Special Education

1. Special Education Implications of Inclusion for General Education Teachers Kristin Morsehead Doctoral Student Kmorsehead@hotmail.com

2. Overview • Opening Video • Policies and Laws: IDEA -> • Categories of Disabilities • Mandates within IDEA • Changes to IDEA • Response to Intervention (RtI) -> • LRE- continuum of placements -> • Inclusion -> • Working with students with special needs • IEPs • Accommodations, Modification, Assistive Technology

3. “Don’t Laugh at Me” http://www.operationrespect.org/videos/videohb.mov Visit this website to get lesson plans and units for teaching about diversity and diverse learners.

4. IDEA: Disability Categories IDEA lists 13 different disability categories under which 3- through 21-year-olds may be eligible for services • ASD- autism spectrum disorder or AI • BD- deaf-blindness • DEAF- deafness • EI, EBD- emotional disturbance (emotionally behavioral disorder) • HI- hearing impairment • MR, CI- mental retardation (cognitively impaired) • SXI- multiple disabilities (severely multiple-impaired) • OI- orthopedic impairment (physical impairments) • OHI- other health impairment (ADD, ADHD, diabetes, etc. if it impedes on learning) • SLD/LD- specific learning disability • SLI- speech or language impairment • TBI- traumatic brain injury • VI- visual impairment (including blindness), Blind

5. IDEA MANDATES • Zero reject • Local school systems must provide all children, regardless of the severity of their disability, with a free education appropriate to each child’s needs. • Non-discriminatory evaluation • Tests must be appropriate to the child’s language and cultural background. • Assessment is to be based on several types of evaluation and is to include cognitive, adaptive, and social performance. • Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) • Local school districts must provide educational services that are appropriate to each individual child.

6. IDEA MANDATES cont • Least restrictive environment (Inclusion) • Children with disabilities must be educated alongside students who do not have identified disabilities. • Due process • Parents must have the right to call a special hearing when they do not agree with the school’s educational plans for their child. • Parent participation • States must provide mediation to schools and parents if there are disagreements about children’s educational services.

7. Special Education Qualifications 1.) Does this child have a disability? 2.) Does this disability impede on learning?

8. Diagnosis • Medical Diagnosis ex: Autism, physical disability, Down’s Syndrome, etc. OR • Socially Constructed Diagnosis (Judgmental Categories) ex: Learning Disability, Emotional/Behavioral Disorder, Cognitive Impairments (arbitrary # for IQ cut off points)

9. Let’s Look at Learning Disabilities: Prior to IDEA 2004 • Discrepancy model (“Wait to Fail” model) • Intelligence vs. Achievement • WISC: Intelligence • Verbal Comprehension Index (VCI) • Perceptual Reasoning Index (PRI) • Working Memory Index (WMI) • Processing Speed Index (PSI) • WIAT: achievement (example) • Reading, spelling, decoding, numeracy, oral expression, etc.

10. Why is this the Wait to Fail Model? • IQ testing- most accurate around age 9 (Intelligence). This is too late. Vs. • Have to be able to read, do math, etc. to prove that you “cannot” read, do math, etc. (Achievement). This is too late.

11. Changes in Legal RequirementsIDEA (2004) • ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding section 607(b), when determining whether a child has a specific learning disability as defined in section 602, a local educational agency shall not be required to take into consideration whether a child has a severe discrepancy between achievement and intellectual ability in oral expression, listening comprehension, written expression, basic reading skill, reading comprehension, mathematical calculation, or mathematical reasoning

12. Instead of the Discrepancy Model…Response to Intervention (RtI) • What is RtI? • General Education Initiative • Early Intervention/Prevention • Decrease special education referrals • Essentially it looks at the teacher as the “problem” rather than the student. (Teacher needs to implement more strategies to “reach” the student rather than submitting a special education referral). What am I doing wrong? • Example: Am I not using enough visuals? The student has processing delays, am I making sure I give one step directions? Is this student’s fluency interrupting their comprehension of the text?

13. RtI “Buzz Words” • Universal Screening • Scientifically-based instruction/interventions (research-based) • Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3 • Progress Monitoring (all levels) • Problem-solving method • Responsive teaching • Differentiated Instruction

14. Response to Intervention

15. Behavior: RtI Model

16. Levels of Intervention • Tiers include increasing levels of intensity of interventions • Primary Instruction -- differentiated curriculum and instruction for all students • Secondary Interventions -- Targeted interventions for students at-risk • Tertiary Interventions -- Strategic/Intense interventions for students with intensive needs (http://www.ideapartnership.org/)

17. What is the problem? Why is it happening? Did it work? What should be done about it? Problem-Solving Method

18. What Does RtI Implementation Look Like? • Students receive high quality, research-based instruction by qualified staff in their general education setting. • General education instructors and staff assume an active role in students’ assessment in that curriculum. • School staff conduct universal screening of (a) academics and (b) behavior. • School staff implement specific, research-based interventions to address the student’s difficulties. (www.nrcld.org/)

19. TIER 1 • Expectation= 80% or more of students successful with general education curriculum and instruction • Assessment = Universal screenings for academics and social/emotional growth (behaviors) • Intervention = Through differentiated instructional practices • Roles and responsibilities = primarily the general education teacher Example: Screen all students for potential reading problems at the beginning of the year and again in the middle of the year.Provide time for differentiated reading instruction for all students based on assessments of students current reading level.

