Other information

developmental delay

• when children are in preschooling

• educators are reluctant to identify them under specific learning disability categories so they are put under a noncategorical label

left hemisphere functions

• reacts to and controls language-related activities

• linguistic stimulation, such as words, symbols, and verbal thoughts

right hemisphere functions

• deals with nonverbal stimuli

• spatial perception, mathematics, music, directional orientation, time sequences, and body awareness

planum temporale

• lies on the superior surface of the temporal lobe

• abnormalities in this area are seen in individuals with dyslexia

  • area in the left hemisphere is smaller in size compared to right hemisphere

left interior front gyrus

• phoneme producer

• region called broca’s area links letters to sounds

• associated with the ability to say words aloud

left parietotemporal area

• word analyzer

• region called wernicke’s area involved in analyzing words

left occipitotemporal area

• automatic detector

• region is involved in integrating learned words, storing, and retrieving words

individuals with dyslexia may struggle with this area

response to intervention

• procedure that identifies students who are having academic difficulties when the problems first become apparent

• goal is to prevent academic failure

• provides evidence-based teaching procedures

• tiers:

  • 1: high-quality instruction in GEC and monitoring of student progress

    • 80% of students

  • 2: more intensive evidence-based instruction while progress monitoring continues

    • 10-15% of students

  • 3: highly intense, evidence-based interventions taught in small groups/individually, while progress monitoring continues

    • 5-10% of students

purposes of assessment

• screening

  • detect individuals

• referral

  • additional assistance from other personnel

• classification

  • eligibility for services

• instructional planning

  • develop educational plan

• monitoring pupil progress

determining eligibility for special education services

• must not require a severe discrepancy between intellectual ability and achievement

• must permit the use of a process based on the child's response-to-interventions

• may permit the use of other alternative research-based procedures to determine whether the child has a learning disabilities

methods:

• response to intervention approach

• a comprehensive evaluation of the student with suspected disabilities

pros and cons of RTI

• pros

  • early identification

  • service without categorical labels

  • evidence-based with tiers for increasingly intensive instructions

• cons

  • might delay recognizing a child’s problem

  • more research is needed for implementation

  • not all children respond well to tiers

two proposed approaches for RTI

• standard protocol model

  • at each level, instruction is standardized

  • procedures for all students are the same

• problem-solving model

  • each student has an individually tailored plan

  • case-by-case approach

  • relies on teacher assistance teams

progress monitoring

used to determine whether students are making appropriate gains in learning in the instructional program

curriculum-based measurement (CBM)

procedure designed to test what a student actually does in the school/class curriculum

• students perform tasks through frequent and repeated measures

• design a goal from the student’s IEP

comprehensive evaluation

another way to determine a student’s eligibility for special education services

information obtained:

• observational data

• data from standardized measures

• summary of strengths and weaknesses

• review of RTIs used

• comparison of student’s potential for learning and actual achievement

discrepancy score

mathematical calculation for quantifying the discrepancy between achievement and intellectual ability

individualized education program (IEP)

• written statement for each child with a disability

  • designed for one student and should be a truly individualized document

  • allows collaboration from adults to improve education for student

mediation

voluntary

a process of resolving disputes between the school district and the parents of a child with a disability

referral stage of IEP process

• stage 1: prereferral

  • instructional support team develops activities

  • determines their likelihood of being declared eligible for services

• stage 2: referral and initial planning

  • can come through several sources (parents, teachers, etc.)

  • after a referral is made: school must follow up and parents are notified to give permission

assessment stages of IEP process

• stage 3: multidisciplinary evaluation

  • specialists from different disciplines collect information by assessing performance and behaviour

  • might include psychologist, social worker, school nurse, etc.

