This document discusses learner's rights and teacher responsibilities in special education. It covers key terms like IEP, IDEA, and ADA. Laws like IDEA and Lau v. Nichols aim to ensure students receive appropriate education. The code of ethics guides teachers to promote growth for all students. Teachers are expected to understand disabilities and accommodate students. Positive behavior interventions like PBIS are discussed. The document also outlines practices for advocating for students, building relationships, scaffolding lessons, differentiating instruction, facilitating partnerships between teachers and parents, and resolving conflicts.

1. Learner’s Rights and
Teacher Responsibilities
By
Kelsey Drange

2. Intro to Special Education and
Key Terminology
 Special Education is here to work with your child at the level
he/she is at. It is also here to help teach your child how to cope
with his/her learning disability and succeed with it. In special
education, the goal is to help the students while also filling in gaps
that they might have missed in previous years. We look at each
student as an individual and come up with plan that is just for your
child
 Key Terms
-IEP: individualized education plan
-IDEA: individuals with disabilities education act
-FERPA: family educational rights and privacy act
-ADA: Americans with disabilities act
-ADHD: attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
-BIP: behavioral intervention plan

3. Laws/Policies and Code of
Ethics
 Laws/Policies
-IDEA was originally created in 1975 “to ensure that children with disabilities have the opportunity to
receive a free appropriate education, just like other children” (Center for Parent Information, 2017). The federal
law has been revised several times to continue adequately protecting students with disabilities.
-Winkelman v. Parma City School District 2007 was a case that reached
the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court ruled to extend the rights of parents to represent their children in IDEA
-Lau v. Nichols was a case that originated in San Francisco, California. The Supreme court ruled
that “the lack of supplemental language instruction in public schools for students with limited English proficiency
violated the Civil Rights Act of 1964” (Justia, 2018).This case made it so children have the right to receive
instructional material in the language that they speak.
 Code of Ethics
According to the National Association of Special Education Teachers, “the Code of Ethics establishes principles
and guidelines to enhance practice and inspire excellence” (Naset, 2018). Some notable ethical codes are:
- Promoting growth in all students through integrating academic, psychological, physical and social learning.
-Helps children with special needs find and value their own identity
-Create a supportive environment

4. Expectations and Professional
Standards of Practice
 Expectations of the Profession
-Need to understand different disabilities
-Need to be able to accommodate the disabilities
-Open and consistent communication with mainstream
teachers and student’s parents.
 Professional Standards of Practice
-Teachers will participate in ethical behavior at all times.
- They will show respect to both their colleagues and
students.
-They will create a welcoming learning environment
-They will cooperate with colleagues and students and will
work together.
-They will encourage participation
-They will be role models for students

5. Practices to Advocate and
Positive Interventions
 Practices to advocate for the needs of all learners:
-differentiated instruction
-inclusive environment
-open communication with parents
- make the proper accommodations for students
 Positive interventions:
PBIS-Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports
- “PBIS improves social, emotional, and academic
outcomes for all students, including students with disabilities
and students from underrepresented groups” (PBIS, 2018).
-Examples: student reflection sheets, behavior
contracts, positive reinforcement (stickers or slips)

6. Restorative Justice and
Conflict Resolution
Teachers with Students
-Teachers find a way to have students make it right to whoever they
did something wrong to.
-Special education students often have difficulties controlling their
impulses which can lead them to trouble.
-Teach students how to apologize and fix mistakes
IEPS
- “Meeting face to face eliminates the risk of miscommunication”
(Special Education Guide, 2018).
-Be respectful, empathetic, prepared, and accept differences of
opinion

7. Experienced Hardship
 For students who have faced a hardship, the teacher
will:
Build Relationships in order to help create a bond and
a comfort with other
Be Intentional with Lesson Plans “start with a quick
team building activity to help engage students at the
start and get them ready to learn” (ACSD, 2016).
Ensure they are sensitive.
Engage the Students creating a positive learning
environment.

8. Practices to Promote
Learners to Full Potential
 Scaffolding
-building up to the main point
-going back and referencing previous lessons and then relating the
current lesson to everyday activities.
- “Scaffolding is breaking up the learning into chunks and then providing a
tool, or structure, with each chunk” (Alber, 2014).
 Differentiation of learning styles and ability levels
-presenting multiple learning style strategies
-differentiating the way a teacher instructs based on the ability of each
student
- “Differentiated instruction allows for variation in content without losing
sight of the curriculum to which all children are entitled” (Levy, 2008).

9. Practices to Facilitate Positive
Working Partnerships
 In School
Create heterogeneous partnerships
-this allows them to teach and learn from each other.
Match students who get along
-makes sure there are no negative distractions and that the students
are likely to work well with each other
 With Parents
Open Communication
-“Develop effective two-way, frequent, systematic communication
between home and school about school programs and children’s
progress” (Collaborative Family School Relationships, 2002).
Provide Parents With:
-Access-include them in decision making
-Voice-make their thoughts heard
-Ownership-making sure they agree with and contribute to any action
plan
(Osher, 1997)

10. References
 Alber, J. (2014). 6 scaffolding strategies to use with your students. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/scaffolding-lessons-six-strategies-rebecca-alber
 ASCD in service. (2016). Retrieved from http://inservice.ascd.org/10-strategies-and-practices-that-can-help-all-students-overcome-barriers/
 Center for parent information and resources. (2017). Retrieved from http://www.parentcenterhub.org/idea/
 Justia US Supreme Court. (2018). Retrieved from https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/414/563/case.html
 Levy, H. (2008, March). Meeting the needs of all students through differentiated instruction: Helping every child reach and exceed standards. Wilson Web, 4(81).
 National association of special education teachers: Code of ethics. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.naset.org/2444.0.html
 Osher, T. (1997, July). IDEA reauthorized - role for families enhanced. Claiming Children, 1-8.
 PBIS. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.pbis.org
 Strategies for iep dispute and conflict resolution. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.specialeducationguide.com/pre-k-12/the-parent-teacher-partnership/strategies-
for-iep-dispute-and-conflict-resolution/
 Virginia Department of Education. (2002). Collaborative family-school relationships for children's learning. Beliefs and Practices.