The National Center for Education Statistics states, “in 2014–15, the number of children and youth ages 3–21 receiving special education services was 6.6 million, or 13 percent of all public-school students. Among children and youth receiving special education services, 35 percent had specific learning disabilities” () Special education teachers teach a variety of different individuals. These students can have learning, mental, emotional, or physical disabilities. Their disabilities can range from mild to moderate. Everyone is different in many ways, and may need to be taught in diverse ways. I would say that teaching special needs individuals can be a challenging task for anyone. Some of the challenging tasks are; interpreting, and implementing the child’s Individualized Education Plan (IEP), as well as staying abreast of the continual changes being made to the implementation of education. It is important for rising teachers to know upfront and understand what is expected of them upon accepting employment.
Students with disabilities have a wide range of challenges, this makes a teacher's job extremely difficult. These challenges are met with the use of an IEP. The IEP is documentation that shows what the individual learning needs are, and how the school will meet the child’s current need. The parents along with school officials (teachers, principals etc.), set goals that are to be met for each individual child. When working with a special needs student with an IEP it is
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.
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) greatly emphasizes the participation of the child’s family during the Individualized Education Program (IEP) process. Parents and/or caregivers are considered one of the most essential members of their child’s IEP team. Their involvement benefits their child’s overall academic success. Unfortunately, full parental involvement does not always occur and there can be many different reasons for their nonparticipation. The IEP process can be a very overwhelming experience for families with children with special needs, especially for those who are culturally diverse. It is the job of the professionals and special education teachers to understand the importance of collaborating with family’s
IEP stands for an Individualized Education Program, it is a document, that was developed in conjunction with the parent/guardian, is an individually tailored statement describing an educational plan for each learner with exceptionalities There are five major points that are to address the present level of academic functioning personnel as present level of performance, annual goals and accompanying instructional objectives, educational services to be proved, the degree to which the pupil will be able to participate in general education programs, and plans for initiating services and length of services and length
I have been a teacher of students with special needs for the last couple of years in alternative settings. The students I like best tend to be the most challenging both behaviorally and academically. Success can be more apparent, yet at times there is frustration. I feel I am good at it, but need to learn more. Most importantly I love teaching kids with special challenges. The key is to be creative and keep trying.
Special education students are delayed in there learning process. To resolve the gap in learning abilities Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) obliges by law that all public schools to create an Individualized Education Program (IEP) for every child that receives special educational services. IDEA inspires to create an effective relationship amongst the parents and school that boost an educational team with the goals of providing the student with proper services (Mueller, 2009). In Each IEP meeting it involves the IEP team, IEP sections that addresses the student with disabilities educational progress.
Several students have IEP (individualized education plans) at my school. An IEP puts into writing the specific, individualized requirements for the child's education that must be fulfilled for that child to have an education which is commensurate with
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
Special Educators are greatly needed in our school systems all over the United States. It takes a special person to be a Special Educator. In most jobs you are in need of patience, but with this career a requirement is patience. Some people are cut out for this career and some are not. Emotionally and physically this job can take a toll on someone.
The IEP is intended to help children reach educational goals more easily than they otherwise would. IEP is meant to ensure that students receive an appropriate placement, not "only" special education classrooms or special schools. It is meant to give the student a chance to participate in "normal" school culture and academics as much as is possible for that individual student. In this way, the student is able to have specialized assistance only when such assistance is absolutely necessary, and otherwise maintains the freedom to interact with and participate in the activities of his or her more general school peers. This program is very helpful for students because parents can work together with teachers to develop a plan, to help the student do better in school and to success in school. The IEP describes the goals the team sets for a child during the school year, as well as any special support needed to help achieve them.
It outline the special education program and services that will be received by the child
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
A special education teacher needs to acquire a variety of different skills in order to succeed. “The majority of young men and women who major in special education bring a heaping helping of heart, personal commitment, and passion to the profession” (Hollingsworth). A special education teacher must enjoy working with children and developing activities and lessons to help them learn. Qualities necessary for
To best suit a child with special needs a variety of different elements need to be considered to develop the best plan for the child. This is why it is important to understand that not every child with special needs has a mom or dad. They may have a foster parent and it is the responsibility of the special education teacher to include the foster parent and work with all members of the family. Next, it is important to understand the a disability not only impacts the child but siblings as well. Some siblings may be very helpful while others may act out, it is important to consider siblings when creating a plan as well. Lastly, as a special education teacher, it is important to consider if any extended family help with any responsibility with raising the child. A child has a greater rate of success when all members of the family are working together and are on the same
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
Provide Assistance with children who have an IEP It is understood that when a parent is worried or concerned for their Child’s academic performance they contact the school to set up a meeting with the school's child study team. A child study team consists of a psychologist, a learning disabilities consultant and social worker. From that point on they will discuss the needs that would be better suited for the child’s academic performance. For instance, the social worker along with the child study team must follow certain guidelines set by law and must be included in every Child’s IEP. For this reason it must state the Child’s performance in school during the present term, it must also include educational goals, including the support and services that the school will provide to help each student meet these goals, it also includes modifications and the accommodations to help with their progress, accommodations when taking standardized tests, and a report of how and when the school will measure the child’s progress toward annual goals, and the transition planning that prepares for life after high school. (Stanberry, 2017)