1.) Discuss the role the Civil Rights Movement had on contributing to new approaches in special education. Be sure to include reference to pertinent court cases and legislation to support your decision.
While the Civil Rights Movement was not initially directly related to the development of special education practices, it has laid the ground work for many great changes and court decisions related to the field. In Topeka, Kansas in 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that it was unconstitutional and violated the 14th Amendment to discriminate against any group of individuals. This court ruling was referred to as the Brown v. Board of Education decision and was initially focused on African American rights. According to Friend and Bursuck, “This court decision introduced the concept of integration into public education, the notion that the only way to protect students’ constitutional right to equal opportunity was to ensure that diverse student groups learned together” (Friend, 9). The civil rights movement forced individuals to realize that African Americans were not the only group being discriminated against in the United States. This ruling also directly affected children who were not allowed to attend school due to their disabilities, and opened the door for numerous legal decisions related to the rights of students with disabilities.
There are many court cases that have taken place since the Brown v. Board of Education decision in 1954. In 1972, the Pennsylvania Association for Retarded Children v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania decision ruled that all students must receive a free, public education and that no student can be refused of it due to his/her disabilities. In 1986, the Larry P. v. Wilson Riles decision was extended to state that IQ tests couldn’t be used to determine mental retardation in any child with a disability. Originally, the case ruling applied only to African American students due to the cultural and racial bias of the tests. In 1982, the U.S. Supreme court ruled in the Board of Education of Hendrick Hudson School District v. Rowley case that special education services must provide students with an appropriate education, however, they may not always be entitled to optimum services. In 1989, the Daniel R. R. v. State Board of Education decision ruled that placement for disabled students depends on whether the student can receive an adequate education in the general education classroom, and if the student is mainstreamed as much as possible when they are not fully successful in the general education classroom. In 1993, the Oberti v. Board of Eduation of Clementon School District decision ruled that students cannot be excluded from the general education classroom solely due to a disability and that the district must make a range of supports and services available to all students with disabilities. In 1993, the Doe v. Withers decision emphasized the extent to which teachers are responsible for making accommodations for their students with disabilities. In 2005, the Schaffer v. Weast decision ruled “That the burden of proof in any disagreement about a student’s IEP lies with the party bringing suit” (Friend, 9). Recently in 2007, the Winkelman v. Parma School District decision ruled that the parents of disabled children have rights through IDEA and that they are able to represent themselves in court without hiring an attorney.
2.) Identify and explain the tiers of Response to Intervention (RtI). When is this process implemented and what is its significance for educators and students?
The Response to Intervention, or RtI, refers to the recently developed procedure used to analyze students’ learning problems. RtI is allowed by but not mandated by the IDEA act and is mostly used in the elementary school setting. This means that it is mainly the teachers’ responsibility to carry out the RtI procedure. The goal of RtI is to keep students from requiring special education services, and to steer away from admitting students with low achievement due to inadequate instruction to special education services. However, RtI also aims to ensure that students who need special education services receive them as soon as possible, in order to maximize learning potential.
Commonly, RtI is implemented when the general education teacher notices “a pattern of academic underachievement, inconsistent learning, serious behavior problems, difficulties in social skills, or a persistent physical or sensory problem” (Friend, 50). When this is noticed, teachers may seek the attention of colleagues to determine whether a child needs special education services. There are three tiers which make up the RtI procedure. The initial step, called universal screening, occurs when all students are assessed. This step identifies which students in the classroom are at risk for academic failure. Professionals argue whether universal screening should be considered a part of Tier 1. Tier 1 refers to class or school wide interventions and includes all students. During this tier, students receive research based instruction in their general education classroom and progress is monitored on a weekly basis. Tier 2 refers to targeted interventions where students whose progress is inadequate receive different or additional support from their general education teacher or another professional. This could consist of students receiving additional reading instruction that reinforces what they have been taught in the whole group classroom setting. Also, students may receive instruction outside of the classroom instead of their regular Tier 1 instruction. Just as in Tier 1, their progress is measured in Tier 2. Students whose progress is still considered insufficient during Tier 2 may receive more intensive support in Tier 3. This can be provided in many ways, such as giving students more intensive, individualized instruction. Depending on a state’s or district policies, students may be eligible to receive special education services based on the data discovered during the RtI.
