THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, March 3, 1996 TAG: 9602290128
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 05 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JACK DEMPSEY, CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: MANTEO LENGTH: Long : 105 lines
TERRY JONES has seen enrollment in his Dare County exceptional children programs jump to 20 percent of the student population in his five-year tenure.
When he became director of Dare County Schools' program for both disabled and academically gifted students, about 13.5 percent of the student population participated, Jones said.
``Twenty percent wasn't a goal we set,'' Jones explained. ``It just resulted from many improvements in our case-finding methods and from changes in state policy. Twenty percent is fairly typical across the state for counties like Dare.''
Half of Jones' students are in the Academically Gifted Program, and half in the Disability Program.
``The most dramatic increase came in the Academically Gifted Program due to a change in state regulations,'' Jones said, referring to a 94-page rulebook from the state Department of Public Instruction. ``We tested for gifted students in grades 3, 6 and 9, and sometimes students who tested gifted in the lower grades tested too low on re-evaluations.
``State regs used to require us to drop those students,'' Jones said. ``But that made little sense, and the state no longer requires us to do so. The growth in the program's enrollment has resulted mainly from our ability to retain gifted students continuously from whenever they enter the program.''
Growth in the disability program has been more complex, Jones said.
``We have 17 different conditions that qualify students for the program,'' he said. ``Before I came here, the most seriously handicapped children were routinely served. What we've done is improve our methods for finding kids with milder, harder-to-detect conditions.
``I guess I can take a little credit for that,'' Jones said. ``But the real credit goes to my outstanding staff. I have 50 professionals out there who do everything humanly possible to find kids who need a little extra assistance, and the teachers do an exemplary job of recognizing problems we can help with. The bottom line is that 840 of the county's 4,147 students are in the programs now, which is about where we should be.''
Why did Terry Jones, 45, choose a special education career and why did he, his wife Chris, and his two children move to Dare County?
``I grew up with a mentally retarded brother at a time when there were almost no community-based services for severely handicapped children,'' Jones explained. ``For many years, my parents resisted advice to place him in an institution. But one day I came home and he was gone. I didn't even know where they took him.
``That hurt a lot, and I resolved to choose a career that helps kids like my brother stay home.''
After majoring in psychology at American International University, Jones earned a master's degree in clinical psychology from Appalachian State University in 1974. He directed the first residential group home for mentally disabled adults in North Carolina, then became the regional school psychologist out of North Carolina's Northwest Regional Education Center.
In 1976, Jones became Davie County's exceptional children program administrator, a post similar to his current position. He remained there until he moved to Dare County in 1991.
``We were quite content in Davie County,'' Jones said, ``but we came to the Outer Banks for a conference in 1991, and it was love at first sight. A few months later, I saw the Dare position advertised, and the rest is history.''
Seven of Jones' staff work in the Academically Gifted Program, mainly supplementing the students' normal load with demanding courses and enrichment activities, such as working on school publications. The entire program is being studied, with a new plan expected in April.
Most of the staff - resource teachers, teacher assistants, speech-language therapists and psychologists - work in the Disability Program. They are distributed throughout Dare's seven elementary, middle and high schools.
Most of the students in the Disability Program have specific learning disabilities, mostly in reading, writing and math.
Next in frequency are speech and language impairments, various health impairments and the behaviorally/emotionally handicapped. The 26 educable mentally disabled students require special consideration throughout their school years.
Twelve additional categories include smaller numbers of children who need some assistance to profit fully from the school environment.
The philosophy behind the Disability Program, Jones said, is straightforward and basically shared by all related professions and government agencies: Meeting students' individual needs is crucial. Every student's needs are assessed at least annually, and staff and parents jointly agree on a service plan. Due process must be observed in settling disagreements.
Programs for disabled students should be as close as possible to a normal education experience, Jones said. If possible, services are provided in the regular classroom by the teacher or a specialized assistant.
Students are only removed from the regular classroom when necessary for tutoring or special classes. Only when necessary will students with common needs, such as the mentally handicapped, be placed together in separate classes with a special curriculum. Institutionalization is a last resort.
Jones said he was satisfied overall with his five years on the job.
And the good life extends to after-hours as well. He enjoys fishing. He is active in the Cub Scouts. He teaches Sunday school.
``With the time that's left, I read,'' he said, ``but not avidly.'' His wife, Chris, teaches remedial reading at Manteo Elementary.
And from time to time, Terry Jones visits his brother, who now lives in a community-based group home. ILLUSTRATION: Photo by JACK DEMPSEY
Terry Jones says the growth in the gifted program has resulted from
being able to retain students.
by CNB