Exceptional Student Education (ESE) Department

At Riverland Elementary School our goal is to provide support to parents and other family members of children with exceptional educational needs, such as those that are gifted and those with learning challenges. A free appropriate public education is mandatory for all children, including children with disabilities. The Exceptional Student Education (ESE) umbrella encompasses all ages, from birth to 21 years of age, and all types of educational needs, from articulation (speech) needs to needs of students with profound learning and physical challenges.

The role of the ESE Specialist is to provide information and support to students, families, and professionals about local resources and support groups. The ESE Specialist works with general education teachers regarding their role and responsibility to students with disabilities (SWD) and the gifted. The ESE Specialist maintains all records, test data, Educational Plans (EP), for gifted students, and Individual Education Plans (IEP) for the students with disabilities at the school.

At Riverland Elementary School, our ESE Department consists of:

Ms. Montiel -- ESE Specialist
Ms. Membreno-- Speech and Language Pathologist

Our team works jointly with all classroom teachers to ensure that all accommodations, modifications and work provided for our ESE students in the general education class is at their levels of performance and capability. Our students participate in all activities provided and/or offered to every other student on campus. Our ESE team also works closely with classroom teachers to assist with children who are not meeting grade expectations. Teachers are supported in the Response to Intervention (RtI) process, developing, implementing and monitoring interventions for the students. During this process parents are kept abreast of the interventions and the results yielded. If a student continues to struggle in academics and/or behavior issues and interventions are not working, a full evaluation might be necessary.

The Florida Diagnostic and Learning Resources System is a network of nineteen regional centers and four specialized centers in Florida, which provides support service to educators, parents, and other professionals who work with exceptional students. The FLDRS Center also provides screening for children from birth to 5 years of age for speech, language, hearing, vision and developmental concerns. Parent Workshops are offered throughout the school year. For further information regarding the workshops offered please contact FDLRS at 754-321-7200.

Our goal at Riverland Elementary is to ensure ALL students “Believe, Achieve and Succeed!”

Mrs. Montiel, ESE Specialist