Social and Cultural Foundations of American Education/Chapter 10 Supplemental Materials/How can we account for individual differences (Special Ed.)? 1
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Accountability for Special Needs Learners
By Marcela Briggs
Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.
- Helen Keller
(1880-1968)
Over 5 million students in public schools in the United States are identified special learners. How do we account for their individual differences within the classroom? Accountability can be thought of as an intricate tree in the process to educate and accommodate special learners. At the base of the tree is the government which functions as the roots that bring forth the legislation at the federal and local levels and the funding needed to address the needs of students. The trunk of this tree should be sturdy; therefore, it needs to be composed of the school system, community, and parents. Here accountability also lies in bridging the gap between the government and the classroom, and the transportation of the resources that are necessary to have competent schools, effective teachers, and successful students. Next come the limbs and branches that are linked to the trunk. These are the school administrators, faculty, classrooms, teachers, and aides that enable the learning process for students. The roots, trunk, and branches must work as a whole gathering and distributing the nourishment to produce buds, blossoms, and then finally mature fruit – the students.
Legislation first began with the intention of early intervention with Handicapped Children’s Early Education Assistance Act in 1968. However the first legislation to make it illegal to discriminate against any subgroup of students and guarantee a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) for disabled students was the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (Public Law 94-142) in 1975. Yet this did not include accountability. Accountability came in 1990 when PL 94-142 was amended and renamed as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Some of the disabilities that are covered by IDEA range from such low incidence disabilities such as blindness, deafness, and autism to such high incidence disabilities as learning disabilities, emotional and behavioral disorders, and mild mental retardation. IDEA has been amended twice, once in 1997 and again in 2004, renamed as Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004. This became effective July 1, 2005.
As a teacher today, the most important legislation to know is No Child Left Behind (NCLB), signed into law in 2002. NCLB mandates accountability, meaning benchmarks have been set for all students to meet by the school year 2013-2014 to achieve 100 % math, reading, and language arts proficiency on state standardized test in selected grades. NCLB means exactly that, all students including four subgroups must meet proficiency. The subgroups include race (in Virginia they are White, Black, and Hispanic), economically disadvantaged students, Limited English Proficient (LEP) students, and including disabled students. The local school systems and teachers are responsible for the task of preparing the students to meet the benchmark requirements; this is where accountability comes into view.
In order for special needs children to meet these benchmarks, early identification and interventions are necessary. IDEA and PL 99-457 require free and appropriate public education for every student between the ages of 2 and 21. States are encouraged to develop programs for early intervention of children, who are disabled, starting as early as infancy. After a student has been screened the proper measures to see that the student succeeds in school are taken. These include referrals, IEPs, providing assistive technology resources, and the learning environments that able the student to function and learn as appropriately as possible.
Training of teachers and other personnel who work with students with disabilities is fundamental in the responsibility of the schools. Though many parents may not want their child to have a “label” we have to have the skilled professionals- teachers and support staff- who are capable of identifying learners with special needs, and relating these concerns to the parents or guardians. Following through and consistency in the aide that a student receives is another key element. The referral process all teachers, whether general education or special education need to know. The process begins with a referral from an individual who knows the child, this may include a parent, classroom teacher, or doctor. Ten days after the referral is made a Child Study Committee meets and refers further evaluation of the child within 65 administrative days after parental permission. An Eligibility Committee meets to review the evaluation; the parents must be invited. If the child is found eligible for services and individualized education plan (IEP) is written within 30 calendar days.
Having an IEP provides the student access to alternative assessments to meet their needs when it comes time for standardized testing. Another way to ensure the student benefits from an IEP is accommodating them with assistive technology resources. An assistive technology (AT) is “any item, piece of equipment or product system, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of a child with a disability” as defined by IDEA. The ranges of ATs are from low tech to mid tech to high tech. Low tech are the least expensive resources and high tech are more high-priced. An example of a low tech device for student use would be a pencil grip, color coded folders, schedules, or timers. Mid tech items would be a tape recorder or hand-held talking dictionary. High tech devices would be those like an eye blink machine or computer software that operates on voice recognition. Teachers, parents, and students should be mindful to elect for low tech devices before seeking higher tech products.
