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Groups of Students with Special Needs

Students with disabilities who qualify under the IDEA

Students classified as gifted and talented Students eligible for Section 504 Students at risk for school problems

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Generalizations about Students with Special Needs

Approximately half of all students in public schools need assistance.

Diversity among students in public schools represents the norm rather than the exception.

Educators must be able to identify these students and help develop and implement appropriate programs.

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Students with Disabilities

Many students with disabilities may qualify for special education under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

Students with disabilities are those who exhibit one of twelve specific categories that result in their need for special education and related services.

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Students with Disabilities Not all students with disabilities fit neatly into the IDEA

categories. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans

with Disabilities Act use very different definitions from the IDEA.

Most students with disabilities experience mild disabilities and are included in general education for at least part of the school day.

Collaboration among parents, special education teacher, and general classroom teachers is critical in order for these students to receive an appropriate education.

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Definition of Disability: Section 504 and the ADA

A person is considered to have a disability if that individual

has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of the person’s major life activities

has a record of such an impairment

is regarded as having such an impairment

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IDEA Exceptionalities

Mental Retardation Learning Disabilities Emotional

Disturbance Deaf/Hearing

Impairments Orthopedic

Impairments

Visual Impairments Other Health

Impairments Autism Traumatic Brain Injury Speech or Language

Impairments Multiple Disabilities

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Students Classified as Gifted and Talented Traditionally, these students were identified

when they obtained an intelligence quotient score of 120 or higher.

Today, criteria for classification are much broader and include areas such as Academic endeavors Creativity Mechanical skills Motor skills Fine arts skills

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Students At Risk These students do not fit into a specific disability

category at all and manifest characteristics that could easily lead to learning and behavior problems.

These students include: Potential dropouts Drug and alcohol abusers Students from minority cultures Students from low-income homes Teenagers who become pregnant Students who speak English as a second language Students who are in trouble with the legal system

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Current Service Provision Since the mid-1980s, there has been a movement

to serve students with disabilities in the general education classroom.

Reasons for this movement include: impact of civil rights movement parental advocacy legislation

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Public Law 94-142

This legislation opened the doors of public schools and general education classrooms to students with disabilities.

Under this law, schools are required to seek and implement appropriate educational programs for all students with disabilities.

Today, this law is referred to as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

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Key Components of P.L. 94-142

Child Find Nondiscriminatory Assessment Individualized Education Plan (IEP) Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) Due-Process Safeguards

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Important Litigation

Brown v. Board of Education PARC v. Pennsylvania Mills v. District of Columbia Rowley v. Hudson School District Oberti v. Clementon School District Sacramento City Unified School District D.B. Ocean Township Board of Education Cedar Rapids Community School District v. Garrett F.

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Parental Advocacy

Parents played a major role in the passage of P.L. 94-142.

Parents have unified their efforts and maximized their influence by forming advocacy groups, such as the Association for Retarded Citizens (the Arc).

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Where Should Students with Disabilities Be Educated?

Approximately 70% of all students with disabilities are included for a substantial portion of the school day in general education classrooms and are taught by general education teachers.

Full-time placement in the general education classroom is commonly referred to as full inclusion.

The specific placement of students with disabilities falls along a continuum-of-services model.

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Continuum-of-Services Model

Special Education Classroom (self-contained) Resource Room Model

Inclusive Education Program

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Special Education Classroom Approach Serving students with disabilities in special programs was based on

the assumption that general educators did not have the skills necessary to meet the needs of all students representing different learning needs.

In this approach, students receive the majority of their educational program from a special education teacher.

Many general education teachers liked this model because they did not have to teach students who differed from “typical” children.

During the late 1960s and 1970s, parents and professionals began questioning the efficacy of this approach.

The movement away from self-contained classrooms was in part sparked by the philosophy of normalization.

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Resource Room Model The least restrictive environment (LRE)

mandate requires that schools place students with disabilities with their non-disabled peers to the maximum extent appropriate.

In the resource room model, students go to the resource room for special instruction for only part of the school day.

As a result of P.L. 94-142, the resource room became the leading placement option for students with disabilities.

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Advantages of Resource Room Model Students with disabilities have the opportunity to

interact with their chronological age peers. This model can have a positive impact on both

students with and without disabilities. Students with disabilities are able to receive

instruction from several teachers. In the resource room, students with disabilities

receive intensive instruction in areas in which they are having difficulties.

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Disadvantages of Resource Room Model Requiring students with disabilities to leave the

resource room, even for only part of the day, can be detrimental.

Many have questioned the efficacy of separate classes (e.g., Dunn, 1968).

Current research suggests that this may not be the most effective model for many students with disabilities.

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Roles of Special Education and Classroom Teachers in Resource Room Model Collaboration between special education and classroom

teachers is critical if the needs of students with disabilities are to be met.

Classroom teachers play a critical role in referring students for a special education evaluation. They are often the first to recognize that a student is experiencing problems that could require special education services.

Classroom teachers play an important role because they implement interventions (e.g., prereferral interventions).

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Inclusive Education Programs Madeline Will (1986), among many others,

criticized pull-out programs, such as self-contained and resource rooms.

Since the mid-1980s, there has been a call for dismantling the dual education system (general and special) in favor of a unified system that meets the needs of all students.

The model for more fully including students with special needs was originally called the Regular Education Initiative (REI).

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Important “Inclusion” Terms

Least Restrictive Environment Mainstreaming Full Inclusion Inclusion Responsible Inclusion

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Why Support Inclusion? The current dual system assumes that each child is one of

two distinct types of learners. In reality, all students exhibit strengths and needs that make them unique.

