
Staff at the recipient schools and RECs will participate in planning
activities and study groups and work with outside consultants in an
effort to understand the legal requirements of the “Least Restrictive
Environment” (LRE) component of the IDEA, modify policies and
procedures to support the LRE and learn and apply new techniques in
the classroom. The LRE increases access by students with disabilities
to the general education curriculum.
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