Special Education

Our Resource Specialist Program (RSP)

Our RSP program is the heart of our special education services. With this program, special education teachers are the second teacher in the classroom or they lead classes in collaboration with general education teachers. In these photos, a special education teacher is leading a class in which half of the students have Individualized Education Plans (IEPs), and no, we won’t tell you which students, because at UPVHS, all students are provided with instruction and support! 

RSP teachers usually are seen working alongside students and general education teachers, but we also work with students outside of the classroom too. Sometimes this means testing the students in another room, so they can focus on their tests better, or at other times, we take students into a resource classroom to help them catch up on classwork or to reinforce their understanding. Our teachers work together to determine the best course of action to take to help each student! 

Our Individualized Education Plan (IEP) Program

The IEP is the document that determines instruction and support for students who need special education services. Every student has one IEP meeting every year, and there are more meetings depending on the student’s needs. Our RSP teachers prepare IEP’s and lead IEP meetings. During the meeting, parents and students meet with teachers and a special education administrator to discuss the student’s progress in accomplishing the goals in the IEP. Adjustments and changes are discussed and once the plan is approved by the parent, the revised IEP is put into action, and teachers are notified of any changes. Various specialists, such as a school psychologist, occupational therapist, language and speech therapist and adaptive physical education teacher, attend these meetings and provide progress reports. All of these specialists provide services for students at UPVHS in consultation with teachers and administrators.