SPECIAL EDUCATION 101
Christina Fish
Nicole Delazio
BROWN V. TOPEKA
The Brown Family
"MAN'S INHUMANITY TO MAN. .."
"Suffer the little children..."
"IN BED WE LAUGH..."
INTRO TO SPECIAL EDUCATION LAW
IDEIA – Individuals with Disabilities Education and Improvement Act
Federally mandated
Limited funding
Chapter 14 in PA School Code
Chapter 16 Gifted in PA School Code
 Unfunded mandate
Chapter 15 504 in PA School Code
 Federally mandated as part of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Americans with Disabilities Act
 Unfunded Mandate
13 DISABILITY CATEGORIES IN IDEIA
1. Autism
8. Orthopedic impairment
2. Deaf-blindness
9. Other health impairment
3. Deafness
10. Specific learning
disability
4. Emotional disturbance
5. Hearing impairment
11. Speech or language
impairment
6. Intellectual disability
12. Traumatic brain injury
7. Multiple disabilities
13. Visual impairment
(including blindness).
MAJOR COMPONENTS OF IDEIA
Zero Reject
Must accept all students with disabilities
Nondiscriminatory Assessment
All testing must occur with validity and fidelity
All standardized test must be non-discriminatory
Procedural Due Process
All parents have the right to reject plan
Parental Participation
Parent must be afforded the opportunity to participate in decision making
Least Restrictive Environment
Does not mean inclusion!
Individualized Education Program (IEP)
TIMELINES
Evaluation/Re-evaluation
Must have permission to parents within 10 days of their request
60 calendar days to complete
Parents must have 10 days prior to IEP
3 years re-evaluation, 2 years if ID
To qualify must met 2 prong test
Individualized Education Plan
Within 30 days of evaluation/re-evaluation
Must be implemented within 10 days of development
Annually reviewed
DISABILITY CATEGORIES UNDER ADA
Under the ADA, you have a disability if you have at least one of the following:
A physical or mental impairment that “substantially limits” one or more “major life
activities”
A record of such an impairment
A physical impairment is any medical disorder, condition, disfigurement or loss
affecting one of the body systems, such as neurological, musculoskeletal, special sense
organs, respiratory (including speech organs), cardiovascular, reproductive, digestive,
genitourinary, immune, circulatory, hemic, lymphatic, skin, and endocrine.
A mental impairment is any mental or psychological disorder, such as intellectual
disability (formerly termed mental retardation), organic brain syndrome, emotional or
mental illness, and specific learning disabilities.
504 AGREEMENTS
Purpose is to accommodate accessibility
To buildings
To classrooms
To curriculum
To nursing services
To allergy free environments
“Not all students with 504s will qualify for an IEP but all students
with an IEP will qualify for a 504.”
QUALIFYING FOR GIFTED EDUCATION
There are two ways you can be identified as Gifted:
Identified by a Licensed School Psychologist as having an IQ of 130 or higher.
OR
If student has an IQ under 130, is identified by a licensed School Psychologist as
achieving 12 or more points on the PA Gifted Matrix.
GIFTED INDIVIDUALIZED EDUCATIONAL PLAN
(GIEP)
Must address student’s individual areas of giftedness
Must focus on enrichment
Should not include areas of need
If student has a disability and is gifted we default to the special education
process
Reviewed annually
BEFORE AN EVALUATION…
1. Student should be referred to IST
2. Interventions need to be implemented with fidelity
3. Data needs to be collected
4. Parents need to be notified or met with to discuss
concerns
EVALUATION PROCESS/ASSESSMENTS
Psychologist Testing:
•Cognitive Ability (IQ)
Behavioral Assessments:
•BASC-2 (Parent and Teacher)
•WISC-V
•WPPS-IV
•BRIEF (Parent and Teacher)
•Achievement Assessments:
•WJ-III
•ASRS (Parent and Teacher)
•Connors 3 (Parent and Teacher)
Additional Data Sources:
•Teacher Input
•Parent Input
•Classroom Observations
•Educational Record Review
BEHAVIORAL RATING SCALES
Things to Remember:
1.Please read and follow all of the
instructions when completing the rating
scales.
2.Please set your emotions aside and use
concrete, factual data and observations.
BASC-2
Things to Remember:
1.If you do not know or are unsure of a
response, just give your best estimate.
2.Please do not leave any item blank.
BASC-2
What does it measure?
1. Scores in the Average range suggest no level of
maladjustment.
2. Scores in the Clinically Significant range suggest a high level
of maladjustment.
3. Scores in the At-Risk range may identify a significant
problem that may not be severe enough to require formal
treatment, or they may identify the potential of developing
a problem that needs careful monitoring.
BEHAVIOR INVENTORY OF EXECUTIVE FUNCTION
(BRIEF)
What does it measure?
Executive functions are a collection of
processes that are responsible for guiding,
directing, and managing cognitive,
emotional, and behavioral functions,
particularly during active, novel problem
solving.
BEHAVIOR INVENTORY OF EXECUTIVE FUNCTION
(BRIEF), CONT’D
Clinical Scales:
•Inhibit- Control impulses
•Shift- move freely from one situation or activity, transition
•Emotional Control- modulate emotional responses appropriately
•Initiate- begin a task, independently generate ideas
•Working Memory- hold information in short term memory
•Plan/Organize- anticipate future events, set goals, etc.
•Organization of Material- keep workspace and materials in an orderly manner
•Monitor- check work, assess performance, etc.
AUTISM SPECTRUM RATING SCALE (ASRS)
• A medical diagnosis of Autism does not automatically
qualify a student for services.
• The ASRS is used to determine if the medical diagnosis of
Autism is impacting his or her education.
• Please do not skip any of the items. If you are unsure,
just use your best estimate.
