Teaching Exceptional Education

Nashville students need teachers who will provide them with individual attention and support and who have a commitment to closing the achievement gap. You could be one of them. More than 11% of all Metropolitan Nashville Public School students have disabilities, and a dramatic achievement gap exists between these students and their non-disabled peers. In fact, students requiring exceptional education services perform 12 to 20 percentage points below their peers in reading and math.

What is Exceptional Education?

Exceptional education is a legal definition for programs that provide greater support for certain students. Exceptional education does not refer to a specific location or fixed concept but rather includes a broad range of student services from a smaller, more individualized learning environment to assistive technology and/or a modified curriculum that capitalizes on a student’s particular strengths. Under the law in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), all students are provided services that meet their individual needs.

Every teacher in the public education system works with children with disabilities and therefore needs a basic understanding of the exceptional education system. Exceptional education teachers work largely or exclusively with students who qualify for support services. Teaching Fellows who teach in an exceptional education setting with students who have mild-to-moderate disabilities will work with students who may have difficulty in areas including reading, math, writing, communication, and/or social interaction.

The Responsibilities of an Exceptional Education Teacher

As an exceptional education teacher, you will have the opportunity to be both advocate and teacher. Exceptional education is designed around the concept of individualized curriculum. Classes are smaller, and the teacher has the opportunity to get to know students and their families on a much more personal level. The teacher’s job is to meet educational goals that have been tailored to the needs of a particular student and to write new goals each year as (s)he meets with a team that assesses the child’s progress and determines next steps in the student’s education. Fellows teaching exceptional education will likely have the opportunity to team teach or use other teachers as resources, building relationships throughout the school site to support learning in the classroom. Fellows in this setting may also design individualized schedules so that students participate in academic classes with their grade-level peers for a portion of the day.

Making a Difference for Students with Disabilities

One of the most exciting aspects of working in exceptional education is the opportunity to be both advocate and teacher. While teachers are first and foremost responsible for academic goals, they also work to develop a positive school environment for students with special needs. Teachers encourage students to participate in all aspects of school life and become a liaison to ensure that students receive the same opportunities as their counterparts taking a mainstream course load. As case managers, exceptional education teachers monitor students’ progress and report to families and other teachers, while at the same time relying on organizational skills to develop individualized tracking systems and manage case-related paperwork. In addition, Fellows will receive specialized training and support through their licensure program.

There are many challenges in teaching exceptional education—students are often far behind their academic potential, many have internalized negative assumptions about their abilities, and exceptional education teachers need to balance the demands of teaching and case management—but there are also enormous rewards. Teachers in an exceptional education setting have the potential to see significant growth in students’ abilities and join a civil rights movement to ensure that all children have access to an outstanding education. Exceptional education teachers often cite strong personal relationships with students and their families, as well as smaller class sizes, as additional reasons for why they enjoy teaching in this setting.

For more information on the history of special education and the movement to provide all children with a free and appropriate education (FAPE), visit the website for the Council for Exceptional Children.

For resources for teachers, parents, and students, visit the website for Learning Disabilities (LD) Online.