Climbing the Ladder Special Education OVERVIEW Niles North High School, District 219

Special Education Law The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1975 (IDEA) has been amended several times since its creation. The 1997 amendments were designed to guarantee the implementation of a free and appropriate public education for all children with disabilities. Changes in programming and teaching have occurred as a result of this amendment. The six principles of IDEA are: 1. Free and appropriate public education is necessary for every child, specifically those with special needs. This often requires related services and alteration of regular education. 2. Evaluations to determine every child’s educational programming needs and to assess performance. 3. Individualized education plan requires a multidisciplinary team to produce an individual program for each child stating each child’s specific disability needs, assessable annual goals, transitional plans, and details of specific programming (including location, services and duration). 4. Least restrictive environment is one in which a student with disabilities can succeed most in. This generally means that a child should remain in the general teacher’s mainstream classroom whenever possible. 5. Parent and student participation entitles both students and parents to be actively involved in the educational decisions and updated on progress. 6. Safeguards were developed to protect rights and ensure honest information is communicated between families and educators (Slavin, 2006).

IDEA vs. Section 504 Federal Laws in Special Education IDEA provides that each student in Special Education receives an IEP – Individualized Education Plan This legal document is written annually and includes all present levels of performance, goals and objectives, related services, transition plan and modifications/adaptations for the student in Special Education Focuses on educational remediation (Attempts to bridge gaps in skills by providing related services and modified instruction) Your attendance at IEP meetings is VITAL Special Education Office, Room 1135 Section 504 Focuses on prevention of discrimination Levels the playing field for students able to perform well academically if their disability does not limit their access to learning Provides accommodations, not modifications Office of Civil Rights

RtI - Response to Intervention General education initiative Provides high quality instruction and intervention to struggling students Interventions are matched to student needs Progress is monitored by members of the RtI Team Data collected supports team in making educational decisions regarding instruction If no response to the 3 tiers of instruction, referrals may be made to the Special Education Team

Important Terms IEP – Individualized Education Plan This legal document is written annually and includes Present Levels of Performance Goals and Objectives Related Services Transition Plan Modifications and Adaptations IEP at a Glance This document highlights the student’s goals and modifications/adaptations Includes contact information for the student’s case manager Case Manager A Special Education teacher assigned to the student Responsible for monitoring success toward goals and classroom productivity Collaborates with general education teachers to differentiate instruction BIP – Behavior Intervention Plan IDEA 2004 (the law that governs special education) and its implementing regulations (1997 Amendments to IDEA) require schools to take various steps to address behavior that prevents students from learning. Written plan created by the IEP team in the case of a child whose behavior impedes his or her learning and that of others Considers positive behavioral interventions, strategies and supports to address targeted behavior

Roles of the IEP Case Manager Disseminate IEP at a Glance Monitor progress Develop Transition Plan with IEP team and student (this plan drives the IEP goals and objectives) Update goals and objectives Collaborate with IEP team Provide remediation Point person for all comments, questions and concerns

Accommodations and Modifications Accommodations Accommodations are adjustments to make sure students have equal access to curriculum and a way to be successful. Accommodations For example: A student with poor writing and spelling skills may use assistive technology — a tape recorder or word processor — rather then struggle with pencil and paper to do her report about a famous person in history. assistive technology Modifications Modifications, on the other hand, mean that the curriculum and/or instruction is changed quite a bit. When modifications are made, students with disabilities are not expected to master the same academic content as others in the classroom. For example: A student who has difficulty learning the twenty-word vocabulary list every week may learn only ten words. This results in different standards for mastery — half the number of words as students without a disability learn weekly.

Examples of accommodations… Extended time on a test Alternate testing site Test read to the student Alternate recording form (no scantron) Extended time for homework Graphic organizers for written assignments Assistive technology (i.e. Alphasmart)

Student Referrals If you have a student in your class who you think is in need of services, after interventions have been implemented, please talk with that student’s guidance counselor. The student’s name will be brought to Review Board, a problem solving team. During Review Board meetings, further interventions are discussed for the student in need. This may include Special Education services and/or assistive technology needs.