Supporting students and students with exceptional needs: an instructional support guide for rural K-12 educators

Plumas Unified School District’s mission statement of together is better signifies the commitment necessary by all educators to emphasis the cultural change that is required to promote and maintain equity for students with exceptional needs. Students with exceptional needs have equal educational rights to learn and work towards the same goals and standards as their peers. Research has shown that educators have concerns about their own abilities to differentiate appropriate pedagogy for the new Common Core State Standards. An instructional guide that supports K-12 educators working with students with exceptional needs will positively influence student performance in the general education setting. This project was aimed to design an instructional support guide for K-12 educators based on the needs and limited resources of a rural Northern California school district. The instructional support guide contains sections that are relevant to the support instructional strategies and student success in the general education setting. The instructional guide focuses on the common needs of daily instruction in the general education setting and facilitates compliance and accountability for students with exceptional needs within Plumas Unified School District for all students.