Click Here to meet your 2023-2024 Straus Middle School Teachers!
OUR MISSION
Our mission is to ensure that educators engage students with disabilities with high-quality, intentional instruction to ensure growth and personal success. We will be able to do this by developing a collaborative team to include students, parents, and educators. We believe that with a supportive partnership, we can get all students to contribute to their community in a positive and meaningful way, while developing independence.
OUR VISION
Our students with disabilities will be enabled individuals prepared for personal success.
OUR BELIEFS
- All students with disabilities are general education students first
- Individual needs, not labels, programs, or places drive decisions for students with disabilities
- A full continuum of services is assured for all students with disabilities
- Quality educators hold high expectations and have a growth mindset for all students with disabilities
- Students with disabilities are the shared responsibility of school leaders, staff, parents, students, and community
- All students with disabilities will be in positive learning environments guided by engaged and qualified teachers and staff
- Communication, collaboration, and cooperation are essential to the provision of quality services for students with disabilities
- The delivery of quality curriculum and instruction empowers students with disabilities to be meaningfully connected to educational experiences.
Northside has over 13,500 students qualifying for special education and related services. Our staff of over 2,000 teachers, instructional assistants, speech pathologists, special education coordinators, licensed specialists in school psychology, and other related service specialists are dedicated to providing exceptional individualized services to students. According to both federal and state law, the goal of special education is to help students with disabilities become as independent as possible as they move through the grade levels. Furthermore, the law requires each student to become employable, if possible, when they leave the educational setting. This may include opportunities to pursue post-high school education. Each program and service provided through special education is devoted to these goals.
The special education department is not able to reach these goals alone. We value the partnerships we have built with our parents/guardians in this effort. We encourage all visitors to navigate through our resources within this site. If any of our staff may be of service to you, please contact us. We hope you enjoy learning more about the people and services our Special Education Department provides in the Northside Independent School District.
NISD Special Education page: www.nisd.net/district/special-education
