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What is Special Education? / Final Essay Exam

When explaining Special Education to someone who does not understand the
process to be eligible for services and the steps required to maintain services
provided to individuals, we must first start will IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act). IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Act) is a federal law that allows
those who have a disability that is defined and accepted by federal law to receive
supports from birth all the way until twenty-one years of age.

Under IDEA

(individuals with Disabilities Act) students who are labeled as someone with Autism,
Deaf

Blindness,

Developmental

Delays,

Emotional

Disturbance,

Hearing

Impairment, Intellectual Disability, Multiple Disabilities, Orthopedic Impairments,

Language Impairments, Traumatic Brain Injury and Visual Impairments may receive
supports. Special Education is specifically designed instruction to meet the unique
needs of a child. If the child has not been identified prior to school it will then fall
onto the General Education teacher to start the process of RTI (Response to
Intervention). RTI (Response to Intervention) is RTI is a framework for the systematic
approach to provide effective instruction as well as to differentiate for all student.
RTI (Response to Intervention) including three tiers. Tier I is teaching all students
based on TEKS state curriculum, General Education teachers must collect data on a
student they believe is struggling in their class. General Education teachers are to
assess the student and monitor their progress, the General Education teacher is to
adjust their classroom to better fit the students needs. Tier II is still teaching
students to the TEKS state curriculum with the addition of small instructional
groups, progress monitoring should be increased, adjusting of teacher made
interventions should be increased as well. Tier III, is an increase in intensity and
frequency of the interventions, the students are no longer being instructed by the

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General Education teacher but, with a trained instructor. Tier III has specialized
curriculum, small groups, increased progress monitoring and a change in
interventions. If the student is not responding to the last tier (Tier III), an IEP team
(Individualized Education Program) or ARD team (Admission, Review, Dismissal) can
decide to evaluate the child for a disability. Persons on the IEP or ARD team are the
parent(s), at least one Special Educator, school district representative, an expert
who can evaluate results and possible a translator if there are any language
barriers. Results are then examined and if the student has a disability that adversely
affects the childs education, the IEP or ARD team will then decide what special
services the student will then be receiving. Which can either mean receiving IEP
services or 504 accommodations. IEP (Individualized Educational Program) is a
program that meets the unique needs of the child while in school, this can mean
modified assignments. An IEP is a written document that contains the student
current academic level and has set goals that are obtainable for that particular
student. The student will be monitored throughout the year and if there is an
increased or decrease in student performance the students goals with be reevaluated by the IEP or ARD team and adjusted to fit the students needs. If the
student is receiving a 504 plan, accommodations will be made to best fit the
learning environment for the student, with no changes to academics. Special
Education is a service provided to the child to help them thrive in their community,
it is not a placement for students, it is a service to help individuals in school to
reach and maintain yearly academic levels.

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Destiny Bonds 3