Four concerns and criticisms were put forward as it relates to the RTI model of identification which are;
1. Over identification of students with LD
2. Overrepresentations of minorities in special education
3. Reliability (i.e.; too many false positives and too few true positives)
On the issue of over identification the access to effective instruction and curricula for all eliminated ineffective instruction as a cause of disability as well as early intervention with students with LD in order to improve learning deficits as soon as possible. Bollman and colleagues (2007) examined the effect of an RTI model on the rate of identification for special education services and reported that placement rates dropped from 4.5% to 2.5% over a 10-year
…show more content…
In addition to inequitable treatment, disproportionality is also viewed as a problem because some believe that special education services are not effective in terms of student outcomes (Hosp, 2008). The RTI in its quest to address the issue of overrepresentations ensured that assessment instruments used are curriculum based and are non-biased. Students all received effective instruction in tier and the whole idea behind providing instruction in this way is to allow for the teacher to step up the intensity of instruction at the different tiers in order to minimize or prevent fewer students of minorities moving into special …show more content…
This type of teaching is special and is referred to as clinical teaching. The cycle has five phases which are assessment; planning of the teaching task; implementation of the teaching plan; evaluation of the students’ performance; modification of the assessment and finally assessment. The goal of clinical teaching is to tailor the learning experiences to suit the needs of the specific child. Utilizing all the information gathered during the assessment process, gives the clinical teacher the opportunity to design a special teaching program, which is known as the Individualized Education Programme. This plan is an individual approach geared towards correcting the challenges the child face academically. This programme when designed, must be implemented and used with the specific child for which it was originally intended. Having used this programme the clinical teacher must evaluate the child’s performance to see what worked well and what didn’t so that the necessary modifications can be made to the plan. Following the evaluation process, the final stage in the cycle has to deal with the assessment of the child once more to see if there are improvements and what other strategies might be needed in order to remedy the problems that may still exist (Learner,
...vironments then blacks. Minority students are being over represented in special education programs. As an African American, I will need to prepare myself for my future as an educator. When I become a teacher, I may encounter a student that has difficulties keeping up with his peers. I need to know whether this student is a slow learner or a victim of the achievement gap. This research has taught me abo¬ut the factors that have disproportionately affected African-American, Latino, Asian, and other non-white students. I will use this information to contribute to both my future research and career.
What are the benefits of implementing early intervention and RTI’s for children with early signs of a learning disability? This is a serious topic because of the increase over the years of children with learning disabilities. Instead of just placing students in special education programs educators must assess and evaluate students. As well as try early intervention programs and responsiveness to intervention known as RTI to try to delay the disability or stop the disability from forming and progressing. I have gathered articles that show the implementing of early intervention programs and RTI models to enhance children that show signs of an early learning disability. The articles all show how these programs can help students progress in academics as well as behavior areas in the classroom.
A longstanding national issue that continues to concern the public is the disproportionate representation of children from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds in special education. The fact is that the proportion of minority students in the population of school-age children has risen dramatically to over 35%, which is increasing the diversity of students in many public schools throughout the nation. This makes the phenomenon of disproportionality especially troubling. With a growing population of minority children comprising a greater percentage of public school students, we must be responsive to the growing needs of an increasingly diverse society. The overrepresentation of minority students in special education has been posed as an issue for more than 3 decades, but it is worth asking whether the efforts of legislative actions, educational reforms and legal challenges have really made improvements to this issue. More importantly, disproportionality should be examined as a correlation to underlying conditions that can pose a great effect upon not only the quality of a child’s education, but also ______.
A copy of the Ages & Stages is given to the parent with their child’s result ASQ. If there is an area or areas that need to be strengthened, we created an Individual Learning Plan to help the child reach his potential. When a weakness is observed in an area, we work with the child on those specific goals. We will observe and document the child’s progress. Parents are asked to provide a 1” binder and clear sheet protectors in order to build a portfolio of the child’s progressive work and parents are welcome to review their child’s portfolio at any time. Usually, when the children are fourteen months, they are sent to the next classroom. If they are not ready in some area or areas, there might be some delays in advancing them to the next classroom. In the meantime, we work with the child to overcome the weakness is having. We work with the child in each age intervals by reinforcing an activity related to the weakness he is having in a particular area of development that will put him/her where he/she supposed to be for his/her
Identifying English Language Learners with Learning Disabilities: Key Challenges and Possible Approaches. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice (Blackwell Publishing Limited), 20(1), 6-15. doi:10.1111/j.1540-5826.2005.00115.x Sullivan, A. L. (2011). Disproportionality in Special Education Identification and Placement of English Language Learners. Exceptional Children, 77(3), 317-334.
The Individuals with Disabilities Act, 2004 (IDEA), has 14 different categories of disabilities (IDEA Partnership, 2012). Students with disabilities can be placed into two more distinct groups which are high incidence disabilities or HID and low incidence disabilities or LID. IDEA defines low incidence disabilities as those students with visual, hearing or significant cognitive impairment (Outcome Data, 2006). These students need personal that are highly trained in specialized skill and knowledge to provide early interventions and education. Those with LID account for less than one percent of the school population (Outcome Data, 2006). Students that fall into this category are usually educated outside of the general education classroom for part of the school day.
