Contemporary Issues

1. ContemporaryIssues December 1, 2010

2. Do Schools Kill Creativity?

3. Homework Remainder of the semester readings: • Part 9, Diversity and Social Issues Ryan • Chapters 8, 9, 10, 11 Ramirez FINAL written assignment before final: Find an article that discussing strategies to use when teaching students with disabilities. Write a one page paper. Summarize the article and include your opinion/view point.            

4. LEARNING MORE ABOUT SPECIAL EDUCATION Weng Ventura designs

5. Understanding Special Education Terms Strategies for teaching special education students

6. Special Education Laws The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act -- also known as IDEA. Sometimes referred to as IDEA-97.

7. When is a student eligible for Special Education? A student is eligible if all three of the following are true: • The student has one or more disabilities. • The student is not making effective progress in school as a result of the disability(ies). • The student requires special education in order to make effective progress.

8. Special Education • Federal and state laws provide certain services, free of charge, to preschool and school-age children with disabilities • Ages 3 – 21 • Eligibility • Child must have a disability that interferes with educational progress • Disability must fit in one of the 13 eligibility categories

9. Autistic Behaviorally-Emotionally Disabled Deaf-Blind Hearing impaired Multi-handicapped Mentally Disabled Orthopedically Impaired Other health impaired (includes ADHD) Specific learning disabled (includes dyslexia) Speech/language disabled Traumatic brain injured Visually Impaired Special Education Categories

10. Early intervention services • Federal and state laws provide certain services, free of charge, to infants and toddlers with disabilities • Birth to age 3

11. Early intervention services • Eligibility • Developmental delay • Cognitive development • Physical development • Communication development • Social-emotional development • Adaptive development • 2.0 standard deviations below the mean on one or 1.5 SD below on two; or • 30% delay on one, or 25% delay on two (when scores are in months)

12. “Other health impaired” • A disability category that includes any – • Chronic or acute health problem that • Results in limited strength, vitality, or alertness OR a heightened alertness to environmental stimuli, and • Adversely affects a child’s educational performance • Examples: attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, asthma, diabetes, epilepsy, a heart condition, hemophilia, lead poisoning, leukemia, nephritis, rheumatic fever, sickle cell anemia, Tourette syndrome • A medical evaluation is needed for determination of eligibility for this category

13. Referring a student for anevaluation to determine eligibility • Parents, or other adults involved with the student can make a referral for an evaluation. • A referral can be made at any time. • A district may not refuse a referral in order to try other supportive services.

14. Bilingual Education Instructional Support Services Special Education Vocational Education Title 1 General Education Special Education Special Education - is • speciallydesigned instruction to meet theunique needsofan eligible student, and/or • related servicesnecessary to access and make progress in the general curriculum. 14

15. The Six Principles 1. Parent and Student Participation 2. Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) 3. Appropriate Evaluation 4. Individualized Education Program (IEP) 5. Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) 6. Procedural Safeguards

16. Principle #1 - Parent and Student Participation • Parents have the right to participate in all special education planning and decision-making activities. • Students are the focus of special education and, as they grow older, students are expected to participate in planning for their own future as much as possible. • It is the obligation of the school district to make strong efforts, in multiple ways, to ensure parental and student participation.

17. Principle #2 - FAPE Free andAppropriate Public Education. • Free = At no cost to the parent. • Appropriate = Services sufficient to enable the student to appropriately progress in education and advance toward achieving the IEP goals. • Public = Provided by the public school district or under the direction of the public school district. • Education = Preschool, elementary and secondary education, including extra-curricular and non-academic school activities.

18. Principle #2 - FAPE (continued)What is the General Curriculum? • The same curriculum as students without disabilities receive.

19. Principle #3 -AppropriateEvaluation • Initial evaluation • 3 year re-evaluation • Individualized assessments • Non-discriminatory assessments • Includes a variety of tools and strategies, including information provided by the parent

20. Principle #4 - Individualized Education Program (IEP) • Written information on the parent’s concerns and the student’s skills. • A written explanation of how the disability affects the student’s ability to learn and to demonstrate his or her learning. • An identification of specific, measurable goals which can be reached in a year’s time. • A listing of the services to be provided to the student.

