The Effect Of FAPE On Special Education

Special education has been a very important topic through the years since the beginning of the education program in the United States because of its philosophy on inclusion and educating individuals no matter their condition, context or cultural status. The purpose of Schooling students with special need is basic and fundamental for the growth of our Nation, is to identify children with unusual needs and help them fulfill those needs

When Public Law 94-142 was passed in 1975 it had a positive impact on the education for children with disabilities. Millions of children in the United States were supported by the law. These children had previously been excluded entirely from the education system.

Educators must understand and respect the legal rights of students and their parents, which are protected by the U.S. Constitution/Fourteenth Amendment. The Individuals with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 protect students who have been identified with disabilities. According to both IDEA and Section 504, all special education students must be educated in the least restrictive environment. The two provisions also mandate that that all children with disabilities receive a free and appropriate public education, which is referred to as FAPE. This essay will answer the question, "what is FAPE and why is it so important in the education of all children, especially students with disabilities?"

The very first to court verdict that advised there was a boundary to the resources that exceptional children can anticipate but they suggested that children with disabilities deserve more than an optimum education. Zirkel (2008) further argued that the court decision such case interpret the meaning of FAPE. He mentioned the initial purpose of the act was to give accessibility to public school and special education specifically, the connotation of FAPE was mainly technical (Zirkel, 2008). The court, however, further held that the substantive standard was that the IEP be fairly calculated to allow the child to obtain educational benefits (Zirkel, 2008); in reaching this substantive standard, the court overruled the higher standards of equal opportunity, self-sufficiency, and maximization. Furthermore, most of the lower courts were instructed to apply this standard with regard to school

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

Rules, regulations, and federal laws for special education have improved as the years have gone by. This essay will indicate how educators teaching special education must comprehend the mandates of the Individual with Disability Act (IDEA), student and parental rights. This essay will also explain how court cases (past and present) and IDEA has given special education students the ability to receive a Free Appropriate Education (FAPE). My interview with Ms. Patricia Pritchett, Coordinator of Special Education in DeKalb County School District, was able to give me information and guidelines in reference to their county procedures and policies for the special education department. The interview with Ms. Pritchett gave me insight as to special education legal framework and how the constant changes that affects students with disabilities and regular education students.

Free Appropriate Public Education(FAPE): In this component, the IDEA pledges that all students with a disability must be provided at a no cost public education services that is appropriate to his or her special needs within the public school system.

Interviewing the special education supervisor has made me aware of how important my role is as a regular education teacher to special students who need additional support in my classroom. The goal of the teacher is to ensure that the IEP is followed to ensure the academic success of all students. IEP stands for Individual Education Plan and the plan is usually developed when students have several deficiencies in certain key subject areas such as: reading comprehension, basic reading, reading fluency, written expressions, math calculation, and math reasoning. Students are referred to the special education department usually in elementary school, additionally; according to the high school special education supervisor there are very few referrals

The special education teacher interviewed, showed me that she uses the teaching/individual goals related to each student’s IEP. The teacher always tries to excel and reach the needs to relate

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.

The National Association of Special Education Teachers (NASET) is an organization for special education teachers to provide an effective learning and safe environment for students with disabilities. NASET was developed to educate, inform, support, and train teachers and upcoming teachers of special education. To conclude, NASET is a national organization with professional association for members of special education across America.

When it comes to education, special education is a much needed service for students with disabilities. In order for students with disabilities to succeed in life, it is imperative to expose them to as many educational tools as possible. Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA), 2004 solidified equal education opportunities for persons with disabilities. Researchers Diliberto and Brewer (2014) indicated that working together as a team to develop an effective IEP ensures academic success for students with disabilities. So, how important is an IEP? According to Diliberto and Brewer (2014) the IEP is the major key to planning the student’s instruction and provides an intervention to their educational needs. Diliberto and Brewer developed six tips that would assist an educator with having a successful IEP meeting.

There are millions of children that are passing through the United States school system every day, not all children possess the same traits, and not all children can learn at the same rate, and do not perform at the same ability. The fact that all children learn differently and some have difficulties learning in general classrooms, special education was put into place to try and take care of these issues. Special education programs were put into place to help all students with disabilities. These children range from general disabilities to more complex and severe disabilities. There has been a revolution occurring in the past several years with education systems, and special education. There have now been several laws that have been

Presently I am a Special Education teacher working with children who have a wide range of disabilities. My class setting is integrated, which mean half of the class is general and the other half is special. My primary goal is to modify general education lesson plans to meet each student’s needs and abilities. These needs may include, but not limited to emotional, physical or cognitive disabilities, teaching basic literacy and life skills. I have an interest in this field because I feel with the proper help and assistant; students make positive changes in their academic and social life. Providing early intervention is essential when teaching kids with disabilities. One of the main reasons why I have made the decision to pursue a PhD in education, specialization in Special educator, is because I enjoy what I do and would like to make a difference. My ultimate goal is to keep making a difference by helping those that needed it and provide them with the proper resources to enhance their ability. I want to be an example to my children and have them see the end result of what happens when one desire to strive for the best and what they can accomplish. I want my children to see that with hard work, motivation, dedication, concentration, and having no limits that they will attain any goals they may set forth.

The school district I received the majority of my special education services School District 308, states, “The term "special education" means specially designed instruction, at no cost to parents, to meet the unique needs of a child with a disability” (2016). My disability is what makes me unique and has happened in with my own philosophy of education. I am intrinsically and extrinsically motivated in school to be the best IEP student with the highest grade, high GPA, and try to be exempt from the Special Education Department. Not only do I feel and act this way in the classroom, I was feel and act this way with personal relationships and work. In the scheme of things, I have been influenced by intrinsic goals and reward by others. Just by these simple characteristic traits, this helps me forms my philosophical beliefs of education and how students learn.