Overseas Schools Offering Support to Children with Special Needs 2017-2018 This list of schools offering Special Education and/or Gifted and Talented programs is compiled from information collected through the 2017-2018 Summary School Information forms submitted by posts, other materials available in A/OPR/OS, and forms from previous years. The information is self-reported, is taken verbatim from submitted forms, may change from year-to-year, and is by no means conclusive or all-inclusive as school administrators may not report offering a special needs program. In addition, what is available one year may not be the following year due to staff changes. Therefore, the list is, by its very nature, incomplete and may not be reliable in some instances. It is to be used only as a starting point in the search for possible programs for children with special needs. In many instances, schooling for children with special needs in overseas locations is not comparable to that available in the United States. Parents should also be aware that many of the schools listed do not offer an American curriculum. A school whose name appears in BLUE is assisted by the U.S. Department of State. The dates in parentheses after the name of the school denote the year the information was received. Parents are STRONGLY urged to follow the suggestions outlined below in their search for a suitable program for their child(ren): 1. Use this list only as a starting point in the search for a suitable program. 2. Be very familiar with your child's school records and the present school's recommendations for accommodations. 3. Contact the Child and Family Program at the Department of State (Tel: 202-663-1815) and inquire about medical clearance requirements. 4. Get in touch with A/OPR/OS Regional Education Officers for further information on any specific overseas school program. A list of the Regional Education Officers, their phone numbers, and e-mail addresses, is included. 5. Contact the school's administration directly and request explicit information on the educational programs presently available, admission criteria, etc. 6. Get in touch with the Community Liaison Office Coordinator at post for any possible background information on the school and possible other programs in the community. 7. Read the brochure Transitioning to an Overseas Assignment with a Child with Special Needs with information on special needs in the Foreign Service at www.state.gov/m/a/os/27909.htm. OFFICE OF OVERSEAS SCHOOLS A/OPR/OS Room H328, SA-1 Department of State Washington, DC 20522-0132 Telephone: (202) 261-8200 Fax: (202) 261-8224 E-mail: [email protected] Internet: www.state.gov/m/a/os Intranet: http://aopros.a.state.gov/ The Office of Overseas Schools (A/OPR/OS) is staffed with regional education officers, each assigned oversight of a geographic region, who are well-informed about schools attended by U.S. government school-age dependent children. A/OPR/OS publishes a one page "Fact Sheet" on each overseas American-sponsored school assisted by the Department of State. It also maintains a database with detailed information on over 600 overseas schools and preschools, including course offerings, special programs, programs for children with special needs, extracurricular activities, graduation requirements, etc. The information can be found on the A/OPR/OS Intranet website at http://aopros.a.state.gov/pdf/pdf/alpha.html. Families are encouraged to contact A/OPR/OS for information on educational opportunities overseas for their school-age dependent children. Director Mr. Thomas P. Shearer (202) 261-8200 E-mail: [email protected] Africa Mr. Thomas P. Shearer (202) 261-8200 E-mail: [email protected] American Republics Dr. Robin D. Heslip (202) 261-8210 E-mail: [email protected] East Asia Pacific Dr. Lawrence A. Hobdell (202) 261-8226 E-mail: [email protected] Eastern Europe Ms. Mary E. Russman (202) 261-8218 E-mail: [email protected] Western Europe Ms. Christine L. Brown (202) 261-8217 E-mail: [email protected] Near East, South Asia, Dr. Beatrice H. Cameron (202) 261-8211 Canada, Cyprus, Egypt, Greece, Italy, E-mail: [email protected] Morocco, Portugal, Spain, Tunisia and Turkey LEGEND The following abbreviations and acronyms are used in this list. A/OPR/OS The acronym for Administration/Operations/Office of Overseas Schools A/OS Office of Overseas Schools DoDEA Department of Defense Education Activity EC Early Childhood Education ESOL English for Speakers of Other Languages F Foundation Forms British educational levels: Forms I-V are roughly equivalent to U.S. grades 8-12 IB International Baccalaureate IEP Individualized Education Plan IGCSE International General Certificate of Secondary Education. Examinations for this certificate are taken at the end of the 10th grade. ILP