Chapter 2

1. Describe the IDEA requirements for special education identification.

IDEA requires states to find all children who may have a disability, regardless of whether or
not they attend public school. Then a referral must be made for them to receive evaluation.
They must receive parental consent before the child is evaluated, in the case they do, a full
evaluation in areas of concern should be completed within 60 days. The evaluation will help
determine whether the child needs special education or other services, however to make a
placement, they must receive parental consent again. After the evaluation, a
multidisciplinary team meets to determine whether the child has a disability, and if, as a
result of that, they need special education or other services. If the parents do not agree with
the decision of the multidisciplinary team, they may seek an outside evaluation.

2. What are prereferral interventions? Describe response to intervention (RTI) as a

multitiered model of prevention. Does RTI reduce referrals to special education? Is it
effective?

Prerefferal interventions occur before a referral. If a teacher notices a child struggling with
school, a multidisciplinary team creates a plan to try before possibly making an evaluation
referral. The team decides on alternative, evidence- based ways of learning for the child
based on that child’s information. This plan is then put into action, and a referral for special
education is made only if the child continues struggling. Many states complete this in the
form of response to intervention (RTI). RTI consists of three tiers. In tier 1, all students are
screened to see who may be at risk of school failure, all students are given evidence-based
instructions, and their progress is evaluated weekly. In the case where a student is at risk,
and they are not benefiting from tier 1, they move to tier 2. In tier 2, instruction is increased,
and in the form of small groups rather than the entire class, and their progress monitoring is
increased. If they do benefit from tier 2, they move back to tier 1. If they do not benefit, then
a multidisciplinary team convenes, they are given an evaluation, and an IEP is created. The
team may decide to move them to tier 3, in which case they follow IEP, receive intervention
from a special education professional, and are monitored frequently. If they benefit from this,
the multidisciplinary team meets to decide which tier they should be. Advocates of RTI claim
it will reduce referrals to special education, as it ensures students are given adequate
instruction. It is difficult to know for sure if it is effective though, as few large systematic
studies have been conducted.

3. What is an IEP? What must be included in the IEP? Who must be part of the IEP
team? Explain why the IEP should be written before a placement decision is made.
An individualized education program (IEP) is a plan, created by a multidisciplinary team,
detailing how an exceptional student will receive their education. The IEP must include the
students current level of academic achievement and functional performance, academic and
functional annual goals that are in line with the general education curriculum, a
measurement plan for annual goals and a report schedule for progress on those goals, a
description of the special education, services, and aids the student will receive, all of which
should be supported by peer-reviewed research, and a description of how the students
standardized achievement assessments will be handled (including whether they will need
accommodations or an alternative assessment , and why). The multidisciplinary team is
made up of the parents of the student, a regular education teacher, a special education
teacher, a representative of the local educational agency, someone qualified to interpret the
instructional implication of evaluation results, sometimes the student, and other individuals
the parents or local educational agency select do to their knowledge about the student. An
IEP is legally required to be made before a placement decision is made, and it likens the
chance that the student is getting what they need rather than what is readily available.
4. What is an individualized family service plan (IFSP)? What is included in an IFSP?
An IFSP is similar to an IEP in that it is a plan of services a child will receive, but it is for
children of up to 6 years old, and it involves the family more. It includes the child’s initial
development levels (physical, cognitive, communication, psychosocial, and adaptive
behavior), a statement about the family in relation to the child’s development (their
strengths, resources, concerns, and priorities), the expected major outcomes for the child
and their family, a description of the early intervention services (frequency, intensity, and
methods), a statement of the natural environments the services will be provided or why they
will not be provided in natural environments, when the services will begin and their expected
duration, who the service coordinator responsible for implementing the IFSP will be, a
transition plan to public school preschool services, and written consent from parents.

5. What is transition to adulthood? What are transition plans, and what purpose do they
serve?
Transition to adulthood is the transition from high school to jobs, vocational training
programs, or college. As many disabled people struggle with this transition, transition plans
are required for exceptional children 16 or older. This serves the purpose of helping them
not become unemployed or have lower quality of life outcomes.

6. Describe each of these settings on the continuum of alternative placements: the

general education classroom; resource room; self-contained classroom; day school;
hospital or homebound instruction; and residential school. Explain how specialization
increases along the continuum.

A disabled student may remain in the general education classroom if the general
education teacher understands their needs and is able to meet them or collaborate
with someone else to meet them. The student could also be a part of a resource
room, while the student would still remain in the general classroom, the specialization
increases since they would also regularly meet with a resource teacher, as would
their general education teacher to improve their teaching strategy. The self-contained
classroom further increases specialization, as the student would mostly be with other
disabled students all day, and they will mostly be taught by a special education
teacher. A day school contains only disabled students, who often all fit within a
specific category, increasing specialization by ensuring students all have a similarity.
In a hospital or homebound instruction education model, a student is confined to the
hospital or home, usually for a short time, and a teacher from there remains in
contact with the general education teacher. A residential school is the most
specialized of the options, as the student has 24 hour care and is distanced from
their community.

7. What is the least restrictive environment (LRE)? How is the notion of the LRE
compatible with normalization?
LRE legally requires that disabled students should be placed in the most normal
circumstances possible, and not be unnecessarily separated from non disabled students or
family. It is compatible with normalization as it ensures disabled students are given the
same education as non disabled students whenever possible, and they are not treated
differently than non disabled students if it is not required.

8. What is inclusion? Describe the four methods to help students with disabilities
participate in the general education classroom.

Inclusion within education means that disabled students are taught in the same environment
as non disabled students. In order for teachers to help make that happen, they can use
collaborative consultation, in which they receive advice from special education teachers or
psychologists. They can also use co-teaching in which they have a special education
teacher to also work with students alongside them. They can also use curricula and
instructional strategies, including small groups, peer tutoring, or partial participation. Another
option is instructional accommodations and adaptations, which may include making
modifications to assignments.

9. Describe expectations for all educators and for special educators?

All educators are required to put full effort towards accommodating each students needs,
they must also evaluate the students academic abilities and disabilities as part of the RTI
process. They also are required to document all failed efforts they made before referring to
special education and they have to be willing to cooperate with other services in order to
assess whether a child needs special education services. In the case that the student does,
the teacher needs to be involved in the making of a written IEP, during this process they
must stay in contact with the child’s parents, and be willing to participate in due process
hearings or negotiations with them. They also need to be willing to collaborate with other
services or educators the student is utilizing. A special education teacher is also required to
be able to use evidence-based practices effective in handling the child’s unique needs, and
they should be equipped to manage behavioral issues that may come from disabled
students. Since technology may be unique for disabled students, the special educator must
be able to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages in technological advancements.
They must also have a comprehensive understanding of special education laws in order to
advocate for their students.

10. What is Universal Design and Universal Design for Learning (UDL)?
Universal design makes things more accessible for as many people as possible, Universal
Design for Learning applies that principle to a classroom, so classroom material becomes
more accessible.

11. Explain how standards-based reforms impact students with disabilities.

The standards-based reforms require all students to complete standardized testing, but
students with disabilities may have accommodations. This impacts students with disabilities
because they are expected to be close to average in certain skills with their non disabled
peers. To get them there, it may take more time than it would their peers, so it may take
away time from their learning of other subjects.