User:A.Carlson45/sandbox

Additional Points

 * In order for any child to meet the definition as a child with a disability, his or her educational performance must be adversely affected due to the disability.4
 * Not every student who struggles in school qualifies for special education.4
 * Every child is unique, so even if you have two students with the same disability does not mean the same intervention strategies will work for both of them.5
 * The definition of a Specific Learning Disability (SLD) is an umbrella term for different learning challenges and can include dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, an auditory processing disorder, or nonverbal learning disability.4

Who attends an IEP meeting?

 * Parents of the student
 * Special education teacher
 * One or more general education teachers
 * Local education agency representative (i.e. a person with authority to commit necessary resources)
 * A person who can interpret the evaluation results
 * The student (when appropriate)
 * Any other knowledgeable persons whom the parents or school may choose to invite.1

Types of assessment and testing needed for the IEP

 * Basic Health (visual and auditory acuity)
 * Psycho-Educational (oral expression, listening comprehension)
 * Neuropsychological (memory, executive function)
 * Reading (literacy comprehension)
 * Auditory (speech in noise)
 * Functional Vision Assessment
 * Orientation and Mobility (ability to travel safely indoors and outdoors)
 * Sensory
 * Functional Behavior
 * Gross and Fine Motor Skills (body coordination)
 * Speech and Language (communication skills)
 * Augmentative Assistive Technology (communication aids)
 * Adaptive Physical Education
 * Educationally Related Mental Health Assessment14

Recommendations For Families During The IEP Process

 * Attend the IEP meetings, speak with teachers and support givers
 * Help come up with educational goals to work towards for the year
 * Keep an eye on your child’s services and supports, and make note of any progress, or lack thereof, that you see at home
 * Keep a positive and collaborative attitude1

Developing Goals and Objectives for the IEP

 * Keep goals challenging, yet realistic and achievable
 * The goals of the child and/or family members should take priority
 * The IEP should have a statement of measurable annual goals, including benchmarks, or short-term objectives when applicable
 * Discuss how these annual goals will be measured and assessed 11

How Do Goals and Objectives Affect Curricular Design?

 * The services utilized depends on the specific goals outlined in the IEP
 * Depending on the student's progress, certain services may be included in the students' curricular design to achieve these goals
 * Child may not be able to participate in certain activities in the regular classroom setting. These should be limited and an explanation to why needs to be in the child's IEP 11

One Teaches, One Supports
Advantages: Disadvantages:
 * Students receive one-on-one help
 * Teacher helps students stay on task
 * Distributing materials is faster
 * Supporting teacher can serve as an observer of the classroom behavior, as well as the other teacher’s teaching methods 8
 * Through the eyes of the students, one teacher has more control than the other
 * Having a teacher walk around the classroom may be distracting to some
 * Students begin to expect one-on-one assistance 8

Parallel Teaching
Advantages: Disadvantages:
 * Pre-planning provides better teaching
 * Allows for smaller group work
 * Each teacher has the comfort level of working separately to teach the same lesson
 * Splitting the classroom allows for student separation for those who need to be 8
 * Both teachers need to be competent in material, so the students are learning equally
 * The pace of both teachers needs to be the same
 * Classroom space may be limiting
 * Noise levels 8

Alternative Teaching
Advantages: Disadvantages:
 * Working in small groups can help meet the personal needs of students
 * Both teachers can remain in the classroom observing the other 8
 * Groups must vary in composition of students or one may become labeled, like the “smart group”
 * Students may view one teacher as having more control than the other
 * Noise level must be controlled
 * Classroom space may be limiting 8

Station Teaching
Advantages: Disadvantages:
 * Each teacher has a clear responsibility
 * Small groups for more one-on-one attention
 * Teacher can cover more material in less time
 * Students are more engaged in hands-on learning, generally leading to less behavioral issues
 * Possible to separate students who need to be
 * Maximizes the use of volunteers in the classroom 8
 * Requires a lot of pre-planning
 * Materials must be prepared and organized prior to class
 * Noise level
 * All stations must have a similar pace
 * Some groups may have to work independently of the teacher 8

Team Teaching
Advantages: Disadvantages:
 * Each teacher has an active role
 * Students view both teachers as equals
 * Teacher may feel more confident trying something they wouldn’t if they were on their own
 * Each teacher can play on their strengths 8
 * Pre-planning can be time-consuming
 * Each teacher’s role must be clearly defined for split responsibility 8

