Week 2 Assignment Characteristics In this assignment you will demonstrate your understanding of the learning objective: Identify the characteristics and learning differences of students with mild to moderate disabilities based on the IDEA.  Additionally, completion of this assignment represents an introduction to Course Learning Outcome 2 and MASE Program Learning Outcomes 1 and 2. Researchers have identified multiple potential causes as well as suggested interventions for children who have been identified as having mild to moderate learning disabilities.  These strategies may include environmental, instructional, behavioral, and/or psychological approaches within the classroom or school setting.  This information can be instrumental in the decision-making process, specifically for the IEP team, when developing a student’s individualized goals and services.  Using research-based interventions along with the student’s present levels of performance, background and cultural influences, for the purpose of developing an individualized plan are the recommended procedure for supporting a student’s needs. Assessments are one important measure of a child’s level of functioning.  They can measure a variety of areas including academic performance, processing abilities, language comprehension and usage as well as many others.  There are many types of informal and formal assessments that contribute to the overall picture of a student’s abilities and which help to determine the gaps that need remediation.  Whether conducted by a teacher or school psychologist, a report is written to explain the findings, which include current levels of functioning, strengths, and weaknesses. After reviewing Henry’s assessment report, you will contribute to his case study by completing the “Background” section.  Instructions In this assignment you will read a Case Study, Henry, and then create the “Background History” section using the characteristics of mild to moderate disabilities. In addition, you will explain how each determinant may impact his academic progress. Review Henry’s Case Study I. Background History · Week 2 Assignment II. Reason for Referral Henry is a transfer student to the school who enrolled approximately three weeks after the start of the school year.  His previous school did not send past school records.  Henry is currently in an inclusive classroom that is being co-taught by Mr. Franklin and you. Henry is a quiet young man who sits near the back of the classroom and is reluctant to participate in whole-group discussions.  When asked to read aloud, Henry will comply; however, his verbal expression is reticent but he is able to decode each word. While reading silently during independent practice, he struggles with answering grade-level comprehension questions that require higher-level thinking skills.  In group-work settings, Henry will volunteer for the secretary role to avoid peer engagement.  III. Behavioral Observations during Testing During the re ...

1. Week 2 Assignment Characteristics
In this assignment you will demonstrate your understanding of
the learning objective: Identify the characteristics and learning
differences of students with mild to moderate disabilities based
on the IDEA. Additionally, completion of this assignment
represents an introduction to Course Learning Outcome 2 and
MASE Program Learning Outcomes 1 and 2.
Researchers have identified multiple potential causes as well as
suggested interventions for children who have been identified as
having mild to moderate learning disabilities. These strategies
may include environmental, instructional, behavioral, and/or
psychological approaches within the classroom or school
setting. This information can be instrumental in the decision-
making process, specifically for the IEP team, when developing
a student’s individualized goals and services. Using research-
based interventions along with the student’s present levels of
performance, background and cultural influences, for the
purpose of developing an individualized plan are the
recommended procedure for supporting a student’s needs.
Assessments are one important measure of a child’s level of
functioning. They can measure a variety of areas including
academic performance, processing abilities, language
comprehension and usage as well as many others. There are
many types of informal and formal assessments that contribute
to the overall picture of a student’s abilities and which help to
determine the gaps that need remediation. Whether conducted
by a teacher or school psychologist, a report is written to
explain the findings, which include current levels of
functioning, strengths, and weaknesses.
After reviewing Henry’s assessment report, you will contribute
to his case study by completing the “Background” section.
Instructions
In this assignment you will read a Case Study, Henry, and then
create the “Background History” section using the