CONNORS 3
An assessment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Scales to be rated:
•Inattention
•Hyperactivity/Impulsivity
•Learning Problems
•Executive Functioning
•Defiance/Aggression
•Peer Relations
T Scores of 60+ are Clinically Significant
T Scores below 60 are Average
DEFINITION OF GIFTED
Pennsylvania regulations state that a child is mentally gifted if
the child has an IQ of 130 or higher or when multiple criteria
strongly indicate gifted ability.
Pennsylvania's multiple criteria include the following:
•The student is a year or more above grade achievement level for the normal age
group in one or more academic subjects as measured by nationally-normed and
validated achievement tests able to accurately reflect gifted performance.
•The student has an observed or measured rate of acquisition/retention of new
academic content or skills that reflect gifted ability.
DEFINITION OF GIFTED, CONT’D
•The student has demonstrated achievement, performance, or expertise in one or more
academic areas as evidenced by excellence of products, portfolio or research, as well
as criterion-referenced team judgment.
•The student has demonstrated early and measured use of higher level thinking skills,
academic creativity, leadership skills, intense academic interest areas,
communication skills, foreign language aptitude, or technology expertise.
•There are no intervening factors such as English as a second language, disabilities,
gender or race bias, or socio/cultural deprivation masking gifted abilities.
GIFTED EVALUATION PROCESS
The gifted evaluation consists of the following:
1. Cognitive Ability (IQ)
2. Achievement (WJ-III)
3. Parent Input
4. Teacher Input
5. Scales for Identifying Gifted Students (SIGS)- Parent and Teacher
6. Chuska Scales for Determining Rates of Acquisition and Retention
SCALES FOR IDENTIFYING GIFTED STUDENTS
(SIGS)
What are they?
• Rating scales in multiple areas of academics and behavior
• As the rater, you must decide how often the student you are rating exhibits
each behavior.
Areas Rated:
•General Intellectual Ability
•Social Studies
•Language Arts
•Creativity
•Mathematics
•Leadership
•Science
SIGS- CONTINUED
How do I rate the student?
• As you respond, please ask yourself “To what degree does the student exhibit the
behavior listed when compared to his or her age peer?”
• Please respond to all the statements.
• It is important to set your emotions aside and complete this form with factual data
and observations.
Ratings
>130- Very Likely range of Giftedness
80-89- Somewhat Unlikely range
120-129- Likely range of Giftedness
70-79- Not Likely range
110-119- Somewhat Likely range of Giftedness
<70- Very Unlikely range
90-109- Average range
CHUSKA SCALES FOR DETERMINING RATES OF
ACQUISITION AND RETENTION
What are they?
•These checklists provide a basic list for teachers to aid in determining those
students who have high and low rates of acquisition and retention
What are the ratings?
•Ratings are Never or seldom, Sometime, Often, and Almost Always
What do you use when rating?
•Please use concrete data to support your ratings such as CDT’s, Aimsweb,
CBA’s, class work, observations, project completion
GIFTED MATRIX
What happens when a student does not achieve a 130 or
higher IQ?
Check Appropriate Column Below
Possible points to accumulate for IQ score
IQ score (Full Scale or GAI, if necessary
3
2
1
0
130 +
125-129
120-124
119 and below
2
1
0
120-124
119 and below
Possible points to accumulate for below areas
WISC – V VCI and VSI or FRI
125-130+
WJ-III Broad Reading
≥ 97th Percentile
86th-96th Percentile
≤ 85th Percentile
WJ-III Broad Math
≥ 97th Percentile
86th-96th Percentile
≤ 85th Percentile
WJ-III Broad Written Language
≥ 97th Percentile
86th-96th Percentile
≤ 85th Percentile
Rates of Acquisition
(Often to Almost Always)
100-95%
90%-94%
89% or below
Rates of Retention
(Often to Almost Always)
100-95%
90%-94%
89% or below
Scales for Identifying Gifted Students (SIGS) Home
5+ areas at 120 or above
1-4 areas at 120 or above
All areas below 120
Scales for Identifying Gifted Students (SIGS) School
5+ areas at 120 or above
1-4 areas at 120 or above
All areas below 120
Total points accumulated
GIFTED MATRIX- CONTINUED
What do you need on the Matrix?
• 12 points are needed to qualify
• 6 points on this matrix come from teacher’s ratings of a
student (SIGS, Chuska Scales).
• Remainder of points come from the assessment of
cognitive ability (IQ), achievement, and parent ratings on
the SIGS.
NEW GIFTED SCREENING RUBRIC
4
Gifted Rating Scale
(Completed by classroom teacher)
3
2
5+ areas with T Score of
60-69
3-4 areas with T Score of
60-69
1-2 areas with T Score
of 60-69
Report Card
Mostly 4’s
Mostly 3’s
Mostly 2’s
PSSA Math or CDT
Advanced
Proficient
N/A
PSSA Reading or CDT
Advanced
Proficient
N/A
AIMSweb- M-CAP
Well Above Average
Above Average
Average
AIMSweb- M-COMP
Well Above Average
Above Average
Average
AIMSweb R-CBM
Well Above Average
Above Average
Average
AIMSweb MAZE
Well Above Average
Above Average
Average
GIFTED SCREENING RUBRIC- CONTINUED
To be referred for further testing the following scores need
to be achieved on the rubric
Grade
Qualifying Score
Max Score
3rd & 4th
27
32
2nd
20
24
1st
13
16
THINGS TO REMEMBER…
1. Always use data when completing rating scales.
2. Use visual, factual language when completing
observation summaries
3. Communicate concerns to parents frequently.
4. Use the IST process before referring a student for an
evaluation.
5. Utilize resources; i.e. IST, Special Education Teachers,
Dir. of Special Education, School Psychologist, Guidance
Counselor