21. What is an IEP? • IEP is “blueprint” for the child’s special education • Contains annual goals • Specifies how much/what kind of special education student will get • Specifies the setting in which the services will be delivered • Specifies accommodations • IEP must be written by a team of persons knowledgeable about the child and the child’s needs, including parents • IEP must be revised at least once a year

22. Rights Associated with the IEP • Before the school can begin IEP services, the school must obtain the parent’s consent. • The parent has the right to accept or reject the proposed IEP in part or in full. • The completed IEP is signed by both the school district and the parent and serves as a contract between the school and the parent. • The parents can withdraw their consent at any time in relation to any service or program.

23. Principle #5 - Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) LRE means that to the maximum extent appropriate, students with disabilities have the right to be educated in the general education environment & in the classroom they would have attended if they did not have disabilities. LRE means the student cannot be removed from the general education classroom solely because of needed curriculum modifications. LRE means that removal from the general education program occurs only if the nature or severity of the disability is such that education in general education classes with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be satisfactorily achieved.

24. What is the “least restrictive environment”? • The LRE is the setting in which children with disabilities may be educated with typical children to the maximum extentpossible

25. Case examples • Jeremy – age 9 – fourth grade • average intelligence • Asperger’s syndrome • regular behavioral problems; “meltdowns” • Can function in a regular classroom with an aide available to interpret for him, calm him • New classroom – no aide • He spirals down, both behavior and academic performance worsen • Jeremy has a legal problem: he is not getting appropriate services in school that allow him to make educational progress. Advocacy can help him get the classroom aide that will allow him to make progress.

26. Case examples • Denise, age 13, • severely visually impaired secondary to albinism • Been in special ed since kindergarten • Academic level is 1st-2nd grade level, and has been for the last several years; she can barely read or do even elementary math • Denise has a legal problem. She needs new evaluations to determine why she isn’t learning, and specialized services to allow her to make reasonable academic progress

27. Twice Exceptional

28. What’s a “504 Plan”? • A plan for students with disabilities that don’t qualify for special education • Child doesn’t need “specialized instruction” • Child does need accommodations in regular classroom and for testing, such as -- • Preferential seating • Testing in separate room • Accommodations for physical disabilities

29. “504 Plans” • Based on federal anti-discrimination law • Guarantees students full access to the educational facilities and programs • Tend to be less formal and less structured than IEP’s

30. COMMON QUESTIONSTEACHERS ASK ? Weng Ventura designs

31. Is a regular teacher required to ‘pass’ all special educationstudents? Weng Ventura designs

32. Which one of the child’s regular education teachers must attend the IEP meeting? Weng Ventura designs

33. Do all the child’s regular education teachers have to attend the IEP meeting? Weng Ventura designs

34. Does the IEP team have to get input from the regular education teachers who do not physically attend the IEP meeting? Weng Ventura designs

35. Questions every Regular Education Teacher must 5 • Which students in my class have an IEP ? • Have I personally reviewed each IEP? • Do I remember what these documents say? • Am I making a ‘good faith effort’ to implement each IEP ? • Do I have any proof that I am implementing the IEP? ANSWER Weng Ventura designs

36. Legal Consequences for Failure to Comply with the Law • Regular education teachers who willfully fail to implement a child’s IEP plan may be at risk of personal liability, including money damages. Weng Ventura designs

37. by Regular Educators for failing to Implement a Child’s IEP The 10 TOP EXCUSES • “It’s not fair to my other students.” • “I don’t have time.” • “He doesn’t want my help anyway.” • “I didn’t sign on for this.” • I don’t get paid enough for this.” • “The parents are the real problems.” Weng Ventura designs

38. “The parents are the REAL problem.” • “He’s just lazy.” • “No one told me I was supposed to do anything.” • “I am ready to retire anyway.” • “I think this law is STUPID.” Weng Ventura designs

