Special Education Professional Ethical Principles And Practice Standards

While the individual teaching styles of the team were very different, it became apparent that commonality existed in terms of supporting the growth of our students. After team collaboration, we adopted the following vision statement: “We will provide a classroom climate that fosters thoughtful and respectful consideration of alternative viewpoints and ideas, personal ownership of learning, and individual construction of personally meaningful knowledge.”

The amount of people who live with disabilities is a controversial number. Depending on what law and diagnostic tools used, a person may have a visible disability, or one that may lie beneath the surface of his or her appearance. Some people believe that the term “disability” is merely a label use to hold back, or prescribe helplessness. Meanwhile, individuals who have been properly diagnosed with disabilities struggle to maintain respect and acceptance every day. In plain language, there is a lot of misunderstanding between people with disabilities and those without. It is firstly important to get everyone on the same page regarding the definition of disability.

The CEC Ethical Principles for Special Education Professionals are just making sure that the student’s best interest is put first in a safe and regulated way. The principles are to make sure special education teachers are held to a high standard when teaching students with disabilities. The three principles that stood out to me the most were principle #1, principle #3, and principle #8. I think all the principles were important and should be upheld by special education teachers.

Osborne, A. G., & Russo, C. J. (2007). Special Education and The Law: A Guide for Practitioners (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press

My personal philosophy of special education drives not from teaching in the field, but from, observations, and personal experience, and the workshops I attended. I have had the opportunity to work with individuals with special needs in many different settings, all this help cultivate my knowledge in handling the needs of the special needed student. Special needs students have the ability to learn, to function, to grow, and most importantly to succeed. The difference comes into how they learn or how they need to be taught. There are as many beliefs about the "hows" as there are teachers and each of us forms our own philosophy through our experiences and research. As a student in a special education teachers’ program, learners with

Explain state and federal laws, rules, and regulations as they pertain to special education. (APTS 9.2)

For students with special education it is stated under IDEA that “with regards to school discipline, schools may consider each situation on a case-by-case basis when determining if a change of placement appropriate for a special education child who violates school education code” (Understanding School Discipline for Special Education Students). The discipline process for students with disabilities in the special education program can be a difficult topic for most school districts. This paper will answer questions from the case scenario considering what should happen immediately to Charlie?, what services, if any, are provided to Charlie during his removal to an IAES?, and who needs to be contacted?. This paper will also consider the topic of if a manifestation determination review is held for Charlie answering questions on what disciplinary actions are permissible?, What, if, any, services will be provided to Charlie during the duration of the disciplinary action?, and finally what happens if Charlie’s parents appeal the manifestation determination?.

Collaboration between teachers is a key component to professional development that will lead to higher student achievement. There is a need for schools to set up time for teachers to be able to collaborate together. This allows for teachers to help each other, matchup content, teach each other new and best practices, troubleshoot student issues just to name a few of the areas that collaboration time can help foster within a school. The key is to build time for teachers to be able to collaborate during the school day or week. This collaboration time needs to be between grade levels, departments, and cross curricular when needed. For many schools this is an afterthought to the school schedule or a fleeting thought after the master schedule is completed. A principal needs to keep an open mind to any strategy that will enable the teachers to be able to collaborate for the good of the students and the school.

Starratt’s work resonates with any educational change initiative, but this book has added dimension and depth to my work. Every day I attempt to orchestrate organizational change in dysfunctional special education departments that serve special needs individuals. First, Starratt (2004) makes it clear that an overarching goal of an effective and ethical educational leader is not only to identify the critical areas of concern, but to initiate the change needed to uphold and enhance the “common good.” In my current career, that applies to special education systems requiring reform where unwilling administrators do not reorganize priorities for that to happen. While the definition of the phrase, “the common good” may be unclear, when it comes to initiating change in special education practices, the indisputable outcome should be the ownership of all special needs students by every staff member.

“Cameras in Special Education Classrooms a Complex Issue” has stemmed a controversial debate across the nation. Terrence Rideau received unexplained injuries while attending a middle school in Texas. Terrence is now 21 years old and is diagnosed with severe cognitive and physical disabilities. Terrence’s mom felt the need to lobby for cameras in special

All the ethical principles stated on “Council for Exceptional Children,” play a vital role in the special education field. I chose the three ethical principles that are most important to me, i.e. the essential ethical principle that any educator must have in order to serve a special needs student and their families. Principle number five states that, “developing relationships with families based on mutual respect and actively involving families and individuals with exceptionalities in educational decision making;” I truly believe that, effective communication between educators and families of special needs students is the key for success; not only for the educator, but also, for the student. My daughter has an IEP and, it took me and my family a few years to fully understand the system and also, understand what kind of learning disability she has. There was no support and effective communication between the school and our family, hence, the process was extremely hard for me and especially, for my daughter. When I left my job about 3 years ago and decided to return to school, my biggest motto was to receive my degree and eventually, be an asset to families and their special needs child.

Special Education is a topic of controversy with many advocates fighting for the justice children and adults with special needs so rightfully deserve. With laws being passed and modified so frequently, it is important that the educators being brought into the world have an extensive knowledge of the developmental needs of many different types of children. With this knowledge and their constant measures to keep up to date with the fast-moving world of education, they will be able to deliver an appropriate atmosphere that is in accordance with the law that ensures ethical practices and guidelines are always being followed.

I deeply value the spirit of collaboration that exists at Columbia, allowing some of the best young minds in the country work together to learn, research, and change the world. The Common Core curriculum is a major part of what makes Columbia such a closely-knit community. Because the entirety of the diverse student population takes a set of the same courses, they all have shared experiences to connect over. The Common Core promotes deep intellectual discussions which bring out the unique perspective of every student, allowing them to learn from each other. The advising system at Columbia also contributes to this culture of collaboration. One’s fellow students can also be his or her mentors or advisers, supporting him or her and helping him and her learn, grow, and find new opportunities. The small class sizes contribute to this culture as well, by helping students to form closer relationships both among themselves and with their professors.

Special education creates opportunities for students, parents, teachers and related staff and administrators to work together to improve educational results students with disabilities. IEPs and 504s are the plans that help educators to develop education for each student with disabilities. The IEP is an important legal document that handles issues in special education properly. There are so many rules that school personnel must follow. In this assignment, I will identify effective procedures for documentation and remediation of the teacher, her behaviors and the allegations about her regarding a special education student.

“Through collaboration, ideas can be shared, new and better strategies can be developed, problems can be solved, students’ progresses can be better monitored, and their outcomes are evaluated effectively.”¬ (Lee, 1996).