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Counseling Psychology and Special Education 400
Winter 2010
Brigham Young University
Department of Counseling Psychology and Special Education
Course Title:
Exceptional Students: Principles of Collaboration
Course Credit:
2 semester hours
Instructor:
Dr. Gordon Gibb 340-G MCKB
gordon_gibb@byu.edu
422-4915
Course Time &
Location:
MW 11:00-11:50 250 MSRB
Office Hours:
Mondays and Wednesdays 10:00-10:40 and other days and times by appointment. In order to
give you the uninterrupted attention you deserve, please schedule an appointment.
Teaching Assistant:
Rebecca Blair beccaeblair@hotmail.com
Course Description: This course prepares future classroom teachers to understand how students with exceptionalities
learn, and how to use basic strategies for meeting their educational needs. Teacher candidates will identify: the ways
individuals differ, the exceptionalities defined in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, strategies to instruct
students with various learning needs, curricular adaptations and accommodations for students with disabilities, and ways to
collaborate with parents and professionals.
Prerequisites: None
Concurrent field experience: Work a minimum of 12 hours with a student(s) with disabilities, or a student who is at risk
of school failure. Teacher candidates will submit case study assignments regarding this volunteer work.
Materials (available online at the website below):
Carter, N., Prater, M.A., & Dyches, T.T. (2009). What every teacher should know about making
accommodations and adaptations for students with mild to moderate disabilities. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Custom Textbook:
Mastropieri, M.A., & Scruggs, T.E. (2007). The inclusive classroom: Strategies for effective instruction. Upper Saddle
River, NJ: Pearson.
Prater, M.A. (2008). Chapter 2: Laws and reform impacting special education from: Teaching strategies for student with
mild to moderate disabilities. Boston: Allyn & Bacon. (Available online)
Wood, J.W. (2009). Chapter 5 Adapting lesson plans from: Practical strategies for the inclusive classroom. Upper Saddle
River, NJ: Pearson. (Available online)
Web sites:
Pearson 400 web site – http://www.pearsoncustom.com/ut/byu_education [use the passwords on your purchased package].
IRIS at Vanderbilt University http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/
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Course Assignments/Assessments
Point Value
 Note: Late assignments can only receive a maximum point value of 80% and will be graded using
the same criteria as all other assignments.
 Professional Participation
[20 @ 2 points/class] 40 POINTS
You earn participation points by attending class, arriving on time, staying for the entire class session, and participating in
classroom activities. Civility is a priority! [Civility is defined as politeness, a courtesy, good manners, courteousness,
respect, graciousness, consideration and is the opposite of rudeness].

Reading and Connections Journal Assignments Connections Journal [Choose 5 of the 8 @ 5 points each]
25 POINTS
Reading materials include the following: Mastropieri and Scruggs custom text, Prater Chapter 2, Wood Chapter 5, the
What Every Teacher Should Know About Making Accommodations book, IRIS Web site modules. For each assigned
chapter, students will complete a connections journal assignment (approximately 1/2 page).
Connections Journal/Reflection
Complete one connections journal for 5 of the 8 reading assignments. The reading assignments are
chapters from the custom text and the course web site. Include the following in your connection
assignment. Expected length ½ to 1 page. Please do not exceed 1 page.
1. A foundation of truth statement. Provide a quote or scripture that provides the foundation of truth for one of
the principles discussed in the lesson.
Foundation of Truth Example
D&C 18: 10 Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God.
D&C 134: 1 WE believe that governments were instituted of God for the benefit of man; and
that he holds men accountable for their acts in relation to them, both in making laws and
administering them, for the good and safety of society.
2.
List the main ideas/points in the reading material. Use bullet points.
Main Points Example
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Laws protect the educational rights of individuals with disabilities (a) IDEA – the right to appropriate
education, (b) Section 504 – the right to receive accommodations and to be protected from
discrimination, (c) NCLB – the right to educational achievement.
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There are pros and cons for including students with disabilities in general education classes: (a)
students with disabilities may benefit from inclusion and are not stigmatized by their educational
placement, (b) students with disabilities may not receive appropriate services in general education
classes.
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Individuals with disabilities are people first and are not defined by their disabling conditions.
3.
Connect one of the concepts discussed to your personal experience or to prior knowledge (something learned
in another class, or from previous readings). Be specific in describing your connection.
Connection Example – Individuals with disabilities are people first:
When I was in high school, I had an opportunity to volunteer at a school for students with severe disabilities.
