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ECOT’s Department of Exceptional Children: Using the Computer to Educate Students with Special Needs
By Linda Lowry-Logsdon, Director of Exceptional Children, ECOT

Every day, Julie faces the challenges of autism. She cannot be educated in a traditional public school because of the distractions that exist in a typical classroom. With individual attention from her teachers and parents and a curriculum that is customized to her specific needs, Julie is succeeding.

At the Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow (ECOT), a charter e-school that educates more than 4,500 students in grades K-12 from all across Ohio, students work from home using a computer to access daily lessons assigned by their teachers.

Since it opened in 2000, a crucial component of the school’s success has been our Department of Exceptional Children, which also successfully uses the computer as its primary tool to teach students with special needs—students who may fall through the gaps of the traditional public education system.

Sitting in a classroom of 30 students listening to teacher present lessons for long periods of time is fine for some students, usually those in the middle of the bell curve. But for those at the far ends of that curve, the “one-size-fits-all” model of public education simply does not work.

ECOT is a public charter school, and like all charter schools, we have the freedom to explore new, innovative ways to educate students. We have found that the best methods involve building the education around each child individually.

ECOT’s computerized curriculum is flexible enough to allow the special education teachers to easily modify the lessons to serve the child. Or, if modifications alone won’t work, they are able to work with the regular education teachers to build the curriculum to match the specific needs of the child.
This flexibility and the innovative nature of the school itself give us the ability to educate more students than ever before.

For example, James, a tenth grader, has Down syndrome and is learning at his own pace and improving fine motor skills by using the computer for his education. He is also greatly benefiting from being educated in the loving environment of his own home.

Our students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are also able to learn at their own pace and have the flexibility to do schoolwork during times beyond the regular school day when they may be the most motivated and the least distracted.

In the Department of Exceptional Children, we continuously evaluate new adaptive technology to successfully educate more students. It is almost overwhelming to see how new technology affects the learning process for our exceptional students.

Voice recognition software that read text aloud helps students with specific learning disabilities such as dyslexia and speech and hearing problems. Adapted mice, special keyboards and touch-sensitive screens enable students with physical disabilities to better access our curriculum.

As the technology improves, so will our ability to teach even more students than we currently educate. We cannot wait for the future to bring us even more educational possibilities.

How the Department of Exceptional Children at ECOT Works

When students with identified special needs enroll in ECOT, their Multi-factored Evaluation (MFE) and Individualized Education Program (IEP) records are collected from their former schools and regular and special education teachers are assigned. If no records exist or if students have not yet been identified, MFEs and IEPs are created using the methods mandated by state law.

The special education teachers then work with ECOT’s regular education teachers to develop a specific plan for each student. This plan includes either a modified version of the ECOT curriculum or one custom-designed for the student. It also includes routine “home” visits, usually conducted at local libraries, and daily contact via phone and e-mail between the teacher, parent and student.

Students work at their own pace and the special needs teachers cooperate with the regular education teachers to evaluate student progress. Unlike most traditional public schools, students are not exposed to the peer pressure of performing to the standards of fellow classmates, even other special needs students with different ability levels. The ECOT experience eliminates much of the frustration that special needs students face in traditional schools.
Without the pressures and frustrations of the classroom, students are able to focus on actual learning.

For more information about ECOT log on to http://www.ecotohio.org/.
Click here more information about virtual charter schools.