If you think about the two factors that determine a student’s eligibility for special education services, you can see that your students fall into four general categories.  To be eligible under IDEA the student must have a disability. And the student must, as a result of the disability, require specially designed instruction (SDI). Thus with these two factors we can classify all students into four groups as follows:

	NO DISABILITY	HAS A DISABILITY
DOES NOT NEED SDI	I   GENERAL ED   Strengths/Weaknesses   May have conditions that do not disable	II   504 Substantially limited in a major life activity
NEEDS SDI	III   AT RISK   ELL SLOW LEARNERS WBFWR	IV     SPECIAL EDUCATION   IDEA ELIGIBLE

 Note:   SDI means “Specially Designed Instruction.”

 WBFWR means "Way Behind For Whatever Reasons"

To make sense of this, you have to take the term SDI in its dictionary definition, rather than the legal definition which is tied to IDEA.  If you think of the dictionary meaning of the terms, I think you will agree that English Language Learners, slow learners, and all those kids “at risk” for a variety of reasons are in need of something special by way of instruction.  Thus Quadrant III students need special help, but not due to a disability. 

That’s all for today. I hope you find it a useful way to think about things.  Might be good for a discussion at a faculty meeting.

DAWG BONE: TWO FACTORS: FOUR QUADRANTS.

Tomorrow: a rare Tool #4 case for Toolbox Tuesday!