A presentation on on learner rights and teacher responsibilities related to special education.

1. Tyler Sliwienski

2.  According to "United States Department of Education"
(2017), “The State must have in effect policies and
procedures to ensure that—
 (i) All children with disabilities residing in the State, including
children with disabilities who are homeless children or are
wards of the State, and children with disabilities attending
private schools, regardless of the severity of their disability,
and who are in need of special education and related services,
are identified, located, and evaluated”
 What this means is that the state is responsible to
properly educate all children with disabilities that live
within the state.

3.  The use of the term developmental delay is determined
by each state, but there are federal rules they have to
follow if they choose to use the term
 According to "United States Department of Education"
(2017), “A State that adopts a definition of
developmental delay under §300.8(b) determines
whether the term applies to children aged three
through nine, or to a subset of that age range”
 If a state chooses not to use the term
developmental delay, state agencies are
restricted from using the term.

4.  While it is possible to create special education
classrooms based on disabilities, that would lead to far
more classrooms than needed and is not required.
 According to "United States Department of Education"
(2017), “Nothing in the Act requires that children be
classified by their disability so long as each child who
has a disability that is listed in §300.8 and who, by
reason of that disability, needs special education and
related services is regarded as a child with a
disability.”

5.  Teachers need to have extra patience dealing
with special education students. Sometimes
the disabilities of students are not visible or
they may be having bad days.
 Teachers are expected to give their best efforts
in teaching students with disabilities. While it
can be more difficult, success should be greatly
celebrated.

6.  Teachers and all school staff have an ethical
responsibility to follow IEPs to the exact letter.
Any deviations from these plans hinders
students and can create legal issues.
 Teachers have a responsibility for creating a
safe and inclusive learning environment for all
students, especially special education students
who may face ostracism from peers.

7.  According to "California Department of
Education" (2021), "Teachers and school leaders
ensure equity by recognizing, respecting, and
attending to the diverse strengths and
challenges of the students they serve. High-
quality schools are able to differentiate
instruction, services, and resource distribution
to respond effectively to the diverse needs of
their students, with the aim of ensuring that all
students are able to learn and thrive.”

8.  According to "University of Michigan"
(2021),“Good Practice Communicates High
Expectations…
 Implementation Ideas:
 Make your expectations clear at the beginning of the course
both in writing and orally. Tell them you expect them to
work hard.
 Periodically discuss how well the class is doing during the
course of the semester.
 Encourage students to write; require drafts of work. Give
students opportunities to revise their work.
 Set up study guidelines.
 Publish students’ work on a course website. This often
motivates students to higher levels of performance.
 Be energized and enthusiastic in your interaction with
students.”

9.  Diversity in any classroom will benefit all the
students as they are exposed to different ways
of thinking, learning, and varying points of
view.
 These are the best ways of practicing this according
to "Drexel University School of Education" (n.d.), ”
Get to Know Your Students… Maintain Consistent
Communication… Acknowledge and Respect Every
Student… Practice Cultural Sensitivity… Incorporate
Diversity in the Lesson Plan… Give Students
Freedom and Flexibility.”

10.  According to "Vanderbilt University IRIS Center"
(2021), “The involvement of parents can be a
powerful influence on their children’s educational
success and as such is regarded as a best practice
in early childhood instruction.”
 By incorporating learners and families into the
classroom, everyone that is involved in the
students’ lives becomes part of the learning
process. The best ways to do this according to
"Vanderbilt University IRIS Center" (2021), “[are]
Build and maintain rapport with families… Learn
from families… [and] Create welcoming
classrooms”

11. California Department of Education. (2021). Equity.
https://www.cde.ca.gov/qs/ea/
Drexel University School of Education. (n.d.). The importance
of diversity & cultural awareness in the classroom.
https://drexel.edu/soe/resources/student-
teaching/advice/importance-of-cultural-diversity-in-
classroom/
United States Department of Education. (2017). Sec. 300.111
Child find. https://sites.ed.gov/idea/regs/b/b/300.111
University of Michigan. (2021). Enhancing student learning:
Seven principles for good practice.
https://crlt.umich.edu/gsis/p4_6
Vanderbilt University IRIS Center. (2021). Page 4: Family
engagement: Collaborating with families of students with disabilities.
https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/dll/cresource/q
2/p04/