This document provides an overview of laws and practices related to teaching learners with special needs. It discusses key laws like PL 94-142/IDEA which require schools to provide students with disabilities a free and appropriate public education. It also covers Section 504, ADA, and NCLB which extended civil rights protections. Key concepts discussed include individualized education programs (IEPs), inclusion, response to intervention (RTI), universal design for learning (UDL), and differentiated instruction. The document emphasizes that teachers must consider the diverse needs and dimensions of diversity among learners with special needs.

1. Teaching Learners With Special NeedsBy: Alyssa Peschong

2. Here's to the kids who are different The kids who don't always get A'sThe kids who have earsTwice as big as their gearsOr noses that go on for daysHere's to the kids who are just out of stepThe kids they all teaseWho have cuts on their kneesAnd whose sneakers are constantly wetHere's to the kids who are differentThe kids with a mischievous streakFor when they're grownAs history as shownIt's their differences that makes them unique Author Unknown

3. PL 94-142Authorized funding to the states to assist in the development, expansion, and improvement of the special education program.

4. Provide an appropriate education to students who had not received one in the past.

5. Ensured the rights of all children with disabilities.

6. Now known as IDEA. IDEAIndividuals with Disabilities Act – Reauthorization of PL 94-142

7. Six Key Provisions of IDEAFree, Appropriate Public Education (FAPE)- School districts must provide special education and related services, such as transportation to meet the needs of students with special learning requirements. Appropriate Evaluation- Prior to receiving special education and related services a full ,individual, and nondiscriminatory evaluation must be conducted by a team, which a parent must be a part of.

8. IDEA ContinuedIndividual Education Program (IEP)- A written document summarizing a students’ learning program and is required for every student who qualifies for services. Major purpose is to establish learning goals for a student which depend on an analysis of the student’s present level of performance. Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)- Schools must educate children with disabilities in the general education setting with their peers who are nondisabled. Provides an opportunity for students to attend school in the most inclusive setting possible. IDEA ContinuedParent and Student Participation in Decision Making-Parents have the right to challenge or appeal any decision related to any part of the special education process. They also have the right to obtain an independent educational evaluation (IEE) of their child. Procedural Safeguards- Parents have the right to: Educational records

9. Obtain an IEE

10. Request a due process hearing

11. Appeal decisions

12. Initiate civil action when appealing a final hearing decisionSection 504Extended civil rights.

13. Any student who has a physical or mental impairment that significantly limits one or more major life activities can qualify for special services under section 504.

14. This laws provides services to students who may not classify under IDEA. These students need certain accommodations and are entitled to protection under law. ADAAmericans with Disabilities Act (ADA)- Represents broad civil rights coverage for individuals who are disabled.

15. Establishes guidelines for employment, public accommodations, transportation, state and local government operations, and telecommunication systems. NCLBNo Child Left Behind Act (NCLB)- Major intent is to better serve the “neediest” of students in schools and to hold schools more accountable.

16. Key ProvisionsIncreases AccountabilityParent and Student ChoiceGreater Flexibility to States, Schools Districts, and SchoolsPutting Reading FirstHighly Qualified Teachers

17. Standards-Based EducationWhat is taught must be tied to the state-derived content and performance standards in the core subjects areas.

18. A standard is a general statement of what a student should know and be able to do in academic subjects. The most common distinction is between:

19. Content Standards: Knowledge, skills, and understanding that students should attain in academic subjects.

20. Performance Standards: Levels of achievement that students must meet to demonstrate their proficiency. InclusionDoes not refer to a physical space, but to a condition or state of being .

21. Inclusion is how educators respond to individual differences.

22. Universally inclusion means belonging.

23. It is a right not a favor.

24. The teacher is responding to individual needs.

25. Inclusion gives children the permission to be themselves.

26. Makes way for positive social interactions.

27. Offers opportunities and rewards for all students. RTIResponse to Intervention (RTI)- Designed to provide early, effective assistance to children who are having difficulty learning.

28. Tiered instruction provides layers of intervention to meet student needs, increasing in intensity as a student progresses through different tiers over time.

29. Tier One: High-quality, researched-based, and systematic instruction

30. Tier Two: High-quality targeted supplemental instruction made to supplement core instruction

31. Tier Three: High-quality intensive intervention to meet significant disabilitiesUDLUniversal Design for Learning (UDL)- “ The design of products and environment to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design.”

32. Proactive rather than reactive.

33. A curriculum that incorporates a UDL direction features the following:

34. Goals that provide a challenge for all students

35. Materials with flexible formats

36. Methods that are flexible and diverse

37. Sufficient flexible assessmentDifferentiated InstructionProcess to approach teaching and learning for students of differing abilities in the same classroom.

38. Objective is to make best use of each student’s growth and individual achievement by meeting each student where he or she is, and supporting in the learning process.

39. Teachers are required to use interventions that have evidence that they work with the populations that they are being used by. Evidence-Based Practices

40. Diversity ConsiderationsA multitiered system should be designed to address the needs of a range of learners with diverse needs.

41. Teachers must develop a sensitivity to the needs of a diverse group of students.

42. Diversity is more than a disability.

43. Dimensions of Diversity: Behavioral, cultural, racial-ethnic, setting (urban, migrant), ELL’s, economic, sexual orientation, intellectual/cognitive, physical/sensory, and behavioralResources Patton, J. R., Polloway, E. A., & Serna, L. (2008). Strategies for Teaching Learners with Special Needs. New Jersey : Pearson Education Inc.