• stage 4: the IEP meeting/writing the IEP

  • parents are contacted for a meeting to determine eligibility and the IEP is written

  • must include students parents, teacher, special ed teacher, a representative of the school, etc.

contents of a child’s IEP

• a statement of child’s present level of academic achievement and functional performance

• statement of measurable annual goals

• how child’s progress will show annual goal progress

• statement of special education services or modifications provided to student

• explanation of extent student will not participate in regular class activities

• statement of appropriate accommodations

• projected date for beginning of services and modifications, frequency, and duration

• appropriate transition assessment and services (updated annually)

instruction stages of IEP process

• stage 5: implementing the IEP teaching plan

  • teaching portion

  • student is taught in the agreed upon setting and receives specialized instruction to reach goals of IEP

• stage 6: review and reevaluation of student progress

  • review and reevaluate the IEP plan

  • includes explanations of how, who, and what criteria will be used

  • requires child’s parents are informed

MOO

• annual IEP goals should be measurable, observable, and objective

obtaining assessment information

• can be gathered through several sources

  • case history, observation, standardized norm-reference tests

  • CBA and progress monitoring

  • informal measures and alternate assessment

case history

• contains clues and insights about the students background and development

• parents share all kinds of information about birth and development

adaptive behaviour scales

question the extent to which individuals adapt themselves to the expectations of nature and society are often used

standardized norm-referenced tests

• a standardized score that is used to compare students performance with the average of their age/grade

formalized standardized tests

• statistically designed so that one-half of the students scores will be below the mean and the other above average

informal assessment measures

• evaluates student in a natural setting

• uses assessments with materials they are currently working on

• can be given more frequently and administered over a period of time

portfolio assessment

• multiple samples of a student's actual classroom work are collected over an extended period of time

• used to evaluate the student's current achievement level and progress over time

• used to measure reading and writing progress

ex. daily work, tests, projects, checklists of behaviour

informal graded word-recognition tests

• quick method to determine the student's approximate reading level and detecting student's errors in word analysis

• one word missed = student’s independent reading level

• two words missed = instructional level student is able to read with help

• three words missed = frustration level and material is too difficult

informal arithmetic tests

• highlights students weaknesses in their math skills

• should include several items of each kind so that a simple error will not be mistaken for a more fundamental difficulty

criterion-referenced tests

• describe rather than compare performance, measuring mastery levels rather than grade levels

• provide a way to show growth

alternate assessments

• another way to measure performance

• included in child’s IEP

• based on grade-level academic achievement standards

commonly used achievement tests

• woodcock-johnson III

• peabody individual achievement test

• kaufman test of individual achievement

• brigance diagnostic comprehensive inventory

• woodcock reading mastery tests

• key math diagnostic arithmetic test

specialized instruction

• delivered by special educator

• leads to remediation or compensation

differentiated instruction

• delivered by general educator

• approaches:

  • cognitive processing

    • different ways that children process information with the brain as they learn

    • ex of procedures: fluid intelligence, crystallized intelligence, STM, LTM, visual/auditory processing, processing speed

  • direct instruction and mastery learning

    • structured and controlled manner

      • teach skills directly, carefully sequenced and structured material, set clear goals, student practices each step until mastery

accommodations/modifications

• delivered by both general educator and special educator

tools that are provided to assist in instruction

clinical teaching

• a concept and attitude about teaching

• describes a teacher who is enthusiastic, sensitive, optimistic, and serious about student learning

• viewed as a cycle

• 5 stages:

  • assessment

  • planning of the teaching task

  • implementation of the teaching plan

  • evaluation of student performance

  • modification of the assessment

zone of proximal development (ZPD)

• concept that envisions a range of difficulty levels for a student

• student experiences some difficulty but with assistance, can complete the task

  • performing at this level indicates they are moving towards the desired learning outcome

• can also be at a level where student can work independently (suggests outcome achieved)

  • or where they are unable to complete tasks (represents the desired outcome)

controlled instructional variables

• space (partitions, cubicles, quiet corner, special rooms)

• time (increased time, less questions, broken into smaller units with diff. activities)

• language (change wording of explanation, match understanding level, clear and precise, visual supports)

section 504 students

student may have a disability but they may not be eligible for special education services under a state’s diagnostic criteria for that disability

may not have an IEP

accommodations for GEC students

• increasing attention

• improving ability to listen

• adapting the curriculum

• helping student manage time

• change the setting

• change the scheduling

• change the expectations for response

• change type of presentation

effective instructional strategies for GEC

• peer tutoring

• explicit teaching

• promote active learning

• scaffolded instruction

• executive functions

• learning strategies instruction

least restrictive environment

• students with learning disabilities should be in an area that they have exposure to other students

• better outcomes if they are socialized

continuum of alternative placements

• general education classrooms

• resource rooms

• separate classes

• separate schools

• residential facility

• home-bound or hospital setting