Dr. Bruce Golmic Director of Special Education & Professional Development

PRSD has consistently demonstrated a cultural acceptance of the principles of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEIA), and its predecessor, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1997. The district understands and fundamentally accepts its obligation to provide individualized educational services within an inclusive environment to students with special needs to maximize their participation and learning in school and in the community. The district promotes student-focused learning and self-determination.

Committee members believe all students should be given an opportunity to explore and grow and recognize the need to unlock the unique potential within each child who enters PRSD. To achieve this, the committee believes that the combination of high expectations and maximum access to the general education curriculum will yield positive results. The goal is to have an integrated strategic plan designed to maximize the learning of all students, including students with special needs, in all general education classrooms by:

> Designing instruction to be appropriate while recognizing developmental stages and being flexible to address individual student needs

> Increasing the number of general education classrooms that access technology

Without a doubt this places more of a challenge to create classroom activities and lessons, which challenge students by maintaining high standards and incorporating compelling material, while being sensitive to the range of abilities within the classroom.

If these goals are achieved, students and parents will see an increase in lesson plans that incorporate differentiated instructional principles and strategies and an increase in students' access to technology in general education classrooms.