Supplementary Aids and Services (SaS) Toolkit

Meredith Penner, M.Ed.Program & Training Specialist

BCIU #22

What are supplementary aids and services?

Aids, services and other supports

Provided in regular education classes or other related settings

Enable children with disabilities to be educated with non-disabled children to the maximum extent appropriate

IDEA 2004 Section 602(33)

Supplementary Aids and Services(Etscheidt & Bartlett, 1999)

Collaborative Personnel and team collaboration

Instructional Delivery of instruction, modified curricular needs, assessment, grading

Social-Behavioral Behavioral supports, self management, peer supports

Physical Physical environment, mobility, room arrangement, seating

What is the SaS Toolkit?

The Supplementary Aids and Services Toolkit guides teams through steps that lead to the identification of services and supports to enable a student with a disability to learn and

succeed within general education classroom settings.

A multi-step student specific collaborative process Identifies potential barriers that exist in the general

education if nothing is changed Identifies support options to increase student learning &

participation in general education classrooms Focuses on changing the student, you develop ways of

adapting and modifying the environment.

Implementation Sequence

Suggested Personnel Toolkit Component(s)

Learn About the SAS Consideration Toolkit and Process

Special education administrators, PaTTAN and IU Technical Assistance Personnel serve as resources to IEP team

Overview and Preparation for Use

Compile and organize information about the student

All team members Student Profile

Create profile of general education setting(s)

General and special educator compile information and share with team

SAS Consideration Tool, Step 1

Identify potential barriers to learning and curriculum access in the general education classroom

All team members SAS Consideration Tool, Step 2

Identify strategies and services to eliminate barriers

All team members; specialists as needed to supplement team expertise (e.g., AT specialist, behavior specialist, PaTTAN/IU consultants)

SAS Consideration Tool, Step 3SAS Resource Wheel  

Discuss and analyze appropriate SAS options and determine viable alternatives for implementation

All team members and consultants

SAS Consideration Tool, Step 4

Considering the Full Range of SaS SaS should be:

• Available to all students who need them

• Designed to provide meaningful educational benefit

• Provided in a manner that avoids stigmatizing students

Potential Support Strategies: Collaborative Examples

Scheduled team meetings Co-teaching Friendship facilitation Ongoing consultation Weekly/daily communication Staff training Mentor teachers

Potential Support Strategies: Instructional Examples

Using keyboard/portable device; instruction in keyboarding skills; use of scribe

Reading directions aloud Using special paper or

writing tools Simplifying directions Providing visual cues Increasing individualized

assistance Presenting instruction

differently Allowing students to

respond in a different manner

Modifying curricular goals

Potential Support Strategies: Social-Behavioral Examples

Behavioral support plan Social skill training Scheduled breaks Friendship facilitation or

Circle of Friends Changing the “rules” (e.g.

allowing gum or water bottle to address sensory needs)

Potential Support Strategies: Physical Examples

Arrange furniture differently Allow testing in a separate

room Allow extended time or

multiple sessions to complete tests

Provide student requested breaks in pre-set area out of the classroom

Allow water bottle or sensory toy at desk

Make available an adapted chair

Determination of SaS:What it is NOT

Listing every accommodation available on the IEP form, hoping “something” will work

Using a standard set of accommodations for each student who has a similar disability label

Making modifications without assessing and discussing thoroughly what the student may need

What SaS is NOT (Cont.)

Developing an IEP without an analysis of potential general education environments

Limiting consideration of SAS to those that the team has experience in implementing

Beginning the IEP development process with a predetermined placement already in mind, based on whether the student currently is placed and/or his/her disability

Use of a calculatorTEXT ON TAPEVisual prompts to stay on task

Visual schedule

Fidget seat

Adapted seating

Textured bulletin boardExtra time

to take tests

Advance notice for change in routine

Collaboration time for teachers to talk

Ability Awareness training

Modified Curriculum

PRE-TEACHINGAir conditioned Classroom

Seating to

allow visual access from the

right

Teacher Aide Assistance

Chunky crayons

Social Skill Instruction

Change in rules or expectatio

ns

Examples:

Private Duty Nurse

Teacher Training Provide

for Sensory Breaks

Who Completes the SaS Tool Kit?

General Ed Teacher

Special Ed Teacher

Parent

OT and PTSpecial Ed Supervisor

Principal

Other Support Staff

Component A COMPONENT A- provides an overview

of the SaS consideration process, describing who is responsible for actions at each step of the process.

Component B

 Student Profile: Summary of Strengths,Needs, and Learning Characteristics

COMPONENT B- assists teams in organizing student specific information in a format designated to facilitate instructional planning and problem-solving to support inclusive practices.

Component C COMPONENT C - the tool that guides IEP team members through a four-step process and results in the identification of student-specific, environmentally-referenced supplementary aids and services.

Step 1: Environmental Scan of General Education Classroom

* To be completed by the general education teacher (with input from the special education teacher as needed) prior to the team meeting

Supplementary Aids and Services (SAS) Consideration Tool1

Completed By:Identify classroom(s) used as a reference point for Step 1:

Date:Student:

2Coding Key: 1 = never; 2 = occasionally; 3 = frequently

1 2 31 2 31 2 31 2 31 2 31 2 31 2 3

Printed Materials Textbook Workbook Trade book Worksheets Newspapers/magazines Other ____________________ Other ____________________

Frequency of Use2

1.1 Instructional Method/ Materials

Identify supplementary aids and services that could support this student’s participation and learning in this class. Consider all possibilities, consulting available resources and support personnel.

Given what you know about this student, identify any difficulties you can anticipate in this setting, based on his/her current skills, needs, and learning style.

Use, as a reference point, the general classroom(s) this student would attend if he or she did not have a disability. In collaboration with the general education teacher(s), create a profile of the instructional environment(s) by circling the number that best describes the frequency of use of identified materials and instructional practices.

Step 3: Identify Support StrategiesStep 2: Identify Barriers to Learning and Participation

Step 1: Environmental Scan of General Education Classroom

Component D Self-Check for Teams

COMPONENT D is a self-assessment tool for teams to use as they move through the SAS Consideration Toolkit to ensure fidelity in the development of an IEP that is focused on maximizing student participation in the LRE and meaningful access to the general education curriculum.

Determine which SaS will be implemented:

Identify the most appropriate

supplementary aids and services needed to support this student’s learning in general education settings

SaS Includes Supports for Adults, too!!

Adults need supports to do things in ways that they have not had previous experience

Identify training, technical assistance, administrative support needs, and other resources that are needed to deliver supplementary aids and services in ways that are new to instructional personnel

What Happens When?

Before•All team members receive a copy of the 4 SaS Components to

review•Special and General Education teachers complete section 1 of

Component C (Profile of General Education Classroom)•Special and General Education teachers complete “Sensory, Motor,

and Processing Considerations” (Section B-4)

During

•Team receives a copy of the completed “Profile of the General Education Classroom”

•Team completes the “Strengths and Interests” section of Component B

•Team identifies potential barriers within the general education classroom to curriculum access and instruction

•Team identifies strategies and services to eliminate barriers•Team identifies viable alternatives for implementation

After •Follow up IEP revision meeting to add supports and services as needed

•Action plan is implemented based on consensus of team members•Team members receive a copy of the action plan

Whether students’ needs have been met is reflected not only by

whether they have attained certain objectives, but by the

impact the educational experiences have had on their

lives. Michael Giangreco, 1994