ABL202

I need a response to each discussion. ONE PARAGRAPH FOR EACH OF THESE SECTION B1 – B2 – D1 - D2 – E1 – E2 – F1 – F2 )

WEEK B

SECTION B1

Jessica Marshall Edited · Mon Aug 21, 2023 at 4:42 pm

According to the video and text provided, originally access to education for most students were

denied. These students were housed in state institutions. Furthermore, states had laws in place

forbidding students with certain disabilities to attend school. However, in 1974 Act 94- 142 (The

education for all handicap children act). was put in place. This act afforded students a chance at

the same education that general population students were afforded, but in their least restrictive

environment. No longer isolating and or hiding people with disabilities. The laws did not stop

there but kept evolving. In 1990 students were introduced to Transition support, this law assisted

students with transition to post-secondary school or assistant living for those with disabilities. In

1997 the law was amended again this time to ensure that students with disabilities were educated

equally as the students in the general ed classroom setting. In 2004 the amendment to IDEA

increased local and state accountability for educating students with disabilities.

Contrary to one’s beliefs all teachers are responsible for complying with IDEA laws. It is almost

impossible to teach a child with disabilities without knowing what their needs are and how they

can be met. It is imperative that all teachers are aware of the accommodations that identifying

students need to help make them successful.

The Child Find strategies discussed in the text are used to ensure children with special needs are

identified are IEPS. IEPS are Individualized Education Program; this program addresses the child

and their abilities. This should describe to the best of your ability the needs of the whole child.

This addresses the student performance levels, goals, accommodations, and evaluations.

SECTION B2

Sonja Jones Mon Aug 21, 2023 at 7:57 pm 1. After over 45 years of implementing Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), according to the video/text, what are various ways the law has evolved to best meet the individual needs and success of students with disabilities? The various ways that the law has evolved is by enacting the IDEA law that provides public education to children with disabilities. The children were allowed to attend class with other children. Being able to attend school with other children gave them the freedom to learn, gain new friends and showcase their brilliance. It also showed others that being disable was not a stumbling block to a child talent and disability does not take away a child’s ability to become a productive citizen. Many have graduated, gained employment and are able to take care of themselves with minimal assistant. As a result of this law, many of these children have gone on to change the world such as world-famous physicist Stephen Hawking who is famous for his “Big Bang, black hole theory, and other theories also wrote a bestselling book and starred in “Star Trek: The Next Generation. The law continues to improve and mandates that disable children should have the same opportunity as non-disable children. 2. Are the general education teacher and special education teacher responsible for complying with IDEA laws? Why or why not? Both teachers must comply with the IDEA because is a federal mandated law that supports special education and related services for children. Not abiding by the law is also considered a form of discrimination and a violation of the law which can result in fines another charge.

3. What Child Find strategies discussed in the text are used to ensure children with special needs are identified?

“Public notification must be given before any significant Child Find activities are implemented. An IEP is a strategy that is used to identify children with special needs. Also, public announcements through local media (newspaper, television, radio), meetings with private and home school representatives, community service fairs, parent mentors, and collaboration with other public agencies such as the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, Georgia Department of Family and Children’s Services, and Georgia Department of Public Health and their local partners or offices. LEAs may also utilize their websites as a means for disseminating Child Find information. Regardless of the methods employed, LEAs must conduct comprehensive Child Find activities. In addition, during the annual timely and meaningful consultation with representatives from private and home schools, LEAs are required to inform them of the LEA’s Child Find procedures. See 34 C.F.R. § 300.134(a). For children transitioning from the Babies Can’t Wait program, the identification and evaluation of those children must follow the 60-day timeline for initial evaluations, and the IEPs must be implemented by the third birthday. Early identification and timely evaluation of children with disabilities facilitate a smooth transition into the public LEA for these children. For children not transitioning from the Babies Can’t Wait program, LEAs must follow the 60-day timeline for initial evaluations; however, the IEPs are not required to be implemented by the child’s third birthday.”