The general education classroom is considered the least restrictive environment (LRE). The use of AT in the classroom can provide the LRE for the student. However teaching special education and providing the least restrictive environment for a student is not limited to a general (inclusion) or special education classroom in a school. Least restrictive environment may also include a homebound program or residential school to meet the needs of the student. Another alternative to provide the LRE in the general classroom would be universal design. Universal design is “the design of environments to be used by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design.” For example, if a school were built on one level as opposed to being built five stories high, students in wheelchairs would have the greatest accessibility in the one level building without the school having to make modifications like the five-story school would have to for them. Universal design is not limited in the physical however, it can also be implemented in the development of a flexible curriculum to amplify learning. Teachers can design their classrooms for the mobility and safety of students with disabilities and curriculum can be developed that does not restrict assessment to one mode.
Essay Question
As a teacher discuss your role in school accountability in educating a student with special needs. What legislation are you obliged to know? How would assistive technology and classroom design maximize your student’s learning?
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Mrs. Brown’s student John has been identified with having Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). He has difficulty organizing and fails to give close attention to details on his work, rendering mistakes. John’s parents and she opt for the use of a timer and goal setting schedules for him to use. Mrs. Brown and the Child Study Committee write this into John’s IEP. Which level of assistive technology has she implemented?
A. Low tech
B. Mid tech
C. High tech
D. No form of AT was used
2. The passage of this legislation was the first to mandate a free and appropriate education WITH accountability
A. Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
B. No Child Left Behind (NCLB)
C. Education for All Handicapped Children Act
D. Individualized Education Plan (IEP)
3. Mr. Smith is concerned that one of his students has an emotional and behavioral disorder that is affecting her performance at school. What course of action is he accountable for taking as the student’s teacher?
A. Diagnose the student himself and begin conducting art therapy
B. Assume that the behavior is just a phase that she will grow out of on her own
C. Emotional and behavioral disorders are not covered by IDEA, so there is nothing he can do
D. Immediately begin documenting his observations and follow through with a referral for Child Study
4. Before the new school year beings Ms. Jones is notified that she will be receiving a new student in her classroom with a physical disability that requires him to wear braces and use crutches daily. Ms. Jones wants to arrange her classroom to make access to learning centers and materials as easy as possible for the student. All of the following are acceptable and appropriate ways for her to create a least restrictive classroom environment for the student EXCEPT
A. Provide a desk that gives easy entry and exit access for the student
B. Universally designing her classroom
C. Sitting the student by the teachers desk as far away from the rest of the class as possible
D. Providing a knapsack that the student can easily carry their materials in
5. The NCLB benchmark for 2013-2014 for ALL students including disabled students is
A. Disabled students do not have a benchmark to meet
B. 100% proficiency in math, reading, and language
C. 50% proficiency in math, reading, and language
D. Disabled students are urged to try their best only
Answers to the Multiple Choice Questions
1. A
2. A
3. D
4. C
5. B
Works Cited
Hallahan, D. P., & Kauffman, J. M. (2006). Exceptional Learners: Introduction to Special Education. New York: Pearson Education, Inc..
Nagle, K., Yunker, C., & Malmgren, K. W. Students with disabilities and accountability reform: Challenges identified at the state and local levels. Journal of Disability Policy Studies, 17.1, Retrieved September 18, 2006, from ..
Orkwis, Raymond (2003 February). Universally Designed Instruction . Retrieved September 2006, from Council for Exceptional Children Web site: http://www.cec.sped.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Search&template=/CM/HTMLDisplay.cfm&ContentID=2636
Assistive Technology Devices and Services. Retrieved September 2006, from Virginia Assistive Technology System Web site: http://www.vats.org/aboutat.htm
No Child Left Behind. Retrieved September 16, 2006, from U. S. Department of Education Web site: http://www.ed.gov/nclb/landing.jhtml
