Josh Zoucha
joshua.zoucha@mpls.k12.mn.us
Special Education Coordinator
612-668-3118

Support for Success

The Special Education Resource Program serves students with Individualized Education Plans (IEP’s).  These students may receive up to 60% of their classes inn a special education setting with other special education students.  Resource students are mainstreamed into general education classes for the remainder of their day.  Students receive accommodations in mainstream classes as needed.

Certified special education teachers teach resource special education classes.  There are about ten students per class. Modified methods and curricula are used to meet their needs.

The student’s IEP determines which special education classes are taken and what, if any, adaptations are required in other classes.

The Resource Team offers the following classes:

• English/Reading/Writing: emphasis on beginning reading skills of word recognition, decoding and comprehension.
• English: a study of language in spoken, written, visual and auditory formats, including, comprehension, vocabulary, spelling, grammar or structure.
• Transition English: combines components of the previous two courses including the mastery of oral and auditory English skills and work-related English skills. This course is taught in collaboration with ASSET, ASSET II, CBVT training courses and OJT and CBVT employment.
• Social Studies: courses expose students to a variety of social studies topics including: history, geography, civics and career exploration and transition topics.
• Mathematics: focuses on basic mathematical operations of whole numbers, fractions, decimals, percents, problem solving, geometry, data collection and graphing.
• ASSET and ASSET II, Occupational Relations: provides students and orientation to the world of work, including the skills of job seeking and employment maintenance. It may include temporary placement in non-paid work experience sites.
• OJT (On the Job Training): learn and experience the skills and attitudes necessary for the successful employment, including, relating appropriately with co-worker and supervisors and performing to expected standards. Work site experiences may be paid or non-paid.
• Academic Support: designed to provide both academic support for students in their academic classes (general education and special education) and basic skills to become more successful learners. This may include skills in reading, writing, planning, goal setting, problem solving and self-advocacy. Students will participate in regular progress monitoring and use planners or assignment notebooks to help them become more organized, self-sufficient and interdependent learners.
• Individual Objectives: designed to meet the unique needs of students. This may include specific academic courses or applied academic courses.
• Speech and Language: support services as dictated by the student’s IEP. 

Resource Team students may have individually modified grading and/or performance standards as determined by their special education IEP team.