Military-connected families often face additional challenges when navigating special education services due to frequent relocations and differences in state requirements. Virginia schools, guided by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE), ensure that military-connected students with disabilities continue receiving consistent, high-quality services that meet their unique learning, behavioral, and social-emotional needs. The Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children (MIC3) helps guarantee continuity of supports, services, and credit transfer during every move.

Specially Designed Instruction (SDI)

Students with disabilities receive a minimum of 5.5 hours per day of specially designed instruction (SDI) from Virginia-licensed special education teachers. Instruction is individualized, data-driven, and adapted to each student’s learning profile, promoting growth across academic, behavioral, and functional domains.

Academic Areas of Instruction

Specially designed instruction is delivered across the following content areas:

• Reading and Writing – with explicit instruction in decoding, comprehension, written expression, and vocabulary development.
• Mathematics – including computation, problem-solving, conceptual understanding, and applied reasoning.
• Science – focusing on inquiry-based learning, scientific reasoning, and vocabulary comprehension.
• Social Studies – emphasizing reading for information, critical thinking, and civic understanding.
• Health and Physical Education – integrating adaptive and inclusive physical education for skill development, teamwork, and wellness.
• Career and Technical Education (CTE) – preparing students for vocational success through career exploration, workplace readiness, and transition-focused skill-building.

Instructional Strategies Used in SDI

North Spring Behavioral Healthcare: North Spring Academy’s instructional approach combines evidence-based practices proven effective for diverse learners, including those experiencing transition or trauma-related stress from military mobility:

• Modeling: Teachers demonstrate new concepts and skills step-by-step before student practice.
• Guided Practice with Feedback: Students practice with teacher support, receiving immediate corrective feedback to reinforce understanding.
• Independent Practice: Students apply learned skills independently to build confidence and mastery.
• Metacognition: Students are taught to “think about their thinking,” reflect on their learning processes, and self-monitor their progress.
• Explicit and Embedded Vocabulary Instruction: Academic and content-specific vocabulary is taught intentionally across all subjects to promote comprehension and communication.
• Effective Behavioral Systems: A trauma-informed, positive behavioral framework supports emotional regulation, motivation, and resilience.
• Increased Practice Turns with Immediate Feedback: Frequent practice opportunities paired with direct feedback enhance learning efficiency and retention.

These strategies are implemented within small-group or one-on-one settings and reinforced through progress monitoring and data-informed instruction.

 

Seminar

In addition to core academic classes, students participate in Seminar (High School) or What I Need, W.I.N. (Elementary and Middle School), a structured instructional block designed to address skill gaps and build personal growth capacities.

These periods built into the school’s master schedule focus on two key components of students’ education plans:

1. Fill-the-Gap Acceleration Interventions:
   1. Targeted instruction in reading, writing, or mathematics using diagnostic data and a Virginia approved research evidence based program.
   2. Focused remediation and enrichment aligned with Virginia Standards of Learning (SOLs).
   3. One-on-one or small-group interventions with continuous feedback.
2. Social and Emotional Learning (SEL):
   1. Lessons on self-awareness, self-management, social communication, relationship-building, and responsible decision-making.
   2. Reinforced through our school-wide Phoenix R.I.S.E. (Resilience, Integrity, Self-Awareness, and Empathy) framework.
   3. Emphasis on emotional regulation and coping strategies to support transitions, peer interactions, and academic persistence—especially critical for military-connected youth adapting to new environments.

Disability Categories Served (IDEA Definitions)

North Spring Academy serves students identified under the following IDEA eligibility categories, with instruction and related services tailored to individual needs:

• Autism (AUT): A developmental disability significantly affecting verbal and nonverbal communication and social interaction, generally evident before age three, that adversely affects educational performance.
• Other Health Impairment (OHI): Having limited strength, vitality, or alertness due to chronic or acute health problems (e.g., ADHD, epilepsy, asthma, diabetes) that adversely affect a child’s educational performance.
• Emotional Disability (ED): A condition that exhibits one or more of the following over a long period and to a marked degree that adversely affects learning: difficulty building relationships, inappropriate behaviors or feelings, depression, or anxiety affecting academic functioning.
• Specific Learning Disability (SLD): A disorder in one or more basic psychological processes involved in understanding or using language, which may manifest in difficulties with listening, thinking, reading, writing, spelling, or mathematics (e.g., dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia).

Access to Accommodations and Related Services

Military-connected students with IEPs have immediate access to accommodations and services upon enrollment, ensuring no disruption in support following a Permanent Change of Station (PCS).

Accommodations may include:

• Extended testing time and alternative formats.
• Assistive technology and organizational aids.
• Reduced distractions or modified assignments.
• Support for executive functioning and attention.

Related Services available free of charge to all North Spring students are also found below:

• Counseling Services: Provided by licensed clinical therapists focusing on emotional regulation, trauma recovery, and transition support.
• Occupational Therapy (OT): Enhancing sensory processing, fine motor, and daily living skills.
• Adaptive Physical Education (APE): Modified physical activities for students with motor or physical challenges.
• Speech and Language Therapy: Addressing communication, articulation, and pragmatic language development.

Transition and Career Planning

All students participate in academic and career planning using the Pathful Explore Program (approved by the VDOE), beginning by age 14 or earlier if appropriate.

• Provides personalized career exploration based on student interests and strengths.
• Aligns with each student’s IEP transition plan and measurable postsecondary goals.
• Includes coordination with vocational rehabilitation and community agencies to support successful adult outcomes.

IEP Goals and Progress Reporting

Every student’s IEP includes measurable annual goals in academic, behavioral, and functional areas.

• Progress toward goals is formally reported quarterly to parents and families’ Local Educational Agencies (LEAs).
• Data collected through teacher assessments, standardized measures, and observational checklists drive ongoing instructional decisions.

Parental Rights and Consent

Parents of military-connected students retain full rights under IDEA and Virginia law. Schools must:

• Provide prior written notice before implementing or changing identification, placement, or services.
• Obtain informed parental consent before initial implementation or significant revisions of an IEP.
• Offer virtual participation options for IEP meetings when families are deployed or relocated.

Helpful Resources for Families:

• Special Education for Families | Virginia Department of Education
• Virginia Family’s Guide to Special Education | Virginia Department of Education
• Parent Resource Center (PRC) | Virginia Department of Education
• Critical Decision Points | Virginia Department of Education
• Military Interstate Children’s Compact Commission (MIC3)
• IDEA Section 300.9 – Consent and Parental Participation

Continuity of Support for Military Families

When a military family relocates, the receiving Virginia school must:

• Implement the current IEP immediately upon enrollment to prevent service gaps.
• Consult with the local educational agency (LEA) to obtain documentation and service records.
• Participate in a review to adopt or amend the IEP in alignment with Virginia’s educational standards.

This ensures every military-connected child continues receiving high-quality, individualized instruction and support designed to promote academic achievement, emotional well-being, and long-term success—no matter where a family is stationed.