As a special education teacher, you will be expected to provide support and guidance to administration, teachers, and staff regarding issues that may arise concerning how to meet the needs of individuals with disabilities outlined in IEPs. Serving as a collaborative resource to colleagues promotes the well-being of individuals with disabilities, the main goal of a special education teacher. Additionally, it is vital to provide support and guidance for students in the inclusion setting who will be working and collaborating with non-exceptional peers and general education teachers.

Read the case study to inform the assignment that follows.

John is currently a ninth-grade student who has been identified as having an emotional/behavioral disorder, specifically in the area of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). During his annual IEP meeting, John’s IEP team reviewed recent test scores and determined he qualified for the gifted program in the area of English language arts (ELA). John will continue to participate in the inclusion classroom for the remainder of his courses, and be placed in the gifted classroom for ELA in the second semester of the school year.

As John continues to be successful in all of his inclusion classes, he is having difficulty in his new ELA class. The gifted teacher, Ms. Griedl, was not able to be present during the IEP meeting, and John is the first student with an IEP she has had in her class. John has stated that being the only Hispanic student in Ms. Griedl’s gifted class has made him feel uncomfortable at times. He says Ms. Griedl does not include him in the classroom conversations and when she speaks to him, it is abruptly. John says she does not treat the other students in the same manner.

After one month of John being in the gifted class, Ms. Griedl has requested that a paraprofessional be present to support John. The IEP team determined that this was not necessary and that John should be able to be successful in the gifted classroom without a paraprofessional. The principal, Mr. Fleming, did a walk through observation of Ms. Griedl’s gifted classroom and he did notice that John was isolated in a corner, and the teacher and other students in the class did not interact with him. In addition, Mr. Fleming received a phone call from John’s parents who reported that Ms. Griedl had told John she felt he did not belong in the gifted class. John no longer wants to be in the class because he does not feel welcome.

Use the “Collaboration and Communication Action Plan Template” to complete this assignment.

Part 1: Action Plan

Mr. Fleming has come to you, the special education teacher, for assistance with the situation. To assist the principal, create a 750-1,000 word action plan. The action plan should include one long-term goal and a minimum of four short-term goals to help reach the long-term goal.

For each short-term goal, identify the following information related to implementation:

· At least 1-2 implementation activities/strategies

· Resources needed

· Timeline: To include measuring progress and implementing strategies

· Persons Responsible: To include measuring progress and implementing strategies

· Evidence of Success: How is this measured, or the desired outcomes to demonstrate success

Keep in mind the following when you outline your goals and implementation steps:

· John’s abilities and interests, the learning environments, and cultural and linguistic factors.

· How you will incorporate collaboration to help the action plan be successful.

· Your role as a coach and resource for John and Ms. Griedl.

Part 2: Rationale

Support your action plan with a 500-750 word rationale that incorporates researched best practices on collaboration and communication when working with colleagues, administration, and families.

Your rationale should address the following considerations:

· Theories or elements of effective collaboration you utilized in your action plan.

· How diversity is a part of families, cultures, and schools, and how complex human issues can interact with the delivery of special education services.

· The importance of supporting individuals with disabilities in all settings to help them reach their optimal potential and allow them to flourish academically and behaviorally.

Support your findings with 2-3 scholarly resources.

Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.

This assignment uses a rubric. Review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. A link to the LopesWrite technical support articles is located in Class Resources if you need assistance.

