Severe Disabilities Assessment

The two options for identifying students with disabilities are RTI model and the IQ-Achievement discrepancy model. The RTI model is a multi-tiered approach to identifying students with disabilities. With this approach the amount of students who are identified as having a learning disability has decreased because of the support students receive at different tiers and it eliminates inadequate instruction as the reason for reading problems. Universal screening and high quality teaching is done for all students. Students who show that they need additional help receive tier 1 services where frequency and intensity increases. Students are monitored and receive research based instruction in the general education classroom. Some students may still struggle and have to receive more intensive and frequent service. Those students will receive supplemental support from an educational professional. Tier 3 services are provided to students who still struggle and need even more intensive service. Students may also qualify for special education services. The IQ-Achievement discrepancy model is used to determine if a disability is present. Standardized tests are used to eliminate low intellectual ablity as a determining cause for reading problems. With this model, a professional assess whether there is a discrepancy between a student’s scores on an iq test and scores obtained from areas

There are a few ways to try and minimize the label of disability placed unjustly on students due to diversity. When compiling individual assessments more extensive background information needs to be gathered pertaining to school attendance, family structure, cultural beliefs, household changes and moves, and medical, developmental, and educational histories (Ralabate, & Klotz, 2007). If there is a possible language barrier then a dual language assessment evaluation should be given. Also included in an individualized comprehensive evaluation is how a student responds to scientific evidence-based interventions.

The author performed two separate interviews face-to-face, selecting two individuals with different backgrounds in order to obtain unique perspectives. The first interviewee, named Jennifer Hodge, works for Allen ISD as a special education teacher for a self-contained DEAR (Developing Early Academics Readiness) class for students in kindergarten through sixth grade. In addition, her experience includes teaching for 22 years, with seven of those years teaching students with disabilities in both self-contained classrooms along with resource and inclusion environments. The meeting to discuss psychoeducational testing occurred in Jennifer’s work place during her conference period over a 45 minute period on Friday, August 28, 2015. The second

High Stakes Testing has been overly integrated in the education systems. High-stakes testing are used to determine grade retention, school curriculum, and whether or not students will receive a high school diploma (Myers, 2015). Since the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001, high stakes testing has become the norm and mandating that students must pass a standardized test before moving up in grade. As a special education director, the focus is to ensure the student’s accommodations are being followed. Accommodations help increase students’ academic performance. “Both the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) of 2004 and No Child Left Behind (NCLB) call for students with disabilities to participate in the general education curriculum and in testing programs to the maximum extent possible for each student (Luke and Schwartz, 2010).” Throughout the years, high stakes testing is becoming more common than ever before. The reality is high stakes testing is one indicator in evaluating children with specific needs. This paper will discuss, the violation of the statutory language regarding assessment based on IDEA, the strategies and goals of a remediation, staff training, common Core and PARCC assessment, and funding for the remediation plan under IDEA.

“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

The San Bernardino City Unified School District (SBCUSD) special education department has worked simultaneously with its special education teachers, creating a curriculum that best meets the needs of the moderate to severe student population. The developed curriculum is entitled, Basic2 Moderate to Severe Curriculum Framework. The Basic2 Moderate to Severe Curriculum Framwwork targets the five following domains: functional academic, community, domestic, vocational, and recreation/leisure. In addition to creating an innovated curriculum framework for the moderate to severe student population the special education department created an assessment to compliment the curriculum. The Basic2 Benchmark assessment is focused on measuring student

Diagnostic/Prescriptive/Evaluative (DPE) process is a type of instruction according to Thomas (1996) that helps students with Intellectual Disabilities (ID) accomplish the best chance of success and independence, when accompanied with life goal planning, and goal instructional analysis (GIA), which is a fundamental part of the DPE teaching. The DPE process takes lesson planning, breaks down instruction into manageable segments specialized for the individual student, which provide the necessary educational flexibility to ensure successful outcomes. The first step of this process is to diagnose the student’s skill level along with his/her strengths and weaknesses, and then devise or prescribe a lesson path, where student progress can be

For special education students who is unable to participate in End of Course assessment, and who have an active IEP, may choose to demonstrate mastery of core knowledge and skills rather than take the regular End of Course assessment (tn.gov). As with the TCAP-Alt PA, all attempts are made to provide students with accommodations which will allow them to complete the traditional assessment. The decision to use performance based assessment is made by the IEP team and should be considered in

The Basic2 Benchmark assessment was administered to eleven elementary students with moderate to severe disabilities who are providing educational services in the same classroom. The special education classroom is identified as an upper elementary special day class, indicating that students who are enrolled in this classroom are in grades third through sixth. It is imperative to note that while these students are enrolled in the same program their disabilities and cognitive functioning levels are diverse in nature. The classical data analysis indicated that there was a reliability coefficient of 0.98; although this finding is high, it is imperative to note that the participant number is low, as only eleven students participated in the assessment.

In regards to educational impact of the impairments, students with severe disabilities have the ability to learn (Snell and Brown, 2011). On the end of the spectrum some educators believe while the purported goal of the Common Core is success for all students. But success for all requires openness towards cognitive diversity, and isn’t so easily standardized, especially for students with special needs and severe disabilities (Beals,

Today’s modern classroom is diverse. This creates a number of challenges for teachers who need to create a balance of high standards while meeting the needs of their students. The U.S. Department of Education reported that almost ninety-six percent of general education teachers have students in their classroom with learning disabilities. This report also showed that there are over six million students with disability classifications in the United States (26th Annual Report to Congress on the Implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities

When working with students with disabilities it is important to assess the students to establish a baseline then to see growth. In addition, assessments assist teams in establishing goals for each student. Two areas that should be assessed each time are communication and academics. Communication and academics are highly connected for students with severe disabilities.

Growing up with two siblings who are both handicapped has influenced me most as a person and student. My older sister Alex, who is 31, has cerebral palsy which impairs her both mentally and physically. This disability leaves her unable to care for herself and makes it hard to accomplish the most basic tasks that some take for granted like eating a meal or holding a conversation. My younger brother Harry, age 27, was diagnosed with severe learning disability as a child. He lives in Boston and works a part time job (stop and shop) but is heavily dependent on my parents to support him. Additionally, his potential for higher learning and employment is bleak.

Special education teachers are trained to work with children who have a wide range of disabilities. One of the primary responsibilities of a special education teacher is to assess her students' cognitive abilities, and modifies the standard age-appropriate curriculum to create a custom plan for the student. This plan is called an individual education program(IEP). An IEP often includes a number of social and emotional development goals as well as specific academic areas to be taught. The special education teacher’s core task is to meet each of the goals established in the students’ IEPs. In some cases, the special education teacher is located in a separate classroom. When this is the case the teacher will creates lessons geared to meet the objectives of the students’ IEPs. In many instances, special education students are placed in regular classrooms. In that situation, the special education teacher attends classes with her students. She often will work with students on life skills and behavior modification techniques as well. Skills that special educational teachers should possess include, better than average stress management, great multi-tasking abilities, quick thinking, and creative problem solving. A special education teacher must be able to think outside the box and develop an array of teaching methods and techniques to meet the needs of each individual student. Special education requires a vast amount of detailed record keeping, so it is essential for these teachers

Throughout my career I have always been amazed by how little regular education teachers know about the special education process. On numerous occasions I have had teachers ask me, “Why don’t you just test him, to see if he qualifies?” And when I tried to explain that there was more to the process then just testing, most of the time the teachers would walk away in disgust, without knowing the steps we had to follow in the process.