(New Zealand) 600 new SPED staffers WON'T be in the classrooms

Nov 7, 2018, Otago Daily Times: Some answers on special needs https://www.odt.co.nz/news/school-news/some-answers-special-needs Over the next four years, the Government will invest $217million in a new workforce of educational professionals, who will work alongside teachers, parents and other professionals, to ensure children with diverse learning needs get the support they need to learn. However, principals have raised concerns about whether the new LSC roles will be purely administrative or include classroom work with special needs pupils, whether they will be fulltime or part-time positions, if the roles will be filled by trained teachers or teacher aides, and if placement of the 600 co-ordinators will be decided using a roll-based or needs-based system. Ms Martin said it was still early, but was able to confirm LSCs would not be sitting in the classroom helping children with their learning, on a day-to-day basis. Rather, they would deliver a series of screening tools for dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia and those children on the very mild end of the autism spectrum. They would also support and provide advice to teachers and teacher aides on how to work with particular children in the classroom…. She said the positions would not be implemented until the start of 2020, by which time it was hoped the teacher shortage would be rectified…. ''We should be looking at schools where 30% or more of their roll have complex or moderate learning needs….