Alief ISD provides a continuum of special education services and programs to meet each student's individualized needs. Services can include advanced supports, accommodations and modifications provided through in-class support, specialized programs, homebound, or instruction in other facilities. 

Alief ISD offers a variety of programs and services. If a student requires specialized supports, the ARD committee will make that determination based on current student data. It should be noted that diagnosis/disability does not drive the programming decision.  Again, the ARD committee ultimately determines each student's services and placement. The continuum of specialized programs/services available in Alief ISD include:

ICS is a collaboration between the general education teacher and special education staff to ensure that special education students successfully meet the requirement of the general education curriculum.  The general education teacher is the teacher of record and is primarily responsible for providing initial instruction.  Both general education and special education staff ensure that accommodations and/or modifications are implemented and appropriately address the student’s academic needs and cognitive abilities. 

STRIDE is a home base for learners with autism who receive instruction in the general education setting.  Social skills are reviewed in 1-on-1 or small group lessons.  Video modeling, role play, practice, and reinforcement are all used to teach basic ready-to-learn skills, communication, social awareness, and more. 

TLC generally serves students with significant physical and/or cognitive disabilities requiring school health services. Often times students are medically fragile and school health services require the support of trained medical staff.  Students require full assistance to care for their daily needs. The focus of instruction is visual and auditory stimulation, motor skills development, assistive technology, interaction with others and, if possible, communication skills. 

ECSE includes a range of services available for children who are ages 3-5 and who qualify for special education services.  These ECSE services focus on a developmentally appropriate curriculum in meeting the individual needs of each student.  ECSE services typically occur in a self-contained classroom staffed with a teacher and paraprofessional(s).  Opportunities for inclusion in Pre-K classroom are available for students based on the student’s IEP.  To maximize communication and language development, we offer both English and Spanish ECSE classroom environments in Alief ISD. 

The Reaching Excellence and Accelerating Communication to New Heights (REACH) provides educational services for students who require a highly structured environment. Students with REACH services typically demonstrate significant repetitive stereotypical or challenging behaviors, little to no functional communication skills, a high need for visual/physical structure, and the need for “ready to learn” behavioral skills. 

The Structure program (kindergarten through fifth grade) and the Discover Center (fifth through twelfth grade) is a highly structured service designed to provide intensive behavioral supports for students with significant emotional and behavioral deficits.  Due to the severity of their disability, students struggle with managing behavior and emotions.  Students typically present with elopement behaviors and severe aggression towards self or others.  The program uses specially designed instruction, social skills instruction, and offers a continuum of placement options depending on specific needs. Students in the program have a specially designed Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP) to meet his/her individual needs. Students participate in a token economy and a level system that is linked to earning reinforcement time and other privileges.  The primary goal is to strategically reintegrate students into more inclusive settings as they develop mastery of their self-regulation and behavior skills. 

The Learning in Functional Environments (LIFE) serves students with significant cognitive disabilities who require a curriculum focusing on (1) academic instruction based on prerequisite skills that are aligned to grade level TEKS, (2) communication/social skills, (3) independent living skills, and (4) vocational instruction at the high school level.  It should be noted that diagnosis/disability does not drive the programming decision.  The ARD committee ultimately determines placement. 

The 18+ Applied Learning for Adult Students (ALFAS) LIFE program provides services for adult students who have met the course credit requirements for graduation, continue to have employability/self-help needs related to their disabilities, and need a supportive learning environment in developing vocational work skills, adaptive behaviors, and independent daily living skills.  

The 18+ Applied Learning for Adult Students (ALFAS) REACH program provides services for adult students with Autism Spectrum Disorders who have met the course credit requirements for graduation, continue to have employability/self-help needs related to their disabilities, and need a supportive learning environment in developing vocational work  skills, adaptive behaviors, and independent daily living skills.  

The 18+ Transitioning Adult Learning into Success (TALIS) program provides a work-based setting for adult students with cognitive disabilities between the ages of 18 through 21 to prepare them for their post-secondary transition plan. 

The Specialized Reading Program provides students who are multiple grade levels behind in reading, a self-contained setting to increase reading skills through small group instruction. The curriculum is modified, yet highly engaging and rigorous and is delivered using direct, explicit, evidence-based, and multi-sensory methods to prepare students for college and career readiness.  

Alief ISD Assessment Staff employs fourteen Licensed Specialist in School Psychology (LSSP) and three Mental Health Specialists (MHS). There are also three LSSP Trainees and two Interns. The Licensed Specialists in School Psychology (LSSP) are licensed by the Texas State Board of Examiners of Psychologists (TSBEP). The Mental Health Specialists are Licensed Professional Counselors and Licensed Clinical Social Workers. Mental Health Specialist was a position created out of need in Alief ISD. By providing the counseling as a related service to our students in special education, the MHS position has helped to mitigate staff shortage for providing that service.