Wednesday, November 7, 2012

SPED

Due date: Wednesday November 14, 2012

Please create a comment to this posting as a response to Kristy's presentation on SPED:

Review notes here.
Think about your experience with SPED and how you have seen it dealt with in your placements.
Create a comment to this document to post your response to Kristy's talk, and respond to your peers.



15 comments:

  1. In my experiences, SPED was a part of me through much of my years in K-8th, especially having a close and best friend who was in the SPED program as an autistic person. Nick was his name and he was a joy to hang out with, he wasn't mean, he was very humble. In his lifetime, he was able to perform a lot of mathematical equations and quantities at a young age and I didn't understand him at all. But, he enjoyed being a kid and it was so outstanding to have him as a friend because you wouldn't have expected him to be autistic by the way he looks. He looked like a normal kid in the 6th grade, but he was super smart. Unfortunately, he died after he was in the 8th grade. He would be remembered forever in my experiences being with him.

    In my CityView placement, there are a bunch of SPED students in my mentor teacher classroom. Approximately, there are about 5-6 students among my 6th, 7th, and 8th graders. I don't want to use the word label, but I may have to because most people put these labels on them. I don't know the "labels," or the so called disabilities that these students have, but all I know is that some of these students do have IEPs and they require that they be on different plans than the regular curriculum for most students. When students who have IEP's, especially those students who aren't on the same level as their classmates, they are usually pulled out to do some other activity to get them through the day. Hopefully, in the end, I'll understand more of this IEP business.

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  2. Getting one's head around the IEP thing can be tricky. First, it can take a long time to actually get implemented --> from the time of identifying that something is up, to getting it diagnosed, to setting up the IEP. Each case is also unique and in some cases can be complex or challenging in terms of getting everyone around the table.

    Hopefully, what you took away from Kristy's talk is that GenEd teachers need to be as actively involved in the process as possible so that they understand how to contribute positively in supporting the student's needs. We talk a lot as faculty about the divide out in the field between the GenEd and SPED worlds. I have heard a number of SPED complain that GenEd teachers often undo the work they are trying to do with the students in their pullouts. I dont think this is intentional, just that GenEd teachers may not fully understand their role in reinforcing specific interventions. Our hope is that our graduates will be proactive about trying to bridge the communication gap that often occurs between GenEd and special support services.

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    1. I agree with your comment on the importance of Gen Ed teachers in the I.E.P. process so that they can really see what the student needs but also so the student can see what the non-SPED students are doing and how they act. A student in the SPED program at Pacific told me a story about something he did as an I.A. where they started the recycling program at the school and because of that the SPED students were able to see how non-SPED students acted in the classroom and they adjusted their own behavior in their SPED classes accordingly. The non-SPED students also began to include them more and they became more of a part of the school and now the baseball team and the SPED students work closely on many fundraising initiatives.

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  3. I definitely have two different experiences when it comes to SPED between my two different placements even though they are both still within the Hillsboro School District. At my middle school placement, I feel my mentor teacher is very sensitive to students' IEPs and individual needs and the aids that come into each class really are helpful. The aids partake in all activities, help all students not just their caseload, and help with classroom management as well. In my high school placement, we have a lot more IEP students to gen student ratio (looking at my freshman bio classes that is) and rarely do we even have one aid with us present in a class. If an aid does come into the class the "help or assist" they usually just sit there and are taking notes the whole time. It appears to me they are spending most of their time trying to learn the material themselves verses being able to jump right in and assist the students with the material. I, myself have had to teach the material to a SPED assistant which took 15 minutes of my class time which should have been spent on students. My mentor teacher has told me many times that it is easier for him to do without aids in the class because he has to worry about catching the aids up on content and classroom procedures rather than focusing on students. He also has had students complain to him that the aids mis-inform the students about information-so miscommunication between departments is a big problem it seems. I feel personally, that I help the students more than the aids do when I am there just one day a week circulating a room?! One other problem I notice is that because we have such a full class (typically 35-40 students) it is hard for the teachers to identify and keep track of each students' individual needs and IEP specifics. When a student has an IEP the assumption automatically is that they have a learning disability when we all now know that this is not true there are many facits to IEP qualifications. Hopefully, in the future as these programs are refined and modified kinks like the ones mentioned above will be worked out but in the mean time unfortunately it is up to us "newbies" to implement and refine the ways these programs are run realistically in our own classrooms.

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    1. I really like the point you make about aides and making it so that students do not become dependent on them. Because I have also observed in my placement that aides become too sensitive to the student's symptoms based on their IEP, that the student can ultimately hide behind their IEP "behaviors." It'd be more beneficial to all for the student to intervene only when needed and to extend your help to the entire class.