There is not only one group of students who benefits from individualized educational programming.

The special education system necessitates that a deviant label be given to a student in need of special education.

The dual system requires extensive, time-consuming, and expensive efforts. results in stigma, and is not necessarily better educational

programming. promotes competition, not collaboration, between the two systems. requires much effort to determine who’s eligible.

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Opponents of Inclusion

IDEA 1997 does not mandate inclusion. It does mandate LRE.

Several professional organizations (e.g., CEC, CCBD) have advocated to keep the continuum of placement options.

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Role of Special Education and Classroom Teachers in the Inclusion Model

Special education teacher works much more closely with the classroom teacher.

Classroom teachers become fully responsible for all students, including those with disabilities, with the support from special education personnel.

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Classroom Teachers and Students with Disabilities Students with disabilities should not be simply

“dumped” into general education classes. Successful inclusion does not happen without

adequate support from special education. Two methods generally used to facilitate inclusion

are: facilitating the acceptance of students with

disabilities providing services to support their academic

success

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Practices Teachers Can Use to Help Students Succeed Curriculum-based assessment Cooperative learning Self-management Peer tutoring Strategy instruction Direct instruction Goal setting

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Classroom teachers must be able to: Act as a team member on assessment & IEP committees Advocate for children with disabilities Counsel and interact with parents of students with

disabilities Individualize instruction for students with disabilities Understand and abide by due-process procedures

required by federal law and state regulations Be innovative in providing equal educational opportunities

for all students, including those with disabilities

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Break Time!

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Types of Personnel Support & Collaboration Collaboration-Consultation

Peer Support Systems

Teacher Assistance Teams

Co-Teaching

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Collaboration

Collaboration is a model that emphasizes a close working relationship between general and special educators.

Benefits of collaboration: Facilitates ongoing planning, evaluation, and modifications necessary to

ensure the success of inclusive placements Enables general education classrooms to meet the needs of students with

and without disabilities Provides personnel support of highly skilled colleagues Results in personal and professional growth for all involved Helps teachers identify ways to access the skills, knowledge, and

expertise of other teachers

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Peer Support Teams

Rely on the natural supports of peers in the general education classroom

Can involve social or instructional peer supports Types of peer supports include:

partner learning peer tutoring cooperative learning

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Teacher Assistance Teams

Definition: School-based problem-solving teams designed to enable teachers to meet the needs of their students demonstrating difficulties

Teams are comprised of teachers and other instructional support personnel.

Teams meet to problem solve about students’ needs.

Participation should be voluntary.

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Co-Teaching Definition: Co-teaching is an arrangement of two

or more teachers or other school staff who collectively assume the responsibility for the same group of students on a regular basis.

Co-teaching: usually occurs at set times. involves the joint completion of tasks such as

planning and teaching. includes monitoring and evaluating students. involves communicating about student progress.

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Co-Teaching Models

Interactive Teaching

Station Teaching

Parallel Teaching

Alternative Teaching

See page 48 for details on each of these models

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Prereferral Child Study and Referral Process Process involves contacts and collaboration between general and

special educators. The purpose of this process is the collaborative development of

prereferral interventions (i.e., interventions attempted in the general education classroom before formal referral for a special education evaluation).

Prereferral interventions are generally implemented for 6 to 9 weeks (although this is flexible).

Prereferral interventions are efficient and effective in reducing special education evaluation referrals.

If prereferral interventions are unsuccessful, a referral for a special education evaluation is made.

Prereferral interventions may be less visible at the secondary level.

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Child Study Committee

Committee attempts to assist teacher in targeting the most significant problems in the classroom.

Committee attempts to assist teacher in identifying strategies to address those problems.

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Referral for Special Education Evaluation If a referral is made, the evaluation process begins. This process must be comprehensive and flexible. Most students are referred during their elementary years. Major reasons for referral are primarily reading and

attention problems. Writing, math, language, sensory skills, and

aggressive/immature behaviors are other reasons for referral.

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Video

This will give an overview of the components of IDEA from assessment all the way through development and implementation.

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Assessment

Definition: Assessment is the process of gathering relevant information to use in making decisions about students.

Assessment is a dynamic, continuous process that guides and directs decisions about students with suspected or known disabilities.

Assessment is mandated by federal law.

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Phases/Purposes of Assessment Screening Phase

Identification/Eligibility Phase

Program Planning Phase

Monitoring/Evaluation Phase

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Participation in State- or District-Wide Assessments IDEA Amendments increase the participation of

students with disabilities in these assessments.

Only the IEP team may decide if the student with a disability will not participate.

Accommodations may be provided in order for students with disabilities to participate in these assessments.

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Individualized Education Programs Assessment results are used to determine

students’ eligibility for special education. If a student is eligible, assessment results are

translated into individualized education programs (IEPs).

IEPs focus on intervention relative to the individual needs of students with disabilities.

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Critical IEP Components

Present levels of performance

Measurable annual goals

Short-term objectives

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Role of Classroom Teacher in the IEP Process Provide input Implement IEP in the classroom, as appropriate Refer to IEP periodically View IEP tool as a legal document and as a tool

for meeting students’ individual needs Include parents in the implementation and

evaluation of the IEP

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For next week …..

Read Chapter 4. Complete Chapter 2 & 3 Quiz on WebCT. It is now open.

We will be doing a more detailed activity on learning disabilities.