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Understanding Special Education Paper Assignment
EDLC 510
Isiah L. Paschal
Liberty University
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For any K-12 Instructor, we receive a wide range of students from different cultural and
academic backgrounds. Special Education is a unique level of instruction that is no cost to
parents and meets the needs of student(s) with a disability. Special education is a way for all
students to achieve their growth and academic goals. If you think about the scripture in Jeremiah
29:11, “ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to
harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” It reminds you that all children, include those
with disabilities have a plan carefully. Crafted by God. General Education teachers must
remember that even though these students may be a little “different” they deserve a quality
education just like everyone else.
There was once a point in time that children with disabilities were expected to perform on
the same level as those without disabilities. When IDEA was created, originally as Education of
Handicapped Children Act in 1975 it aimed to support children with disabilities and services that
support them. “The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is the federal law that
supports special education and related service programming for children and youth with
disabilities. It was originally known as the Education of Handicapped Children Act, passed in
1975. In 1990, amendments to the law were passed, effectively changing the name to IDEA. In
1997 and again in 2004, additional amendments were passed to ensure equal access to education.
(University of Washington, 2022)”. IDEA was a way for students with disabilities to have
entitlements to the services that will aid in their development. FAPE and LRE both fall under
IDEA and they play a key factor in supporting Children with disabilities. FAPE stands for “Free
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and Appropriate public education and it supports the financial aspect in special education. When
students need services to aid them, the public school provides the services that will help them.
FAPE takes the financial stress out of the parents. LRE stands for “Least Restrictive
Environment” and it involves all students with special needs must be educated with their peers as
much as possible with all the necessary services. Additionally, these same students have access
to the same general education curriculum as their peers (Include NYC, 2021).
Students with disabilities come in many different forms. Though you may have some that
highly functional, you may also have some that are functional low. Many different
characteristics that a student may display can result in them receiving special education services.
As stated by the Learning Disabilities Association of American students qualifying for services
are but not limited to:
The child does not achieve commensurate with his or her age and ability levels in one or
more of the areas listed below, if provided with learning experiences appropriate for the
child’s age and ability levels; and
The child has a severe discrepancy between achievement and intellectual ability in one or
more of the following areas: Oral expression; listening comprehension; written
expression; basic reading skill; reading comprehension; mathematics calculation;
mathematics reasoning, and/or a presented portfolio, and/or teacher reports on daily work
which shows academic performance is not in an acceptable range and the learning
processing disability can be seen or it was stated (Learning Disability Association of
America, 2024).
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The type of services that special education students receive are but not limited to speech-
language pathology and audiology services, psychological services, social work services in
schools and parent counseling and training (Center for Parent Information and Resources,
2017). There is a large range of services for the different type of disabilities and more will
continue to be developed.
There are so many different types of delivery styles for students receiving special
education services. When delivering services, the instructor must use the proper environment
that the student will succeed in. When determining the delivery method, the instructor must
consider how often will the service be delivered, how long will the sessions be, where it will
be located and when these services will happen (State Charter Schools Commission of
Georgia, 2024). One type of environment that a student may receive their services is in the
general education environment. Usually, when students are receiving services in a general
education environment, they may have a co-teacher or paraprofessional working closely with
them. This allows the student to grow with his/her peers and receive additionally help if
needed. Another environment that a student will receive services can be in a small group
environment. Small group is an excellent environment for students that perform well in a
less stimulating environment. Lastly, students receiving services can receive them in
isolation. Isolation is a great environment for students to focus without the unnecessary
stimulation that they may receive in a general education environment. Some students may
have a hard time focusing with too much stimulation and as a result, isolation may be the best
environment (Vanderbilt University Iris Center, 2024).
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General education teachers already have a lot on their plate and when you include the
needs of the special education, it can be overwhelming. General education teachers need to
rely on their special education co-teacher by collaborating lessons to ensure that all students
are getting their needs met. Collaboration is a key responsibility for all general education
instructors if they want to be successful with their special education students. K-12
education should always be inclusive to all learners as stated by Sally M. Barton-Arwood
“both general and special education teachers have responsibilities for the education of diverse
learners (Barton-Arwood, 2017).” Collaboration is a great for the general and special
education teachers to work together in creating an inclusive learning environment for all
students. In addition to collaboration, teachers need to make sure they are monitoring the
progress of their students and keeping the parents informed. This role is basic role that every
teacher needs to follow but it serves more importance in special education. The reason that
special education needs to be closely model more is because many of these students have
IEPs, and the teacher must monitor and annotate the student’s progression. An IEP is an
“Individualize Education Plan” is a plan that empowers teacher to incorporate strategies that
aids in a student’s academic progression and personal growth (U.S. Department of
Education, 1975). Educators must continue to monitor their students and always keep their
parents involved.
Special Education has come a long way in providing the adequate services for these
students to succeed. Before the Education of Handicapped Children Act in 1975 was created,
students with disabilities were expected to perform on the same level of general education
without any services. Fortunately for now, students with disabilities can receive the
necessary services that can help them succeed. When students are identified for needing
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services, it’s important to then identify what type of service is needed and what environment
will the service take place in. Students can receive services in whole group, small group or
in isolation. Additionally, every educator needs to always remember that the parents need to
be included in every step. Parents are a key part in a student’s success and every teacher
needs to remember to include them in everything. Teaching students with disabilities can be
challenging but ultimately worth it in the end.
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Bibliography
Barton-Arwood, S. M. (2017). Collaboration of General and Special Education Teachers:
Perspectives and Strategies. Austin, Texas: Hammill Institute on Disabilities.
Center for Parent Information and Resources. (2017, November). Specifying Related Services in
the IEP. Retrieved from https://www.parentcenterhub.org/iep-relatedservices/
Include NYC. (2021, October 27). Federal Special Education Law. Retrieved from Include
NYC: https://includenyc.org/help-center/resources/federal-special-education-law/
Learning Disability Association of America. (2024). Eligibility: Determining Whether a Child is
Eligible for Special Education Services. Retrieved from Learning Disability Association
of America: https://ldaamerica.org/info/eligibility-determining-whether-a-child-is-
eligible-for-special-education-
services/#:~:text=The%20child%20has%20a%20severe,presented%20portfolio%2C%20
and%2For%20teacher
State Charter Schools Commission of Georgia. (2024). Special Education A Primer for New
Schools. State Charter Schools Commission of Georgia, 17.
U.S. Department of Education. (1975). A Guide to the Individualized Education Program.
Retrieved from U.S. Department of Education:
https://www2.ed.gov/parents/needs/speced/iepguide/index.html
University of Washington. (2022, May 24). What is the Individuals with Disabilities Education
Act? . Retrieved from University of Washington: https://www.washington.edu/doit/what-
individuals-disabilities-education-
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act#:~:text=It%20was%20originally%20known%20as,ensure%20equal%20access%20to
%20education.
Vanderbilt University Iris Center. (2024). Information Brief - Least Restrictive Environment
(LRE). Iris Center, 8.
