Special education is specially designed instruction that meets the unique needs of special needs students. Special education may include classroom instruction, instruction in physical education, or home instruction. At the Cascade School District, we believe in empowering each student, regardless of differences in ability, to reach his or her unique potential. 

More information at this link.

The Cascade School District is committed to providing equal educational opportunities to every student. The English Language Learners (ELL) program is designed to accelerate English acquisition for students whose first language is not English and to further assist them in becoming successful learners in the classroom.

Home Language Form

Program Goals

• English Learners will become proficient in English.
• English Learners will have access to the general education curriculum and be provided with an equal educational opportunity.
• English Learners will make significant progress toward meeting state and district standards.

Delivery Model

In the Cascade School District, the classroom teacher has the responsibility for the primary, direct instruction of English Learner eligible students. However, while there are many opportunities during the course of the day in a language-rich classroom environment for language learning, merely being exposed or engaged in activities in English is not sufficient to assure the development of full academic language proficiency. Therefore, English Learners in Cascade also receive explicit instruction in a language that is differentiated based on their English language proficiency level. This class provides English language development through systemic and explicit instruction of vocabulary, grammar, and syntax.

Elementary Services

In elementary schools, EL students meet daily in small groups outside of the regular education classroom. These groups are organized by the student’s English Language levels. The groups work on English Language Development in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. 

Middle and High School Services

In our secondary schools, students are enrolled in a regularly scheduled class that meets every day for the entire duration of the class period. This class replaces one elective in the student’s schedule. In this class, students work on English Language Development by listening, speaking, reading and writing.

Data and Reports

• ELL Plan 
• State ELL report

Section 504 is a federal law designed to protect the rights of individuals with disabilities in programs and activities that receive Federal financial assistance from the U.S. Department of Education (ED). Section 504 provides: "No otherwise qualified individual with a disability in the United States . . . shall, solely by reason of her or his disability, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance..." As part of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Congress passed Section 504, a civil rights law to protect people with disabilities by eliminating barriers and allowing full participation in areas such as education and the workplace. Since then, the Office for Civil Rights has developed federal regulations that help to explain this law.

• Section 504 Manual
• Section 504 Frequently Asked Questions

The Cascade School District works in collaboration with the Willamette Education Service District (WESD) to identify families/students who may qualify for the Migrant Education Program. The Special Services Director works with our schools and acts as a liaison with the WESD Migrant recruit to identify these students in order to provide services and support.

The WESD identifies and provides services to Migrant families with children ages 3-21 by working with families and school districts across Marion, Polk, Yamhill, Linn, Benton and Lincoln counties. To contact them directly, please call Willamette Migrant Services at 503-588-5361.

Determining Eligibility:
 

Students who have moved within the past 36 months, across district lines with a parent, guardian, spouse or family member of the child's immediate family in order to obtain temporary or seasonal employment in qualifying agricultural or fishing work as a means of livelihood.

What this provides/offers students?

• Free and Reduced lunch
• Free Accident insurance
• Free Summer School
• Books, coats and other supplies

Process:

• Register with the office by completing the Federal Forms page of the registration packet
• Or contact the Special Services Director if you meet the eligibility criteria

Visit the Oregon Migrant Education Service Center (WESD) for more information.

The McKinney-Vento Act guarantees all children and youth the right to an equal education, regardless of their living situation. Protection under the McKinney-Vento Act extends to those who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. Those covered by the law have the right to expedited enrollment in the appropriate school, receive free/reduced lunch, attend their school of origin including the necessary transportation and receive support from their district’s McKinney-Vento Liaison.

Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) provides financial assistance to states and school districts to meet the needs of educationally at-risk students. The goal of Title I is to provide extra instructional services to help all children meet challenging state academic standards. Title I funds are allocated on a per-pupil model. The higher percentage of students navigating poverty, the higher the per-student funds. The program serves students in elementary schools. In our district, Title I schools are:

• Aumsville Elementary
• Cloverdale Elementary
• Turner Elementary

Local Resources for Families
Recursos locales para familias

Allowable uses of Title I funding

All funds must be spent as supplemental to support struggling students and the staff that work with them. If Title I funds were eliminated, the Title I school operations must be similar to other non-title schools. Examples of current uses of Title I dollars include conferences and professional development to enhance instruction, homeless liaisons, coordination, parent information nights, parenting classes, intervention specialists, and behavior support.


Title I Parent Involvement
Parent involvement is vital to achieving maximum educational growth for students participating in the district’s Title I program. In compliance with federal law and Oregon Department of Education guidelines, the district meets with parents to provide information regarding their school’s participation in the Title I program and its requirements. Meetings are held annually and all parents of participating students are invited to attend.

En Español

Students identified as talented and gifted may be provided with the following learning options: accelerated instruction, flexible skill or ability grouping for a specific skill area, modified curricular content to match student skill, advanced placement, concurrent enrollment at the next higher level of school, and independent study.

“Foster Care” means substitute care for children placed by the Department of Human Services or a tribal child welfare agency away from their parents and for whom the department or agency has placement and care responsibility, including placements in foster family homes, foster homes of relatives, group homes, emergency shelters, residential facilities, child care institutions and pre-adoptive homes.

These students have rights to an education regardless of their housing situation, and we support all students here at Cascade. Educational stability is a key component in a foster care student’s success.  At the federal and state level, laws have been passed that require local and state child welfare and education agencies to fully and faithfully understand and implement legislation focusing on continuity and stability in a foster care student’s education.  

More information from the Oregon Department of Education can be found here.