Chapter 2 Planning and Providing Special Education Services

1. Chapter 2Planning and Providing Special Education Services

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

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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)

8. 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

9. 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)

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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?

13. 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

14. A Continuum of Services

15. 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

16. 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.