Graduation Speech : Special Education Program

The IEP is created by a group of individuals who play an important role in the student’s success. Those that should be involved in the creation of the IEP are the parents of the students, at least one regular education teacher of the student, at least one special education teacher, a representative of the LEA who is able to supervise the plans, someone who is able to interpret evaluation results (may be someone already on the team), any other person who has knowledge about the student, and whenever possible, the student with the disability (Gibb & Dyches, 2016). The evaluation results will be used to decide the child’s eligibility for special education and related services and to make decisions about an appropriate educational program for the child. Once the student is tested and determined eligible for services the IEP must be written.

Every student has a right to receive a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) in a least restricted environment (LRE). An education is a right not a privilege, with that in mind, a student with a disability should be given the opportunity to begin their educational journey in the general education classroom. What if the their journey can not be achieved in the general education setting? Administrators, teachers, and all Individual Education Plan (IEP) team members must give reason as to why the LRE will not be effective and constitutes the main subject of discussion in the IEP meeting.

These families may have moved to the United States from a foreign country and are unfamiliar with the education system or some may hold different values about education. Many families from different countries are not aware of the special education process and enter an IEP meeting expecting the usual parent-teacher conference and instead are overwhelmed by the large amount of professionals in one room. These parents could greatly benefit from receiving background information or watching a video explaining the process before attending their first IEP meeting (Lo, 2012).

Throughout my life, I feel as though I have had many encounters with special education. Growing up, my grandmothers close friend had a daughter that had down syndrome. She was extremely sweet and loved company. Her parents had six other children who were grown and lived on their own. However, she lived at home with her parents her whole life. In elementary school, I do not remember many encounters with special education students. I do remember some kids being taken out of my class for part of the day, but that was my only experience during that time.

In 1991 the Public Law 94-142, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act was replaced by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. This law was passed to provide free and appropriate public education to every child with a disability. It requires that each child with a disability “have access to the program best suited to that child’s special needs which is as close as possible to a normal child’s educational program” (Martin, 1978). The Individualized education program (IEP) was developed to help provide a written record of students’ needs and procedures for each child that receives special education services. The IEP will list all the services to be provided, the student's performance level, academic performance, and

Every fall, millions of students return to school to learn about math and science, English and history, every weekday until summer finally returns. Year after year, the same fundamental classes return and, time after time, seem to faintly impact the students. Schools have been designed so you learn the same information, slightly more in depth, from kindergarten to senior year. What about topics that would further the student in their future after graduation? Schools emphasize the same core subjects throughout the years, but not the real life obstacles millions of millions of people face. What if schools required classes on survival, job interviewing skills, studying, how to pass the SAT- all classes which would further students in their

The special education teacher is in charge of informing the family on when and where the Individualized Education Program will take place. The family of the student will discuss the necessary content of the individual’s program, how reports will be received to express the child’s progress, and who will be included within the Individualized Education Program team. There will also be considerations in the development of the program, the specific role of the regular education teacher, and the requests of review and revision of the Individualized Education Program. Overall, the family plays a huge role in developing the Individualized Education Program and the parent’s consent must be obtained in order for the IEP to go forward or even be altered.

Prior to 1975, no federal requirements existed for students with disabilities to attend school, or requirements for schools to attempt to teach students with disabilities (Salvia, Yesseldyke, & Bolt, 2013, p. 25). However, upon the enactment of several federal laws, such as Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and No Child Left Behind (NCLB), student with disabilities received access to free, appropriate public education which in turned required students with disabilities to participate in statewide assessments. According to Public Law 94-142 (now included in IDEA), it requires an individual education program (IEP) for students with disabilities. As part of the IEP, it contains items such as present levels of academic achievement and functional performance, measurable annual goals, criteria of progress, special education and related services as well as documenting any necessary accommodations needed for statewide assessments. The author provides a comparison of statewide assessments including items such as participation, accommodations and types of assessments between the states of Texas and Massachusetts.

The student’s present level of academic performance and functional performance and a statement of how the disability affects the student’s involvement and progress in the general education curriculum. Preschool children must have a statement explaining how the disability affects the child’s participation in appropriate activities.

While in conversation I came to learn that parents have a major role because they are the advocate for their child and they have a common right to be a part of IEP meetings. Not limited to making decisions on how the student will be taught and where they will be taught. Mrs. Mangum stated, “Every school has a special education

“The IEP, Individualized Education Program, is a document that is developed for each public school child who is eligible for special education” The IEP describes how the student learns, how the student best demonstrates that learning and what teachers and service providers will do to help the student learn more effectively. When developing an IEP the team will consider how their students specific disability affects their learning and come up with goals and objectives that will accommodate those needs and place the student in the least restrictive environment to achieve the goals and

Although knowledge provided by textbooks is essential, being able to receive advice from someone whose daily life is spent teaching and interacting with students with exceptionalities is also very valuable. When I asked for advice that would be helpful for new teachers who will work with students with special needs, I received a plethora of suggestions. Ms. Moos said that a new teacher needs to have high expectations for all students, including those with exceptionalities. She also said that it is important to keep in contact with special education teachers and the students’ parents. The one piece of advice that stood out to me was to no believe everything within an IEP. Ms. Moos said this with caution. She noted that the information provided within an IEP is important and useful, but if not read with proper thoughtfulness one may understand the student differently than they may be. To combat such a situation, Ms. Moos, first, recommended that we get to know the student first before we judge them based on their IEP. She also suggested that the circumstances in which the parts of the IEP were based on may be different than circumstances a student could currently be in. This piece of advice, along with tips, gave me a new perspective on approaching an IEP.

School districts are financially struggling and looking for ways to save money. One of the methods that they have implemented is to decrease the number of students in Special Education classes by using inclusion, also called mainstreaming, by having the students included in general education classes. A districts Average Per Pupil Expenditure (APPE) can vary significantly for Special Education. The services are defined in each student’s Individual Education Plan (IEP). Whereas one student’s IEP might mandate a single service, another may require several services and accommodations that involve multiple teachers, specialists, personal aides as well as additional meetings. Inclusion of special education students, in public schools, is more costly to school districts and is not effective enough to justify the cost.

Executing an effective IEP meeting requires multiple elements, as various key stakeholders are involved within the process. As a special education program specialist I have daily opportunities to participate in an Individualized Education Plans (IEPs). Typically, my involvement is stemmed from high profile cases in which litigation is anticipated or has transpired within the past. My role is to represent the district and aid in the development of an appropriate offer of a free and appropriate public education (FAPE). In addition, I aid in the facilitation of IEP meetings that seek to education students with disabilities in the least restrictive environments (LRE). I provide detailed descriptions of various program options that are

In all schools, decisions related to special education are made by an Individualized Education Program team. After a student has been identified as “eligible for special education services,” the IEP team, with the student and parents, develops a program to provide the student with access to the curriculum and supports that will enable them to succeed. Whether special needs students are taught in general classrooms, or exclusively, is dependent solely on the school in which they attend. However, public charter schools, on average, serve more of their students with disabilities in general education classrooms. Therefore, some academic researchers are quite skeptical regarding the extent to which charter schools are failing to provide services. Herron High School has undergone such skepticism.