WEEK D

SECTION D1 Trenton Sutton Mon Sep 4, 2023 at 9:07 am 1. The main functions of the student support team are to identify and assess students with special needs. An education plan is made for the students and is monitored by the student support team while it is being carried out.

a) All public schools in the state of Georgia are required to have a student support team by federal judicial order.

b) Principal, general education teacher, special education teacher, social worker, school psychologist.

2. Its primary function is to identify and predict the various educational supports that students may need.

a) MTSS is a service for all students, not just special education. However, the amount and type of support given depends on the specific needs of students.

b) There are three tiers: tier 1 is core instruction, tier 2 is some intervention, tier 3 is intensive intervention.

c) Students are not locked into a specific tier for their entire academic lives. A student might be in tier one for reading comprehension for many years, but eventually require some extra assistance. Using data collected on student academic performance, that student can be moved to tier 2 for reading comprehension for the necessary amount of time.

SECTION D2 Elizabeth Bruin Tue Sep 5, 2023 at 10:34 am The Student Support Team (SST) is defined as an interdisciplinary group that uses a systematic process to address learning and/or behavior problems of students K-12. “The Student Support Team is a joint effort of regular education and special education to identify and plan alternative instructional strategies for children prior to or in lieu of a special education referral. Each building level team is comprised of such persons as administrator, classroom teacher, requesting teacher, special education teacher, counselor, school psychologist, special education resource person, school social worker or central office personnel…This interdisciplinary group which plans for modification in a student’s education program shall engage in a six step process to include: (1) identification of needs, (2) assessment, if necessary, (3) educational plan, (4) implementation, (5) follow-up and support, and (6) continuous monitoring and evaluation. The Student Support Team functions under the auspices of regular education curriculum services and is based upon the child study team concept. “Requests for service for the student from the

Student Support Team may include curriculum modification, learning style assessment, behavior management techniques, achievement evaluation, home-school communication, or study skill assistance.”

The SST shall include at a minimum the referring teacher and at least two of the following participants, as appropriate to the needs of the student: 1. Principal. 2. General education teacher. 3. Counselor. 4. Lead teacher. 5. School psychologist. 6. Subject area specialist. 7. ESOL teacher. 8. Special education teacher. 9. School social worker. 10. Central office personnel. 11. Section 504 coordinator.

The MTSS is a data-driven prevention system used to identify and predict the various educational supports that students may need it is not a service rendered under special education. It uses assessment (Screening and Progress Monitoring) to identify and predict students who may be at risk of poor learning outcomes or who experience behavioral concerns that impact learning. This is an initiative that supports ALL students, including students with disabilities. The RTi process is broken down into three tiers:

Tier 1: Primary Level of Prevention – Instruction/Core Curriculum.

Tier 2: Secondary Level of Prevention-Intervention.

Tier 3: Tertiary Level of Prevention-Intensive Intervention.

A systemic, collaborative problem-solving process is used to generate recommendations that are targeted to the student’s learning or behavior problem. These recommendations, which include a specific academic and/or behavior plan, are documented in SST records and provided to the student’s teacher(s) and/or others to implement with the student. The team then meets periodically to review the student’s progress monitoring data and determine the need for continuing, modifying, or concluding the intervention (e.g., increase time, additional supports). The more at-risk a student is of failing, or the more serious the behavior problem it is, the more intensive the intervention will be.

WEEK E

SECTION E1 Jana Curl Tue Sep 12, 2023 at 6:17 pm 1 There is a variety of information and data needed when determining student eligibility for an IEP. First, it is important for the school psychologist, or someone similar, to present historical information on the student. This should include general information about the student as well as their documented case history. Also necessary to the eligibility determination process is a report from the interventionist to share screening scores and data gathered prior to the referral. The interventionist should also share any results/data gleaned from progress monitoring that was done. Any benchmark or state testing results are also shared in the determination meeting to see how the student’s skills measure against peers. Information from the classroom teacher is important to consider when making the determination of eligibility. How does the student perform in class, are they motivated, what is their attendance like, etc.

