Instructional Services
Philosophy: In accordance with federal and state guidelines, and in consideration that all students must take grade level assessments, DISD provides a continuum of services that focuses on maximizing time in the student’s grade level general education environment for students with mild to moderate disabilities. Students with significant or profound disabilities may be provided a mixture of self-contained classes for core subjects and mainstream settings for electives.
Goals: To provide an individualized educational plan (IEP) in the student’s least restrictive environment (LRE).
Process: The student’s ARD committee determines all instructional and related services.
Locations: As it is not financially feasible to offer all programs at all campuses, DISD has implemented a system to place various programs on different campuses, adhering to the following goals:
- equitable access amongst various geographical locations within the school district
- special transportation dynamics
- equitable distribution of special programs among campuses
We used to use various acronymns to identify these programs, such as RISE, SAILS, WAVE, TIDES, SEAS, SANDS, SAILS, ABCD, however, during the 2023-24 school year, we have chosen to eliminate those acronyms in the interest of providing clear communication for the instructional continuum.