Chapter 2 Planning and Providing Special Education Services

Exceptional Children: An Introduction to Special Education,9th EditionISBN 013514454X

© 2009 Pearson Education, Inc.All rights reserved.

Chapter 2Planning and Providing

Special Education Services

Exceptional Children: An Introduction to Special Education, 9th EditionHewardISBN 013514454X

© 2009 Pearson Education, Inc.All Rights Reserved.2

The Process of Special Education Prereferral Intervention

A teacher or parent may report a concern regarding differences in learning, behavior, or development

Screening tests may also suggest a possible disability (vision screening) Provide immediate instructional and/or behavioral assistance Response to intervention and Instruction (Rtii)

Provide immediate instructional or behavioral assistance to the teacher and student

Prevent referrals to special education for students whose learning or behavior is a result of not receiving appropriate instruction rather than a disability

Strengthens teachers’ capacity to intervene thereby reducing potential special education referrals

Prevent time-consuming and costly process of assessment for special education services

Provides IEP teams with valuable baseline data for future planning



The Process of Special Education Evaluation and Identification

All children suspected of having a disability must receive a nondiscriminatory multi-factored evaluation (MFE)

A multi-disciplinary evaluation team conducts the evaluation. This team includes the parent.

A teach or parent may request a child be evaluated for special education

The parent must be notified of the school’s intent to test their child Parents must give their consent to the evaluation Within 60 days of receiving consent the district must complete the

evaluation and identify the educational needs of the child A variety of assessment tools and strategies must be implemented

to gather data The team determines if the child is eligible for services The team must also provide information about the child's

educational needs and how to meet them.



The Process of Special Education

Program Planning If the team determined a child has a disability,

an individualized education program (IEP) team forms.

The IEP team determines the what (learning goals and objectives), who (teachers and related service providers), when ( frequency of services).

The IEP is the centerpiece of the special education process.



The Process of Special Education

Placement The IEP team must determine the least restrictive educational

environment that meets the student’s needs The placement of children with disabilities is one of the most

debated and often misunderstood aspects of special education and IDEA.

Progress Monitoring, Review, and Reevaluation Ongoing monitoring of student progress – Must gather data related

to achievement of goals The IEP must be thoroughly and formally reviewed on an annual

basis – IEP team can meet to review or modify whenever requested by a team member

Reevaluation – once every (3) years district must conduct MFE



Collaboration and Teaming Collaboration

Teachers are better able to diagnose and solve problems in the classroom when they work together

Coordination - ongoing communication and cooperation to ensure that services are provided in a timely and systematic fashion (co-planning)

Consultation - team members provide information and expertise to one another



Collaboration and Teaming Teaming

Multidisciplinary team - composed of professionals from different disciplines who work independently of one another; each member conducts assessments, plans interventions, and delivers services

Team members must recognize the child as an integrated whole

Interdisciplinary team - characterized by formal channels of communication between members; although each professional usually conducts discipline-specific assessments, the interdisciplinary team meets to share information and develop intervention plans (speech, OT, PT, etc.)

Transdisciplinary teams - Members seek to provide services in a uniform and integrated fashion by conducting joints assessments, sharing information and expertise across discipline boundaries, and selecting goals and interventions that are discipline-free

May share roles (classroom teacher implements PT strategies)



Collaboration and Teaming (cont.)

Co-teaching – A general education teacher and a special education teacher plan and deliver instruction in an inclusive classroom. Co-teaching can take several forms…

One teaching/one helping – one teacher delivers instruction the other assists students

Parallel teaching – both teachers teach same materials to equal sized groups

Station teaching – both teachers present different content to two separate groups them switch

Alternative teaching – one teacher works with a small group to remediate, enrich, etc. and the other teacher teaches the rest of the group

Team teaching – both teachers share talents and teach lesson together



Individualized Education Program (IEP) IDEA requires that an IEP be developed and implemented for every

student with disabilities between the ages of 3 and 21

Individualized family service plans are developed for infants and toddlers from birth to age 3

The IEP team must include the following members: Parents Regular education teachers Special education teachers LEA representative An individual who can interpret evaluation results (psychologist) Others at the discretion of the parent or school (related services) The student (age 14 or older must be invited)



IEP Components

The IEP must include: A statement of present levels of educational performance

A statement of measurable annual goals A statement of how the child will be assessed (monitor progress)

A statement of special education and related services

An explanation of the extent to which the student will not participate with non-disabled children

Individual modifications

The projected date for the beginning and duration of services

Beginning at age 16, an individual transition plan must be developed



IEP Functions and Formats IEP formats vary widely across school

districts

The IEP is a measure of accountability for teachers and schools

The IEP is not the same as curriculum; IEP objectives are not comprehensive enough to cover the entire scope and sequence of what a student is to learn



Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) Using instructional techniques that are research-based has recently become an issue in

special education NCLB mandates the use of scientific research results to make sure students receive

the highest quality instruction Reality is that many student with disabilities have received instruction that is

misguided at best. Questions such as defining EBP, identifying the practices should teachers use, how

to disseminate information about EBPs, how to determine the validity of an EBP have not been answered.

Works Clearing house has identified a randomized experimental group design as a gold standard

Most research over the past 40 years has been single-subject and co relational research

Lists of programs that have met the criteria are evidence based can be found on the websites identified on page 73

Using Evidence-Based Practices Implement the treatment as designed If you must modify a program, change only one variable at a time It is not recommended to integrate portions of various models Test it yourself – Are students making progress?



Least Restrictive Environment LRE is the setting that is closest to a regular school

program that meets the child’s special educational needs LRE is the school and class a child would attend if he/she

were not disabled

The IEP team must determine if the annual goals and short-term objectives can be achieved in the regular classroom Removal from the regular classroom should take place

when the severity of the disability is such that an appropriate education cannot be achieved

Placement must not be regarded as permanent



A Continuum of Services



Inclusive Education Inclusion means educating students with disabilities

in regular classrooms Placement in a special education setting does not

guarantee that a child will receive the specialized instruction he or she needs

Teachers may have many reading groups – individualization may be minimized

Some subjects are sacrificed, while others take priority Cooperative learning activities provide a strategic

approach for integrating students with disabilities in both the academic curriculum and the social fabric of the classroom

Joey Example



Characteristics of Inclusive Education All students are welcomed – appropriate supports are available The number of students with disabilities in a class should be

proportionate to the local population (10-12%) Students are educated with peers in the same age groupings All students participate in shared educational experiences, while

pursuing individually appropriate learning outcomes Shared educational experiences take place in settings for non-

disabled individuals Educational experiences are designed to enhance individual life

outcomes for students. Experiences seek a balance between academic-functional and social-personal.

FAIRNESS DOES NOT MEAN EVERYONE GETS THE SAME, RATHER FAIRNESS MEANS EVERYONE GETS WHAT THEY NEED.

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Chapter 2 Planning and Providing Special Education Services