Students with learning disabilities in the regular classroom may have challenges that require special attention. If the teacher is able to identify the disabilities and the features associated with them then the teacher can tailor the lessons to meet the needs of the students. These may include differentiated instruction and facilitating an inclusive classroom which will see inclusive strategies employed that will cater to the needs of students with learning disabilities. These inclusive strategies can range from individualized learning programs to team and co-teaching. In some cases, the teacher can arrange for a special education teacher or arrange for a pull out program to assist students who have learning disabilities. Strategies that will also cater to learning disabilities may also include the use of technology. According to Ford 2013 ‘In some situations it may be best for students with LD to be taught in separate pull out classrooms with a teacher who can provide targeted skill instruction in areas where a student is struggling.’ ‘When provided appropriate support within this setting, many of these students can achieve academically and develop positive self-esteem and social skills. (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association 1991). They also recommend that schools should ‘require in-service programs for all school personnel to give them the knowledge and skills necessary to provide education for students with learning disabilities in the regular education classroom.’ Schools should include activities to help participants learn strategies to meet individual needs of students, foster attitudes conductive to educating students with learning disabilities in the regular education classroom, and promote
A detailed study on the article entitled “Is Disproportionally High Minority Representation in Special Education a School Problem?” reveals the concern of the differences that are seen in the representation of minority factions in the special education agenda against that of the common core syllabus in educational institutions. The article explains how the U.S. Federal policies helps different school districts and states institute strategies to avoid this disproportionality and to initiate efforts to lessen the current disproportion problems. Nevertheless to say, much of the terminologies used to explain this regulation is ambiguous and thus the states get powers to interpret and enforce the same as per their specific requirements. This often
Disproportionate identification of minority students in special education is a major concern in schools today. This paper describes the issues in the assessment process with minority students and how we have arrived at a situation where minorities are being misdiagnosed into special education programs. Additionally, several legal cases are mentioned which show numerous actions and rulings that have tried to correct the disproportionate identification in special education. Some of the legal cases discussed include Larry P. v Riles, Diana v. State Board of Education, and Guadalupe v. Tempe Elementary School, which all significantly impacted special education today. Additionally, the Individual with Disabilities Education Act has enforced that minority groups must receive an equal education in the least restrictive environment possible. It is our duty as teachers and citizens to abide by these laws and find different ways to assess and correct the disproportionality of minority groups that exists today.
In conclusion, it seems as though all the positives of the response to intervention program outweigh any negatives about it. The RTI program is extremely helpful in identifying any student that is having academic difficulties at an early age. Whether these students should be considered in the special education program or not can also be determined by using the RTI program. There is no reason to allow students to fail before any intervention is even considered. Anything that is beneficial in helping students succeed in their academic achievements should be viewed as a
specific learning disabilities in the United States of America. The Journal of International Association of Special Education, 10(1), 21-26.
Instruction. These two strategies are approaches that address classroom diversity in general education settings, and inclusion classroom settings. The idea of UDL is that instructional lessons, strategies, and assessments are planned with supports, which are more likely to be well-suited for students with special needs. The supports minimize the need for adaptations at a later time. Properly designed classrooms require fewer adaptations for students with special needs, is an ass...
However, it still met with inconsistent criticism due to the myth that “positive intervention” doesn’t work and draining resources of regular courses. However, evidences shown prove the opposite effect. Special education is constant need of more funding – especially when it constantly gets budget cuts from congress and thus, schools are unable to keep up with the afford to provide the necessary need of special education (Wall 2014). So the myth of special education draining resources is the no way the truth. How could they be able to drained resources from other students if the programs themselves are in limited supply? Lack of understanding and easy to become a scapegoat for the blame of overall score of a school being poor is quite easy to pit the blame. Another reasoning is due to socialization—the label of being placed in special education is rather an unfortunate burden that could follow the child (Huerta 2015). Often times, stereotypes are attached and are considered inferior to other students, potentially adding onto potential fears. In order to improve any form of education for special education, funding a provided them resources should be considered the first thing to look
In today’s educational environment, all students expect to receive the same level of instruction from schools and all students must meet the same set of standards. Expectations for students with learning disabilities are the same as students without any learning difficulties. It is now unacceptable for schools or teachers to expect less from one segment of students because they have physical disabilities, learning disabilities, discipline problems, or come from poor backgrounds. Standardize testing has resulted in making every student count as much as their peers and the most positive impact has been seen with the lowest ability students. Schools have developed new approaches to reach these previously underserved students while maintaining passing scores for the whole student body. To ensure academic success, teachers employ a multi-strategy approach to develop students of differing abilities and backgrounds. Every student is different in what skills and experiences they bring to the classroom; their personality, background, and interests are as varied as the ways in which teachers can choose to instruct them. Differentiated instruction has been an effective method in which teachers can engage students of various backgrounds and achieve whole-class success. When using differentiated instruction, teachers develop lesson strategies for each student or groups of students that provide different avenues of learning but all avenues arrive at the same learning goal.
Hoover, J. J. (2010). Special education eligibility decision making in Response to Intervention models. Theory into Practice, 49(4), 289–296.