4.2.13
Montclair State University
College of Education and Human Services
Department of Early Childhood, Elementary & Literacy Education
ECSE 508:
Instructor:
Partnerships with Families of Children with Disabilities
FAMILY FIELD EXPERIENCE ASSESSMENT ASSIGNMENT
As we seek to understand families, it becomes important to have direct and in-depth experiences with
them. Toward this end, you will embark on a unique and exciting field experience with a family who has
a child with a disability.
You have already identified a family with a child who has a disability, and conducted a conversation with
them (see Family Story assignment above). The next step is to create a support plan to assist the family in
achieving their priorities (as you described in the Family Story earlier in the semester). Remember,
addressing family-identified priorities through this support plan only occurs in collaboration with the
family.
Please note that this assignment is more than just developing a list of resources for families. Please be
sure to carefully describe, obtain, synthesize, analyze and summarize the information gathered (you may
want to use a grid to illustrate the process you use to carry out this support). There are 2 parts to this
assignment: a final paper and in-class poster presentation. A rubric will be provided in class.
Family Field Experience Paper: You will write up the process (what you did and how you did
it) and outcomes (what were the results) related to your family support plan. Your paper should reflect a
deep understanding of families through your purposeful integration of material learned in course
discussions, as well as from the textbook, readings, assignments, and experiences.
The following headings should be used to organize this paper (please note that A-C are summaries from
your family story):
A) Introduction: Re-introduce the family using any feedback you received from the Family Story
assignment. Be sure to highlight key family systems components so you provide a thoughtful and clear
snapshot of the family.
B) Family-Identified Priorities: Re-state the family priorities in 1 clear statement, incorporating any
feedback you received from the Family Story assignment.
C) Family Support Plan Process: Provide an overview in 1-2 clear sentences about what you did to
address the family-identified priorities. Then describe, in detail, the process you followed to carry out this
support. Organize this section in a list format with specific examples that include dates, action taken,
contact people (If appropriate) and timelines. You can do this by listing a step by step sequence (task
analysis) of each activity you engaged in to carry out the support plan.
D) Family Support Plan Outcomes: Discuss outcomes the family received or experienced. Please include
any products the family received from you (i.e., summer camp analysis, neighborhood resource contact
directory). Please be sure to showcase this in your presentation.
E) Critical Reflection: Describe, in detail, what you learned from this family about yourself. Explore
misconceptions or stereotypes you held prior to this experience, as well as any personal lessons learned.
*The bold text denotes language from the CEC standards.
4.2.13
Examine questions such as, “how did it feel to be an outsider” and “how did your own identity become
apparent to you?” Think about how your assumptions were challenged. Please also address 2 partnership
principles from the FPE text that had a significant influence on you during your interactions with the
family. Provide concrete examples from your field experience to specifically support what you learned.
F) Web Resource Analysis Locate at least 3 web resources that provide information and/or technical
support for the family. These web sites should match the family’s individual priorities. Within the 3 web
sites, include at least 1 web site that can connect the family to other families in similar situations.
You will need to evaluate the quality of your selected web sites for characteristics such as: familyfriendly, informative, quality content, or accessibility. If you use other criteria, please include in your
paper. These web resources should naturally be shared with the family.
*The bold text denotes language from the CEC standards.
4.2.13
*The bold text denotes language from the CEC standards.