The Brave New World of Special Education The purpose of special education and our roles in facilitating optimal learning outcomes for ALL students

Topics  Special Education Law- Purpose of IDEA  Federal and State Recognized Disabilities  FAPE  Student Support Team

Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act  Children ages 3-21 with disabilities are eligible to receive a free, appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment  Emphasis on postsecondary outcomes

Overall Purpose of IDEA  To ensure that all children with disabilities have available to them a free appropriate public education that emphasizes special education and related services designed to meet their unique needs and prepare them for further education, employment, and independent living. IDEA Regulations (a)

IDEA- Four Parts  Part A: General Provisions  Part B: Assistance for Education for ALL  Part C: Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities  Part D: National Activities to Improve Education of Children with Disabilities

IDEA Categories  Autism  Visually Impaired  Deafness  Speech and Language Impairment  Deaf-Blindness  Intellectual Disabilities  Multiple Disabilities  Orthopedic Impairment  Traumatic Brain Injury  Specific Learning Disabilities  Hearing Impaired  Emotional Disturbance  Other Health Impairment

Most prevalent categories  OHI – ADHD  Communication Disorders  Learning disabilities  Reading  Writing  Math

FAPE- Free Appropriate Public Education  Must be provided in the least restrictive environment (LRE) which considers the general education classroom setting as the first option for academic and nonacademic benefits along with the effects of placement on other children.

FAPE  The assumption under the law is that every child with a disability is educated in the general education classroom; if this is not the case, then the school district must provide documentation why this should not occur (IEP).  Attempt to educate students with disabilities to the extent possible with regular education peers in the general setting (with support).

Student Support Team  The Student Support Team (SST) is a group of educators who meet on a regular basis to assist in designing interventions and strategies to improve/enhance student academic performance.  The SST is a collaborative, problem solving process that targets academic and behavioral concerns in a proactive manner to support not only the student but teachers and parents.  The SST can include counselors, administrators, general and special education teachers, and parents.  The SST is not designed to identify students for special education eligibility, rather it is a problem solving approach to identifying interventions for struggling students.  If students don’t respond to interventions over time, then a case can be made for the need for special education support

Individualized Education Plan  Documents present and current educational levels  Appropriate standards-based goals  Appropriate accommodations and evaluation criteria that are developed for each child

Things to know if you have a student with a disability in your classroom…  Special education case manager will enter you into EasyIEP for access to the IEP at a glance  Know everything you need to know about your students- disability, goals, modifications, accommodations, including testing information

What does inclusion mean?  Inclusion means not having to fight for a chance to be part of a classroom or school community.  Inclusion means that all children are accepted.  Inclusive practices are about a school culture that is willing to support special needs students in general education settings and help all students achieve success

What gets in the way of us acting inclusively?  We are often taught patterns of exclusion. This is what we know.  Not knowing the needs of our learners- fear  Hard work  A lack of understanding the specific characteristics of people with disabilities.  A lack of support in understanding how to help all people despite their learning differences.  Lack of time to plan

TN House Bill 150  Deletes provision whereby records from any student who is eligible for special education services under federal law will not be used as part of the value-added assessment (students with special needs will be included in the value-added assessment data)  It is everyone’s responsibility to ensure student progress (general and special educators)

Teaching and Learning  Who are you teaching?  What are you teaching?  How will you teach it?  Did it work? For everyone?  How will you know it worked? What data will you use to drive your instruction?  What will you do when students don’t get it? What will you do differently to teach the student?

Valuable Strategies to Use in All Classrooms  Establish prior knowledge  Proceed from simple to complex- knowing what scaffolding your learners need  Reinforce abstract concepts with concrete examples  Think about possible ways to accommodate  Incorporate sensory elements  Model, model, model  Establish a positive, pleasant classroom environment that encourages students to ask questions, take risks and become actively involved in their learning  Increase student’s self awareness of progress  Focus on student learning, provide descriptive feedback constantly

Best Practices for All  Imagine being a student in a learning environment where supportive, structured, researched-based education allowed all learners to effectively demonstrate their knowledge.  The components include relevant and meaningful instruction with diverse learning strategies that focus on students strengths

Support  If you have questions regarding special education procedures and processes please contact the special education teacher and/or an administrator in your building. Also, please contact Lenore Kilgore, Director of Special Education and/or Brian Cinnamon, Assistant Director of Special Education for assistance and support,