ESE
gary wetherill@sarasota.k12.fl.us
Welcome!
The ESE department at the Academy consists of me, Captain Rob Knight ESE Teacher and Barb Ceo, Speech and Language Pathologist. I am the ESE Liaison which means I coordinate services and make sure that all IDEA rules and regulations are in compliance at our school. Captain Knight teaches mathematics 9-12, Intensive reading and Life Skills Management. Ms. Ceo is on campus on Thursdays and makes sure that our students get their speech and language services. The best way to contact us is through e-mail. Please communicate if there are questions or concerns regarding your cadet’s educational services and/or progress.
The majority of our ESE students are in the mainstream on a consult basis. This means that the students have no ESE classes. The regular education teachers are responsible for accommodations in the classroom as defined on the student’s Individualized Education Plan (IEP). It is critical that students and parents monitor their progress as I do. Please communicate if accommodations are not being implemented. Do not wait until the cadet is in academic risk.
Students that need amore restrictive academic environment will attend Captain Knight’s classes. The class size is small from 12-18 students. Most students will be in these classes during their freshmen and sophomore years. It is our goal to have students totally mainstreamed for their junior and senior years.
ESE students that have not passed the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) will be scheduled into intensive remediation classes as required by federal legislation (NCLB). These will be with Captain Knight or by the regular education reading and mathematics teachers. Remember this year all incoming freshmen are required to pass the mathematics, writing, reading and science portions of the FCAT to receive a standard high school diploma.
For your information, ten days prior to an annual IEP meeting, you will receive a Parent Notification of the meeting. Please return the portion of the notification that must be signed. If there are conflicts with the meeting, please let me know ASAP. The meetings are scheduled to include the regular education teacher. This is during their planning time. I know that these times are somewhat inconvenient. However, I have found that most parents attend during this time. I always include the student, parent and teacher in the meetings. We will all develop academic and transitional goals based on current student performance and desired educational outcomes.
Our goals this year are:
1. Every ESE student earns a standard high school diploma
2. Every ESE student passes the FCAT
3. Every ESE student is involved in at least one co/extra curricular activity
We hope that your cadet has a very successful year at SMA. If there are any questions or concerns, please contact me or Captain Knight. Together we can make it happen!
g_wetherill@sarasota.k12.fl.us
Links
General ESE resources
Reading
Writing
Mathematics