Teaching Students With Exceptionalities What is an exceptionality

Teaching Students With Exceptionalities What is an exceptionality 12/30/2021 Manuel T. Barrera, III, Ph. D. 1

Definitions of Exceptionality Students with disabilities n Covered by Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Students identified as “gifted” Other students requiring special help n Section 504 of the Voc. Rehab. Act (1973) 12/30/2021 Manuel T. Barrera, III, Ph. D. 2

Definitions of Special Education FAPE IDEA LRE Continuum (Cascade) of Services IEP MDT 12/30/2021 Manuel T. Barrera, III, Ph. D. 3

Special Education Specially designed instruction that meets the unusual (unique) needs of an exceptional student/ n n n Materials/Equipment Curricula Instructional methods 12/30/2021 Manuel T. Barrera, III, Ph. D. 4

Principles of Special Education (Saleh, 2016; Heward, 2013) Zero Reject Free Appropriate Public Non-Discriminatory Testing and Evaluation (appropriate evaluations) Least Restrictive Environment Parent and Student Participation Procedural Safeguards 12/30/2021 Manuel T. Barrera, III, Ph. D. 5

Zero Reject The requirement to provide special education to all students with disabilities is absolute between the ages of 6 and 17. If a state provides educational services to children without disabilities between the ages of 3 to 5 and 18 to 21, it must also educate all children with disabilities in those age groups. Each state education agency is responsible for locating, identifying, and evaluating all children, from birth to age 21, residing in the state with disabilities or who are suspected of having disabilities. This requirement is called the child find system. 12/30/2021 Manuel T. Barrera, III, Ph. D. 6

FAPE Free and Appropriate Public Education n n Guaranteed by IDEA: Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Students identified under IDEA must be provided an education w like everyone else (appropriate) w without undue hardship to the student/family (free) n Development of an Individualized Education Plan 12/30/2021 Manuel T. Barrera, III, Ph. D. 7

Appropriate Evaluation The IDEA requires that schools conduct “appropriate evaluations“ of students who are suspected of having a disability. An appropriate evaluation must be implemented by a team of knowledgeable and trained evaluators, must utilize sound evaluation materials and procedures, and must be administered on a non-discriminatory basis. Children should not be subjected to unnecessary assessments or testing, and evaluations must be geared toward planning for the child’s education and future instruction. Finally, an appropriate evaluation must determine and make recommendations regarding a child’s eligibility for special education services in a timely manner. 12/30/2021 Manuel T. Barrera, III, Ph. D. 8

IEP Individual Education Plan n n a plan specifically developed for individual students identified under IDEA the plan must include instruction in all areas of suspected disability with appropriate short and long term goals and objectives. 12/30/2021 Manuel T. Barrera, III, Ph. D. 9

LRE Least Restrictive Environment n Students under IDEA must be provided FAPE w in the least physically and academically segregated setting possible w Possibleis not the same as Alwaysor Best 12/30/2021 Manuel T. Barrera, III, Ph. D. 10

Parent Participation States, schools, and school boards must ensure that the parents of a child with a disability are members of any group that makes decisions regarding the placement and LRE of that child. Parents have the right to n n equal participation in this process, notification of a planned evaluation, access to planning and evaluation materials, and involvement in all meetings regarding their child’s placement. Additionally, parents retain the right to refuse further evaluation of their child. Both students and parents must be invited to IEP meetings, and the IDEA explicitly establishes a role for the parent as equal participant and decision maker. 12/30/2021 Manuel T. Barrera, III, Ph. D. 11

Procedural Safeguards (Right to Due Process) Safeguards protect parental access to information pertaining to placement and transition planning; and procedures are put in place to resolve disagreements between parents and schools regarding the placement of a student. Under the IDEA procedural safeguards, parents have a right to review all educational records pertaining to their child, receive notice prior to meetings about their child’s evaluation, placement, or identification, and to obtain an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE) for consideration at such meetings. If disagreements arise, parents have the right to request mediation or due process hearings with state-level education agencies, and beyond that may appeal the decision in state or federal court. 12/30/2021 Manuel T. Barrera, III, Ph. D. 12

Continuum (Cascade) of Services Range of possible settings for service to students with disabilities n n General Education classroom to residential/clinical settings. Range of teachers/specialists Range of curriculum Range of instructional methods 12/30/2021 Manuel T. Barrera, III, Ph. D. 13

MDT Multidisciplinary Team n Evaluation team composed of general and special educators, specialists, and parents to evaluate students for eligibility and determine placements 12/30/2021 Manuel T. Barrera, III, Ph. D. 14

Expectations of Educators General Educators n n n Teach well and appropriately Accommodations Classroom evaluations Make appropriate referrals Participate in IEP teams Collaborate with parents and teachers 12/30/2021 Special Educators n n n Consult on accommodations and instruction Conduct formal and informal assessments Ensure referrals are appropriate Lead IEP teams Collaborate with parents and teachers Manuel T. Barrera, III, Ph. D. 15

Make accommodations No such thing as an “average” student No such thing as an “average exceptional student” Teachers are expected to accommodate to the learning needs of the students in front of them. 12/30/2021 Manuel T. Barrera, III, Ph. D. 16

Evaluate strengths and challenges Make legally appropriate assessments n n n Appropriate comparisons Use a wide range of assessments Specify difficulties operationally 12/30/2021 Manuel T. Barrera, III, Ph. D. 17

Make appropriate referrals Need to demonstrate that n n classroom-based accommodations were unsuccessful all strategies used are documented difficulties are educationally relevant difficulties are not the result of cultural/ethnic, linguistic, or socio-economic in nature 12/30/2021 Manuel T. Barrera, III, Ph. D. 18

determining eligibility and instruction A legal requirement of IDEA Requires ability to collaborate and discuss relevant instructional and assessment issues with parents and others. 12/30/2021 Manuel T. Barrera, III, Ph. D. 19

Communicate with parents/caregivers Special educators must have appropriate skills in communicating their efforts to serve students on IEPS 12/30/2021 Manuel T. Barrera, III, Ph. D. 20

Collaboration Educators must work together to ensure classroom placements are appropriate and objectives of the IEP are being met. 12/30/2021 Manuel T. Barrera, III, Ph. D. 21

General Education Role in Special Education General Educators are responsible for making referrals n others include w parents w judges w lawyers w social service agencies 12/30/2021 Manuel T. Barrera, III, Ph. D. 22

What Should You Do Before Making a Referral? Talk to the parents Check student records Analyze information Change instruction Document your efforts 12/30/2021 Manuel T. Barrera, III, Ph. D. 23

What must be proved in a referral? A convincing case that a problem exists n the problem could not addressed through regular education n the problem is based on a legal definition of disability n 12/30/2021 Manuel T. Barrera, III, Ph. D. 24

What must be proved in a referral? A convincing case that the problem is not primarily the result of culture/ethnicity, second language differences, or sociocultural variables n the problem requires special education to address it n 12/30/2021 Manuel T. Barrera, III, Ph. D. 25

Special Educators’ Role Do not make referrals Help conduct educational and behavioral assessments Work in teams to determine eligibility and placement Help develop IEPs Implement and evaluate IEPs 12/30/2021 Manuel T. Barrera, III, Ph. D. 26