Is Your Child in a Special Population?

"Special Pops"

Chances are you haven't heard this term from your campus administrator. This group is comprised of a broad spectrum of students that require differentiated instruction: from those with "high need" cognitive or physical impairment to those with more common special needs. The primary special pops are:

• Gifted and Talented 
• Special Education 
• Dyslexia 
• English Language Learners 
• 504

Special student populations are also costly to evaluate and service and  the purported lack of funding has limited the level of transparency among administrators. Parents of students in a special population must understand that they may need to advocate to ensure that their child is receiving the differentiated education and/or interventions to succeed. Therefore, parents should determine:

1. If their child falls into a "special pops" category 

2. What issues are happening in the other populations 

3. If issues in the other populations are also happening in their child’s special population

Stepping Out of Silos

Parents, take a look around. Do you understand what the parents of other populations are battling? GT Parents: were you aware that the TEA set an illegal cap to limit the number of student enrollment in special ed, dyslexia and English language learners? And how the state is currently undergoing corrective action for violating federal IDEA law? 

Since there is a pattern of limiting enrollment numbers, dissuasion and denials confirmed by news sources and happening in the other groups, could this pattern be happening in your student's population?