SPECIAL PROGRAMS DEPARTMENT

The Tucumcari Public School District believes in "Excellence In Education" for all students.  The Special Programs Department is committed to providing a Free and Appropriate Education (FAPE) for all students and for those that qualify for services.  Our program consists of a Certified Educational Diagnostician (CED), Speech & Language Pathologists (SLP), an Occupational Therapist (OT), a Certified Occupational Therapist Assistant (COTA), a Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW), and support staff.  The implementation of educational services includes special education teachers, general education teachers, preschool teachers, other service providers and most importantly, the parents, who are committed to working diligently to implement the IEP (Individualized Educational Plan) for our students.

Educational Diagnostician

A Certified Educational Diagnostician (CED) understands and applies knowledge of the purpose, philosophy and legal foundations of evaluation and special education. 

A CED:

              •    understands state and federal regulations relevant to special education;

              •    models theories and philosophies that provide the basis for special education evaluations;

              •    uses assessment and evaluation information to plan individualized programs;

              •    makes instructional decisions that result in appropriate services for individuals with exceptionalities, including those from

                   culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds;

              •    interprets and uses assessment and evaluation data for targeted instruction and on-going review;

              •    assists in identifying realistic expectations for educationally relevant behavior (e.g., vocational, functional, academic, social) in various settings; and

              •    makes recommendations for classroom modifications and instructional strategies that will enhance a child's ability to access and

                    benefit from the educational experience;

 Speech & Language Therapy

A Certified Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) screens, evaluates and provides speech-language therapy for students who have a speech or language impairment such as stuttering, impaired articulation, language impairment or voice impairment that adversely affects a child's educational performance.

Services include:

            •    Resource/pullout services (completed in the speech therapy room)

            •    Inclusion/integrated services (completed in the classroom)

            •    Consultation (providing the student's teachers and parents with strategies and activities to assist the student)

            •    Monitoring (observing the student in various settings outside the therapy room)

Our goal is to have each student communicating to his/her highest potential, increasing their ability to adequately function and complete required academic tasks, in the ultimate least restrictive environment, which is the regular education classroom.

Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapy is a treatment that deals with fine and gross motor skills, visual-perceptual skills, cognitive skills, and sensory-processing deficits, thus focusing on helping students achieve their independence in all areas of their lives'.  OT can offer children with various needs that are positive as well as fun activities to improve their cognitive, physical, and gross motor skills to enhance their self-esteem and sense of accomplishment.

Because a child's main job is playing and learning, an occupational therapist  (OT) can evaluate a child's skills for play activities, school performance, and activities of daily living to compare them with what is developmentally appropriate for that age group; in addition to dealing with an individual's physical well being, an OT addresses psychological, social, and environmental factors that may hinder an individual's functioning in different ways.  This unique approach makes occupational therapy a vital part of health care for some children.

An OT can address to meet children's needs by working on fine motor skills so that they can grasp and release toys and develop good handwriting skills, they can also address hand-eye coordination, gross motor skills, such as hitting a target, batting a ball, or copying from a dry erase board or a blackboard.

 Social Work Services

Social work is a specialized service that utilizes various social resources, social systems and human capacity to bring about change in human behavior, emotional responses and social conditions.  A social worker in New México must be licensed by the regulation and licensing department through the New México Board of Social Work Examiners by passing the ASWB (Association of Social Work Board) examination as well as a Cultural Exam.  There are three levels of licensure for a social worker in New México to include Licensed Bachelor Social Worker (LBSW), Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) and Licensed Independent Social Worker (LISW).

Social workers, depending on their level and licensure, can provide a wide range of services to include, but not limited to, assessment, treatment planning, implementation and evaluation, case management, information and referral, counseling, supervision, consultation, education, research, advocacy, community organization and development, implementation and administration of policies, programs and activities.

Social workers must renew their licensure annually or biannually by accumulating fifteen credit hours of training per year that have been approved by the Social Work Board.

Developmentally Delayed (DD) Preschool & Child Find

The Developmentally Delayed (DD) Preschool is a special education program designed to teach children who have a developmental delay or a disability.  Three and four year-old children who qualify for the DD Preschool benefit from a literacy rich, play-based curriculum provided by licensed, highly qualified teachers and ancillary staff.  The DD Preschool program also has a peer role-model program which provides the DD students with the opportunity to interact with typically developing peers.

An inter-agency Child Find is held each year in the spring as a community service.  Children from birth to four years are screened in the areas of speech & language, cognition, motor, sensory, nutrition, social & adaptive skills, and vision & hearing.  However, if parents are concerned or have any questions regarding the development of their child, they are encouraged to call the Special Programs Department at (575) 461-4344.

 Gifted Services

"Gifted and talented students" means a child or youth who performs at or shows the potential for performing at a remarkably higher level of accomplishment when compared to other children of the same age, experience, or environment. Students will also exhibit high performance capability in an intellectual, creative, or artistic area, possess an unusual capacity for leadership, and/or excel in a specific academic field.

Students who participate in services designed for gifted students will demonstrate skills in self-directed learning, thinking, research, and communication as evidenced by the development of innovative products and performances that reflect individuality and creativity that are advanced in relation to students of similar age, experience or environment.  High school graduates who have participated in services for gifted students will have completed assignments of professional quality as part of their programs services.

 Transition Services

One of the primary purposes of IDEA-B Entitlement is to ensure that children with exceptionalities are prepared for employment and independent living.  At age fourteen (or sooner, if appropriate), IEPs become future-directed in which team discussion and decision-making must focus on designing and implementing an educational program and experience that prepares students for transition to adult life.  These transition-planning activities are a required component of an IEP for students fourteen and up.  For students that will reach the age of fourteen during the school year, a transition planning for secondary coursework must be included in the IEP for that school year.  Incorporating transition into the IEP includes early identification of planning and goal setting for the student to begin setting a course of study.

Medicaid School Based Services

The Tucumcari Public School District delivers a broad range of educational, social and medical services that are needed to ensure a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) to children and youth that have disabilities.  Under the auspices of the Medicaid in the Schools Based Services (MSBS)  program, Tucumcari Schools offers key health and health related services that are designed to integrate and maintain active learning of Medicaid-eligible children and youth with special educational and healthcare needs.  In New México the MSBS includes a number of direct services including physical, occupational, audiological, speech & language therapies, social services, transportation and nursing services.