2 The IEP team must include the following individuals: Parent of the student, Special Education Teacher, LEA, General Education Teacher and the interventionist or someone qualified to report relevant data. 3 As a new lead Special Education teacher I was glad to get to see an eligibility meeting example. I have yet to be able to sit in on or be included in one. My primary impression of the process is elated. Elated to see how well it works when you have a team assembled on the child’s behalf to ensure they are set up to be successful and achieve academically. I can certainly see how important solid data collection is to the process. Having reliable information, work samples and progress monitoring data is crucial in helping to show evidence that a student needs an IEP. I really liked how they started the discussion by hearing from the parent. The parent is the most important person there advocating on behalf of their child. Their input and insights are not to be overlooked when determining eligibility. Even though benchmark and state tests are part of the consideration process it is only a small part of the data reviewed. It truly seems that the team assembled looks at the whole child including their strengths, challenges and needs. 4 The parent does have the right to reschedule an IEP meeting. Sufficient notice and informing of parental rights are also required. A parent can be involved by giving consent to the screening process so that their child can potentially qualify for an IEP. Parent feedback regarding what might be happening personally with their child can also be beneficial to understanding a lack of gains in academic performance. This kind of feedback allows the team to see the child beyond the school walls. Additionally, the parent can speak to their child’s history in a certain subject, perhaps they have always struggled? Or it could be a struggle with a transition? The parent can also share information regarding any diagnoses that the child might have as well as any developmental delays or milestones that were not achieved at the typical age. This is especially important for younger students who might not yet have a history in the school system.

SECTION E2 Trenton Sutton Edited · Tue Sep 12, 2023 at 6:39 pm 1. Achievement tests, aptitude/cognitive functioning, parent input, teacher recommendations, physical condition, social/cultural background, adaptive behavior, communication/language, observations by teacher and related service providers

2. Parent(s), one special ed teacher, one regular ed teacher, principal or principal designee (someone who has knowledge of district resources and general curriculum, someone who is able to provide or supervise specially designed instruction)

3. I noticed that it was very collaborative. There were multiple different faculty members present and all of them were able and willing to contribute to the meeting. The classroom teacher had all of the expected levels of mastery present so that she could compare those to where the student currently is. The members who were there had direct experience either teaching the student or observing the student in class. They also scheduled a follow up meeting

to communicate the decisions that were made about the student's education. I have not been a part of an IEP meeting.

4. Yes the parent can reschedule since they are one of the members included in the minimum IEP team. Parents can participate in person, video conference, or phone call with team.

WEEK F

SECTION F1 Megan Wright Today at 8:02 pm 1.Four components of an IEP that are not included in a 504 plan are:

 The child’s present levels of academic and functional performance

 Annual education goals for the child and how the school will track progress.

 The timing of services.

 How the child will be included in general education classes and school activities.

2. LRE decisions not only change for students moving grade levels but can also shift for students whenever it becomes clear that their current setup isn't serving their needs or isn't the best fit for their learning. The bottom line is to make sure a student's educational placement revolves around what they specifically require and can do, while aiming to give them the best shot at making academic strides. Considerations can change if the student’s parents request an IEP meeting to discuss their concerns or propose changes in the student's placement that they feel are necessary. Another change in LRE consideration could be caused by the annual IEP review if the team determines that a change may need to take place based on the data collected.

SECTION F2 Brian Evans Today at 6:34 pm Components of an IEP that are not included in a 504 plan:

1. Specific educational curriculum- 504 covers how the student will have access to learning and modification to learning environment without getting into the specifics of an individualized curriculum. IEP offers a curriculum more specific to the individual.

2. Independent educational evaluation- IEP gives parents the right to a free independent educational evaluation offered by an outside entity.

3. The team that creates the plan for an IEP must contain more specialized members including, but not limited to, a school psychologist and and a district representative with special education service authority. The rules for who needs to be on the team are less stringent with a 504 plan.

4. Annual education goals. 5. Timing of services. 6. Modifications to what the child is expected to learn. 7. How the child will be included in general education services.

2: A continuum of services must be provided from one grade level to the next. However, any changes in in the considerations must be addressed by committee based on the childs current needs before any change is made. This does make some sense as a child's needs can and most likely will change as they grow. Some children may lose hearing or eyesight gradually over time, for example.