Most of the students in the school were in wheel chairs and had limited ability to communicate verbally. Before going to
the school I was nervous. I thought of the students as being “disabled people.” On my first day at the school, we had an
outdoor dance for physical education. We took the students outside, played music on the loud speakers, and helped them
“dance” by moving their wheelchairs in rhythm to the music. The child I helped grinned and grinned as I turned his wheel
chair around and around. He was a person, just like other kids, he just wanted to have fun.
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 Course Assignments**
[4@ 10 points each] 40 POINTS
Students will complete 5 assignments before the practicum break (approximately 1-2 pages in length). [Descriptions of
these assignments are listed at the end of the syllabus].
1. Disability Awareness Assignment
2. High incidence presentation
3. The IRIS Response-to-Intervention Module and Assessment
4. Behavior Assignment
 Field Experience:
[3@ 15 points each]= 45 POINTS
For this course, teacher candidates will spend 12 hours working with a student who is experiencing difficulty
academically (i.e., learning to read, write, spell, or solve mathematic problems). In conjunction with the field
experience, students will complete the following assignments:
1. Learning Disabilities (LD) Checklist and Log [does not need to be typed].
2. Lesson Plan Accommodations
3. Performance Analysis
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Final Project
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Class Total Points
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BONUS Complete the course/instructor evaluation found on BYU’s system.[5 POINTS)
100 POINTS
-----------------250 POINTS
Grading Scale
Your letter grade for the course will be calculated using the following percentages:
A 95 - 100
B+
87 - 89
C+
77 – 79
D+
67 - 69
A- 90 - 94
B
83 - 86
C
73 – 76
D
63 - 66
B-
80 - 82
C-
70 – 72
D-
60 - 62
Course Expectations
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Course Work: Written work is expected to beyour own work that is professionally appropriate; please proofread
your work prior to submission. Assignments should typed and be free from spelling, grammatical, and
typographical errors. Well, this isn’t new to you—is it? You want your own credit for your own great work!
Assignments: All written work must reflect the efforts of the individual student.
Time Commitment: University standards are (weekly) 2 to 3 hours of out-of-class work for each credit hour. For
this class you may spend 4 to 6 hours a week completing course work.
Personal Responsibility: Regularly check the online course information and/or the course syllabus for any changes
or of clarification regarding assignments prior to contacting the instructor. Students are responsible for completing
course work and for managing learning behavior in and out of class. If you encounter problems completing course
work, it is your responsibility to contact the instructor to resolve issues.
Classroom Behavior: Reading, texting & sending emails, completing work for other courses
or any other multi-tasking type activity is not an appropriate use of the learning opportunity available in class. Cell
phones and pagers should be turned off prior to class.
Professionalism: You are expected to behave in a professional manner. If you have concerns, you should discuss
them privately with the instructor. The classroom is not an appropriate forum for airing personal frustration or
stress.
Observe BYU Honor and Dress Codes.
Methodologies/Teaching Strategies: Course instruction includes reading the lessons, completing mastery checks,
accessing internet sites, viewing electronic video presentations, and working with a child with special needs,
attending class and participating in instructional activities in class.
Mission Statement of the BYU Special Education Programs:
We maximize the potential of diverse learners with individualized educational needs to elevate their quality of life. We accomplish this
by supporting the mission and aims of a BYU education as we integrate teaching, research, and service. We specifically:
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Prepare competent and moral educators who select, implement, and evaluate research-based effective teaching practices and
appropriate curriculum for learners with special needs.
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Prepare master special educators who provide collaborative leadership to foster the moral development and improve learning
and social competence of exceptional children with challenging behaviors.
Add to the knowledge base of special education and related disciplines through research.
Serve and advocate for learners with individualized educational needs and others who support them.
Other Critical Information:
I will communicate with you via e-mail. As a BYU student, each of you has access to an account. Use Blackboard to access information
for this course. And please make certain your email account information is accurate on the Blackboard system. Also, if you have recently
married and changed your name, please make sure the correct name is on your registration and on Blackboard. Otherwise, use the same
name on your paperwork as the name on Blackboard and the University directory.
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Honor Code
In keeping with the principles of the BYU Honor Code, students are expected to be honest in all of their academic work. Academic
honesty means, most fundamentally, that any work you present as your own must in fact be your own work and not that of another.
Violations of this principle may result in a failing grade in the course and additional disciplinary action by the university. Students also
must adhere to the Dress and Grooming Standards. Please call the Honor Code Office at 422-2847 if you have questions about those
standards.
