The Future of Special Education

The past few years have proven that being proactive is the best measure against unpredictable and unexpected changes in education. We’ve seen the benefit of proactivity in measurable ways: Districts that already had mobile devices issued to their students faired better during the pandemic than their counterparts; districts that were already using edtech to deliver education in and out of the classroom faired even better.

But to create the inclusive, equitable future in education that we all want, students who are most vulnerable to unexpected and unpredictable changes – students on IEPs and 504s, and other students who require accommodations to their education – need to be prioritized in future planning.

The Complex and Dynamic Challenges of Managing Special Education

Today’s students are a complex and dynamic population, and districts are obligated to provide unique support and student management for everything from medical disorders and allergies to mental health and SEL to special needs accommodations. Facilitating the needs of students who require special learning accommodations through IEPs and 504s has often been quite laborious and paperwork intensive. And if the student’s services aren’t properly documented, the school may have difficulty getting reimbursements from Medicaid, which can be quite costly.

Special Education Management Does Not Have to Be Overwhelming or Costly

Schools that implement a stable, collaborative, and data driven system like Lumen Touch’s Bright SPED, which handles the unique needs of the school’s population, can save money and time while delivering a more comprehensive individualized education to students that lead to better outcomes. With funding riding on a compliant and accurate report of services and students, having a single platform like Bright SPED, in which data monitoring and compliance checks are built into the software, can help districts better manage their entire special education program.

Bright SPED Empowers Districts, Teachers, Students, and Parents

Bright SPED is an integrated IEP, 504 and Medicaid Billing management system designed for students, teachers, parents, and administrators. The Medicaid billing allows you to bring additional money back to the district more easily and effectively. Bright SPED has a customizable goal bank, automated notifications, and personalized dashboards for each user. These tools ensure all areas of IEPS are completed correctly and are fully compliant. Highlights include:

  • Simultaneous collaboration – no worries about overwriting some else’s input!
  • Customizable options to allow districts to track data efficiently and assist departments to increase improvement for state compliance.
  • Embedded progress monitoring tools offers parents understandable visuals to share the progress on IEP goals and objectives for their student.
  • Provides a data-driven infrastructure that does not rely on forms processing, allowing Bright SPED to meet Federal and State compliance modifications in a timelier manner.

Benefits of Bright SPED for Your School

Data Driven – Clear and concise data across all schools in a district.

Unified Platform – Bright SPED provides districts with a unified platform that Is adaptable to goals and efficiently manages Medicaid Billing.

Compliance Focused – Built-in compliance checks throughout the Bright SPED system help ensure success.

Customer Centered – The Lumen Touch team works with schools through implementation and beyond, always willing to make customized adjustments to meet the specific needs of a district.

Learn more about Bright SPED by Lumen Touch: https://www.lumentouch.com/sped

Education Does Not Occur in a Silo

When we consider how to best educate K-12 students, it’s necessary to look at the whole child and not just follow an age-based curriculum. In order to provide students with the best education possible, we need to also be able to address their health needs, socio-economic challenges, emotional needs, and those unique needs that place students at a disadvantage based on systemic disparities. This may be easy enough to acknowledge when considering an individual student, but when you’re a school district responsible for thousands to tens of thousands of students, with each student bringing their own singular needs to the classroom, teaching can become overwhelming for educators and administrators alike.

You Can’t Attend to the Whole Student If You Can’t See the Student’s Needs

If you’re only perceiving a fragment of each student, you can’t effectively support the whole student. For example, if the health office knows about a student’s allergy and does not share this information, someone or something in the classroom environment may inadvertently trigger an allergic reaction in that student. If the school counselor is aware of a traumatic event that is affecting a student on a psychological or emotional level, it may be difficult for the necessary support to extend to the classroom if the teacher is oblivious to the suppressed anxiety. Without compromising student data privacy, however, schools can provide support to the whole student in order to facilitate better engagement and improved outcomes.

How Lumen Touch Can Help

Lumen™ Touch Bright SUITE is a comprehensive learning management system that helps districts and educators better serve each individual student holistically. School faculty and administrators can better manage and track their students’ educational accomplishments. And with the ability to integrate with local health services and Medicaid billing, districts can better manage their students’ health and wellbeing, while ensuring superior student data privacy and cybersecurity.

Lumen Touch has everything a school needs to deliver a better educational experience from start to finish.

From what a student eats to disciplinary actions to health data, Lumen Touch provides an easy-to-read dashboard with all the data you need to have a full picture of the student. 

Being able to see trend data on student grades, attendance, and behavior along with actual instant data around all of those points including health and wellness really helps show a bigger picture.

Improve Student Engagement AND Parent Engagement

Lumen Touch includes a parent portal so that the parent or legal guardian of the student can log in and access information about the student, from having the ability to retrieve grades and class schedules to paying for registration fees and lunches. Students are also able to log in and use the Lumen Touch system to complete assignments, take exams, work on projects, and track their own educational goals.

The Future Is BRIGHT with Lumen Touch

Lumen Touch is committed to providing best-in-class solutions to schools and school districts, making it easier to support teachers, students, families, and communities. We never stop innovating new ways to revolutionize K-12 education. Bright SUITE is a one-stop-shop for schools, incorporating everything a district needs, from a learning management system to student information systems to health-and-safety monitoring and reporting. With special modules for special education, a full library, and modules for teacher professional development, Bright SUITE is an all-in-one enterprise management solution that not only allows districts to save money, it also creates a secure and connected school district. Real-time data lets educators make the best decisions for all students. Learn more.