550

Fa26SPED550-01CurriculumDesignImplementationinSpecialEducation-10202026-1018PM.zip

Classroom Analysis and Planning Profile.docx

Classroom Analysis and Planning Profile

Purpose

Special education teachers design instruction differently depending on the educational setting in which they teach. Before creating your final lesson sequence, you will analyze a special education classroom setting and consider how student needs, instructional supports, and service delivery influence lesson planning.

For this assignment, you will select one of the provided case studies and identify the classroom setting that will serve as the foundation for your final project. This analysis will be used to guide your lesson planning throughout the remainder of the semester. The provided case studies describe classrooms in which all students have IEPs and require specially designed instruction.

Step 1: Select a Case Study

Choose ONE:

· ECSE Classroom Case Study

· Secondary Classroom Case Study

Step 2: Select a Classroom Setting

Choose ONE instructional setting:

· Self-Contained Classroom

· Resource Room

· Inclusive Classroom

· ECSE Classroom (if using the ECSE case study)

You may adapt the case study to fit your selected setting.

Step 3: Complete Your Classroom Analysis

Use the headings below.

1. Classroom Description

Describe the instructional setting.

Address:

· Grade level(s)

· Subject area(s)

· Type of classroom

· Approximate instructional structure

· Role of the special education teacher

(1 paragraph)

2. Student Needs Analysis

Select three students from the case study who will be the focus of your final project.

For each student:

· Summarize the disability-related needs

· Summarize the IEP goal

· Identify likely barriers to participation and learning

(Approximately 1 paragraph per student)

3. Anticipated Supports and Services

Describe the instructional supports you believe would be necessary within this classroom.

Examples include:

· Explicit instruction

· Visual supports

· Assistive technology

· Small-group instruction

· Behavior supports

· Communication supports

· Progress monitoring systems

· Paraprofessional support

Explain why these supports would be beneficial for this group of learners.

(1–2 paragraphs)

4. High-Leverage Practices Planning

Identify three High-Leverage Practices (HLPs) that you anticipate using frequently in your final lesson sequence.

For each HLP:

· Name the HLP

· Explain why it is important for this classroom

· Describe how it might appear during instruction

(1–2 paragraphs)

5. Challenges and Opportunities

Consider the realities of teaching in your selected setting.

Discuss:

· One instructional challenge

· One behavioral or management challenge

· One strength or opportunity within the classroom

Explain how these factors may influence your lesson planning.

(1 paragraph)

6. Initial Lesson Sequence Idea

Briefly describe the instructional topic you are considering for your final project.

Examples:

· Narrative writing

· Reading comprehension

· Functional mathematics

· Social-emotional learning

· Early literacy

· Vocabulary development

Include:

· Proposed topic

· Why it is appropriate for this classroom

· Potential Minnesota standard(s)

· Preliminary ideas for your three connected lessons

(1 paragraph)

Submission Requirements

· 2–4 pages

· APA formatting not required

· Headings required

· Submit as a Word document

Revised_SPED450_550_Case_Studies.docx

Final Project Case Studies for SPED 450/550

Purpose. These case studies are designed for use with the Final Project. Students will plan instruction for a special education classroom in which all students have IEPs. Students should select three focus students and design a three-lesson sequence that intentionally addresses at least one IEP goal for each selected student across the lesson sequence. Not every lesson must address every student goal.

Case Study 1: Ms. Thompson’s ECSE Classroom

Classroom Context

Ms. Thompson teaches a self-contained Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) classroom serving 12 children ages 3–5. All students have active IEPs and receive specially designed instruction. Instruction emphasizes play-based learning, early literacy, social-emotional development, communication, and school readiness skills.

Classroom Considerations: • Limited paraprofessional support during center rotations • Students demonstrate a wide range of communication abilities • Several students experience transition difficulties • Families vary in their level of school participation • Many students benefit from visual supports, routines, and explicit instruction

Ethan – Developmental Delay

Strengths: Enjoys hands-on activities and participates in small-group instruction.

Present Levels: Can trace simple shapes with moderate support; struggles with pencil grip and fine motor coordination.

Barrier to Learning: Difficulty completing writing and pre-academic tasks independently.