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  4. The two scenarios you mention - IA integrated into the class vs. IA sitting detached - are ones that I have personally seen in the classroom. I remember doing supervision in an Art class where an IA was supposed to be closely monitoring her student who had emotional issues and would often hurt himself. They were cutting things out with scissors - which already was questionable for this student - and she just up and left [presumably to go to the bathroom] and didnt even tell the teacher. It was fortunate that the teacher had my student teacher helping out.

    The third scenario I have seen is the IA who works only with the assigned student [I remember another classroom where the IA was doing the work for the student!]. Clearly there is a range of IAs just as there are teachers, but no doubt the most effective are the ones who step up and help out in the classroom. It's great that at least one of your placements has allowed you to experience this.

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  5. If I had it my way to provide these aids with help, I would either provide the notes before the class has even started or do what your mentor teacher said do it without aids. This does require us to work a little harder with the former, but I think if done correctly it would allow more time for those students who need us and not really the aid time. The aid could come before class time or after school to get to know the material for the next day or before class started. That's just how I would approach it.

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  6. I'm only aware of one SPED child in one of my placements and I want to say that SPED students in this school seem like they are held to a higher standard than those I've observed in other schools. I actually really like this too because they he is really receptive to the information and although he is aware of his learning disability, does not use it as a reason for falling behind, but rather motivation to work harder to meet the pace of the class.

    In this regard, I'm a little torn between knowing how to balance expectations as to not limit students, but also sensitivities to their learning disabilities. Right now I lean a little toward having higher expectations because even if they fall short, they are very much ahead of what would have been previously expected. Of course, I will not compromise their emotional needs. I will not have unrealistic expectations because I don't want it to hinder their self-confidence.

    I have also observed many students with IEP's that require instructional aides in our classroom. I'm with Holly on that situation.

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  7. I also do not completely understand how IEP's work in the classroom. I know that we have SPED kids in my middle and high school placements, but I don't think I know enough about who they are or how my mentor teacher's deal with their IEP. At my middle school my mentor teacher always takes the time to make sure everyone is following along and I know we have some SPED kids, but I have never seen an aide there. Occasionally when I come in he will ask me to take a group of kids that may have LDs or a difficult time focusing to the library and go over the activity step by step with them. That way they get more one-on-one time and they can move at their own pace.

    At my high school there are students who are on IEPs, but I do not know who they are because my mentor teacher has not yet disclosed that information. All I know is that there are aides that come in to the classroom and help if there is an activity. In the beginning they just sat there (like Holly mentioned) and did not help, but now they seem to be walking around and helping out more. Some of the ESL learners also have aides who are very helpful, but I also worry about those students becoming too dependent on their aides. I know it is for language purposes, but some are SPED too and ask for help on every little thing, even simple tasks.

    I'm with Kellie on not really knowing yet how to balance need versus expectations. I don't want to make excuses for kids because I know that they can do it and I also don't want to make them feel singled out in the classroom. However, I also want to let them know that I care about their individual learning and I don't want them to feel like they cannot do something.

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  8. My personal experience with SPED and IEPs growing up was minimal. I really only interacted with one person extensively who was on one and mostly I was tutoring her or trying to keep her caught up in our classes throughout elementry school and then again in eighth grade when our middle school integrated everyone instead of the ability grouping they had previously done. I would help her after school while we were in high school as well because we were such close friends. I was aware that she got accomidations on some things, which to be honest bothered me as a TAG student whose programs had been cut in favor or "differentiation" and "honors" or "AP" courses that left much to be desired.
    As an incoming teacher my view is a little bit different. I would like to see more students on IEPs, not just those who are identified as having a significant impairment (Pennsylvania has a lot more IEP options for example).The ones I have seen are those for my middle school students when the SPED teacher delivered the purple folder that they stay in and are filed. We have made a cheat sheet that gives the accomidations on one sheet of paper which is a lot easier to access if we need it. I can't say that we refer to it all that often because we try to respond to everyone (although how successful we are at this is hard to say). I have students who are not on IEPs but are sensitive in ways that Kristy described, such as one who has a lot of trouble with florescent lighting so we let him move near the windows where there is more natural light or we turn off one set of lights. There is another who has great eyesight but trouble reading projected words, so we make sure to say more that he can follow or give him something in front of him to look at with the same stuff we are writing. Neither of these boys are on IEPs but they still need these simple things to be successful. Shouldn't they have IEPs because it does make a significant different?
    At my high school placement, I have heard information that is on IEPs but haven't seen them. Mostly I have many students that are allowed to have their laptops for note taking or written assignments. These students will come and tell us in many cases what they need, although there may be some who don't say anything and I don't know. Given the general school environment at the School of Science and Technology, I think they are all pretty comfortable with differences and different people needing different things and the teachers are too.
    The SPED specialists in both my locations are fantastic too! They are always willing to help, provide suggestions or a little extra information about what these students need. I have talked to them about specific students, as well as ways to make accomidations when planning lessons. These people are really devoted to their kids and honestly want the best to work out for them and the teachers. This makes them excellent problem solvers and very creative.

