Essential resources for understanding the world of special education in Howard County and beyond.
“Just a Bad Day” or Undocumented Suspension?
There are many reasons why students are sent home. The purpose of this article is not to debate when an incident is ‘send-home’ worthy or ‘suspension’ worthy. Rather, it is to explain why send-homes without proper documentation are actually against school policy and why parents who race to pick up their children every time the…
HCPSS Behavior Specialists
Each Howard County public school is assigned a behavior specialist. In order to access the behavior specialist, the special education team leader (or instructional team leader) at your school should contact the school’s assigned instructional facilitator at the Department of Special Education to arrange for a consult. Parents are encouraged to discuss behavioral issues and…
Understanding the Important Difference between “Accommodations” & “Modifications”
Meeting after meeting, parents and teachers use the words “accommodation” and “modification” almost interchangeably when discussing IEPs and student needs. Yet the terms are vastly different. If understood and used correctly, these words can greatly impact the success of a child’s educational program.
Maryland Accommodations Manual
The Maryland Accommodations Manual is the guide to select, administer and evaluate the use of Accommodations for the Instruction and Assessment of Students with Disabilities. It is available in PDF on the Maryland State Department of Education website. Click here.