39. Never utter the word ‘Fair’ with regard to a special education student! Remember, it ‘s not a “fair appropriate public education”- we’re required to provide a “free appropriate public education” to students with disabilities who are in need of special education and related services. Weng Ventura designs

40. MANIFESTATION DETERMINATION HEARING “Standards” IEP Team may determine that the behavior was not a manifestation of the disability only if: The IEP and placement are appropriate; The IEP services and behavior intervention strategies were implemented; if needed The disability did not impair the ability of the child to understand the impact and consequences of the behavior; The disability did not impair the student’s ability to control the behavior NJ Law: 10 day suspension / manifestation hearing (example: M.L. / L.G.) Weng Ventura designs

41. You WILL encounter the following…

42. Autism: General Information “Autism is a life-long, low incidence developmental disability which occurs the first three years of life. It is a behaviorally defined syndrome characterized by an uneven developmental profile and disturbances in: 1) Social interaction 2) Communication 3) Perceptual organization” (Rudrud, Elizabeth, “Autism”, National Association of School Psychologist )

43. Autism: Characteristics(A typical autistic child’s behavior may include some of the following:) • Insistence on sameness; resistance to change • Difficulty in expressing needs; uses gestures or pointing instead of words • Repeating words or phrases in place of normal, responsive language • Laughing, crying, showing distress for reasons not apparent to others • Prefers to be alone; aloof manner • Tantrums • Difficulty in mixing with others • May not want to cuddle or be cuddled (Continue to next slide for more characteristics.)

44. Autism: Characteristics(A typical autistic child’s behavior may include some of the following:) • Little or no eye contact • Unresponsive to normal teaching methods • Sustained odd play • Spins objects • Inappropriate attachments to objects • Apparent over-sensitivity or under-sensitivity to pain • No real fears of danger  • Noticeable physical over-activity or extreme under-activity • Uneven gross/fine motor skills • Not responsive to verbal cues; acts as if deaf although • hearing tests in normal range. • (Autism Society of America)

45. Asperger’s Syndrome:General Information “Asperger Syndrome or (Asperger's Disorder) is a neurobiological disorder named for a Viennese physician, Hans Asperger, who in 1944 published a paper which described a pattern of behaviors in several young boys who had normal intelligence and language development, but who also exhibited autistic-like behaviors and marked deficiencies in social and communication skills.” Barbara L. Kirby of O.A.S.I.S. (For more information click on the following website: http://www.udel.edu/bkirby/asperger/)

46. Asperger’s Syndrome: Characteristics (A typical Asperger’s syndrome child’s behavior may include some of the following:) • Inability to understand social interactions • Clumsy & uncoordinated motor movements • Obtuseness • Limited interests or unusual preoccupations • Repetitive routines or rituals speech • Non-verbal communication problems The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke National Institutes of Health Bethesda, MD 20892 Website: NINDS Asperger Syndrome Information Page

47. LD: General Information “LD is a disorder that affects people's ability to either interpret what they see and hear or to link information from different parts of the brain. These limitations can show up in many ways--as specific difficulties with spoken and written language, coordination, self-control, or attention.” National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

48. LD: Characteristics • Slower reading rate • Poor read comprehension • Difficulty in sentence structure • Limited use of phonics • Letter and/or number reversal • Difficulty in operational processes (For a more complete list of characteristic behaviors click on the following website: Southern Maine Technical College)

49. ADHD: General Information   “ADHD refers to a family of related chronic neurobiological disorders that interfere with an individual's capacity to regulate activity level (hyperactivity), inhibit behavior (impulsivity), and attend to tasks (inattention) in developmentally appropriate ways.” National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

50. ADHD: Characteristics Inattention include: • becoming easily distracted • failing to pay attention to details • rarely following instructions • losing or forgetting things Hyperactivity and impulsivity are: • feeling restless • blurting out answers • having difficulty waiting National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)