Benchmark Information

This benchmark assignment assesses the following programmatic competencies:

MED Elementary Education and Special Education ITL/NITL

MED Special Education ITL/NITL

MED Special Education (Nevada)

6.3: Explain how diversity is a part of families, cultures, and schools, and that complex human issues can interact with the delivery of special education services. [CEC 6.3; ICSI.6.K2, ICSI.6.K5, ICSI.6.K6, ICSI.6.K7, ICSI.6.K10, ICSI.6.S3, ICSI.6.S3; IGC.6.K5; InTASC 2(d); MC1, MC3, MC4, MC5]

7.1: Use the theory and elements of effective collaboration. [CEC 7.1; ICSI.7.K1, ICSI.7.S3; InTASC 7(o); ISTE-T 3a, 3d, 5a; MC1, MC4, MC5]

7.2 Serve as a collaborative resource to colleagues. [CEC 7.2; ICSI.7.S3, ICSI.7.S8, ICSI.7.S9; InTASC 10(k); MC1, MC4, MC5]

7.3: Use collaboration to promote the well-being of individuals with exceptionalities across a wide range of settings and collaborators. [CEC 7.3; ICSI.7.K1, ICSI.7.S3, ICSI.7.S6; IGC.7.K4; InTASC 10(b), 10(j); ISTE-T 3b; MC1, MC2, MC3, MC4, MC5]

Knowledge of Students and Student Needs 

TNT 700.2P KNOWLEDGE OF STUDENTS AND STUDENT NEEDS

Effective teaching begins with understanding your students: how they learn, their background and issues that they might face.  In the course, TCR 300 Meet Your Students, you were introduced to twenty-four students who are representative of the students in Texas. Several of these students have significant academic issues and/or emotional issues that may impact their performance.  This performance-based assessment requires you to identify and research the societal or cultural issues that are faced by four of these students and how they impact their achievement.

Please allow 3 – 5 business days for scoring. 

Project Directions

Using PowerPoint or Google Slides, you are to create a presentation appropriate for use with other educators or parents.  In this presentation you are to do the following:

• Identify each student and the      issue he or she is facing. You must use the four student profiles provided      below.  Please DO NOT copy and paste the descriptions provided.       Rather, you should explain what you feel are the core issues each face      after reading the description.
• Identify the developmental      impact of each issue.  How is the issue impacting the student in      the classroom?  What does the teacher see that is interfering with      learning?  You will need to include the research that is directly      related to the issues and aligned to the developmental goals for the      students. For example, you might include a statement such as       “According to Dr. I. M. Expert, cyber-bullying is detrimental to a      student’s development because it makes students feel unsafe.”
• Research and provide resources      that are directly related to the issue and are aligned to the      developmental goals for students. These are resources a parent or teacher      could use to learn more about the issue and how to address the impact of      the issue.  These are resources that may be available in your      community, such as food banks, language lessons for parents, etc. You may      also choose to include resources that are available from federal, state,      and local governments.  These are NOT the resources used in your      research.
• You will suggest supports      teachers can use in the classroom to mitigate the impacts of the      issue.
• Your presentation should be at      least 11 slides long. You are expected to have an introductory slide, two slides      per student,a closing slide, and a resource/bibliography page for the      sources you use in the project.
• The presentation must be your      original work, and professional in its use of images, language and      formatting. Use of another’s work will earn an automatic zero and may be      grounds for dismissal from the program.

Material needed and evaluation criteria

The full instructions and necessary information are found in the TNT 700.2P Knowledge of Students and Student Needs document. Your project will be scored using criteria outlined in the TNT 700.2P Rubric. The criteria includes the identification and explanation of student issues and needs; the developmental impact of those needs; supports and resources available in the school and community, and the overall professionalism of the presentation. To successfully complete the project and avoid resubmission, study both the directions and the criteria for evaluation carefully. Download both documents to begin.

Submission

When you are ready to submit your assignment click the Submit Assignment button. Be sure to refer to the rubric for more detailed information about fulfilling the expectations of this assignment. You must score at least 40 points out of 50 points to pass this assignment.

When you receive a passing score, return to the home page and select the “Course Complete” page to conclude this course and post the completion date to your portal. Failure to do so will delay the portal update to your account. 

Do not take this step until you have received a passing grade.  Doing so will remove you from the course and if you have not passed will delay your completion. Please allow 3 – 5 business days for scoring.