2. characteristics of mild to moderate disabilities. In addition, you
will explain how each determinant may impact his academic
progress.
Review Henry’s Case Study
I. Background History
· Week 2 Assignment
II. Reason for Referral
Henry is a transfer student to the school who enrolled
approximately three weeks after the start of the school year.
His previous school did not send past school records. Henry is
currently in an inclusive classroom that is being co-taught by
Mr. Franklin and you.
Henry is a quiet young man who sits near the back of the
classroom and is reluctant to participate in whole-group
discussions. When asked to read aloud, Henry will comply;
however, his verbal expression is reticent but he is able to
decode each word. While reading silently during independent
practice, he struggles with answering grade-level
comprehension questions that require higher-level thinking
skills. In group-work settings, Henry will volunteer for the
secretary role to avoid peer engagement.
III. Behavioral Observations during Testing
During the reading portion of the education assessment, Henry
told the assessor that he didn’t like reading because he “isn’t
very good at it.” He also said that his mom takes him to the
library once a week but he has a difficult time finding a book
the he likes and usually ends up checking out a movie or CD
instead.
Although Henry mentioned, several times, how he does not like
reading, he was willing to try each portion of the assessment
and seemed to be putting forth his best effort. It is relevant to
mention that after each subtest, Henry asked the assessor if he
did “a good job?”
Based on Henry’s overall performance on the education
assessment and his academic history, the evaluation results
appear to be a valid representation of his abilities.

3. IV. Sources of Information, Tests, and ProceduresPersonal
Observations and Interviews:
· Henry (student)
· Henry’s parents
· Teacher reports
· Classroom observation
Formal and Informal Assessments:
· Woodcock-Johnson Test of Achievement
· Curriculum Based Measurements (CBM)
· Student portfolio
V. Test ResultsWoodcock-Johnson, Education Assessment: The
following is a summary of Henry’s current performance in
reading, math and language/content:
· Letter-Word Identification: Henry was asked to read a list of
words beginning at his level of independence and gradually
becoming more difficult. He scored within the low average
range (standard score: 88)
· Word Attack: Henry was asked to decode (phonetically
pronounce) a list of nonsense words using letter patterns that
gradually advanced in difficulty. He scored within the low
average range (standard score: 87)
· Passage Comprehension: Henry was asked to read a passage
(beginning at his level of independence) silently and then
verbally provide the omitted word. This subtest measured
Henry’s level of reading comprehension. He scored within the
low range (standard score: 77)
· Reading Vocabulary: Henry was asked to provide the antonym
(opposite) and synonym (same) for two separate vocabulary
lists, and then he was asked to complete analogies. He scored
within the low range (standards score: 76)
· Writing Fluency: Henry was asked to formulate and write
sentences comprised of three given words along with a pictures
within a 7-minute timeframe. He scored within the low average
range (standards score: 82)
· Writing Samples: Henry was asked to formulate sentences that
combine visual and auditory information. There is no penalty,

4. in this subtest, for basic writing, spelling or punctuation errors.
He scored within the average range (standard score: 92)
· Math Calculation: Henry was asked to complete basic
addition, subtraction, multiplication and division equations
gradually advancing in difficult to more complex computations
involving decimals, fractions and geometry. He scored within
the average range (standards score: 95)
· Math Fluency: Henry was asked to complete simple addition,
subtraction and multiplication facts within a 3-minute
timeframe. He scored within the average range (standard score:
90)
VI. Conclusions
· Strengths: Henry’s strengths are in math calculation and
fluency where he scored in the average range. He also excelled
in completing the “Writing Samples” and “Letter-Word
Identification” subtest that requires visual and auditory
information input.
· Areas of Need: Based on the assessments administered, it is
evident that Henry struggles in the areas of reading and
vocabulary comprehension. In the subtests that required
“Passage Comprehension (standards score: 78), “Reading
Vocabulary” (standard score: 76) and “Writing Fluency”
(standard score: 76), Henry scored in the low range. These
scores indicate an area of need in demonstrating vocabulary and
reading comprehension skills. Although considered low-
average, Henry struggled with phonetics of non-sight words in
the “Word Attack” subtest (standard score: 87).
VII. Summary & Recommendations
· Student Summary: At this time there have been no records
transferred from Henry’s previous school for teachers and other
school personnel to review. Because there is no background
information, the team is only able to use the current class
performance and his educational assessment regarding his
ability levels and eligibility for services provided under IDEA.
It is evident from the teacher and parent reports along with
classroom observation that Henry’s area of weakness is in

