What's the Solution?
In interviewing my principal with regards to the challenges he has faced in dealing with special education or students with 504's, he immediately went into a story of how he handled one of his most challenging decisions.
There was a student who was transferring into his school whose current placement was in a self-contained classroom. Unfortunately, there was not a self-contained class at his school. This meant that he would have to change the student's IEP. A plan needed to be put into place to transition the student from a self-contained setting into an inclusive setting. A panel of twelve adults comprised of district office personnel, administrator from both schools, advocate/lawyers, and the parents of the student met to develop this plan. Herein lies challenge number 1.
Challenge#1: How do you balance the wishes of the parents and the school's capabilities?
The student's records showed that the his problems were more social than anything. It was believed that the self-contained setting did not work best for him. A plan went into affect where he was placed into an inclusive classroom. A shadow from the student's previous school was provided. As the weeks progressed, the student was gradually separated from the shadow. After the transition was complete, the student appeared to have transitioned well. However, one day he informed my principal that he was going to run away from school that day. The student already had plan of escape. Herein lies challenge number 2.
Challenge #2: What do you do when you do not have the resources from the district needed to handle the situation? This student no longer had the support of the shadow, and his current state now deems it necessary for him to have someone shadow him to ensure that he does not leave the school's property.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Supreme Court Decisions
Forest Grove School District v. T.A.
Summary
T.A., a student in the Forest Grove School District, suffered from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), severe depression, substance abuse, and failing grades. However, when he went before a review, it was found that he did not qualify for special education services or protection under Section 504 (Wright, Wright, 2009). Led by frustration, his parents opted to remove him from his public school, and enroll him in a private boarding school during his junior year in high school.
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA 97), "authorizes tuition reimbursement for the cost of the private school when a school district fails to provide the student with a free and appropriate education (FAPE)" (Wright, Wright, 2009). With this, the parents sought a due process hearing in 2003. Two years later, the District Court ruled that T.A.'s parents should receive tuition reimbursement from the school district. The school district then appealed the decision with the Federal courts, and in that case, the judge set aside the reimbursement. His interpretation of IDEA 07 was that in order for a family to receive tuition reimbursement, the student must first be served by special education services. This case ultimately fell into the hands of the United States Supreme Court. In 2009, the United States Supreme Court decided that an Oregon family could sue their local school district for tuition reimbursement. With this decision, the case was remanded back the the US District Court.
Citation
Forest Grove School District
Opinion
In my opinion, the decision first made during the Due Process hearing in April 2003 was favorable. T.A. did not receive a FAPE. In the NPR podcast, it was stated that had the district provided T.A. with minimal services, all of this could have been avoided. Many times in my profession, I have referred students for testing, and the results have deemed the student ineligible for services, even though their classroom performance shows otherwise. This is an on-going debate in schools across our district. Shouldn't all students be provided with an opportunity to receive the best chance for educational success?
Summary
T.A., a student in the Forest Grove School District, suffered from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), severe depression, substance abuse, and failing grades. However, when he went before a review, it was found that he did not qualify for special education services or protection under Section 504 (Wright, Wright, 2009). Led by frustration, his parents opted to remove him from his public school, and enroll him in a private boarding school during his junior year in high school.
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA 97), "authorizes tuition reimbursement for the cost of the private school when a school district fails to provide the student with a free and appropriate education (FAPE)" (Wright, Wright, 2009). With this, the parents sought a due process hearing in 2003. Two years later, the District Court ruled that T.A.'s parents should receive tuition reimbursement from the school district. The school district then appealed the decision with the Federal courts, and in that case, the judge set aside the reimbursement. His interpretation of IDEA 07 was that in order for a family to receive tuition reimbursement, the student must first be served by special education services. This case ultimately fell into the hands of the United States Supreme Court. In 2009, the United States Supreme Court decided that an Oregon family could sue their local school district for tuition reimbursement. With this decision, the case was remanded back the the US District Court.
Citation
Wright, P., Wright, P.(June 22, 2009). Supreme Court Issues Pro-Child Decision in
In my opinion, the decision first made during the Due Process hearing in April 2003 was favorable. T.A. did not receive a FAPE. In the NPR podcast, it was stated that had the district provided T.A. with minimal services, all of this could have been avoided. Many times in my profession, I have referred students for testing, and the results have deemed the student ineligible for services, even though their classroom performance shows otherwise. This is an on-going debate in schools across our district. Shouldn't all students be provided with an opportunity to receive the best chance for educational success?
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Adding to the Collection
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCrX1Wf35zk
The video that I am adding to the collection is entitled, "What it Takes to be an Effective Teacher in the Year 2010 and Beyond!" I chose this video because it provides you with insight into how ensure that you are being most effective. Integration (including technology), reflective practices, teaching to a student's learning style, etc. are all things that we as educators are aware of. However, I believe that many times we become bogged down with teaching to the standards and passing the test, that we forget to use these common practices on a regular basis. One very interesting point that was made in this video was that digital natives learn to type before the can speak.
The video that I am adding to the collection is entitled, "What it Takes to be an Effective Teacher in the Year 2010 and Beyond!" I chose this video because it provides you with insight into how ensure that you are being most effective. Integration (including technology), reflective practices, teaching to a student's learning style, etc. are all things that we as educators are aware of. However, I believe that many times we become bogged down with teaching to the standards and passing the test, that we forget to use these common practices on a regular basis. One very interesting point that was made in this video was that digital natives learn to type before the can speak.
