Chapter 2: Special Education Procedures and Services

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Chapter 2Special Education Procedures and
Services

• Including Students with Special Needs
• SPED 429

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Professionals in Special Education

• General Education Teachers
• Possess the most detailed knowledge of students
• Generally are the first to suspect students have
  disabilities
• Responsible for planning and providing special
  services to students according to their IEPs
• Responsible for collaborating with special
  service staff (e.g., special education teacher,
  paraprofessionals, related service providers)

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General Education Teachers (continued)

• Studies show that most general education teachers
  are willing to contribute to educating students
  with disabilities as long as the following
  conditions are met
• Administrative leadership and support
• Staff preparation
• Time for planning
• Adequate funding of support and resources

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Special Education Teachers

• Responsible for managing and coordinating special
  education services for students according to
  their IEPs
• Responsible for providing direct instruction to
  students.
• Responsible for managing paperwork that is
  mandated by the federal law and facilitating
  educational team meetings.
• Responsible for collaborating/coteaching with
  general education teachers.

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Types of Special Education Teachers

• Teachers who work with all disability areas in
  schools or classes (General Strategist)
• Teachers who work with a specific category of
  students with disabilities (ED Specialist, LD
  Specialist)

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Types of Special Education Teachers (continued)

• Consulting Teacher meets with general education
  teachers regularly to monitor students progress
  and answer questions but does not serve students
  directly.
• Resource Teacher divides time between directly
  instructing students and working with teachers.
• Inclusion Specialist provides some student
  instruction, problem solves with teachers, and
  coordinates the services students receive.

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Types of Special Education Teachers (continued)

• Itinerant Teacher travels amongst schools to
  provide services to students and work with
  teachers.
• Transition Specialist works in high schools and
  prepares students to leave school.
• Job Coach accompanies students to job sites and
  helps students master the skills needed to do the
  job successfully.

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Other Specialists Related Service Providers

• School Psychologists
• Counselors
• Speech/Language Therapists
• Social Workers
• Physical and Occupational Therapists
• Adaptive Physical Educators
• Nurses
• Paraprofessionals
• Mobility Specialists
• Sign Language Interpreters
• Professionals from Outside Agencies (social
  services, human services)

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Parent Involvement

• Parents have the right to participate in all
  aspects of their childrens education.
• Parent involvement includes the following
• Requesting assessments
• Providing input on their childrens strengths and
  needs
• Providing information from independent
  professionals

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Parent Involvement (continued)

• -Deciding whether their children have
• disabilities and whether they will receive
• special education
• -Assisting in the writing of IEPs
• -Participating in the delivering of instruction
• -Monitoring their childrens progress
• -Seeking assistance to resolve disagreements
  with
• school professionals

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Parent Involvement (continued)

• Parent involvement is as diverse as students
  needs.
• Parents may seek the services of an educational
  advocate.

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Teacher Responsibility for Students Who Might
Have a Disability

• Concerns or hunches should be supported by
  specific examples.
• Look for chronic patterns that are affecting
  students learning (sometimes there are none).
• Determine if students needs are becoming more
  serious over time.
• Compare students needs to their peers.

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Teacher Responsibility (continued)

• Contact parents
• Contact colleagues
• Try interventions
• DOCUMENT, DOCUMENT, DOCUMENT

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Initial Considerations of Student Problems

• Prereferral Teams A team of administrators,
  general education teachers, special education
  teachers, counselors, and social workers that
  work to problem solve and generate ideas to
  assist students in need. General education
  teachers will need to refer students to this team
  and provide documentation. Teachers will need to
  implement ideas from the team and if the students
  continue to have difficulties learning, the team
  can recommend a formal assessment.

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Initial Considerations (continued)

• Screening Some schools do not have prereferral
  teams and will designate the school psychologist,
  counselor, principal, or other professional to
  screen teacher referrals by meeting with teachers
  to discuss students having difficulties.

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Initial Considerations (continued)

• Diagnostic Teaching This is part of the
  screening process when special education teachers
  will conduct informal assessments on students
  having difficulties in order to provide
  recommendations to general education teachers.
• All initial considerations must be well
  documented according to IDEA-97

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Special Education Assessment Process

• A prereferral intervention must be documented
• A referral is made to conduct a formal special
  education assessment
• Parent(s) is contacted about the referral and an
  assessment meeting is scheduled
• A multidisciplinary team is formed that consists
  of individuals who will be part of the assessment
  process. A parent(s) is always a member of this
  team.

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Assessment (continued)

• The assessment meeting is held, and the school
  reviews their concerns and prior interventions
  with the parent(s). Parent(s) must give written
  permission to conduct the assessment and must
  have their rights explained to them under the
  special education law.
• Student is assessed in all areas of concern by
  qualified school professionals using multiple
  assessment tools that are unbiased and in the
  students native language.

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Assessment (continued)

• Once the assessments are completed, the
  multidisciplinary team meets and the results of
  the assessments are reported and recorded.
• The decision is made whether or not the student
  meets criteria to receive special education
  services.
• A disability must exist
• The disability must be affecting the students
  learning

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Assessment (continued)

• If the team determines the student has a
  disability and is eligible for special education,
  an IEP is written for the student.
• When writing a students IEP, a final decision
  needs to be made in regard to the students
  placement (least restrictive environment).
• Parent(s) must give written consent for their
  child to receive special education services as
  written in the IEP.
• Student must be re-evaluated every 3 years to
  determine if he/she still qualifies for special
  education.

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Individualized Education Plans

• The law states that general education teachers
  must be involved in the preparation of IEPs if
  students participate in the general education
  setting.
• Components of an IEP (show IEP)

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Placements in Special Education

• General Education Classrooms
• Resource Classrooms
• Separate Classrooms
• Separate Schools (public or private)
• Residential Facilities (public or private)
• Home or Hospital Settings

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Monitoring Special Education Services

• IEPs must be reviewed/rewritten annually.
  However, they can be reviewed earlier if lack of
  progress is noted.
• Due Process procedures outlined in the law for
  resolving disagreements between school personnel
  and parents.