Best Practice In Special Education

Introduction The CFE took place in the Potosi School District which is one building and about 20 minutes away from Platteville, Wisconsin. I was under the supervision of Mrs. Tammy Cooley, Director of Pupil Services, Director of the Special Education, and School Psychologist. I worked in Mrs. Cooley’s office the majority of the time, which is located in the elementary part of the building. I also worked with children in general education and special education classrooms. I observed children at recess and in classroom environments. I attended multiple meetings with Mrs. Cooley including IEP (Individualized Education Plan), special education, and faculty problem solving meetings. On occasion, I accompanied Mrs. Cooley to CESA III conferences, …show more content…

It should be strategies that facilitate the highest student learning and have been proven as effective. Because of the ambiguity of the term “best practice”, it has been changed or replaced by the term evidenced-based practice (EBP). This term means practices and strategies that have been proven effective by reliable, well done, and extensive research. There has been a tremendous push towards using EBPs in special and general education classrooms. It has also been deemed important by recent legislation. The article shares that “The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 repeatedly highlights the need for teachers to be trained in scientifically based instructional practices” (p.311). Teaching EBPs to future education teachers has become a priority so that they are prepared to use the practices as soon as they begin …show more content…

This instruction is meant to focus on the general curriculum and be flexible enough to provide differential instruction. Just because it is assumed that teachers are providing this type of instruction does not mean they are. This article wishes to assess the data collection methods available to track teachers’ methods, instructional time, and efficiency. These data collection methods are not to “checkup” on teachers, but are to be used to make systematic school-wide cultural changes, as well as, training changes. Developing staff’s teaching strategies and classroom management should be an ongoing process and the data should be used to help steer professional development strategies/topics. Opportunity-to-learn (OTL) is discussed in the article. OTL is the access students have to the intended curriculum presented in a way that imparts knowledge and skill. There are three keys to OTL: instructional time, content coverage, and instructional quality. These can be measured and indicate how a teacher allots their time with students. OTL can be used to identify teaching strategies to create and refine evidence-based practices that can be turned into student-specific or subject-specific