Special Ed Effective Special Education

Special Ed

Effective special education hinges on the individualized education program (IEP). Without the careful attention to individual differences among students and their unique needs, teachers will flounder in the classroom. I have witnessed many well-meaning teachers fail to provide the educational tools and a least restrictive environment (LRE) because of a lack of planning. The United States Department of Education (2007) clearly mandates, "Each IEP must be designed for one student and must be a truly individualized document." There are no stock answers in special education. Therefore, teachers need to be extremely sensitive to student needs, parent concerns, and the input provided by team members.

The process of planning and then providing special education begins with pre-referral. "The purpose of the pre-referral process is to ensure your child tries reasonable accommodations and modifications before she's referred for special education assessment," (Stump n.d.). Generally a team is assembled to address pre-referral issues. State education boards dub pre-referral teams with terms like Student Study Team (SST), Student Intervention Team, Child Study Team, Teacher Support Team, and Student Success Team (Stump n.d.). Each of these terms emphasizes the importance of team building in the special education process. Special education specialists and counselors are usually key components of the pre-referral team. Parents are also included as part of the team. The team must include both regular and special education teachers as well as specialists to ensure thoroughness.

A pre-referral sees to it that the child is not misdiagnosed or assumed to have special needs when in fact the student only requires minor changes to the educational environment. Moreover, a pre-referral sees to it that students ultimately diagnosed with a disability receive as early an intervention as possible.

If the team of specialists does determine that the student should be eligible for special education the next step in the process is the actual referral process. This process varies from place to place but generally the written referral is a formal procedure requesting the school board to provide the testing and other resources for an accurate diagnosis.

Assessment and evaluation methods vary, and the type of assessment used depends on the issues observed by parents, educators, or counselors during the pre-referral process. For example, a child having speech difficulties would be given speech-related assessments at this stage of the special education process. Parents have the right to request the referral and assessment, but often it will be teachers who notice that the child may have special needs.

The results of the assessment are generally what determines the student's eligibility for special education resources. If a specific disability (physical, learning, developmental, or otherwise) has been diagnosed, then the next step is developing the individualized education plan (IEP). The IEP takes into account the results of the assessment while developing a plan for the future. The evaluation results include not only behavioral observations but also socio-cultural background. If the student has a physical disability, the IEP might address the need for specialized technologies or classroom adaptations. On the other hand, if the student has a learning disability, the IEP might include recommendations for lesson adaptation.

The IEP is developed in accordance with the principle that the child will thrive in the least restrictive environment (LRE). A learning environment must be coordinated to meet the needs of the student. If the mainstream classroom at the child's standard school can provide the LRE, then the child will be mainstreamed with some lesson adaptations to suit the child's strengths. However, some students will require special education services in alternative school or classroom settings. The IEP is tailor made and there is no one size fits all approach.

During the special education process, the student depends on a thorough support system. The support system must extend beyond the school doors into the community and home environment. Parents and other family members are usually the first and most reliable support system. When the family presents challenges to the special education process, the school administrators may need to seek for ancillary services available in the community. Problems arise during the teaming process when parents' desires clash with professionals' best practices, or when educators and administrators are not paying adequate attention to the parents' concerns.