Assessment and Accountability in Special Education Pam Lickliter & Carrie Cline

● Standard # 6: The teacher understands and uses multiple methods of assessment to engage learners in their own growth, to monitor learner progress, and to guide the teacher’s and learner’s decision making. ● Rationale: We can link this project to Standard 6 in the fact that teachers will always have high, mid, and low level students and will need to know how to assess and accommodate each student in a fair manner. ● Description: A look at the many factors that either help or hinder assessment and accountability in Special Education. As an issue that continues to grow how do we still hold our special education students accountable? Standard, Description, and Rationale

IEP - Individualized Education Program ● The Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) is a plan or program developed to ensure that a child who has a disability identified under the law and is attending an elementary or secondary educational institution receives specialized instruction and related services. ● Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) sets the procedural requirements on how to develop an IEP. ● All schools are required to perform an annual testing for specific grade academic standards as outlined by law. This insures that school districts are held accountable for these students achievement

504 Plan ●The 504 Plan is a plan developed to ensure that a child who has a disability identified under the law and is attending an elementary or secondary educational institution receives accommodations that will ensure their academic success and access to the learning environment. (University of Washington, 2015) ●Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) ●Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act - students with this have goal outlined plans.These students receive accommodations necessary to their outlined plan.

Life Skills ● Life skills include a wide range of knowledge and skill interactions believed to be essential for adult independent living. ● At present, many students with handicaps have special needs that are not being met. These students require education and support to learn these necessary behaviors. (Goodship, 2010) ● Includes dressing and grooming properly, use appropriate table manners, make decisions about money, and use transportation to get to work. (Goodship, 2010) ● Three major skill areas that need to be addressed are daily living, personal/social, and occupational skills. (Goodship, 2010)

Burnout Theory and Its Effects ● Burnout is a feeling of emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion. ● SETs are at a higher risk for burnout. (Brunsting, N. C., Brunsting, M. A., & Lane, K. L. 2014) ● SETs who experience burnout could slide on IEP or 504 plans.(Brunsting, et al. 2014) ● With proper support SETs will less likely succumb to burnout.(Brunsting, et al. 2014) ● SETs in life skill class can succumb even faster

Self-Advocacy & Tracking work ● Promotes personal responsibility (Hart & Brehm 2013) ● Early action helps student be active in their IEP/504 plans (Hart & Brehm 2013) ● Helps life skills students find their voice ● Keeping a portfolio of the students work tracks progress (Layton & Lock 2007) ● Portfolio can travel with students from year to year and class to class (Layton & Lock 2007)

Questions for You As an educator, if you had a student who didn’t use their accommodations regularly; do you feel as a Gen Ed teacher you have to ask them if they want to use them? If your child had accommodations would you care if teachers let your child abuse/under- used them?

Works Cited Brunsting, N. C., Sreckovic, M. A., & Lane, K. L. (2014). Special Education Teacher Burnout: A Synthesis of Research from 1979 to Education & Treatment Of Children, 37(4), 681. Goodship, J. (2010, December 8). Special Education Life Skills. Retrieved April 14, 2015, from Education.com website: article/Ref_Life_Skills_Mastery/ Hart, J. E., & Brehm, J. (2013). Promoting Self-Determination. Teaching Exceptional Children, 45(5), 40. Layton, C. A., & Lock, R. H. (2007). Use Authentic Assessment Techniques to Fulfill the Promise of No Child Left Behind. Intervention In School & Clinic, 42(3), 169. University of Washington. (2015). What is the difference between an IEP and a 504 Plan? Retrieved April 15, 2015, from Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, and Technology website: what-difference-between-iep-and-504-plan