Salem City Schools is dedicated to giving all students the best possible education. That means going the extra mile, which is why we have intervention specialist positions in every building and have recently hired more to better individualize instruction. We have hired three new intervention specialists, as well as a speech pathologist, due to the need to accommodate the larger number of students needing these services in the district. For the 2017/2018 school year, we will have two at our Buckeye Elementary, four at Reilly, three at Southeast, three for the Junior High and four in the Senior High.

An intervention specialist is someone who specializes in direct one on one instruction to address skill deficits for students identified with a disability who require assistance to access the curriculum. They collaborate with the general education teachers, those who might teach English or history, on changes and different ways to reach these students. They then work to create IEPs, which stands for individual education plans, for these students to set goals and milestones. Most goals for the students are to be successful in inclusion rooms as well as resource rooms.

Having these specialists is a great benefit for not only the student but for the general education teachers as well. More intervention specialists in our buildings keep the teacher/student ratio smaller and allow for more individualized learning for all students. The specialists help to take care of students whose needs might require more time with an instructor.