Special
Education
Moving from
Compliance to Results
Turn to a Partner
• What are the first words you think of
when you hear the words “special
education”?
• What is the purpose of special
education?
Special Education:
It’s All About Results
•
Rapaciouslearning.org
•
Video Discussion Guide
•
In groups of 3 to 4 answer first three questions on the
discussion guide
At Your School…
• Why do you evaluate students for special
education?
• What does specially designed instruction look like?
• What happens in an IEP meeting?
• Is co-teaching effective?
• Do special education students have access to all
instructional services provided to regular education
students
o Title 1, At-risk, RTI/MTSS
Five Things You Can Do
Tomorrow
• Include special education teachers in the same PD the core
content area teachers are receiving
• Make sure students are grouped for instruction when pulled
out for specially designed instruction
• Do not blindly follow rules you are told that deny access to
special education students. Do your own research, don’t take
one person’s answer, push back, find someone you trust to
consult.
• Change the conversation in IEP meetings you attend. Ask
questions about progress in, and access to, content area
instruction. Use the CC rubrics from AEA 267.
• Evaluate instruction in special education classrooms by doing
more walk-throughs and provide support when the instruction
is not intensive and effective. Poor instruction must not be
tolerated.
Results
• Use core curriculum assessments to guide
instructional decision making
o Example: School that moves students out of core
class because they are failing even though they
are showing more evidence of learning in the
core class with an F than in the special education
class with an A.
o Example: School that automatically removes Title
1 when student is entitled rather than adding
special education to the Title 1 services.
Stop Doing This
• Automatically placing students in special education
for a class period.
• Blindly adding 1:1 paras and never getting rid of
them
• Co-teaching without collaboration time
• One size fits all special education classes
• Removing special education teachers from the PD
regular education teachers receive
• Providing services based on Levels of students
Stop Doing This
Continued
• IEP meetings that are focused on grades,
attendance, and discipline
• IEP goals and progress monitoring that have no
connection to core curriculum
• Supporting practices that diminish results because
“they” said I had to do it this way
Do More of This
• Walk throughs of special education instruction to
ensure that it is rigorous and effective.
• Use assessments that align to core curriculum to
guide instruction
• Provide collaboration time between general
education and special education teachers.
• Involve special education teachers in core
curriculum PD.
• Use core curriculum rubrics at IEP meetings
• Provide the most qualified teacher for instruction
Next Steps
• Show the video to your staff and have them answer the
discussion questions in small groups
• “What Every Administrator Needs to Know about Special
Education” Class
• OSEP is moving to results driven accountability
o http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osers/osep/rd
a/index.html
• The Iowa Department of Education is collaborating with
AEAs and LEAs to create rubrics around special
designed instruction
o Diagnose, design, delivery, and engagement
o Will pilot rubrics in the next year with select districts
Last Thoughts for
Leaders
• Say “yes” more than you say “no”
• Accept people pushing back
o If everyone is happy, you’re not
pushing enough
• Embrace your failures
o If you haven’t failed in the last year,
you are not doing enough