Roles and Skills of Special Education Teachers:

 * Patient/Even-Tempered
 * Creative problem solving skills
 * Able to interpret communicative intent of students
 * Hold clear and realistic expectations
 * Adaptability
 * Detail-oriented
 * Data-driven decision maker
 * Implementer of evidence-based intervention
 * Implementer of socioemotional/behavior supports
 * Differentiator of instruction
 * Collaborator11

Essential Factors That Contribute To A Positive Learning Environment:

 * Meet with family members to discuss each student and identify what their needs may be
 * Make sure any and all special needs are ready to be met accordingly
 * Seat assignments to have children with hearing or vision impairments closer to the board
 * Classroom arrangement
 * Desks in rows facing the front, group circles, or in small clusters
 * Set the tone- create an environment where students feel safe, their thoughts matter, and are respected
 * Create rules and procedures that will limit interruptions2

Common Techniques and Approaches Used in Positive Behavior Supports

 * Clear Routines and Expectations (Reduces fear and anxiety)[2]
 * Have a common set of rules and expectations across the entire school[2]
 * When you come across an issue, address it immediately2
 * Positive Phrasing
 * Focus on positive impacts of positive behaviors instead of consequences for problem behaviors 9
 * State the behavior you wish to see
 * Instead of saying you want the children to stop doing a negative behavior, say what behavior you would like to see 9
 * Behavior Shaping
 * Set realistic goals for each individual child and use positive reinforcement when they reach that goal 9
 * Positive Reinforcement 9
 * Rewards the child for participating in positive behaviors
 * Intrinsic motivation

Evidence-Based Instructional Interventions

 * Employing effective classroom management procedures
 * Grouping students for instruction (especially students with significant learning problems)
 * Assessing readiness
 * Teaching to the student’s zone of proximal development7

Accommodations and Modifications for Exceptional Learners
Find what learning strategies work best for the child
 * Use a variety of instructional approaches10
 * Alter assignments to meet the needs of the students10
 * Assess students on an ongoing basis to determine their readiness levels10
 * Use assessment results to adjust instruction as needed 7
 * Provide a variety of options for how students can learn and demonstrate their knowledge 7
 * Strive to make lessons engaging and meaningful10
 * Employ different grouping formats for instruction (e.g., whole-class, small groups, independent instruction) and use flexible grouping7

Assistive Technology Tools and Resources and their Purpose
Assistive Technologies (AT) in the classroom range from low-tech to high-tech. Students can utilize assistive technology to communicate, perform academic tasks, patriciate in social and extracurricular activities, move/travel around the school, use proper seating and positioning, or access materials.7 Some examples of these may include:
 * Foam grips to help students hold writing utensils
 * Glasses to help see clearly
 * Assistive and Augmentative Communication (AAC) device to help non-verbal students communicate

Proactive Transition Education
This stage is early the student's education and relates to how the student is able to incorporate content from school subjects, such as math, science, or social studies, into real-world situations.11

Preferences/Interests/Strengths
Find ways to discover the student's preferences and interests, and how this relates to possible future careers. We need to have tools to identify the student's strengths so we can focus on and build off of these.11

Dream
Provide students with the opportunity to think openly about what they want to do in the future. We must allow for this early on in the process to allow time for the students to recognize whether their dreams are realistic or not.11

Assessment
Assessment of the student's transition needs must be done early in the process to allow for enough time, knowledge, and skills to be established depending on what the student wishes to do after they are transitioned out of school. The tools used for this assessment need to be comprehensive to consider all areas of the transition. Sometimes additional assessment is needed to determine the specific transition needs of the student.11

Transition Planning
The two forms of planning (teaching of knowledge & skills and providing services & supports) should be considered when creating a transition plan. When considering the instructional goals, the development of skills (that may be currently lacking) need to be addressed. Some of these may already be addressed in the student's IEP with measurable annual goals. When providing linkage to services and supports, the connections that will be useful within the community need to be created.11

Summary of Performance
Prior to the student leaving, a summary of the student's academic achievement and functional performance is formally written, as well as recommendations for the student in meeting his/her post-school goals and any information that may be useful within a variety of settings.11