20. More on TIER 1 (www.nrcld.org/)

21. TIER 2 • Expectation= 15% of students may be at risk and in need of targeted interventions • Assessment= progress monitoring of student response to specific intervention • Intervention = standard protocol treatment intervention as available from the research; evidence-based intervention as available in the literature • Roles and responsibilities = variety of personnel as determined at the local site Example: Provide intensive, systematic instruction on up to three foundational reading skills in small groups to students who score below the benchmark score on universal screening. Typically, these groups meet between three and five times a week, for 20 to 40 minutes.

22. More on TIER 2: Successful Intervention (www.nrcld.org/)

23. More on TIER 2: Unsuccessful Intervention (www.nrcld.org/)

24. TIER 3 • Expectation = 5% of students may be at significant risk and in need of intense interventions • Assessment = progress monitoring of student response to specific intervention • Intervention = standard protocol treatment intervention as available from the research; evidence-based intervention as available in the literature; unique intervention based on teacher expertise • Roles and responsibilities = variety of personnel as determined at the local site Example:Provide intensive instruction on a daily basis that promotes the development of the various components of reading proficiency to students who show minimal progress after reasonable time in tier 2 small group instruction (tier 3).

25. Beyond Tier 3 ~This usually results in referral to special education.

26. Special Education Services and General Education • According to IDEA, a student must be placed in their Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) • Spectrum of placements always starting with Inclusion Let’s look at placements: <--•-----•-----•---•-----•----•----•-----•-----•-----•--->

27. LRE: The Daniel R.R. Two-Part Test Part 1: Can education in the regular classroom, with supplementary aids and services be satisfactorily achieved? Part 2: If it cannot, and the student is removed (from gen.ed), is he/she mainstreamed to the maximum extent appropriate? <--•-----•-----•---•-----•----•----•-----•-----•-----•---> Yell. (2006). The Law and Special Education. 2nd ed. Pearson Education, Inc.

28. What is Inclusion? • Different from mainstreaming • The student is fully a part of the general education classroom • Definition:students with disabilities are supported in chronologically age-appropriate general education classes in their home schools and receive the specialized instruction delineated by their individualized education programs (IEP's) within the context of the core curriculum and general class activities

29. Other Models to Support Inclusion • Co -Teaching • General Education teacher and Special Education teacher in the same classroom • Push-In • The special education teacher may come to the classroom to assist special education students • Full Inclusion Schools • All special education students are fully included in the general education classroom *These models mean that general education teachers WILL increasingly have special education students in their classrooms.

30. General Education Teachers • Two major responsibiltiies for students with special needs • Teach IEP goals • Teach curriculum at grade level. • Q: How do I do this when I am teaching 5th grade and this student reads at a K level?

31. Differentiation Example: 3rd grade, Non reader, cannot write. Standard: Demonstrate comprehension by identifying answers in text How might we differentiate to all reach the same end goal?

32. Another Example: Ex: 3rd grader, cannot write their name Standard: • Create a single paragraph that a.develops a topic sentence b.includes simple supporting facts and details How might we differentiate for this student? Ex: journals

33. Modifications, Accommodations, and Strategies • Modifications: refer to changes made to curriculum expectations in order to meet the needs of the student. Modifications are made when the expectations are beyond the students level of ability. Modifications may be minimal or very complex depending on the student performance. Modifications must be clearly acknowledged in the IEP. Examples: taped books, math charts, additional time, oral test, oral reports, preferred seating, study carrel, amplified system, braille writer, adapted keyboard, specialized software, etc. http://specialed.about.com/cs/teacherstrategies/a/terminology.htm

34. Modifications, Accommodations, and Strategies • Accommodations:refer to the actual teaching supports and services that the student may require to successfully demonstrate learning. Accommodations should not change expectations to the curriculum grade levels. Examples: second language exemptions, withdrawal for specific skills,include student in same activity but individualize the expectations and materials, student is involved in same theme/unit but provide different task and expectations http://specialed.about.com/cs/teacherstrategies/a/terminology.htm

35. Modifications, Accommodations, and Strategies • Strategies: refer to skills or techniques used to assist in learning. Strategies are individualized to suit the student learning style and developmental level. Examples: highlighting,rehearsal,color coding,memory joggers,visual cues,number lines,alphabet strips,keyring sight words,flip chart, organization/transition cards, jello powder, play doe, seed spelling,window paint, bingo dapper, stencils, ink stamps http://specialed.about.com/cs/teacherstrategies/a/terminology.htm

36. Main Components of an IEP • Present Levels of Performance • Goals/Objectives • Progress Reporting • Placement/Services: LRE (time/day/frequency) • Related Services: Speech, PT, OT, etc. • Classroom adaptation; Testing accommodations

37. What about IEP Goals? • LD IEP goals “should” be taken from grade-appropriate curriculum. • Life Skills student - functional goals • Binder: example

38. Examples of Goals and Short-term Objectives (handout) • Example of a Annual Goal • Sally will recite the main idea, problem, and solution in a text at the third grade level. • Ideas of short term goals?

39. In Summary With the push for inclusion, general education teacher will be increasingly responsible for special education students including: • Implementing IEPs • Progress monitoring of goals • Providing adaptations and access to general education curriculum.

40. "If you exclude anybody, you ultimately exclude a part of yourself.” KokHeong McNaughton

41. Resources/References • http://www.teachervision.fen.com/special-education/resource/5347.html • http://www.ideapartnership.org/ • http://www.operationrespect.org/ • www.pbis.org • www.miblsi.cenmi.org • Yell. (2006). The Law and Special Education. 2nd ed. Pearson Education, Inc. • http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/pdf/practiceguides/rti_reading_pg_021809.pdf