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to determine whether each child is meeting learning objectives, and if not, assessing his potential need for ancillary services.

12. The Mainstream Classroom: This is the classroom where normative learning occurs for a majority of students.

Some elementary and secondary schools across the nation are in the process of adapting their qualified teacher status standards (QTS) to include the requirement that all teachers have a rudimentary knowledge in the area of special education. This is because almost every classroom will have students who have been designated as having (SEN), special educational needs.

What is a disability and how are children designated as disabled? The Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) is a law that ensures that special needs children receive early childhood intervention and special educational services based upon their demonstrated needs. School aged children are given the designation "disabled" if they meet the criteria set forth in the Federal Code of Regulations, Title 34 (34CFR300.309). A disabled student demonstrates a significant learning disability (SLD) or fails to meet acceptable standards of achievement in at least two core areas of learning.

The procedure for determining whether a student is disabled involves input from parents, core teachers, and other professionals involved with the child, as well as a standardized battery of assessments. Testing can be conducted by a school psychologist, speech pathologist, or in some cases, a designated educational specialist.

Once a child is determined to be disabled, he becomes eligible for special education. In order to tailor an educational program that will meet his needs and accommodate his disability, a disabled student receives a school treatment plan called an "Individualized Educational Plan" (IEP) which is reviewed annually by his regular and special education teachers. The IEP addresses not only the student's academic needs, but his social and emotional needs as well.

Teachers of special needs students will usually be asked to attend an IEP meeting, also referred to as a "staffing," for assessing end of year progress and/or setting up a new IEP for the following year. The school psychologist and principal, as well as the child's therapist, may attend as well. During the staffing, certain accommodations or modifications may be made to a student's academic plan to address his academic needs in the least restrictive environment(LRE). This means that all accommodations

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