Whenever possible, PPF1 students with disabilities should receive special education support in Spanish from an ELA-S Special Ed teacher. If it is not possible to staff an ELA-S Special Ed teacher:

• Option A: Students can receive Special Ed services from an ELA-E Special Ed teacher with appropriate language supports, such as an ELA-S Paraprofessional.

• Option B: An ELA-E Special Education teacher can provide the Special Ed minutes in English content courses aligned to IEP goals.

All PPF1 students with special needs (MM, MIA, MIS, MI, AN) must have access to Spanish language support either from an ELA-S qualified Special Ed teacher or an ELA-E Special Ed teacher and ELA-S paraprofessional.

• PPF1 students with Mild/Moderate disabilities should be in required ELA-S courses and receive Spanish instruction aligned to the Language Allocation Guidelines. IEP goals should be complementary to Spanish classroom instruction (for example, reading strategies that transfer between languages), and the Special Ed and ELA-S classroom teachers will need to communicate and collaborate regularly to ensure aligned support for the student.

• PPF1 students in Center Programs should receive special education support in Spanish from an ELA-S Special Ed teacher when possible. If this is not possible, students can receive Special Ed services from an ELA-E Special Ed teacher with appropriate language supports, such as an ELA-S Paraprofessional.

During the IEP process, the school’s Instructional Services Advisory (ISA) Team should collaborate with school leaders, a fully qualified ELA-E or ELA-S teacher, a fully qualified Special Education teacher and the student’s parents to identify the best way to meet the language of instruction and Special Education requirements for the individual student.

• Special Education Assessment Services (SEAS) Network Support should be consulted to determine if the provision of Spanish-language assessments are appropriate. 

• An ELA–E or ELA–S designated teacher must be present at the IEP meeting if the student is an MLL, regardless of the setting in which a student is being served. The Special Education case manager must also request interpretation services for the IEP meeting when a student’s parent(s)/caregiver indicate their preferred language is not English.

It is ultimately the responsibility of the school leader to ensure that all MLLs are placed appropriately and are receiving appropriate language and Special Education services. The school leader can and should collaborate with the Special Education and ISA teams to meet this responsibility. 

Training Requirements

All Special Ed teachers must complete MLE Teacher Qualification training requirements. For teachers in TNLI schools, it is recommended that all teachers who work with MLLs are at least MLE 2E/ ELA-E qualified:

• A Mild Moderate teacher’s minimum MLE training qualification requirement is MLE1/ELA-T

• A Mild Moderate teacher who is the teacher of record has an MLE training qualification requirement of MLE 2E/ELA-E.

• A Special Education teacher who teaches in a Center Program has an MLE training qualification requirement of MLE 2E/ELA-E

Contact Liz Van Liere at elisabeth_van-liere@dpsk12.net with questions.