Activity 2: The referral process and the role of special education in tomorrow's learning world

Private School and Special Education Services

The referral process for special education may be different in public and private schools. I work in a private school and our school does not provide special education services. Parents who enroll their child with identified special needs, understand that we are limited on the extent of services we can provide. In a case where the administration feels a students needs cannot be met in our particular school setting, they may recommend a student be sent to a different school that has more available resources. This is in line with a statement made by IDEA: If your child is enrolled in a private school and has a learning disability, you can meet with the special education director of your public school district to find out what special education services your school district is currently offering to private school students.

http://www.understandingspecialeducation.com/private-school.html

When a child is having trouble in school, it’s important to find out why. The child may have a disability. By law, schools must provide special help to eligible children with disabilities. This help is called special education and related services. I think it is important for all teachers, whether in private or public schools, to understand the referral process and the signs to look for in a struggling student/child, so that they can help the student effectively.

Here’s my 10 steps summary on how a student is identified as having a disability and needing special education and related services:

1. Child is identified as possibly needing special education and related services - Referral or request for evaluation. A school professional may ask that a child be evaluated to see if he or she has a disability. Parents may also contact the child’s teacher or other school professional to ask that their child be evaluated.
2. Child is evaluated - The evaluation must assess the child in all areas related to the child’s suspected disability. 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.
3. Eligibility is decided - A group of qualified professionals and the parents look at the child’s evaluation results. Together, they decide if the child is a ‘child with a disability,’ as defined by IDEA.
4. Child is found eligible for services - If the child is found to be a “child with a disability,” as defined by IDEA, he or she is eligible for special education and related services. The IEP team must meet to write an IEP for the child.
5. IEP Meeting is scheduled - The school system schedules and conducts the IEP meeting.
6. IEP meeting is held and the IEP is written - The IEP team gathers to talk about the child’s needs and write the student’s IEP. Parents and the student (when appropriate) are part of the team.
7. Services are provided - The school makes sure that the child’s IEP is being carried out as it was written. Parents are given a copy of the IEP. Each of the child’s teachers and service providers has access to the IEP and knows his or her specific responsibilities for carrying out the IEP, which includes the accommodations, modifications, and supports that must be provided to the child.
8. Progress is measured and reported to parents - The child’s progress toward the annual goals is measured, as stated in the IEP. His or her parents are periodically informed of their child’s progress toward achieving the annual goals (such as through the use of quarterly or other periodic reports, perhaps issued at the same time as report cards).
9. IEP is reviewed - The IEP team reviews the child’s IEP at least once a year, or more often if the parents or school ask for a review. If necessary, the IEP is revised.
10. Child is reevaluated - At least every three years the child must be reevaluated, unless parents and the school system agree that a reevaluation is not necessary. The purpose of the reevaluation is to find out if the child continues to be a ‘child with a disability,’ as defined by IDEA, and what the child’s educational needs are.

http://www.parentcenterhub.org/repository/steps/

Reflections on the Role of Special Education

These You Tube videos generate a comparative analysis of the referral process and the role of special education in tomorrow’s learning world.

·      Finland’s Formula for Education Success

Most 15 or 16-year-old children in Finland, who are leaving the basic school, would have been in special education throughout their schooling. Therefore, special education is nothing special in Finland. Special education is used as a tool for early detection of any problems, rather than waiting until they eventually appear. This early form of intervention and sustained individual support for every student is considered to be keys to educating the whole child in Finnish schools.

·   New York’s School of One

School of One is based on one simple idea - that is organizing an entire school around the need of everyone. Their mission is to provide students with personalized, effective and dynamic classroom instruction customized to their particular academic needs, interests and learning preferences. Each student’s schedule is tailored to ability and to the ways he or she learns best.

http://youtu.be/HSTrI6nj5xU

·      A Day in the Life of a Special Education Teacher

In tomorrow’s learning world, the use of technology will increase in classrooms, because technology can improve learning and personalize learning. In special education, technology can be the great equalizer in a classroom with diverse learners. However, technology cannot replace teachers. This video shows how special teachers are and the effort that they put into student’s progress. Technology, paperwork, care and communication – all these are of equal importance in providing a feeling of success for students.

Supporting Special Education in Mainstream Education

‘How do you help your friend who may be slower than you? How do you help your classmates who may not be able to do the things you do?’

These questions will be answered when a new preschool in Singapore opens in July 2015. The preschool, a joint collaboration between the Lien Foundation, the Asian Women's Welfare Association and SG Enable, will take in up to 75 children - with 30 per cent of places set aside for those with special needs.

The preschool will have mainstream children learn side by side with children with special needs, such as those who have cerebral palsy or autism. The aim is to provide a more inclusive environment and a non-discriminatory curriculum. Teachers will have experience in early childhood education, and will be supported by specialists and allied health professionals, including occupational and speech therapists. Integrating special needs children is seen as beneficial in developing a sense of empathy among their able-bodied classmates.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/new-preschool-to/1505576.html