Special Education Services

Supporting Students with Special Needs: Services for the Special Education Subgroup

The Orange County Department of Education’s Office of Continuous Improvement offers a wide variety of customized support to schools and districts looking to serve students with special needs. Support includes, but is not limited to, such topics as: language arts and mathematics support, differentiation, strategic test preparation instruction, and response to intervention.

The Special Ed Thread

Want to stay in the loop? Published three times per year, this free resource for special educators provides updates on all the latest trends and initiatives in the field. The Special Ed Thread spotlights teachers and programs in Orange County that are effective and unique, provides examples of best practices for elementary and secondary educators and highlights numerous websites, books and other resources to help special educators make the most of their instructional time.

Upcoming Events

UDL 101 Cohort A - 10/18/18 ocde.k12oms.org/1289-152234 Cohort B - 01/29/19 http://ocde.k12oms.org/1289-152235	Participants will: - Understand the connection between UDL, differentiation and Multi-Tiered System of Supports - Learn about the 3 principles of UDL (Representation, Action/Expression, Engagement)
Supporting English Learners with Disabilities 10/26/18 ocde.k12oms.org/1246-155031	Participants will: - explore the difference between language acquisition versus learning disability needs - learn about a process that provides procedures for district staff to ensure proper referrals, evaluations, identification for services and IEP supports and much more.
UDL 201: Advancing Implementation of UDL Cohort A - 11/27/18 ocde.k12oms.org/1246-155976 Cohort B - 03/04/19 ocde.k12oms.org/1246-155979	Participants wil learn how to develop UDL lesson plans considering the four curriculum components of goals, methods, materials and assessment to provide students with a complete learning experience.
Elevating Co-Teaching through UDL with Elizabeth Stein 12/04/18 ocde.k12oms.org/1246-155163	Participants will develop an understanding of what UDL looks like in the classroom and how to get buy-in for the UDL approach from administrators, parents, and students
Get that UDL Train Out of the Station with Dr. Katie Novak 03/19/19 ocde.k12oms.org/1246-155647	Participants should have background knowledge of UDL and have an attended an OCDE UDL 101 training or another event with Katie Novak. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is written into federal and state ESSA plans, and maybe your colleagues know what the framework is and why it's important, but student achievement is stagnant, and/or you're facing resistance to scaling UDL across all learning environments. What you need is a ticket to get that UDL train out of the station. Attend this highly anticipated session to learn about the marriage of UDL and implementation science and how concrete strategies and protocols can ensure that the outcomes of all students are maximized and all stakeholders climb aboard the UDL train!

For additional information, please contact Pam Tupy at ptupy@ocde.us.