Session 24 - Special populations

What are you curious about?
How many people develop an IEP?

• This is dependent upon the group that completes the evaluation/determines eligibility. Ultimately, IEP teams can end up being around 6 - 8 people.

Special populations in higher education?

• Check out the Penn State site at http://equity.psu.edu/ods for the Office of Disability Services and how this is handled at Penn State.

Where to get student choice points?

• You propose it, and we can figure it out together... but I bet we will approve it, if it is advancing you professionally/educationally!

How IEP's vary from state to state and when students are placed outside of the "normal school setting".

• The question of variation from state to state is that the overall items that are addressed are similar, but the formatting may vary.
• In terms of school placement, it often comes down to what is best educationally for the student, and safety of that child/other students.

How do we modify when we are in a shop setting?

• Many times it is a matter of having others help, whether that is a student, an aide, or you as the teacher. The main thing is to be aware of safety issues.

Philosophy boxes.

• Be ready to share on Tuesday!

Will we have a chance to develop an IEP in college?

• Not currently in our programming, but this is an interesting question for the teacher educators in our program to consider!

What did you learn?
About IEPs and what they are for
Accommodations and modifications
Interventions
Much of what we already do in "good teaching" can help all students learn.
About disabilities/barriers
IEPs vary greatly depending on the needs of the student
A real life example of an IEP!!!

What do you want to learn more about? 
How far will a teacher go to help a student before they are moved to another class?

• I think this totally depends on the support of that teacher and the other teachers/aides in the school.

Our role as the teacher in an IEP meeting?

• You will be considered the "general education" teacher, and your role is to share how the student is performing in your class. This will help the team make decisions on how best to serve the student in the future.

How to maintain a classroom when accommodating to all students?

• I think this comes back to good planning and use of resources. You need to be prepared to include the students, and many times this is just by making sure they are safe and included in the activities at a level appropriate for their skills. You would be amazed at how other students will "come around" a classmate when they need help. Some students have a great deal of "care" for others.

There are a lot of specific disabilities, and we can't learn about them all now. We need to get out and work with students and experience the many different needs of students.

IEP meetings.

• Some of the cooperating centers may allow you to sit in on a meeting, with special permission of the parent, but many times you will need to wait until you are a teacher in a district to serve.

Who makes the IEP?

• Once a child has been identified with a special need, it is really up to the IEP team to make the decisions on how to best serve the student. The team is often made up of teachers (special education and general education), counselors, school psychologists, parents/guardians, potentially an administrator, etc. 

What makes each ag program/school different?

• In my view it is the teacher, and how they work with every student... not just the "superstars" in their program. I think it goes a long way when a teacher builds rapport with every student in a program no matter the level of the student's knowledge, skill, or ability.