3.) You are having a parent conference with Jerome’s father tomorrow about Jerome’s progress in controlling his disruptive behavior. This is the first meeting since initiating a behavior management plan that you and Jerome’s father worked out at your last conference. Using the shared problem-solving model described in chapter 3, describe what you should do to prepare for tomorrow’s conference. What steps should be taken after the conference?
At their first meeting, Jerome’s father and general education teacher discovered a shared need, which was to help Jerome control his disruptive behavior in school. They identified the problem as being Jerome’s disruptive behavior, and have proposed many solutions to solve the issue. After brainstorming and proposing multiple solutions, they evaluated their ideas to see which were likely to resolve the problem. Next, they planned the specifics of the behavior management plan. During this planning stage, they listed the major tasks at hand, and decided who would take responsibility for each task. Finally, they chose a solution and implemented it. After their meeting and the implementation of the solution, the general education teacher began keeping records of efforts made and how they affected Jerome and his behavior personally.
At the meeting which will take place tomorrow, Jerome’s father and the general education teacher will meet to evaluate the effectiveness of the solution which they have chosen to implement. Prior to meeting Jerome’s father, the general education teacher should evaluate Jerome’s progress in relation to behavior management and decide whether the intervention should be considered a success. The records of Jerome’s behavior should be used to do this. At the meeting, Jerome’s father and the teacher should collaboratively decide what to do next. At this point, there are three possibilities. First, if they believe that the behavior management plan was a success, it may be continued to maintain its current results, discontinued if Jerome no longer needs it, or slowly phased out. Second, the behavior management plan may be modified. This could occur if Jerome’s behavior management plan has been proven to be successful, yet it is not ideal or feasible for the classroom teacher and/or Jerome’s father. Finally, if Jerome’s father and the teacher decide that the solution is ineffective, they will collaboratively select a different solution, or determine whether Jerome actually has a problem with disruptive behavior.
4.) You have just learned that the new student who is to join your class has a speech impairment. The student’s file does not thoroughly describe the areas of strength or need, but rather indicates generally that the student has trouble with articulation. Based on this limited information, outline how you would use the INCLUDE strategy to help meet the educational needs of your new student.
The INCLUDE strategy gives teachers a systematic approach for accommodating students based on their own individual needs. In order to accommodate the educational needs of the new student in the classroom, the general teacher will need to go through the seven steps of INCLUDE. Step 1 entails identifying classroom demands. Often classroom demands deal with classroom management, classroom grouping, instructional materials, and instructional methods. In relation to classroom management, the teacher should prepare the physical organization to accommodate the new student. Possibly, the student could be seated in a desk near the front of the room to ensure that he/she is able to hear the teacher pronounce the sounds. The teacher should maintain a positive classroom climate where all students feel comfortable in their settings and are never allowed to tease or make fun of the new student with articulation problems. The teacher should use numerous classroom grouping arrangements in the classroom, and to prepare for the new student, the teacher should allow room for small group activities to help the student with articulation problems. The teacher may also choose to use flexible grouping, which is when the teacher uses a variety of strategies to meet students’ needs and provide for differentiated instruction. Finally, the teacher will identify instructional materials and methods which will be used to assist the child. Step 2 deals with noting student learning strengths and needs pertaining to academics, social-emotional development, and physical development. If the teacher knows the new student’s strengths then he/she may be able to compensate for weaknesses. For example, if the child does indeed have problems with articulation, then possibly he/she can compensate for that by using her good listening skills when listening to digital recordings of class readings. Step 3 deals with checking for potential areas of student success. This step is important because success promotes positive self-image and motivation in students. Teachers need to find what students are good at and do their best to help them to be successful in the classroom. Step 4 deals with looking for potential problem areas. During Step 5, the teacher will use all of the information acquired to brainstorm ways to differentiate instruction to the new student in the class. He/she will determine which accommodations and modifications will need to occur in order to maximize the new student’s learning potential. Next, during Step 6, the teacher will differentiate instruction and implement the accommodations/modifications decided in Step 5. Finally, during Step 7, the teacher will evaluate student progress using the new student’s grades, observations and analysis of student work, portfolios, performance assessments, and/or teacher and parent ratings. By doing this, the teacher will be able to determine whether he/she will change, eliminate, or continue with the strategies used for the new student.
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