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Plagiarism
Writing submitted for credit at BYU must consist of the student's own ideas presented in sentences and paragraphs of his or her own
construction. The work of other writers or speakers may be included when appropriate (as in a research paper or book review), but such
material must support the student's own work (not substitute for it) and must be clearly identified by appropriate introduction and
punctuation and by footnoting or other standard referencing.
The substitution of another person's work for the student's own or the inclusion of another person's work without adequate
acknowledgment (whether done intentionally or not) is known as plagiarism. It is a violation of academic, ethical, and legal standards and
can result in a failing grade not only for the paper but also for the course in which the paper is written. In extreme cases, it can justify
expulsion from the University. Because of the seriousness of the possible consequences, students who wonder if their papers are within
these guidelines should visit the Writing Lab or consult a faculty member who specializes in the teaching of writing or who specializes in
the subject discussed in the paper.
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Preventing Sexual Harassment
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits sex discrimination against any participant in an educational program or activity
that receives federal funds. The act is intended to eliminate sex discrimination in education and pertains to admissions, academic and
athletic programs, and university-sponsored activities. Title IX also prohibits sexual harassment of students by university employees,
other students, and visitors to campus. If you encounter sexual harassment or gender-based discrimination, please talk to your professor;
contact the Equal Employment Office at 801-422-5895 or 1-888-238-1062 (24-hours), or http://www.ethicspoint.com; or contact the
Honor Code Office at 801-422-2847.
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Students with Disabilities
Brigham Young University is committed to providing a working and learning atmosphere that reasonably accommodates qualified
persons with disabilities. If you have any disability, which may impair your ability to complete this course successfully, please contact
the Services for Students with Disabilities Office (422-2767). Reasonable academic accommodations are reviewed for all students who
have qualified, documented disabilities. Services are coordinated with the student and instructor by the SSD Office. If you need
assistance or if you feel you have been unlawfully discriminated against on the basis of disability, you may seek resolution through
established grievance policy and procedures by contacting the Equal Employment Office at 422-5895, D-285.
Guiding Framework: As a department, we embrace the Interstate New Teacher Assessment and
Support Consortium (INTASC) Standards as our guiding framework for preparing teacher candidates.
The Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC) Standards: The
INTASC standards center on five major propositions: (1) Teachers are committed to students and their
learning. (2) Teachers know the subjects they teach and how to teach those subjects to diverse learners.
(3) Teachers are responsible for managing and monitoring student learning. (4) Teachers think
systematically about their practice and learn from experience. (5) Teachers are members of learning communities.
Learning Outcomes (CPSE 400 – http://learningoutcomes.byu.edu) Collaboration, Interpersonal relations, & Professional practice.
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DESCRIPTIONS OF COURSE ASSIGNMENTS
COURSE ASSIGNMENT 1: Disability Awareness Assignment (Mastropieri Chapter 1)
Complete ONE of the following:
a. Personal history assignment. OR b. Personal interaction analysis.
a. Analysis of Personal History
Summary of your inquiry
Most families have members who were born with obvious challenges, who were identified by the schools with a
disability or disorder, or who became disabled in childhood or adulthood through physical or mental illness,
accident, injury or aging. The purpose of this task is for you to learn more about those individuals and the
history of your family’s response to those persons. Interview your parents, grandparents and other older relatives
to find out as much as you can about these family members.
If you have a good relationship with a family member who has a disability or has a child with a disability, you
might choose to interview them about the impact of that disability on their lives, their hopes, their dreams, their
nightmares, their challenges. Or you might choose to spend some time with them and reflect on what you
learned that ties in with this class.
If you were identified as a student with a disability or were born with a significant physical difference or
medical problem, you might choose to have a conversation with your parents about what it was like for them at
the time you were identified and how they advocated for you and for themselves.
Provide a concise, clear summary of how you went about your inquiry including dates, times, persons
interviewed or interacted with, methods for inquiry, questions asked, and what you learned.
Reflection
Provide a well-developed reflection on your inquiry and analysis of your findings.
1. Describe your emotional, intellectual and behavioral responses to the exercise. How did the interview
make you feel? What did it make you think? What did you want to do after conducting this interview?
2. What has been discussed in class that ties into what you learned in the interview? Make direct reference
to how you have integrated new understandings and made connections with class lectures, discussions,
readings, and in-class activities.
3. What did you learn about individuals with exceptionalities or cultural/personal response from
completing this exercise?