Baseline Data: Correctly traces shapes and letters in approximately 40% of opportunities.

Annual IEP Goal: Ethan will use adapted writing tools to trace shapes and letters with 80% accuracy in 4 out of 5 sessions.

Current Accommodations: Adapted writing tools, hand-over-hand prompting, visual models.

Lily – Speech-Language Impairment

Strengths: Socially interested in peers and responsive to visual supports.

Present Levels: Uses one- to two-word utterances during play activities.

Barrier to Learning: Limited expressive language affects participation and communication.

Baseline Data: Uses 3–4 word phrases in approximately 20% of structured opportunities.

Annual IEP Goal: Lily will use 3–4 word phrases during structured play activities in 4 out of 5 opportunities with visual prompts.

Current Accommodations: Picture supports, sentence starters, communication prompts.

Noah – Autism Spectrum Disorder

Strengths: Enjoys predictable routines and exploratory play.

Present Levels: Participates in parallel play for 1–2 minutes and needs adult support during transitions.

Barrier to Learning: Difficulty with transitions and peer interaction.

Baseline Data: Follows visual schedules independently in 50% of daily routines.

Annual IEP Goal: Noah will follow a visual schedule and engage in parallel play for 5 minutes in 3 out of 4 daily routines.

Current Accommodations: Visual schedule, transition warnings, structured routines.

Ava – Physical Disability

Strengths: Strong listening skills and engagement during group activities.

Present Levels: Uses adaptive seating and switch-activated technology to participate.

Barrier to Learning: Limited physical access to some classroom materials and activities.

Baseline Data: Independently uses switch technology in 60% of opportunities.

Annual IEP Goal: Ava will participate in circle time using a switch-activated device to respond to questions in 4 out of 5 sessions.

Current Accommodations: Adaptive seating, assistive technology, peer supports.

Sophia – Social-Emotional Delay

Strengths: Engages enthusiastically when regulated and supported.

Present Levels: Frequently becomes frustrated during group activities and transitions.

Barrier to Learning: Emotional regulation difficulties interfere with participation.

Baseline Data: Independently uses calming strategies in 25% of observed occurrences.

Annual IEP Goal: Sophia will use a calm-down strategy when frustrated in 4 out of 5 occurrences.

Current Accommodations: Calm-down area, visual emotion supports, sensory tools.

Potential Instructional Topics

Early Literacy, Math Readiness, Social-Emotional Learning, Science Exploration, Fine Motor Development

Case Study 2: Mr. Davis’s Secondary Resource English Classroom

Classroom Context

Mr. Davis teaches a secondary resource English Language Arts classroom serving students in grades 8–10. All students have IEPs and receive specially designed instruction in reading, writing, vocabulary development, and communication skills.

Classroom Considerations: • Students read across multiple instructional levels • Several students require intensive intervention and scaffolded support • Students demonstrate varying executive functioning and social communication needs • Progress monitoring data must be collected regularly to document IEP growth

Jordan – Specific Learning Disability (Reading Comprehension)

Strengths: Participates actively in discussion and demonstrates strong verbal reasoning.

Present Levels: Reads independently at approximately a 6th-grade instructional level.

Barrier to Learning: Difficulty identifying themes and supporting details in grade-level texts.

Baseline Data: Correctly identifies themes in approximately 40% of opportunities.

Annual IEP Goal: Jordan will identify theme and two supporting details in grade-level texts with 80% accuracy across 3 consecutive sessions.

Current Accommodations: Graphic organizers, guided notes, extended time.

Maya – ADHD

Strengths: Creative thinker who contributes during class discussions.

Present Levels: Often begins assignments but has difficulty sustaining attention and organizing written responses.

Barrier to Learning: Executive functioning and task-completion difficulties.

Baseline Data: Independently completes multi-step writing tasks in approximately 50% of opportunities.

Annual IEP Goal: Maya will use a graphic organizer to complete writing tasks with 90% accuracy in 4 out of 5 trials.

Current Accommodations: Graphic organizers, chunked assignments, frequent feedback.

Carlos – English Learner

Strengths: Strong background knowledge and willingness to participate.

