MCPS SPED?

[Anonymous]

Looking to apply to a SPED position. Could someone explain to me differences between PEP/ Homeschool model/Learning Center.


Thank you in advance!

[Anonymous]

This page has descriptions of each:

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/special-education/programs-services/elementary-services/

[Anonymous]

Thank you, previous poster!

Are there any pros/cons to HSM or LFI?

[Anonymous]

I would stay away from elementary SPED. HSM is out of control- at least 20 kids on your caseload including several who should not be mainstreamed and need all of your time. Now intervention time (FIT/WIN) has taken away even more time. You will never have enough time to help your students.

LFI is a personal preference as to what you can handle. I don’t know what their current numbers are but the children are very impacted and at least in the past, teachers felt the classes were too large to have control and be beneficial for the kids.

I strongly recommend middle or high school as the caseloads are a lot more manageable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would stay away from elementary SPED. HSM is out of control- at least 20 kids on your caseload including several who should not be mainstreamed and need all of your time. Now intervention time (FIT/WIN) has taken away even more time. You will never have enough time to help your students.

LFI is a personal preference as to what you can handle. I don’t know what their current numbers are but the children are very impacted and at least in the past, teachers felt the classes were too large to have control and be beneficial for the kids.

I strongly recommend middle or high school as the caseloads are a lot more manageable.

Thanks for the helpful information!

[Anonymous]

PP, I don't have any experience with middle or HS so would prefer elementary but am wondering if you might be able to provide more info on the learning centers as well?

[Anonymous]

Elementary SPEd HSM has definitely been problematic. You are often tasked with dealing with the behavior problems even though that should really be handled by admin. Parent support can also be an issue.

[Anonymous]

NP- I am an elementary teacher and do not work in LFI, so take what I say with a grain of salt. It used to be that students that needed over 15 hours a day of sped services, were placed in a program. Now you have to truly fail out of school to be placed in a program. LFI kids are very impacted and most are not diploma bound. I would definitely find out how many students are in current LFI programs because often they are called the “dumping grounds” for the county. Just do your research.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP- I am an elementary teacher and do not work in LFI, so take what I say with a grain of salt. It used to be that students that needed over 15 hours a day of sped services, were placed in a program. Now you have to truly fail out of school to be placed in a program. LFI kids are very impacted and most are not diploma bound. I would definitely find out how many students are in current LFI programs because often they are called the “dumping grounds” for the county. Just do your research.

This is quite helpful!

[Anonymous]

Of all levels and programs I would stay away from elementary homeschool model. It is the most problematic program at this point. Hopefully they’ll fix it but at this point do not go into it. You’ve been warned.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP- I am an elementary teacher and do not work in LFI, so take what I say with a grain of salt. It used to be that students that needed over 15 hours a day of sped services, were placed in a program. Now you have to truly fail out of school to be placed in a program. LFI kids are very impacted and most are not diploma bound. I would definitely find out how many students are in current LFI programs because often they are called the “dumping grounds” for the county. Just do your research.

Learning Center is also known as a dumping ground, but at least usually in LFI, even though the kids are heavily impacted, you are working more with parents who know their kid is heavily impacted and are in less denial about the severity of the deficits and more willing to meet their child where they are vs. where they wish they were. Some of the kids in Learning Centers should be in LFI (or even SCB) but their parents refused to sign the paperwork to put them on certificate track and MCPS refused to fight them, so the spread of abilities and modifications needed is wider and there's more stress in keeping up a charade that the Learning Center placement might just be one little bump on Larlo's road to medical school. Learning Center is also where the kids with significant behavior problems who need a self-contained class but are academically too below grade level for SESES end up.

I would definitely go with LFI over Learning Center.

[Anonymous]

^^ agree with the others, Learning Center used to be a place for SPED kids who could sometimes be pulled out and go into GEN ED for a class or two a day, smaller class size than GEN ED, but has become a massive dumping ground for behaviors. PEP has different programs and in theory a limited number of students and para support.

[Anonymous]

How are elementary SESES and autism classes right now? Are caseloads manageable? What percent of the classes should really be in a NPS?

Would either be better than HSM or LFI?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^^ agree with the others, Learning Center used to be a place for SPED kids who could sometimes be pulled out and go into GEN ED for a class or two a day, smaller class size than GEN ED, but has become a massive dumping ground for behaviors. PEP has different programs and in theory a limited number of students and para support.

All of the students who used to be in the Learning Center (2 years or more behind academically) are now fully mainstreamed with not enough support. I have several kids in each grade level whose needs are not being met- for example, 5th graders who still can't read basic sentences, 3rd graders still learning their letters, and 4th graders not knowing how to count on within 100. I feel horrible for the kids as they just feel stupid when they compare themselves to their classmates rather than be in an environment where we can actually teach them the missing skills.

What this means is that the kids going to the Learning Center have additional problems beyond academics, generally behavioral but sometimes social challenges. You have a mix of kids who are working toward a diploma and certificate. This is hard for a teacher to differentiate between.

[Anonymous]

The current school situation w/SpEd is burning out staff and admin, with little to no help from the office of special education. When will the BOE and CO exec staff wake up to the dismal on-the-ground reality? Current practices and staffing is unsustainable!