All students, learn in different ways. Teachers must be able to discern these learning differences and modify lessons to suit their particular groups of students.

• Teaching students with disabilities and special learning needs – from autism to visual impairment – requires unique training that most general teachers do not receive. It also includes the use of assistive and adaptive technologies that help students overcome physical or cognitive limitations.
• Depending on the teaching position, the ESE Specialist may instruct small groups of students or work one on one. At times special needs students may be pulled out of their general education classes for individual work or therapy – such as speech – with the special education teacher.

A student’s academic goals must be both challenging and achievable.

• Part of individualized instruction involves adapting the subject curriculum for each student based on the requirements of his or her IEP.
  
  
• Adaptations come in many forms, such as altering classroom seating, providing graphic organizers and other visual aids during presentations, adjusting the duration of activities, allowing verbal rather than written responses, highlighting text and adjusting font size for visibility, and simplifying wording.

Even though they may also be adapted to meet students’ needs, assessments are ongoing.

• Assessments can be as informal as students holding a thumb up or down to show their understanding, or as formal as a statewide end-of-course exam.
  
  
• Assessments are how special educators monitor students’ progress and know whether they are meeting their annual IEP goals.

• ESE Specialists are responsible for distributing IEPs to their schools’ general education teachers and making sure those teachers understand the IEP requirements and how best to implement the modifications.
• The ESE Specialist may also visit the classroom to give the special needs student extra guidance. This sometimes looks like “team teaching,” where the regular classroom teacher presents a lesson, and the special education teacher follows up with the student to check for understanding.

Because of the extra monitoring and individual attention that many of their students require, special education teachers typically communicate with parents more often than the average general education teacher would.