Special Education

AIA Special Education Team

Our Special Education staff is committed to excellence; working with
students and providing the necessary resources for their success is our
expertise. We pride ourselves on having smaller caseloads to provide
a more individualized approach to academics as well as building
meaningful relationships with our students.
The Special Education Department will utilize data to develop and
implement student assistance processes, assessment practices, instructional
strategies, programs, and services to ensure learning for students with special
needs. These needs are identified through our School-wide MTSS framework.
MTSS- Multi-Tiered Systems of Supports allows the district to identify the needs
of all students including those identified as needing Specialized support
services.
Each local education agency and Public School Academy in Michigan is
required to publicly post the process used to determine the existence of a
Specific Learning Disability.

Consistent with this requirement, American International Academy presents
the following:

For determinations of an SLD, a Pattern of Strengths and Weaknesses (PSW) is
used for students in kindergarten through 12th grade across all areas
including Oral Expression, Listening Comprehension, Written Expression,
Reading Comprehension, Reading Fluency, Math Calculation, and Math
Problem Solving.
It is noted that regardless of the process used, all schools must follow all of
the regulatory requirements in the IDEA, the MARSE, and Michigan laws,
policies and procedures for special education.

What Is A SLD?

A Specific Learning Disability is “a disorder in one or more of the basic
psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language,
spoken or written, that may manifest itself in the imperfect ability to listen,
think, speak, read, write, spell, or do mathematical calculations, including
conditions such as perceptual disabilities, brain injury, minimal brain
dysfunction, dyslexia, and development of aphasia that adversely affects a
student’s educational performance. An SLD does not include learning
problems that are primarily the result of visual, hearing, or motor disabilities;
mental retardation; emotional disturbance; or environmental, cultural, or
economic disadvantage.” (34 CFR 300.8(c)(10)).

What Is A PSW Process?

The pattern of Strengths and Weaknesses is a process that is used to determine if
a student has a SLD. This process involves the collection of data to determine
the following:
§ The student does not achieve adequately for the student’s age or
to meet State-approved grade-level standards in one or more of
the areas identified at 34 CFR 300.309(a)(l)(i) when provided with
learning experiences and instruction appropriate for the student’s
age or State-approved grade-level standards.
§ The student exhibits a pattern of strengths and weaknesses in

performance, achievement, or both, relative to age, State-
approved grade-level standards, or intellectual development, that is

determined by the Multi-disciplinary Evaluation Team (MET) to be
relevant to the identification of an SLD, using appropriate
assessments, consistent with the IDEA Evaluation Procedures and
Additional Requirements for Evaluations and Reevaluations.
While our team is qualified to address many different disabilities the district
handles each child’s case individually to make the best decision possible for
the children to be successful.
Michigan Department of Education Office of Special Education and Early
Intervention Services (2010)