In an inclusion classroom, all students with disabilities will have an IEP that will be implemented to meet their learning needs. “The IEP contains a complete outline of the specialized services that the students needs; that is, the document includes all of the special education instruction to be provided and any other related services needed” (Friend 58). All teachers must abide by the IEP and provide all the services listed in the IEP. An IEP is beneficial for the student but implementing the services outlined creates some challenges for both a special education teacher and a general education teacher.
One of the first difficulties faced for a general education teacher is reading and understanding the IEP. In my experience, IEPs are often 10-20 pages long and the format is unique. These documents are not always user-friendly and so it can be difficult for a general education teacher to figure out what they need to know and do. In my current school, special education teachers often provide a cheat-sheet for general education teachers that highlight the most important information- current status of student, goals related to that specific course/subject, and necessary accommodations/modifications.
“An IEP addresses all areas of students need, including accommodations to be made in the general education setting and the
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As one special education teacher said, “I have to collaborate with the teachers of all my students to make sure I am supporting what is being taught in the classroom and supplementing my own resources. Finding the time to talk to each teacher is extremely important and extremely challenging” (Ferry). The special education teacher needs to be in contact with ALL general education teachers that students on his/her caseload have, and of course, the same is true about general education teachers. This is very
The Gaskin Settlement Agreement is an agreement between a group of families and advocacy organizations who filed a class action lawsuit against the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) on behalf of a group of children with disabilities in 1994. This agreement does not change a student’s placement, program, or IEP in any manner. Only the IEP team has the authority to make modifications that will impact a student’s IEP. The main goal of this settlement is to make sure that IEP teams will determine if the goals in a student’s IEP may be implemented in a general education setting with supplementary aids and services prior to considering an environment that is more restrictive in nature. The elements of this case were designed to help increase the capacity of school districts to provide related services, SDI that is appropriate, supplementary aids and services, and supports to students who have disabilities that are placed in general education classrooms. The PDE lists many important elements of the Settlement Agreement to be aware of...
This is simply not the case. Students who have not had the benefit of previous instruction often feel a debilitating inability to contribute (Martin, VanDycke, Greene, Gardner, Christensen, Woods, & Lovett, 2006). Without specific IEP instruction, students have no idea how to participate in IEP meetings, nor do they fully understand the purpose of their IEPs (Martin, Van Dycke, Christensen, Greene, Gardner, Woods, and Lovett, 2006). Lack of instruction, however should not be the hindrance that prevent students from participating and leading the IEP process. Students with disabilities must be taught how to direct their IEPs.
That is, the IEP must document the student’s historical accomplishments and how their disability impacts their progress of the general curriculum. There should be annual goals, both academic and functional, that focus on what the student can reasonably accomplish. There should also be benchmarks that measure progress and communication processes that inform parents and other parties of the student’s progress. The IEP must identify which special education services will be used, such as supplementary aids and communication devices. The IEP must estimate how much of every school day will be spent separate from nondisabled
In order to thoroughly understand the significance of assistive technology in special education, it is important to understand what an IEP is. An IEP is a mandated document for public schools called an Individualized Education Program (IEP). Each IEP must be designed for one student and must be a truly individualized document. The IEP creates an opportunity for teachers, parents, school administrators, and related services personnel to work together to improve educational results for children with disabilities. It is a legal document specific to each individu...
Werts, M. G. (2002). Knowing what to expect Introducing pre-service teachers to IEP meetings. Teacher Education and Special Education, 25(4), 413-418.
In 1991 the Public Law 94-142, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act was replaced by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. This law was passed to provide free and appropriate public education to every child with a disability. It requires that each child with a disability “have access to the program best suited to that child’s special needs which is as close as possible to a normal child’s educational program” (Martin, 1978). The Individualized education program (IEP) was developed to help provide a written record of students’ needs and procedures for each child that receives special education services. The IEP will list all the services to be provided, the student's performance level, academic performance, and modifications in place for the student.