Present Levels: Demonstrates intermediate English proficiency.

Barrier to Learning: Academic vocabulary limits comprehension and written expression.

Baseline Data: Correctly uses targeted academic vocabulary in 1 of every 4 assignments.

Annual IEP Goal: Carlos will use academic vocabulary in written responses with sentence frames in 3 out of 4 weekly assignments.

Current Accommodations: Sentence frames, vocabulary supports, visual aids.

Ella – Emotional Behavioral Disorder

Strengths: Strong opinions and leadership potential when supported appropriately.

Present Levels: Experiences difficulty during cooperative learning activities and peer conflict situations.

Barrier to Learning: Emotional regulation and social interaction challenges.

Baseline Data: Participates in group discussions without behavioral incidents in approximately 40% of opportunities.

Annual IEP Goal: Ella will use a self-monitoring checklist to participate in group discussions without verbal outbursts in 4 out of 5 opportunities.

Current Accommodations: Self-monitoring tools, structured discussion expectations, positive reinforcement.

Sam – Autism Spectrum Disorder

Strengths: Strong memory for factual information and routines.

Present Levels: Benefits from visual supports during social interactions.

Barrier to Learning: Difficulty initiating communication during collaborative activities.

Baseline Data: Independently contributes ideas to peer discussions in approximately 30% of opportunities.

Annual IEP Goal: Sam will contribute at least one idea during peer discussions using a visual prompt in 4 out of 5 sessions.

Current Accommodations: Visual prompts, conversation supports, structured peer interactions.

Potential Instructional Topics

Literary Analysis, Writing, Vocabulary Development, Research Skills, Speaking and Listening

Working Lesson Plan Template-3.docx

Special Education Lesson Plan Template

Date: Activity:

Target Students (Whole class or small group. Identify specific students who need differentiated instruction.)

Class/Group Demographics: (Different disabilities, abilities, male/female)

Lesson Objective ( What is the goal of the lesson/Which IEP goal/s are you working on?)

Grade Level Standard ( for each student):

Pre-requisite Standards: (One for each student if on different academic levels)

Baseline Data for each student: (Student prior knowledge of content - readiness for learning-measurable)

Academic Language: (Expressive and receptive language needs - What are they and what strategies you will use to address those needs. Language Demands (consider language function & task) describe the language demands (written or oral) students need to understand and/or use.)

Instructional Plan - Research ( Discuss evidence-based practices and include research. Which HLPs are you implementing in this lesson?) Comment by LeAnne Syring: Perfect-good thought! Comment by Michela Carattini: I think so, though they do not talk specifically about evidence based practices. It is a broad scope of practices that SPED teachers should utilize, so if we want to them label exactly what strategies they are using, we may want to keep it. Comment by LeAnne Syring: I like the instructional section better this way. Could the HLPs take the place of the research required since they are research practices? Comment by Michela Carattini: @[email protected] made some changes - thoughts? Comment by Donna Pettit: That sounds good. I like that idea. Donna Dr. Donna Pettit [email protected] ________________________________ Comment by LeAnne Syring: I am concerned that the I Do, We Do, You Do is only one teaching strategy. I would like to leave this section open--possibly titled 'teaching segment' and then the research component could be added explaining why they picked the particular strategy/HLP they are using for the particular lesson.

Evidence-Based Practice(s):

HLPs used with skills needed:

Examples

HLP 16: Use explicit instruction - will highlight essential content, anticipate common misconceptions by giving a pre-knowledge check, and strategically choose examples, non-examples, and language to facilitate understanding.

HLP 13: Adapt curriculum tasks and materials for specific learning goals - implement accommodations/modifications as needed based on student IEPs

HLP 17: Use flexible grouping - utilize small groups for tier 2 instruction

Instructional Plan - Sequence of Instruction (What and how - include academic language.)

Providing immediate positive feedback:

Providing multiple opportunities for students to respond and practice:

Differentiation (What types of differentiation strategies will be used?)

Accelerated students:

English Language Learners:

Students needing additional scaffolding:

IEP goals/objectives being met:

Progress Monitoring (Teacher assesses student progress. Include research data and data points.)