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  9. My experience with SPED students is very minimal. Throughout my own years of public education I would occasionally have students with severe disabilities in my classes, but not often. In these instances my interaction with these students was limited. It is very likely there were other students in my classes with less obvious disabilities, but none that I remember ever really noticing.

    Even with my limited experience I am not fearful, nervous, or apprehensive about dealing with SPED students in my classroom. The more time I spend in my placements the more I see individual personalities, strengths, and weaknesses, and the more I understand and realize just how unique every child's learning experience is. So many students are not on any IEPs, and many people believe that they should be. I think IEPs are primarily helpful in knowing there might be special circumstances with a student before classes even begin. The teacher has a jump on what they should look out for. I don't think they should ever assume or presume any year long judgments off a student without interacting with them personally though.

    I don't think it's too idealistic to say that with every student with a special need, which very well might be most of your students, you need to find a way to make the learning material and environment work for them. When you can't find a way that works, or you don't even know where to start, then a SPED specialist as Krystal mentioned is an invaluable resource.

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  10. Like many others, I also have very little experience with SPED students. Some of my students at my student teaching placements are on I.E.P.'s but none of them are SPED and while in Spain, I worked primarily with the above average students (average or below average in America). I went through speech pathology and counseling while in elementary and middle school but was never SPED myself. I know that SPED students at Hilhi are included in most classrooms and that they all have I.A.'s assigned to them. They also run the recycling program at the school and are generally accepted amongst the student body.

    Kristy's talk was great when dealing with the prevalence of SPED students or SPED qualities amongst the modern student body and she gave some really great ideas on how to include them in the classroom and on how to better understand their predicament.

    What I struggle with is understanding on how to assess SPED students that are included in your class. I understand they will be on I.E.P.'s but enacting the special needs for assessment for SPED students seems foreign and difficult to me.

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  11. My experience with SPED students within my placement has been fairly minimal up to this point. However I have had numerous experiences in the past including, working at a summer camp with both able-body students and SPED students, and also coaching a special olympics basketball team. From this I can say the most important thing I have learned with working with this population is that they are people too. Treat them with respect and kindness and they often amaze you with their abilities within a classroom, athletic field, or beyond. I think Kristy showed us just how difficult school and life can often be for these students. One must then make sure to make the classroom a safe and cooperative environment where learning can take place with for all students regardless of ability or need. To do this again I return to awareness, Krystal mentioned the SPED specialists within a school or a district. An excellent place to look for help and ideas of how to incorporate these students within your classroom. I also enjoyed Alex's comment that all students come with a different personality, learning style or strength within the classroom. Understanding this and identifying these will make classroom management and establishing this safe learning community that much easier. Furthermore allowing students to identify these things will hopefully allow for classroom wide recognition that we are all people and all have something valuable to include within a classroom. Working with SPED students can at times become frustrating and exhausting but it is also an extremely valuable and rewarding task. You can learn something from everyone and I must say over my years as a students, tutor, counselor, and coach many of the most important lessons I have learned in life come through working with the SPED population. Because of this I am neither apprehensive or worried about finding a place for them within my classroom and instead embrace the challenge.

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  12. My experience with SPED students in my placements has been limited. I know that I have several students on IEPs in my classes at both placements, but I have not worked with any of these students yet. In both placements they have there are pullout sessions for IEP students, and I believe for the students with severe cognitive disabilities there is a separate class with in the building. I also know that the SPED students at my high school run the recycling program in conjunction with our band and baseball programs.

    I think Kristy's talk was great when it comes to dealing with the prevalence of SPED students or SPED qualities amongst the modern student body. She gave some really great ideas on how to include them in the classroom and on how to better understand their situation.

    What I still struggle with is understanding how to assess the SPED students that are included in my classes, many of the students deserve special attention, and require that attention to succeed, but so far I have not been given any good ideas to balance what the need and what I do for other students.

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  13. I have seen SPED worked with well for the most part at my school but really only for the kids who have parents who are strong advocates. I actually started wondering how teachers are required to go about implementing accommodation on an IEP. Do you have to do it from the start give an accommodation or do you see how a student does without it first. I know there are some students who ar not receiving accommodation stated on their IEP. So I was wondering if the teacher only has to implement it when the student requests it. But I thought that was the who point of an IEP was to request accommodation. So it seems silly to me that they would have to request services that have been requested for them. If that's the case how would I go about pointing out that my mentor teacher needs to serve certain students because currently they are struggling without the accommodation that they have put in place for them to use.

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