This discussion is your opportunity to demonstrate your understanding of the objective: Review the Least Restrictive Environment continuum of placement options as outlined by IDEA. The discussion represents an introduction to Course Learning Outcome 3 and the MASE Program Learning Outcome 1.

According to the assessment report you reviewed in Week 2, Henry will frequently look around the room before participating in whole-group activities, copying what his peers are doing, so not to be embarrassed that he does not understand the learning material or what is being asked.  Mr. Franklin and you have observed this same documented behavior in multiple instances during classroom instruction and other activities.  Because he has never been a behavior problem or disruptive, you are afraid that Henry’s introverted nature will cause him to fall further behind as has lack of progress goes unnoticed.  It has been determined that Henry has a learning disability, which negatively impacts his reading comprehension and ability to organize his thoughts on paper.

Initial Post: Create an initial post using the results from the evaluation process presented in the Instructor Guidance as well as course information listed in the Required and Recommended Resources.  Conduct a review of Henry’s assessment report and his background you created last week.  Explain to IEP team which academic setting you believe is Henry’s Least Restrictive Environment (LRE).  Be sure to justify your decision with information you’ve read in the text, the week’s reading assignments and independent research.

Guided Response: Review the posts of your classmates and that of your instructor.  Respond to at least two peers by comparing your placement decisions based on the unique background created.  Be sure to endorse, question, or refute your peer’s placement decision, compared with your LRE decision with supporting evidence from the literature.  You are encouraged to provide additional resources that will assist with your explanation.

Though two replies are the basic expectation, for deeper engagement and application of the material, you are encouraged to provide responses to any comments or questions others have made (including your Instructor) before the last day of the discussion period.  This will extend the conversation while providing opportunities to demonstrate your content expertise, critical thinking, and real work experiences with this topic.

Week 3 Discussion Assessment Results and LRE Continuum

This discussion is your opportunity to demonstrate your understanding of the objective: Review the Least Restrictive Environment continuum of placement options as outlined by IDEA. The discussion represents an introduction to Course Learning Outcome 3 and the MASE Program Learning Outcome 1.

According to the assessment report you reviewed in Week 2, Henry will frequently look around the room before participating in whole-group activities, copying what his peers are doing, so not to be embarrassed that he does not understand the learning material or what is being asked.  Mr. Franklin and you have observed this same documented behavior in multiple instances during classroom instruction and other activities.  Because he has never been a behavior problem or disruptive, you are afraid that Henry’s introverted nature will cause him to fall further behind as has lack of progress goes unnoticed.  It has been determined that Henry has a learning disability, which negatively impacts his reading comprehension and ability to organize his thoughts on paper.

Initial Post: Create an initial post using the results from the evaluation process presented in the Instructor Guidance as well as course information listed in the Required and Recommended Resources.  Conduct a review of Henry’s assessment report and his background you created last week.  Explain to IEP team which academic setting you believe is Henry’s Least Restrictive Environment (LRE).  Be sure to justify your decision with information you’ve read in the text, the week’s reading assignments and independent research.

Guided Response: Review the posts of your classmates and that of your instructor.  Respond to at least two peers by comparing your placement decisions based on the unique background created.  Be sure to endorse, question, or refute your peer’s placement decision, compared with your LRE decision with supporting evidence from the literature.  You are encouraged to provide additional resources that will assist with your explanation.

Though two replies are the basic expectation, for deeper engagement and application of the material, you are encouraged to provide responses to any comments or questions others have made (including your Instructor) before the last day of the discussion period.  This will extend the conversation while providing opportunities to demonstrate your content expertise, critical thinking, and real work experiences with this topic.

 

 

 

 

 

Instructor Guidance

Week Three

Introduction

Because there is such a wide spectrum of strengths and areas of need and ability levels for children with mild to moderate disabilities, one size does not fit all during classroom instruction or academic placement. The goal of an Individualized Education Program (IEP) team is to provide an equal opportunity for an education in order to earn a high school diploma. According to the National Center for Educational Statistics (2016), during the 2011-2012 school year, students diagnosed with mild to moderate specific learning disabilities were the largest population served under IDEA, with 65% attending general education classes at least 80% of the school day. (Fast Facts, n.d.). Although each student is unique, those who have been identified with a learning disability have characteristics that share common learning and behavioral traits including attention disorder, reading, writing and oral language difficulties, problems processing information, poor motor skills, and social skill deficits (NASET, 2013).