Individual Learning Plan K Kindergarten MAP Measures of Academic Progress Mths Months (age of child) N Nursery PK Prekindergarten PS Preschool R Reception, equivalent to U.S. preschool RTI Response to Intervention SEN Special Education Needs SST Student Support Team YR Year of compulsory education in the U.K. Yrs Years (age of child) Page | 1 SCHOOLS OFFERING SUPPORT TO CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS 2017-2018 COUNTRY/CITY/SCHOOL GRADES ENROLLMENT ALBANIA, Tirana SPECIAL EDUCATION Tirana International School (2017) PK-12 208 http://www.qsi.org/albania/alb/ Mild emotionally disturbed, hearing impaired, and learning disabled students can be accommodated at all grade levels. Mild multiply handicapped and orthopedically impaired students at the elementary school grade levels can be accommodated. The school is accessible for the physically handicapped. World Academy of Tirana (2017) K-12 270 www.wat.al Mild to moderate emotionally disturbed, learning disabled, mentally handicapped, and speech impaired students can be accommodated in the regular classroom. Mild hearing impaired students can be accommodated. Mild to severe multiply handicapped and orthopedically impaired students can be accommodated. The school is accessible for the physically handicapped. The school has staff who are trained to administer psychological tests and diagnose specific learning disabilities. ALGERIA, Algiers SPECIAL EDUCATION American International School of Algiers (2017) K-6 19 www.aisalgiers.org Currently, there are no services for children with special needs. However, with small class sizes the teachers are able to provide differentiated instruction based on each individual student’s needs. ANGOLA, Luanda SPECIAL EDUCATION Luanda International School (2017) ---- 634 www.lisluanda.com Mild visually handicapped students at all grade levels can be accommodated. Mild to moderate emotionally disturbed and learning disabled students at all grade levels can be accommodated. Mild to severe hearing impaired, orthopedically impaired, and speech impaired students at all grade levels can be accommodated. The school is accessible for the physically handicapped. Lycée Française Alioune Blondin Bèye (instruction in French) (2017) ---- ---- http://www.lfluanda.net/ Mild emotionally disturbed and hearing impaired students can be accommodated in the regular classroom. The school is accessible for the physically handicapped. The school has staff who are trained to administer psychological tests and diagnose specific learning disabilities. ARGENTINA, Buenos Aires SPECIAL EDUCATION Asociación Escuelas Lincoln - Lincoln School (2017) PK-12 704 http://www.lincoln.edu.ar Mild emotionally disturbed, mentally handicapped, and speech impaired students can be accommodated. Mild to moderate learning disabled students can be accommodated. The school is accessible for the physically handicapped. The schools has teachers and administrators who have received training to work with the learning disabled student. Buenos Aires International Christian Academy (2017) PK-12 212 www.baica.com Mild to moderate learning disabled students can be accommodated. The school is accessible for the physically handicapped on the lower level. The school has staff who are trained to administer psychological tests and to diagnose specific learning disabilities. The school has teachers and administrators who have received training to work with the learning disabled. Page | 2 ARGENTINA, Buenos Aires (cont’d) SPECIAL EDUCATION (cont’d) Northlands School (2017) PK-12 2,000 www.northlands.edu.ar (The school operates on the Southern Hemisphere calendar) Mild emotionally disturbed, hearing impaired, learning disabled, orthopedically impaired, speech impaired, and visually handicapped students at all grade levels can be accommodated. The Nordelta campus is accessible for the physically handicapped. The school has teachers and administrators who have received training to work with the learning disabled. AUSTRALIA, Canberra SPECIAL EDUCATION Post Comments–Special Education (2017) ---- ---- Special education is identified as disability education in Australia. Information regarding disability education in the ACT can be found through the ACT Government Education Directorate webpage: http://www.education.act.gov.au/school_education/disability_education As described: “All schools in the ACT are required to make reasonable adjustments for students with disability at the time of their enrollment and during the course of their education, ensuring they have the support they need to successfully access and participate in the school curriculum, programs and activities in the company of their peers.” Disability Education support is available for school students from pre-school through