4. How do others in your family view this person with a disability? What is your perception of disabilities?
5. Your writing should have only minor errors in writing mechanics, including spelling, punctuation, and
grammar. Good sentence and paragraph construction should be present. People first language is always
used.
b. Analysis of Personal Interaction with an Individual with Disabilities
Summary of Interaction
Provide a summary of an interaction with an individual with disabilities that you engaged in or observed. This
interaction should have occurred within the last year. Provide information about when and where the interaction
took place, who was involved in the interaction, and what happened. Describe the person with a disability that
the interaction revolved around. Please use first names only or pseudonyms to protect the confidentiality of
those involved.
Reflection/analysis of personal interaction
Describe your initial response to the interaction, and then dig deeper. Reflect on your own personal response to
the interaction. What assumptions were challenged? What did you learn from the interaction? Consider how this
interaction compares and contrasts with what you are learning about individuals with disabilities.
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1. Describe your emotional, intellectual and behavioral responses to the interaction. How did this
interaction make you feel? What did it make you think? What did you want to do after this interaction?
2. What has been discussed in class that ties into what you experienced in this interaction and the
comments you’ve made? What was your personal reaction to the interaction or connections you made
with what you’ve experienced or learned?
3. Do you think people would have a more positive attitude about people with exceptionalities if they
interacted with this individual? If so, explain why? What negative attitudes or beliefs about people with
disabilities do you think might be subtly or not so subtly reinforced?
4. What did you learn about individuals with exceptionalities from this interaction? What is your
perception of disabilities?
5. Did you notice other peoples’ reactions to this person? What were their perceptions of this person with a
disability?
6. Your writing should have only minor errors in writing mechanics, including spelling, punctuation, and
grammar. Good sentence and paragraph construction should be present. People first language is always
used.
COURSE ASSIGNMENT 2- High Incidence Disability Presentation
As a group, your collaborative group will study one of the high incidence disabilities and present it to
the class. Your presentation should be 8 to 10 minutes and should include a description of the disability, how it
may be manifested in the general classroom, and at least 2 teaching strategies you can use to help students with
this particular disability. Handouts for the class are optional. Please include an outline for the professor.
COURSE ASSIGNMENT 3-IRIS RTI Module
Chapter 2)
(Mastropieri Chapter 2 – Prater
All students complete this assignment
Response to Intervention: IRIS Module
The RTI process is a specific process for responding to and preventing school failure and/or learning problems.
If academic problems are addressed early in school, school failure can be prevented. Vanderbilt University with
support from federal grants has developed the IRIS Center website to provide information about educating
students with disabilities.
To find the module go to http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/
 Click on resources.
 In the Pick One column, click on RTI
 In the Select column, select modules
 In the Link to Resources click on RTI (Part 1): An Overview
This module outlines the differences between the IQ-achievement discrepancy model and the Responseto-Intervention (RTI) model. It also offers a brief overview of each tier in the RTI model and explains
its benefits.
Work through each phase of the module (from the Challenge through the Wrap Up) and then answer assessment
questions 1-4.
COURSE ASSIGNMENT 4--Behavior Assignment (10 points) (Mastropieri Chapter 7)
Complete the following:
IRIS Module – Behavior
1. Addressing Disruptive and Noncompliant Behaviors (Part 1): Understanding the Acting-Out Cycle
The first in a two-part series, this module discusses problem behavior in terms of the stages of the acting-out
cycle and suggests ways to respond to students in the cycle's different phases.
To begin the module go to http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/
 Click on resources.
 In the Pick One column, click on PreK-3
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In the Select column, select Modules
In the Link to Resources click on Addressing Disruptive and Noncompliant Behaviors (Part 1):
Understanding the Acting-Out Cycle.
Assignment: Work through each phase of the module from Challenge through Wrap Up. Submit your
Assessment answers in writing.
2. Addressing Disruptive and Noncompliant Behaviors (Part 2): Behavioral Interventions
The second in a two-part series, this module describes interventions that can increase initial compliance to
teacher requests as well as interventions that can be implemented to decrease disruptive and noncompliant
behaviors.
To begin the module go to http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/
 Click on resources.
 In the Pick One column, click on PreK-3
 In the Select column, select Modules
 In the Link to Resources click on Addressing Disruptive and Noncompliant Behaviors (Part 2):
Behavioral Interventions
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COURSE ASSIGNMENT: Final ProjectDescription
The final for the course is a collaboration assignment. Students will work with a peer to develop a hypothetical case study.
No late work is accepted.
This is a 2-part assignment. (1) You will develop a hypothetical case study for your final project.
