STEVENS POINT − Students in the Stevens Point Area Public School District will benefit from a grant to support individualized educational programs.
The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction awarded a $56,000 grant to support students with IEPs over the next three school years. Specifically, it will provide professional development for teachers and administrators to support neurodiverse students within the junior high special education program.
“We are excited about the impact this funding will have in helping us better support our neurodiverse learners and enhance the educational experience for all of our students,” Cory Hirsbrunner, superintendent, said in a news release. “Our student services team continues to lead with innovation and dedication, and we’re proud of their ongoing efforts to support students and their specific learning needs.”
An IEP is “a program designed to meet the unique and individual needs of a student that qualifies as a student with a disability under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act,” according to the Wisconsin Department of Instruction website. IEPs are developed in a partnership between the students, their parents or guardians, and district staff including teachers, behavioral health professionals and administrators.
The DPI grant, called “Enhancing Social and Emotional Skills in Students with IEPs,” will facilitate collaborations with statewide and district coordinators who will coach and train district staff and administrators and help “implement evidence-based improvement strategies to support students’ and educators’ growth,” according to the release.
“This grant will strengthen staff support systems and the implementation process at the team and district levels,” Jennie McMahon, student services director, said in a news release. “By providing individualized interventions focused on students’ disability and social-emotional needs, and with embedded DPI coaching, we’re enhancing our current initiatives to improve outcomes for students with IEPs.”
About 15% of Wisconsin students were served by an IEP in the 2022-23 school year, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
IEPs were created with the federal 1975 Education for All Handicapped Children Act and later expanded with the 1990 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and the act’s reauthorization following changes made by the 2004 No Child Left Behind Act.
Erik Pfantz covers local government and education in central Wisconsin for USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin and values his background as a rural Wisconsinite. Contact him at epfantz@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Stevens Point Journal: $56,000 grant will help Stevens Point School District support students with IEPs
Reporting by Erik Pfantz, Stevens Point Journal / Stevens Point Journal
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