I think back to my own educational experience and can specifically name individual students/peers that were in my classes, grades, or schools who had visible physical disabilities that included down syndrome, cerebral palsy, and blindness from about 3rd grade up through high school. They helped me learn acceptance and to look past the disability-to get to know the person they were.
 
In the educational setting, any students struggling to learn, retain, and access new information to use it again and again can fall behind their peers. There are “norms” formulated by percentiles and IQ scores that guide educators and school psychologists to help identify students who are flagged in certain areas that fall outside of the generalized norm scores. Therefore, student scores on academic achievement assessments are used to further identify key areas of need for specialized instruction to allow the student to continue to make academic progress. This is what Special Education is for. Supportive Services are designed for each student to achieve their best success in any areas they need support in. 
 
The issue with learning at a different rate and ability level is that the type of information may be more difficult to learn and then access and apply, if only given a limited amount of exposure time to learn it. It is my opinion (by my personal experience), that many students are being evaluated for academic needs/deficiencies in 4th-5th grades, when in all actuality, if they had received ample time to learn and practice the new information earlier in their education-Kindergarten thru 2nd grades, there would not be a need for specialized instruction later on. This is usually the student who is found to be eligible for Special Education under a Specific Learning Disability, which is the umbrella term for most reading, dyslexia, audio/visual processing, math, etc. areas of learning that require longer exposure with systematic instruction for retention and access later on. A lot of current curriculum used to guide instruction is pushing for a five-day instruction plan (not to be confused with a 5-day school week), which in a lot of ways contradicts brain-based learning and development. This knowledge is guiding many districts to extend to a 7-10 day instructional model, in order to provide ample opportunities to learn and practice new information, especially in English/Language Arts skills development.
 
Now, this isn’t to say that there aren’t very specific disabilities that become immobilizing for a students’ academic success. Cognitive (brain) function and ability, neurological development, autism spectrum disorder, and many other disabilities have significant impact on student learning. When identified as having a disability that falls within one of the 13 categories in Montana, each student requires a unique and individualized education plan (IEP) that helps identify key components that parents/guardians need to know about how their student is being educated. This can and should look differently for each student, as it is individualized. 
 
What I have been able to perfect through my 17 years as a Special Education teacher is how to identify student needs and create unique ways in which to provide individualized instruction and practice opportunities. One aspect that I am good at is differentiating instruction (changing it to provide better access, repetition, or independent practice). For instance, following directions can be auditory (verbal) or visual. Step-by-step instruction can be provided through simple words/sentences or photographs/diagrams. Depending on the outcome objective, this will change for each student and progress from the most basic level of instruction to the most challenging format/model the student can achieve independently. 
 
The best thing about being surrounded by individuals with identified ability needs is that they often don’t realize they have a disability by societal standards. One of the most incredible aspects of our world is that people of all ages, backgrounds, experiences, and abilities create the world we live in today. This includes all abilities, which I see instead of only disabilities. 
 
It’s time that the negative connotation is changed to be supportive and accepting of individuals who have different learning needs.
 
For further information and guidance about Special Education in Montana, visit https://opi.mt.gov/Educators/School-Climate-Student-Wellness/Special-Education. 

Thinking back to my childhood and what made it enjoyable, I recall one thing in particular while traveling. Singing songs like "There's a Hole in my Bucket, Dear Liza," or "The Green Grass Grows All Around'', or any other silly children's song, or playing games. My mom and I traveled a lot, mostly road trips around the northwest, and all by vehicle. This allowed for a lot of game time. I passed these same games down to my kids and even to my students! They are great memory exercises, attention keepers, focused listening/responding, and most of all-fun!

1. “I’m going on a Trip”- played with as few as 2 people or as many as 6 (more is more difficult to maintain focus and attention). First person starts with, “I’m going on a trip and I’m taking (something beginning with the letter A) an alligator.” Next person continues with, “I’m going on a trip and I’m taking an alligator and a (something that starts with the letter B) binder.” This continues until either the whole alphabet is accomplished, or you can add a twist. Maybe make it an elimination game so if someone misses a previously stated item, they are “out”. Other spins on this that my kids and I did was to name the theme before beginning. We did foods, places, or items found in a house, or items found in a shopping mall, etc. 
2. “I’m Thinking of an Animal”- this game is played by one person thinking of a secret animal and whoever is guessing attempts to guess the right animal from the 3 clues given. Three clues are given and then the person can only respond with “yes” or “no” to questions, cannot list, give additional clues, or explain. Here is an example: “I’m thinking of an animal”....that is a mammal, is an herbivore (they only eat grasses/leaves), and is mostly brown. Here are some tips: if in a car/vehicle, voice level will matter, so no racing or speeding to guess-just allow each person playing to make a guess or ask a question. If in an outdoor setting and voice level isn’t as sensitive, create the “speed round” and allow rapid-guessing. You choose!!! If someone guesses correctly, they become the next person to think of the animal. This is a great way for kids to learn classifications, science terms, geography, etc. 
3. Road sign game-beginning with “A” and continuing through to “Z” one letter from each road sign is called by the next person or as a team. (We allowed license plates as well if needed, especially for letters “Q and J” that are used the least. 
4. License plates-we assigned one “recorder” who wrote down the states by name or abbreviation. (One helpful hint for this is finding a free printout of the map so they can find it and color it in and make tally marks for how many are found from that state.)
5. “I Spy”-something that all kids (and adults) enjoy is a good game of “I Spy”. This can be fun and last as long or short as desired and be played with whatever rules you choose. We usually designate specific rules like: inside of the car only, outside of the car only, something that can be seen for more than a couple of seconds or minutes, etc. Play and have fun!!! 

 
Traveling with babies, toddlers, children, pre-teens, and teenagers (and even some adults) can be challenging. Making it fun and enjoyable can create some lighthearted laughs and memories that can become traditions. 
 
Happy Memory Making!

The "Summer slump" refers to the degree a student regresses in academic
ability according to the end of year assessments, determining where a
student is performing in areas such as reading and listening comprehension,
vocabulary, oral reading fluency, concepts and applications, and numeracy
knowledge. Specific areas of assessment focus can differ between schools,
depending on the annual academic goals.

When students return in the fall, schools perform assessments in the same
areas of academic performance within the first 4 weeks of school. The
scores are compared to the previous scores (spring assessment scores) and
any regression of skills is noted, along with how much time it takes the
student to reach the same level of academic performance previously noted.
This is also used to determine if a student requires Extended School Year
services through Special Education.
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The fall assessment results and findings are used to determine specific
groups for intervention purposes, general education content area
educational groups, and to create beginning of the year data scores points
to help guide instruction and remediation as the year progresses.
Ways to combat "Summer Slump" for reading: ask the child to read aloud
rather than silently; require a certain level of time that is read (for
instance, 3rd grade - 5th grade it is recommended that children read 20-30
minutes), or create a summer reading goal. Offer incentives to read and to
reach the reading goal to help. Make it a shared time: you read the left page, they read the right; they read the wording and you read the
dialogue; take turns reading sentence by sentence or paragraph by
paragraph. If the child mispronounces, just correct the word and allow them
to repeat it correctly and continue on. Go to the local library and talk to
the librarian (Ms. Kauffman is ready to help), and get her recommendations.
Read anything the child wants to read...this is where it can be fun!

https://www.scholastic.com/parents/books-and-reading/raise-a-reader-blog/summer-slide.print.html
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Tips for preventing 'summer slide'



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