You should draw on your experience in the school to complete this assignment. However, this
case study project is hypothetical and is not a final report of your field experience. This project
provides an opportunity for you to synthesize learning. Because collaboration is essential for
meeting the needs of diverse learning, this is a collaboration project. You will work with a peer to
complete this project. (2) You will describe your perceptions of disability and analyze how your
experience and the knowledge you have gained have shaped your perception of disability.
The following should be included in your final project:
Part 1 (Completed with a collaborative partner)
1. Demographic information for the student described.
a. Student’s age, gender, grade
b. Family background
c. Experience in school
d. Learner challenges/at-risk characteristics
e. Student’s interests
f. Student’s learning strengths
2. Describe your moral/ethical and legal responsibilities for educating students with
disabilities.
3. Describe the student’s disabling condition. Discuss how the condition affects learning.
4. Write a statement of the students Present Levels of Academic Achievement and
Functioning Performance (PLAAFP )for an academic or behavioral concern.
5. Develop an intervention plan for the area of concern.
a. Write a goal for student performance.
b. Plan what you will do and what others can do to meet the goal.
c. Describe how you will measure and report progress.
6. Describe 3 classroom accommodations that will facilitate learning. Explain why your
accommodations are appropriate given the classroom environment and your student’s
profile.
Part 2 (Each student submit individually)
7. Analyze your physical and emotional reactions to working with students with learning
problems. Provide specific examples of how you felt, or how you interacted with the
student. Discuss how your feelings influenced your teaching. Describe how the
knowledge you have acquired and your experience working with your student have
shaped your perception of disability. Be specific.
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Course Content
Content Covered
1. The ways in which people differ, learning
characteristics and special learning needs.
2. Special education and the legal structure of
services for individuals with disabilities,
including the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act.
3. Planning and implementing effective
instruction.
4. Collaboration in special education. Skills
for effective collaboration.
INTASC and CEC
Standards
3: Diverse Learners
CC1K5 CC1K10
CC5K9 CC6K2
CC6K3 CC9K1
7: Planning Instruction
CC1K8 CC8K2
GC1K7
Assessment
 Disability Awareness
 Final
 LD Checklist and Log
 Continuum of Placements
 Final
7: Planning Instruction
 Lesson Plan Accommodations
10: Collaboration, Ethics,
and Relationships
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5. The steps in the Individualized Education
Program (IEP) process.
8. The characteristics, prevalence, and
educational strategies for students with
specific learning disabilities, speech or
language impairment, mental retardation, and
emotional disturbance.
9. The characteristics, prevalence, and
educational strategies for students with other
health impairments, visual impairments,
autism, traumatic brain injury,
deaf/blindness, and developmental delay.
12. Strategies for, accommodating to meet
individual student needs.
7: Planning Instruction
CC3K3
3: Diverse Learners
CC1K5 CC1K9
CC2K3 CC10K4
CRIME model
Continuum of Placements
Final
Final
RTI Module
LD Checklist and Log
Disability Awareness
Final Project
3: Diverse Learners
CC1K5 CC1K9
CC2K3 CC10K4
 LD Checklist and Log
 Disability Awareness
7: Planning Instruction
CC1K9 CC10K4
 Lesson Plan Accommodation
 Tier 2 Intervention Plan
 Performance Analysis
13. Using assessment results to make
instructional decisions.
7: Planning Instruction
14. Ways to accommodate for individual
learning needs in reading and written
language.
7: Planning Instruction
CC1K9 CC10K4
15. Ways to accommodate for individual
learning needs in math.
7: Planning Instruction
CC1K9 CC10K4
16. Explain ways to understand and manage
student behaviors, including proactive
strategies for success, building positive
relationships, and challenging behaviors.
17. Complete a 12-hour field experience
involving service with a student with
disabilities and submit a case study of
assignments regarding the experience.
5: Learning Environments
CC3K4
 RTI module
 Performance Analysis
 Final
 Tier 2 Intervention Plan
 Lesson Plan Accommodations
 LD Checklist and Log
 Final Project
 Tier 2 Intervention Plan
 Lesson Plan Accommodations
 Learning Disabilities Checklist
and Log
 Final Project
 Behavior Assignment
 Lesson Plan Accommodations
 Tier 2 Intervention Plan
3: Diverse Learners
CC1K5 CC1K9
CC1K10 CC3K3
CC3K4 CC6K2
CC6K3 CC10K4
GC1K7
 Learning Disabilities Checklist
and Log
 Lesson Plan Accommodations
 Performance Analysis
 Final Project