Applied Programming

What's Required 

Each school district shall provide services to students with disabilities in order to meet the needs of those students in accordance with 34 CFR §300.26.  Instructional arrangements/settings shall be based on the individual needs and IEPs of eligible students receiving special education services. 

What We Do 

Applied/Life Skills Programming is designed to meet the educational needs of students in grades K-12 with a significant cognitive disability who require direct, intensive, individualized instruction and supports in order to acquire, maintain, and generalize skills.  Academic instruction is focused on prerequisite, vertically aligned skills.  Areas of instruction can include:  functional academics, self-help, domestic, vocational, communication, social, and behavior skills. Some students will participate in the functional academics portion of the program, but join the general academic program for core classes and vice versa. This is NOT an instructional arrangement or a placement. 

Applied programming includes structured teaching approach to maximize student independence and to allow teachers to deliver direct instruction of student IEPs on an individual and small group basis. Attention is given to appropriate and purposeful inclusion of students in the general academic setting as well. This includes the use of visual schedules, slower pace of instruction, and more targeted attention to the application and generalization of skills in the student's every day life. 

The applied program uses a team approach to address the unique needs of each student. Depending on student need, service providers from a variety of disciplines plan and implement the overall educational program. Support from district staff is available to assist teachers in behavior management, structured teaching, autism and other areas.