Video Responses
Leveling the Playing Field
Are we giving our students everything they need to know? Or, are we telling them? As teachers, we have all been taught the scaffolding method, where we slowly relinquish control over the learning to the students. This method comes in handy with those students who struggle comprehending the concept. The textbooks that many teachers use today continue with this process. Upon watching the video by math teacher, Dan Meyer, I strongly began to question this commonly used "best practice". In essence, we are teaching our students how to answer questions from a textbook, but we are not teaching them how to apply their knowledge in order to solve real-world problems or questions. Real-world applications that do not result in an answer from the back of the book, will enable students to use their prior knowledge to make connections in their learning. The result of this being, a student who is now eager to actively participate in classroom discussions- one who has now found his/her mathematical (educational) voice- one who will now take this educational confidence to further him/herself academically.
As a principal, my goal would be to have an environment where learning had meaning for every student. I would provide my staff with professional development geared towards making their students intellectualists. I would hope to have a student population who thinks about their learning and strives to make connections to their everyday lives.
A Vision of 21st Century Learners
Are you a digital native? Or a digital immigrant? In today's society of educators, many are the latter. These teachers have not had the opportunity to have total immersion in technology, which leads to an inability to apply it in their classrooms. Our students are in a sense bilingual. They are completely engrossed in a day and age where information is transmitted at lightning speed via a portal that can fit into the palm of their still forming hands. Yet, they are expected to learn in environments that are comparable to that of the "bag car phone". Are we serving these students to the best of our abilities? Or are we in essence placing a glass ceiling above them due to our technological inadequacies?
As principal, my vision would be to have a school where the use of blogs, wikis, pod casts, etc. are common occurrences. My students and teachers would be able to converse across the globe to acquire first-hand knowledge rather than obtain information via a textbook. These medias will ensure that all students will be more competitive in the global market.
Thinking Globally
Last year, my students sang a song entitled "One Nation". Hearing their voices sending a resounding message that we are united brought tears to the eyes of every adult spectator. Many times, we do not believe that our students are aware of the situations that are occurring globally. Or, we believe that they are too concerned with their own personal lives to have empathy for others. This could not be further from the truth. They are aware of what is going on; however, there are many instances where this knowledge is not cultivated. By providing our students with opportunities to learn about the various societies and cultures we are in turn creating a population who is more empathetic and cultured.
As a principal, I would have my students participate in a World Fair. This would be an opportunity for the students to become experts in a particular country or region. Through the use of technology, the students will gather information regarding their country- one major point being how their country is connected with ours.
Are we giving our students everything they need to know? Or, are we telling them? As teachers, we have all been taught the scaffolding method, where we slowly relinquish control over the learning to the students. This method comes in handy with those students who struggle comprehending the concept. The textbooks that many teachers use today continue with this process. Upon watching the video by math teacher, Dan Meyer, I strongly began to question this commonly used "best practice". In essence, we are teaching our students how to answer questions from a textbook, but we are not teaching them how to apply their knowledge in order to solve real-world problems or questions. Real-world applications that do not result in an answer from the back of the book, will enable students to use their prior knowledge to make connections in their learning. The result of this being, a student who is now eager to actively participate in classroom discussions- one who has now found his/her mathematical (educational) voice- one who will now take this educational confidence to further him/herself academically.
As a principal, my goal would be to have an environment where learning had meaning for every student. I would provide my staff with professional development geared towards making their students intellectualists. I would hope to have a student population who thinks about their learning and strives to make connections to their everyday lives.
A Vision of 21st Century Learners
Are you a digital native? Or a digital immigrant? In today's society of educators, many are the latter. These teachers have not had the opportunity to have total immersion in technology, which leads to an inability to apply it in their classrooms. Our students are in a sense bilingual. They are completely engrossed in a day and age where information is transmitted at lightning speed via a portal that can fit into the palm of their still forming hands. Yet, they are expected to learn in environments that are comparable to that of the "bag car phone". Are we serving these students to the best of our abilities? Or are we in essence placing a glass ceiling above them due to our technological inadequacies?
As principal, my vision would be to have a school where the use of blogs, wikis, pod casts, etc. are common occurrences. My students and teachers would be able to converse across the globe to acquire first-hand knowledge rather than obtain information via a textbook. These medias will ensure that all students will be more competitive in the global market.
Thinking Globally
Last year, my students sang a song entitled "One Nation". Hearing their voices sending a resounding message that we are united brought tears to the eyes of every adult spectator. Many times, we do not believe that our students are aware of the situations that are occurring globally. Or, we believe that they are too concerned with their own personal lives to have empathy for others. This could not be further from the truth. They are aware of what is going on; however, there are many instances where this knowledge is not cultivated. By providing our students with opportunities to learn about the various societies and cultures we are in turn creating a population who is more empathetic and cultured.
As a principal, I would have my students participate in a World Fair. This would be an opportunity for the students to become experts in a particular country or region. Through the use of technology, the students will gather information regarding their country- one major point being how their country is connected with ours.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)