 

In Practice

Mr. Franklin addresses the IEP team by first sharing all of Henry’s strengths. Henry is always volunteering for class ‘jobs’. He excels in the computer lab, helping his peers navigate the Internet. His favorite classes are Physical Education and art, where he is allowed to move around while participating in class. Regarding Henry’s learning characteristics, you explain to Henry’s parents that he typically completes independent reading assignments slower than most of his peers and oftentimes not finishing his work in the allotted time. During group assignments, he will either sit quietly while others contribute or will volunteer for a role that does not require reading or reading comprehension. The school counselor, who is part of the IEP team, shares that Henry has come to see her a few times during his lunch period. She explains that he likes to eat lunch with her because she is nicer than the kids his own age. “Poor social skills often lead to rejection, low social status, fewer positive interactions with teachers, difficulty making friends, and loneliness—all of which are experienced by many students with learning disabilities regardless of classroom placement” (Heward, 2010). Finally, you share that according to the outcome of the educational assessment and the federal guidelines set forth in the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act, (IEP), Henry has a learning disability, which negatively impacts his reading comprehension and ability to organize his thoughts on paper. During the IEP team meeting, as the special educator, you address Henry’s least restrictive learning environment, describing the entire continuum of placement options, which are summarized in Figure 1, below.

Figure 1: Continuum of Placement, 2015

The IDEA requires that, when appropriate, students with disabilities be educated in settings with children without disabilities. Specifically, the law provides that,

…to the maximum extent appropriate, children with disabilities, including children in public or private institutions or other care facilities, are educated with children who are not disabled, and that special classes, separate schooling, or other removal of children with disabilities from the regular educational environment occurs only when the nature or severity of the disability is such that education in regular classes with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily. (Legal Information Institute, n.d.)

This means that the IEP team has the responsibility to collaboratively determine what setting and supports would be the most appropriate for the student and enable them to work to their maximum capacity. See the below graphic for additional information: Figure 2: Educational Service Options for Students with Disabilities (continuum of educational services), Reprinted from Referral Process & Child Study Team Services, 2015, www.edison.k12.nj.us/Page/4846 (Links to an external site.).

Since you and Mr. Franklin are working together with students who display average or above average abilities as well as those that may have mild disabilities, your classroom is considered an inclusive setting. Here, students of the same age are educated together with multiple types of differentiation of the instruction occurring based on the students’ individualized needs. In an inclusive environment such as this, there will be some students who are formally identified as having specialized academic and/or behavioral challenges. Using the chart above, you can see that this type of setting is consistent with a lesser restrictive setting and is closely matched with Level II.

 

Week Three Discussion Guidance

The least restrictive environment is a continuum of placement starting in the general education classroom with minimal special education services to the most intervention provided in a home or hospital environment. Think about what you have learned about mild to moderate disabilities, Henry’s case study and education assessment, then you will lead the IEP team in determining his educational placement. For the Week Three discussion board post, you will explain to the IEP team which academic setting you believe is Henry’s least restrictive environment using important factors, such as the academic and social benefits, impact on other students in the classroom, and additional resources that will be required, such as assistive technology. Be sure to use supporting evidence from the textbook, the week’s reading assignments, and independent research. Please review the discussion board rubric prior to your initial post to ensure you are fully meeting each of the set criteria to earn full credit. Your initial post should include relevant professional, personal, or other real-world experiences in a manner that is rich in thought and provides valuable insight into the topic. Additionally, all elements of the discussion board prompt should be thoroughly addressed with strong and precise connections to previous and/or current course content, or to real-life situations. When replying to your peers’ post, be sure to provide a thorough and constructive analysis relating the response to relevant course concepts that incorporates pertinent follow-up thoughts or questions about the topic, and demonstrates respect for the diverse opinions of fellow learners.

 

Week Three Assignment Guidance

As you have learned this week, there are learning and behavioral characteristics inherent to children diagnosed with the same category of mild to moderate disability. Although not every child displays each of these common traits, considering what has been identified as commonalities helps teachers design instruction that addresses the distinct needs of each group of students. For the Week Three assignment, instead of writing a traditional essay or designing a presentation, you will create a graphic organizer that will present a visual relationship between universal learning and behavior characteristics and strategies for a specific population or disability of your choice. An example has been created for you to model called Universal Learning Characteristics (Links to an external site.). Make sure to use the Grading Rubric as a self-checklist before submitting the final copy of your assignment to confirm you have met or exceeded each required expectation. The highest level of achievement on the rubric is “distinguished”, which is only earned through exceeding posted expectations at the proficiency level. Please remember you are in a masters-level program. Therefore, your writing, research, and content are held to graduate-level expectations.

