What are the roles and responsibilities for all teachers in a classroom?
To perform the contractual obligations of their contract and terms of employment. To teach and a help students to grow. To continue to better yourself as a teacher.
What are the roles and responsibilities for teachers of students with exceptional needs?
To perform the contractual obligations of their contract and terms of employment. To teach and a help students to grow. To continue to better yourself as a teacher.
What is inclusion? Inclusion means that everyone belongs but it is often used only in the context of educational settings, or including students with exceptional needs into a “regular” classroom. A question that often arises is; what are the benefits of inclusionary settings? Please outline in a few sentences how you would describe an inclusive setting to someone who is not an educator {for example, a parent}.
An Inclusive setting is one in which all students learn together and all students are given the same opportunities as every other student, regardless of any special needs they may have.
2.
Identification of students with exceptional needs in Alberta. In order to determine whether a learner requires the services of special education, what decision-making would be undertaken at the school level? Please skim the Alberta Education document Special Education Standards to note what steps would need to be taken. Record your information in bullets or as a chain of events.
School boards must:
a. develop and implement written procedures for early identification,
referral and assessment of students with special education needs
b. involve parents and, when appropriate, students in the screening,
identification and referral process
c. request information from parents that is relevant to students’
education when students enter the education system
d. provide information to school staff and parents that describes
characteristics used to identify special education needs of students in
one or more of the following areas:
• physical
• behavioural, i.e., social/adaptive
• communicational
• cognitive/intellectual
• academic
e. make available, as early as possible, training for staff that will
enhance the school board’s ability to identify and program for
students with special education needs
f. develop or utilize formal and informal checklists, screening tools
and/or standardized assessments that will assist in the early
identification of students.
3.
Four key areas are defined within the Special Education Standards document: access, appropriateness, accountability, and appeals.
· What is the meaning of each of the four terms (see the upper section of each page)?
· What does this mean for you as a teacher?
Access
Students with special education needs are entitled to have access in a school
year to an education program in accordance with the School Act. Students
with special education needs receive adapted or modified programming that
enables and improves learning.
To me this mean students with special needs need special help and need to have access to that special help.
Appropriateness
Educational programming and services are designed around the assessed
needs of students and are provided by qualified staff who are knowledgeable
and skilled.
To me this means students who receive special help for their needs should have help from people qualified to help their specific needs.
Accountability
Accountability is the obligation to answer for the execution of one’s assigned
responsibilities.
To me this means you as a teacher must do what your contract and terms of employment state.
Appeals
Timely, fair and open processes protect the rights of students and parents and
address differences of opinion about the education of students with special
education needs.
To me this means that students and parents have a right to have input about a students education.
4.
Who are the children who are considered to be students with special needs in Alberta schools? You may be surprised with how some of the statistics “cluster” around particular categories of exceptionalities.
· Please list the top 4 categories (grades 1-12) and note 2 categories that have decreased over the past few years. Referring back to the Coding Criteria – briefly define each of these (6) exceptionalities.
· Briefly note your prediction as to why there has been an increase in some areas of exceptionality and a decrease in other areas (2-3 sentences).
Top 4
54-Learning Disability - A problem which alters information processing when learning.
42-Severe Emotional/Behavioural Disability – A problem controlling behavior and emotions. (ie. Outburst, Anger problems)
51-Mild Cognitive Disability – A mild problem with cognitive information processing and retrieval.
80-Gifted and Talented – A student with higher then normal abilities to process information.
2 that have decrease
54-Learning Disability - A problem which alters information processing when learning
80-Gifted and Talented – A student with higher then normal abilities to process information.
I believe it is due to medical technology and advances in science that have helped decrease some. Then ignorance about new technology and food processing that effects children’s growth that has caused increases others. Children watching too much tv and playing on computers. Preservatives and new ingredients to foods. This is my opinion.
6.
Open the IPP document you just downloaded. Read the twelve essential elements required within an IPP? (See page 24 within the PDF).
· List these twelve essential items within your blog (you may copy as well).
Essential Information
The Standards for Special Education, Amended June 2004 requires that the
following essential information be included in the IPP:
• assessment data (diagnostic assessment data used to determine special
education programming and services)
• current level of performance and achievement
• identification of strengths and areas of need
• measurable goals and objectives
• procedures for evaluating student progress
• identification of coordinated support services
• relevant medical information
• required classroom accommodations
• transition plans
• formal review of progress at regularly scheduled reporting periods
• year-end summary
• parent signature to indicate informed consent.
7.
Read pages 28 to 34, which provides some detail on each of the above essential elements.
· Give your own example of a strength, an area of need and a measurable goal based on the reading and examples provided.
· Give one example of an accommodation strategy.
Strength – Is very creative and like to write stories
Weakness – Has trouble focusing on activities he does not enjoy.
Measurable Goal – Student will be able to complete homework in a troubling subject every night for a week.
Accommodation strategy – student will be asked to come every day during week for a brief homework session with the teacher.
9.
Very briefly browse the remainder of the document (very briefly as it is HUGE).
· Find a chapter that you find most relevant.
· Give one example of a strategy you feel is most salient to you.
Chapter 6
Use a collaborative process
• Educate parents and students about the benefits of using
accommodations. Be honest about the difficulties students may
encounter.
• Involve relevant specialists in selecting appropriate accommodations
based on their knowledge of students’ strengths and areas of need, and
the demands of the setting.
• Ask parents and students about their preferences regarding
accommodations. Respect parents’ and students’ opinions and attitudes
toward accommodations. If the student is not comfortable with an
accommodation, it is important to revisit his or her strengths and
supports, and then brainstorm alternative accommodations that the
student will commit to trying for a period of time before the next review
meeting.
There is a saying that goes “It takes a village to raise a child”. I believe this is true, it is not and should not be the solo responsibility of anyone person to help a child gorw, develop, and learn. That is why the use of a collaborative process is important to me.
