Introduction I am providing an analysis of “Who Decides Where Jerry Goes to School? Family and Educator Conflict in Special Education Placement” by John J. Steffen and Joanne M. Marshall (2006). The school and district’s administrators are facing a conflict with the placement of a special education student. After being diagnosed with several medical disabilities which affected his behavior, the student struggled to achieve success in the initial placement that was chosen for his academic experiences as part of his inclusion in the Exceptional Student Education (ESE) program. However, the procedures, decision making, communication, learning objectives, and follow up process were plagued with mistakes. This decision making process, the conflict between school administrators and parents, and the needs of the student for his success in academic achievement is the focus of this case study analysis.
Summary of the Case After successfully completing his five first academic years in a public school setting, Jerry was diagnosed with several medical problems. The diagnoses were attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), and a conduct disorder (CD). Afterwards, the team that conducted Jerry’s Individualized Education Plan (IEP) decided to place Jerry in a special education setting. The special education team decided that he would be considered successful if he achieve to follow instructions from his teachers 80% of the
Denied. On April 20, 2105, a date agreed upon with Travis’s mother, the parties attended a ARD committee meeting to discuss continued placement and services until such time that a comprehensive evaluation could be completed. At this time, the District has assigned approximately-trained professionals to conduct the agreed-up and parentally approved assessments. Once the assessments are completed, the ARD committee will appropriately consider the results and develop an appropriate educational program reasonably calculated to provide Travis with educational benefit in his least restrictive environment.
Daniel RR was a six years old boy with down syndrome. He was enrolled in El Paso Independent School District. In the 1985 to 1986 school year, Daniel had attended a half-day early childhood program for special education students. Going into the next school year, Daniel’s parents asked if he could be placed into a general education pre-kindergarten classroom. Daniel was permitted to have half day in regular classroom and another half of the day in special education classroom. At the beginning, it seemed not to be the best situation for Daniel, teachers and classmates. His ability required him to get many accommodations and individual attention, and the teacher could not modify curriculum to meet Daniel’s needs without changing it completely. The school team decided to place him back to special education only classroom. But he could get lunch at school cafeteria with other students while his mother was there to supervise. He was also permitted to stay with students without disabilities at recess time. Daniel’s parents were unhappy about the school’s decision. They wanted him to spend more time with students in general education classroom. The school states that his attendance in general education
This novel was a 4 year long research in culturally diverse school district that examines the inconsistency of placement of African American and Hispanic students in special education. This author Beth Harry and Janette Klingner present research - based stories that represent culturally and linguistically diverse students who fall short and are perceived to have impairments. Throughout the book Harry and Klingner studies / observes the children’s experiences,
This week’s readings discussed consequences for special education students. It was very interesting to see the different court case rulings for each case. Teachers, administrators and parents need to make sure they have everything accurate when taking a case like many of these to court. In this paper I will discuss the five key points in the articles and readings stood out to me the most, how and if my beliefs changed or were altered, and how I might apply the content to the classroom and instruction.
Chapter two describes the general education reform movement that has resulted in enhanced curriculum for all students. There has been a separate reform movement in special education that has also resulted in restructuring student placement and service delivery systems for these students. Most recently, the two reform movements are beginning to converge. The general education reform was started when a national commission report, A Nation at Risk, recommended educational improvements because U.S. students did not compare favorably in testing results with their counterparts in Japan and Germany. This has resulted in local school districts taking more direct responsibility for decision-making that would affect all students and has included a stronger parent role in advocating for change. Along with this type of school reform, there has been a focus on schools providing comprehensive services for students and families that face multiple hurdles so that families can have their needs met for social, mental and public health services and coordinated in a single point of entry- the school.
