Special Education Programs

San Benito County Office of Education - Early Childhood Special Education Preschool Program 

Program Description 

A preschool aged child may be eligible for special education if s/he meets the criteria of one of the 13 disabling conditions recognized by the IDEA that include: 

The Early Childhood Special Education Preschool Program is the regional program serving all districts within the San Benito County (SBCOE) Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA) provides screening and assessment services. Children that are screened may be referred for an initial psychoeducational assessment. If the child is found eligible for special education services, and Individual Education Program (IEP) team meeting will be scheduled to determine the most appropriate program and related services based on the student’s individual strengths and weaknesses demonstrated on the psychoeducational assessment. Related services may or may not include: speech and language services, occupational therapy, assistive technology, parent education, and/or counseling. 

The program offers an integrated, non-categorical special education program with various support services to assist with early learning needs. Programs and services are based on neuro-developmental, and research-based instructional practices. The educational focus is on language development, social development, self-help skills, motor development, and pre-academics. Curriculum is aligned with the California Preschool Foundations and the HeadStart Early Learning Outcomes Framework. Children are guided to engage in play-based instructional activities.  

Program Services 

School Psychology Services 

School Psychologists provide a variety of professional services to support students, particularly assessment and counseling. They are critical team members involved in the placement of students in Special Education classes, programs, and services. They also provide important information and support to teachers and parents/family members regarding student’s education, living skills, and behavior management. These services are available to all special education programs operated by the SBCOE Regional Special Education Department.  

Speech and Language Services 

Speech and Language Pathologists (SLP) assess students for possible impaired speech and language disabilities. If eligible, students are provided direct or itinerant services in the areas of phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics, and augmented communication systems. The SLPSs are also available for consultation and support to staff members and parents. They provide formal and informal training related to the implementation of language and communication strategies within the classroom setting.  

Services are not provided when language deficits or speech patterns are a result of English as a second language from environmental, economic, or cultural differences.  

Educationally Based Occupational Therapy Services 

In public schools, occupational therapy (OT) services support the educational team and help the student access the curriculum and engage successfully in purposeful and meaningful school occupations. Occupational therapists use techniques that correct, facilitate or adapt the student’s functional performance in postural stability, sensory registration and processing, motor planning, fine and gross motor, activities for daily living, social/play organization of behavior, and environmental adaptations/stive devices. OT therapists play a valuable role in assisting school administrators in planning and implementation issues such as building modifications, new construction, special transportation, curriculum development, safety and injury prevention and technology.  

OT may be added to a student’s IEP as related services only if they are needed for the student to benefit from the special education services provided. The term educationally relevant means that the service must be needed to enable the child to benefit from his or her educational setting. The goals and interventions address the child’s present level of academic achievement and functional performance. As with all other related services, a school-based OT should be provided only if a student needs it to benefit from special education. These services are available to all special education programs operated by the SBCOE Regional Special Education Department. 

San Benito County Office of Education - Regional Low Incidence Program 

Deaf/Hard of Hearing Program 

The Deaf/Hard of Hearing (DHH) Program serves students birth to 21 in home-based, early childhood, general education, special education and transition settings throughout many of the twelve districts within San Benito County. The DHH teacher is responsible for conducting assessments to establish eligibility for deaf/hard of hearing services and to identify programming needs for students with a hearing loss. The DHH teacher serves as a resource to all team members including parents, instructional and support staff, and students to provide unique information on a hearing loss's impact on language, communication, academic and functional skill development. Related and support services such as audiology, interpreting/transliterating, transcribing, tutoring, and note-taking are also available to students as determined by IEP Teams. Frequency-Modulated (FM) amplification is provided according to student needs. If a deaf or hard of hearing student needs alternative or more intensive services, the DHH teacher works with the County Office of residence to facilitate other placement options. 

Orthopedically Impaired Program 

The Orthopedically Impaired (OI) Program serves students with identified mild to severe orthopedic impairments, ages birth to 21 in home-base, early childhood, general education, special education, and transition settings throughout the twelve San Benito County districts. The OI teacher is responsible for conducting assessments to establish eligibility for services and to identify programming needs for students with physical impairments. The OI teacher serves as a resource to all team members including parents, instructional and support staff, and students to provide unique information and services to enable them to function effectively in the classroom and develop skills necessary for independence. These services include direct instruction, consultation and/or curricular modifications/adaptations. The OI teacher also assists assigned students and families in selection, acquisition or use of assistive technology devices.  

Visually Impaired Program 

The Visually Impaired (VI) program serves partially sighted, low vision, legally blind, and totally blind students ages birth to 21 in home-based, early childhood, general education, special education, and transition settings throughout many of the twelve San Benito County. 

The VI teachers are responsible for conducting assessments to establish eligibility for services and to identify programming needs for students with visual impairments. The teacher services as a resource to all team members including parents, instructional and support staff, and students to provide unique information and services. This may include appropriate adaptations and interventions strategies to provide the student access to the curriculum. Th teacher also orders and provides adapted curriculum materials such as Braille, large print, or audio books. In addition, assistive technology is ordered and provided ranging from simple stand magnifiers to complex electronic braille to print devices. The teacher provided direct service to teach all components of the Expanded Core Curriculum including braille, technology, independent living skills, recreation, career, transition, and social skills. The VI teacher also troubleshoots assistive technology.  

Orientation & Mobility 

The Orientation & Mobility (OM) Specialist provides services to students whose visual impairment interferes with their ability to move through the environment safely or to remain oriented to the environment. Students referred with an existing diagnosis of visual impairment. Students are provided instruction in techniques for walking with a guide, the use of the long cane for walking, spatial relationships, body imagery, map skills, compass skills, laterality, and community-based instruction: street crossing, route finding, use of public transportation, etc.  

Braille Services 

In conjunction with the VI teacher, the Braille transcriber performs braille translation and transcription of printed material and oral instructions, prepares copes of tests, study materials, textbooks, charts, and other tactile graphics for visually impaired students, and types of instructional materials, lessons, and worksheets in large type print for partially sighted students. 

San Benito County Office of Education - Resource Program  

Rural Schools: Jefferson, Bitterwater-Tully, Cienega, Willow Grove, Southside, Panoche.

Alternative Education: Pinnacles Community, San Andreas High School, Santa Ana Opportunities School, Pinnacles Court School (Youth Services Center) 

SBCOE's goal is to support students with disabilities in accessing and progressing in standards-based core curriculum.

1. Instruction and services for students whose needs have been identified in an Individualized Education Program (IEP) developed by the IEP team and assigned to general education classroom teachers for most of the school day.  
2. Information and assistance to students with disabilities and their parents.  
3. Consultation, resource information, and material regarding students with disabilities to parents and to general education staff members.  
4. Coordination of special education services with the regular school programs for each student with disabilities enrolled in the resource specialist program. 

Description: Instruction and services for those students whose needs have been identified in an Individualized Education Program (IEP) developed by the IEP team and who are assigned to the general education roster and classroom for the majority of a school day. Grade-level content standards and curriculum provide the foundation for all instruction. 

Student Population: Students in grades TK-12 who are served through the Resource Specialist Program are eligible for services as a result of a specific learning disability or other disability that is mild in severity that would include but not limited to Attention Deficit Disorder, Emotional Disturbance, Autism, etc., that impacts learning in general education. 

Service Delivery Model: In collaboration with the general education teacher, the resource specialist teacher implements a program of student support consisting of an array of services including: 

Direct Pulled-Out or Push-In service support - Students are either pulled out from the general education classroom for intensive academic instruction or the RSP teacher pushes in the general education classroom to provide support, as stated in the IEP.