Supporting High Needs Students

According to the United States Department of Education, High Need Students are “Students at risk of educational failure or otherwise in need of special assistance and support, such as students who are living in poverty, who attend high-minority schools, who are far below grade level, who have left school before receiving a regular high school diploma, who are at risk of not graduating with a diploma on time, who are homeless, who are in foster care, who have been incarcerated, who have disabilities, or who are English learners. ” I know, that is a lot to read. Basically, high need students are those who need special assistance and support since they are at risk of educational failure. 

With high needs students, there are many different types of behaviors that can be presented. Some behaviors may be classified as aggressive, hostile, oppositional or convert. There are various signs to look out for:

• intimidates others
• does opposite what is asked
• resists verbally or nonverbally
• appears to agree but then does the opposite of what is asked
• rages, threaten or intimidates others
• often their behavior overpowers or controls others without regard for their wellbeing.

As a teacher, you want to make sure you be consistent and provide immediate rewards and consequences. This way, the behavior is being reinforced at the time it occurs instead of waiting and the student forgetting what was done. You also want to encourage and acknowledge the students’ extracurricular activities in and out of school. It lets the student know that you are taking time out of your day to get to know the student on a more personal level. I know I loved it when a teacher would tell me that they saw me at my play and tell me what they liked.

Another set of behaviors deal with attention problems. These students will have difficulty staying focused, listening, remembering, and organizing. There are multiple strategies a teacher can implement in their classroom that will not only benefit the student but the entire class. You can teach basic concentration, study and thinking skills at the beginning of the year and consistently reinforce them throughout the rest of the year. Teachers can also make quiet areas to work and list each step of the assignments so if they get off track, they can easily figure out what to do next.

Overall, you want to help your students learn and grow as a person. You don’t want to knock them down and discourage them with negativity. They are just like all your other students, they might just need extra time or help to complete tasks. You just have to remember that sometimes, the students cannot help it and act out.

The key thing to remember is to have patience and that can go a long way.