 

References

Edison Township Public Schools. (2015). Educational service options for students with disabilities (Links to an external site.) [Table]. Retrieved from http://www.edison.k12.nj.us/Page/4846

Heward, W. L. (2010, December 8). Characteristics of learning disabilities in students (Links to an external site.). Retrieved from http://www.education.com/reference/article/characteristics-learning-disabilities (Links to an external site.)

Legal Information Institute. (n.d.). Sec. 300.114 LRE Requirements. Retrieved from https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/34/300.114 (Links to an external site.)

National Association of Special Education Teachers. (2013). Characteristics of children with learning disabilities (Links to an external site.). NASET LD Report, 3, 1-26. Retrieved from http://www.naset.org/fileadmin/user_upload/LD_Report/Issue__3_LD_Report_Characteristic_of_LD.pdf

National Center for Education Statistics. (2016, May). Children and youth with disabilities (Links to an external site.). Retrieved from http://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator_cgg.asp

National Center for Education Statistics. (2016). Fast facts (Links to an external site.). Retrieved from http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=59

National Center for Learning Disabilities. (2014). The state of learning disabilities (Links to an external site.). Retrieved from https://www.ncld.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/2014-State-of-LD.pd

Required Resources

Text

Henley, M., Ramsey, R. S., & Algozzine, R. (2009). Characteristics of and strategies for teaching students with mild disabilities . Upper Saddle River, N.J: Pearson

· Chapter 2: Overview of Students with Mild Disabilities (pp. 45-47)

· Chapter 3: Students with Mild Intellectual Disabilities (pp. 106-113)

· Chapter 4: Students with Emotional Disturbance (pp. 147-151)

· Chapter 5: Students with Specific Learning Disabilities (pp. 181-188)

Article

Kostewicz, D., Ruhl, K., & Kubina Jr., R. (2008). Creating rules for classrooms (Links to an external site.). Beyond Behavior, 14-21. Retrieved from http://www.pent.ca.gov/cdr/f10/classroomrules.pdf

· Classroom rules are the foundation for setting the stage for a proactive, consistent learning environment. This article poses and answers six questions that assist in creating effective classroom rules and potential proactive outcomes. Accessibility Statement does not exist. Privacy Policy does not exist.

Multimedia

Phillips, M. (2014). Universal Learning Characteristics (Links to an external site.) [Popplet presentation]. Retrieved from http://popplet.com/app/#/2229785

· The following link is a sample Popplet created as a model for this week’s assignment using www.popplet.com (Links to an external site.) Accessibility Statement does not exist. Privacy Policy (Links to an external site.)

Website

Popplet (Links to an external site.). (http://www.popplet.com)

· Used as a graph organizer, Popplet is an online tool for those who are visual learners to create a mind-map that organizes topics with embedded videos, weblinks, and individual notes.

Recommended Resources

Article

Kirkpatrick, S. (2014). Special education classroom management tips (Links to an external site.). Advice From Teachers. Retrieved from http://www.specialeducationguide.com/pre-k-12/behavior-and-classroom-management/classroom-management-7-tips-from-an-experienced-teacher/

· This resource provides seven tips on behavior management, with elaborated information on how to implement in the classroom, from a seasoned teacher with 23-years special education teaching experience. Accessibility Statement does not exist. Privacy Policy (Links to an external site.)

Logsdon, A. (2014, December 16). Teaching strategies for learning disabled students teaching strategies to help learning disabled students (Links to an external site.). Retrieved from http://learningdisabilities.about.com/od/instructionalmaterials/qt/instructhomesch.htm

· Although geared towards students with learning disabilities, many of the teaching strategies provided on this webpage are useful for whole class instruction. Accessibility Statement does not exist. Privacy Policy (Links to an external site.)

Supplemental Materials

Creating graphic organizers using Microsoft Word (Links to an external site.). (2010, November 2). Retrieved from http://culturequest.us/creatinggraphicorganizersa.htm

· Here are step-by-step directions for creating a graphic organizer using Microsoft Word.