5. reading and vocabulary comprehension.
· The assessment results indicate that Henry is not making
effective progress in the areas of reading and vocabulary
comprehension at his grade level. If allowed to continue with
proper support and intervention strategies, he will continue to
fall behind his same-aged peers as he progresses through each
grade level.
Content Expectations:
Within your paper you are to identify characteristics of a mild
to moderate disability and how each may impact Henry’s
academic progress. Use the following guidelines for creating
your presentation:
· Identify and define characteristics of a mild to moderate
disability as outlined by Individuals With Disabilities Education
Act.
· Explain how Henry’s specific disability was chosen with
justification from the case study, the week’s reading
assignments and independent research.
· Describe at least three potential causes (environmental,
instructional, behavioral and/or psychological) for the
disability.
· From the above, establish the overall potential impact on
Henry’s academic success.
Written Expectations:
· Syntax and Mechanics: Exhibit meticulous use of grammar,
spelling, organization, and usage throughout your submission.
· Source Requirement: Reference at least two scholarly sources
in addition to the course textbook in order to provide
compelling evidence to support your ideas.
· Page Requirement: Your submission must be two to three
pages in length excluding a title and reference page.
· APA format: All in text citations, page format and references
must be written in APA 6th edition format.
Next Steps: Review and Submit the Assignment
Review your assignment with the Grading Rubric (Links to an
external site.) to ensure you have achieved the distinguished

6. levels of performance for each criterion. Next, submit your
document no later than Day 7.
Recommendation
The MASE program provides the opportunity for you to create
an online portfolio that can be used in your career development
and professional practice. Throughout the program you will
have various assessments that can be included in this e-portfolio
and these will be finalized in the last course of the MASE
program, Capstone course, ESE699. You may select this
assignment and subsequent coursework to include as artifacts.
Therefore, it is strongly encouraged you save your coursework
on a flash-drive (e.g., a USB removable drive) or store in a
cloud-based option such as Dropbox, GoogleDrive, or other
similar applications.
Success Tip: Start preparing now for the Week Six Final
Assignment!
The Week Six assignment involves creating a resource manual
for Mr. Franklin. Preparation for this assignment must begin
early to make certain you are thinking ahead and saving your
work. Review the full instructions for the Week Six assignment
for more information.
Required Resources
Text
Henley, M., Ramsey, R. S., & Algozzine, R. (2009).
Characteristics of and strategies for teaching students with mild
disabilities. Upper Saddle River, N.J: Pearson
· Chapter 2: Overview of Students with Mild Disabilities
· Chapter 3: Students with Mild Intellectual Disabilities (pp. 86-
92)
· Chapter 4: Students with Emotional Disturbance (pp. 134-138)
· Chapter 5: Students with Specific Learning Disabilities (pp.
162-167)

7. Article
National Association of Special Education Teachers. (n.d).
Exceptional students and disability information (Links to an
external site.). NASET Resources. Retrieved from
https://www.naset.org/index.php?id=exceptionalstudents2
· This online resource offers a list of common psychological,
educational and social characteristics of students diagnosed
with a mild disability. Consider exploring the additional
resources NASET has to offer.
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National Association of Special Education Teachers. (n.d).
Characteristics of children with learning disabilities (Links to
an external site.). NASET LD Report #3. Retrieved from
https://www.naset.org/fileadmin/user_upload/LD_Report/Issue_
_3_LD_Report_Characteristic_of_LD.pdf
· Although all children are unique, those with common
diagnosed disabilities have commonalities among academic and
behavior deficits. The following article outlines some prevalent
characteristics of students diagnosed with a learning disability.
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