Placement decisions related to students with disabilities is an issue that arises from providing a free, appropriate public education (FAPE) and the least restrictive environment (LRE). While FAPE and LRE are not new requirements, the Individuals with Disabilities Educational Act (IDEA) continues to be open to interpretation and implementation of the mandates (McGovern, 2015). A student’s least restrictive environment is the setting where the student can be integrated with his non-disabled peers. IDEA requires that students with disabilities be educated in the most integrated, least restrictive environment (Carson, 2015); however, this is where the grey area enters. The interpretation of what the least restrictive environment is, depends
The first step to making behavior changes is identifying the behavior and understanding possible reasons why the behavior is being produced (Wright, 2013). Recognizing that Howard exhibits the described undesirable behaviors during math, a class in which he is struggling to understand the material, is a huge red flag that may indicate that Howard is avoiding his assignments, because he does not understand how to do them. Also, it is important to realize that off-task behavior and distraction are common symptom of ADHD (National Institute of Mental Health, n.d.). So, technically, each concerning behavior can be attributed to Howard’s disability (Grand Canyon University, 2014). With this knowledge, Howard should be assessed academically to determine whether or not he requires support from the special education
In all schools, decisions related to special education are made by an Individualized Education Program team. After a student has been identified as “eligible for special education services,” the IEP team, with the student and parents, develops a program to provide the student with access to the curriculum and supports that will enable them to succeed. Whether special needs students are taught in general classrooms, or exclusively, is dependent solely on the school in which they attend. However, public charter schools, on average, serve more of their students with disabilities in general education classrooms. Therefore, some academic researchers are quite skeptical regarding the extent to which charter schools are failing to provide services. Herron High School has undergone such skepticism.
In education, the main goal is for all students to receive an equal and optimal opportunity for success, which also includes students with special needs. To ensure this aim is reached, schools ought to have measures in place to establish students who necessitate special education services to achieve and progress in their schooling. Contradictory to this idea, nonetheless, learners are inaccurately referred for special education placement. The process begins to become questionable when it happens recurrently and predominantly to one group of minority students, as is the case for African-American students. There is certainly a problem of disproportionality in special education population and creates a cause for concern and investigation. As stakeholders examine general education program practices, they will discover that there are many factors contributing to the overrepresentation of minorities in special education. The characteristics of educators having the greatest influence on their decision to refer African American students for special education are cultural differences, insufficient professional development, and poor general instruction.
D.B. is a male student in seventh grade. He has displayed behavioral issues since he started at the local special education cooperative. In 2003, at the age of three months, he was referred to the Infant-Toddler Program, he was born with spina bifida. During 2008, D.B. was referred to the Behavior Assessment Intervention Team (BAIT) for observation and behavioral strategies. In the Fall of 2011, he meets criteria for Pervasive Developmental Disorder-NOS (Atypical Autism) and Disruptive Behavior Disorder. When creating instruction and assignments for D.B, movement and easy to understand instruction must be done. He receives special education services under Other Health Impaired category. He spends 300 minutes a day in the resource room receiving
In the United States of America, disproportionality is a growing problem in the field of education. Disproportionality is the over- or under-representation of a group of people. This over- or under-representation can be ethnically, socioeconomically, racially, based upon gender, and many more. These factors can lead to the misidentification of a student. This misidentification can lead to the inappropriate placement of the student into a special education program. Being misidentified and inappropriately placed can have a devastating impact on the student (Web). Students who experience this first-hand are restricted in the core education that they receive and are removed from their peers and placed in a more isolated setting. This has extraordinary
Parents have special knowledge about their child that school personnel might be unaware of. This aspect of parental involvement is especially important when applying special education services for a child with disabilities (Smith et al., 2005). That being said, parents need to understand that while they know a lot about their child overall, the school knows a lot about their child in an academic setting. It is very important to have open lines of communication and mutual respect for each other; to be able to bring together these different aspects of the child to create a successful intervention allowing complete access to education.
In a qualitative study conducted by Edmonds-Cady and Hock (2008), 19.6 percent of students receiving special education services were expelled without school personnel considering the manifestation determination guidelines provided by the Individual with Disability Education Act (IDEA). This paper will be discussing what school psychologist should consider and do when deciding to expel a student who is receiving special education services. Specifically, a student with attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
The study methodology used in this review is qualitative Description. The research method and design align with the problem statement, purpose, research questions, and hypotheses/phenomena. The aim of this study is to investigate the collaboration of families, schools, and teachers to the critical academic and social development of students with disabilities, especially when parents and teachers differ in ethnic, racial, and cultural backgrounds. This concept of alignment does align with my dissertation literature review on “Teachers Perceptions of Disabled and “ESL” Students in Urban Schools District, and its Influence on Families.” The concept is necessitating; it prepares educators to address the needs of diverse students and family members.
He began by suggesting that the first and most important legal issue that the school faces is centered on special education. He stressed that it is difficult to meet the needs of all special education students. With that being said, legally it is the school district’s responsibility to make sure these students are receiving the proper and most effective forms of education. Our school district has child study teams designated to elementary, middle, and high schools. Students are evaluated and re-evaluated on an annual basis. These evaluations are in place to properly determine a child’s disability(s) and educational needs. Students may be sent out of district if our school district is unable to meet a particular student’s needs. This becomes extremely costly to our school district.