Informal assessments:

Formal assessments:

Classroom Management (What strategies are in place for active student engagement)

Positive support structures:

Tier 1 (whole group):

Tier 2 (small group):

Tier 3 (individual):

Applied UDL Strategies used:

Behavior management techniques/skills needed: (What verbal/non-verbal supports/strategies will you use? I.e. Corrective feedback, positive reinforcement, behavior specific praise, token economies or other tangible reward systems, etc.)

Final Project Guidelines SPED 550.docx

Final Project: Special Education Lesson Plan Unit

For your final project, you will design a sequence of three connected lesson plans for a special education classroom.

Students will select one of the provided classroom case studies and choose a specific educational setting:

· Resource Room

· Self-Contained Classroom

· Inclusive Special Education Classroom

· ECSE Classroom

Unlike many lesson-planning assignments that focus on a single student with an IEP, this assignment assumes that you are the special education teacher responsible for planning instruction for a classroom in which all students have IEPs and require individualized support.

You will use the student profiles provided in the case study when planning instruction and supports. Students should assume that all learners may require accommodations, modifications, scaffolded supports, explicit instruction, and ongoing progress monitoring.

Students must select three focus students from the case study. Across the three-lesson sequence, instruction must intentionally address at least one IEP goal for each selected student. Not every lesson is expected to directly address every student's IEP goal. However, all selected students must receive targeted instructional support across the three-lesson sequence.

That mirrors actual practice.

For example:

Lesson 1

Reading comprehension

Targets:

· Jordan

· Carlos

Lesson 2

Academic vocabulary and writing

Targets:

· Carlos

· Maya

Lesson 3

Essay organization and self-regulation

Targets:

· Maya

· Jordan

Now all students are incorporated across the sequence without forcing every lesson to do everything.

Project Requirements

Create a sequence of three connected lessons that build upon one another.

For each lesson, include:

Planning Components

· Minnesota Academic Standard

· Lesson objective

· Classroom setting selected

· Target student needs

· Academic language supports

High-Leverage Practices

Identify and explain:

· At least two HLPs used within the lesson

· How the HLPs support student learning

Differentiation

Describe:

· Accommodations

· Modifications

· Assistive technology supports

· UDL components

· Explicit instructional supports

Assessment

Include:

· Formative assessment

· Progress monitoring procedures

· Connection to IEP goals

Peer Review Process

Draft Submission

Students submit a draft of all three lesson plans.

Peer Review Assignment

Each student will review two classmates' projects.

Students will use the project rubric to provide feedback regarding:

· Alignment to standards

· Alignment to IEP goals

· Use of HLPs

· Differentiation strategies

· Assessments

· Professional quality

Feedback should be constructive, specific, and professional.

Final Submission

Students will revise their lesson sequence based on peer feedback and submit:

1. Final lesson sequence

2. Completed peer-review forms

3. Reflection on your overall experience. Please answer the following questions. This is double spaced with no minimum or maximum page, but please do not be vague! Use the bolded font as your headings:

Knowledge of HLPs

1. Which High-Leverage Practices were most prominent in your lesson sequence?

2. How has your understanding of these HLPs changed over the course of the program?

Application of HLPs

1. Describe how you intentionally integrated HLPs into lesson planning, instruction, differentiation, and assessment.

2. Which HLP was easiest to apply during lesson development? Why?

Confidence and Preparedness

1. How confident do you feel in your ability to implement these HLPs in your future classroom?

2. Which HLPs do you feel least prepared to implement? What additional preparation would be helpful?

Impact on Student Learning

1. How did consideration of IEP goals, accommodations, and student needs influence your use of HLPs?

2. In what ways do you believe the selected HLPs would improve student outcomes?

Program Reflection

1. Which course experiences most contributed to your ability to apply HLPs?

2. How has participation in this program influenced your readiness to implement evidence-based practices as a special educator?

Table of Contents.html

Fa26 SPED 550-01 Curriculum Design & Implementation in Special Education - WEEK 9: Understanding Special Education Classroom Contexts

1. Classroom Analysis and Planning Profile

2. Revised_SPED450_550_Case_Studies

3. Lesson Plan Template

4. Final Project Guidelines SPED 550