Educators can have strong feelings on the subject because having special needs students in a regular classroom can have a large impact on the classroom community. Those who believe in inclusive classrooms realize that, to be successful, it requires allot of classroom management and differentiated instruction, but feel the benefits are worth the work involved. Those who do not believe in inclusion feel that it leads to “l...
In order for inclusion to be implemented properly it is important that teachers, parents, and administrators to know the definition of inclusion. An inclusion program means that the student spends all or most of their school time in the general education classroom rather than a self-contained classroom. However, the students will still receive the support and interventions they would have received in a self-contained classroom. There are different types of inclusive classrooms where different types of teaching occur. There is co-teaching where there is both a general education teacher and a special education teacher that co teach. Both will work with students that have an individualized education plan (IEP) and the student will receive more support. In addition, an inclusive classroom can have a general education teacher but has the special education teacher as a resource or aid, which qualifies as a collaborative model of inclusion.
The Individualized Education Program is developed by a team that includes the parents of the student, a general education teacher, a special education teacher, a school representative (principal), a person knowledgeable about evaluation (school psychologist), and others at request of IEP participants. The primary job of the IEP team is to plan a program of special education and related services that is reasonably calculated to provide a meaningful education benefit. The IEP Process includes a review of assessme...
...e. Exceptional students should be pushed to their highest potential and it is our job as educators, along with other members of a student’s IEP team, to ensure the student is receiving a free and appropriate education as well as receiving all services instructed on his or her IEP adequately.
Training should be implemented on IEP’s and modifications and accommodations for general education teachers. General education teachers should also be trained on utilizing the special education teachers experience in modifying, accommodating, and differentiated instruction. We are a team and the goal we are working for is for all of our students on our campus to be successful, general education and special education students.
IEP stands for Individualized Education Program. An IEP is a written document required for each child who is eligible to receive special education services. It is provided to a student who has been determined first to have a disability, and second, to need special education services because of that disability. An IEP is very important and should never be overlooked by anyone. The purpose of an IEP is to make sure that only students whose educational performance is affected by a disability receive special services. An individual program plan is designed to make sure that students get the kind of educational experience that they deserve; an experience that results in success. The end goals for students who are on an IEP are to be involved in
Inclusion in classrooms is defined as combining students with disabilities and students without disabilities together in an educational environment. It provides all students with a better sense of belonging. They will enable friendships and evolve feelings of being a member of a diverse community (Bronson, 1999). Inclusion benefits students without disabilities by developing a sense of helping others and respecting other diverse people. By this, the students will build up an appreciation that everyone has unique yet wonderful abilities and personalities (Bronson, 1999). This will enhance their communication skills later in life. Inclusive classrooms provide students with disabilities a better education on the same level as their peers. Since all students would be in the same educational environment, they would follow the same curriculum and not separate ones based on their disability. The main element to a successful inclusive classroom, is the teachers effort to plan the curriculum to fit all students needs. Teachers must make sure that they are making the material challenging enough for students without special needs and understandable to students with special needs. Inclusive classrooms are beneficial to students with and without special needs.
Inclusion has become increasingly important in education in recent years, with the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act being passed in 2004 to ensure equality in our system. In summary, inclusion is the idea of there being no child...
There is so much to know about special education that is separate from teaching in a traditional classroom. One thing that has really stood out to me is how many acronyms and terminology these teachers need to know. IEP, LRE, IDEA, FAPE, IFSP, and that is just to name a few (DREDF, 2017). Special education teachers, really need to be knowledgeable about a ton of things. Not only all of the terminology associated with special education, but about disabilities and the best way to go about educating a child with disabilities. When working with children in special education, there will be students of all ages with all kinds of disabilities and different ability levels that you are teaching. It is important to know about each child’s disabilities, what they should be learning and how they should be learning it. There may be times that are challenging education students with disabilities, but when a teacher properly educates themselves on all the aspects of special education and the resources out there for them, it may help make your classroom run more smoothly and easier to