MODULE 2

COMPONENTS of special and

Inclusive education
Welcome to Module 2. In this module, students are expected to:
This module will bring you to the
various components of special and a. show understanding regarding essential concept of the Child
inclusive education. The module Find Program;
will emphasize personal and b. find out how Child Find Program is implemented;
reflective interaction with ideas c. enumerate the components of the Child Find Program;
through immersive experiences that d. build strong understanding about the importance of
will enable you to improve critical educational placement for students with special needs;
thinking skills and pave the way for e. discuss the process of conducting educational placement in
you to grasp the concepts related to special and inclusive education;
special and inclusive education f. identify accommodation and modifications support services in
components. I am sure you're the classroom;
looking forward to discovering new g. discuss the curricular modifications and special education
learning ideas once more. You may programs;
now begin! h. define assessment, testing, and assessment in Special
Education; and
i. recognize the function of Multidisciplinary assessment Team;
j. determine steps in observing students behavior.
k. familiarize the important roles of parents in the learning
process of children with special needs;
l. discuss the parental rights involving the implementation of
Special Education; and
m. value the importance of parental involvement in the education
of special children.

41
 LESSON 1
THE CHILD FIND PROGRAM

This lesson explains how to

enforce child find and the laws and policies
that control it. This for the purpose of special In this lesson, challenge yourself to:
and comprehensive education, which is to
integrate students with special needs into a. show understanding regarding
normal classrooms or mainstreaming while essential concept of the Child
Find Program;
also meeting their individual needs so that
b. find out how Child Find
they can eventually engage in society. You
Program is implemented; and
will explore the processes for implementing c. enumerate the components of
child find in special and inclusive education in the Child Find Program.
this lesson. You will deepen your learning for
this lesson by participating in discussions and
engaging events.

ACTIVITY
Direction: Read the story about a young boy named Amir and answer
the questions found at the next page.
Amir is 16-years-old from Palung, a remote and ancient market town in
southern Nepal. Amir was born without the use of his arms or legs and so he’s adapted to use
his mouth to paint pictures and write powerful poems.

Dutch disability charity, the Karuna Foundation discovered Amir in 2015,

following the devastating earthquakes in Nepal which left his house unsafe. The Karuna
Foundation sponsored him to move to the capital city Kathmandu, where he’s established
himself as a Nepalese icon. He’s started to learn English and dreams of travelling to see,
learn and paint more.

Amir was homeschooled in Palung, visited by a teacher every day. He says he

would sit alone and bottle up his pain, adding: “Rather than talk to other people about my
pain, I would talk to these paintings.”

Amir is slowly challenging the false beliefs regarding the potential and
capability of children and adults with disabilities by becoming a role model to others. He
says: “My teacher says to me to paint what’s in my mind and in my dreams.”

42
 ANALYSIS
Direction: To wrap up the previous activity, answer the following
guide questions:

1. How did Amir improved his talent in painting?

________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________.
2. How will you describe the role of Karuna Foundation in helping Amir?
________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________.
3. Do you a kid with special need will succeed in his/her life without any help
from an individual or an organization? Why? Why not?
________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________.

abstraction

CHILD FIND: AT A GLANCE

• Child Find is a legal requirement that schools find all children who have disabilities and who may be
entitled to special education services.
• Child Find covers every child from birth through age 21.
• The school must evaluate any child that it knows or suspects may have a disability.

You may not have heard of the Child Find mandate. It’s a legal requirement for schools to
find children who have disabilities and need services. Identifying these kids is an important first step
toward getting them the help they need to succeed in school.

Child Find is part of a federal law called the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
(IDEA). This law protects the rights of students with disabilities.

43
Who’s covered by Child Find?
Children with disabilities from birth through age 21 are covered. This includes children
who are being homeschooled or who are in private school.

Child Find requires school districts to have a process for identifying and evaluating
children who may need special education and related services, such as counseling or speech therapy.
Even infants and toddlers can be evaluated. They could then receive help for learning disabilities
and developmental delays through the government’s early intervention programs. These programs
help parents find out if their young children are on track. Then, if needed, the programs can connect
families with appropriate services early in the child’s life.

Parents whose children don’t attend public schools may not know what kind of help is
available. Schools use various methods to reach those families. Outreach efforts can include local
media campaigns, notices to parents and notices posted in public places.

How the Child Find Program Works?

Public awareness and professional training are critical for successful Child Find
programs. For example, Mrs. Jones is a teacher at Acme Preschool. She notices that Johnny rarely
makes eye contact, does not respond to his name and speaks infrequently. From her participation in
Child Find activities, she recognizes that these signs indicate possible autism spectrum disorder
(ASD). Mrs. Jones follows her state’s Child Find policies for notifying Johnny’s parents that he is
being referred for screening for a possible disability. Once Johnny’s parents provide their consent for
his evaluation, it must be completed within the state-specified time frame.

The referral of a child can sometimes be a delicate situation. Parents may be less than
receptive to the idea that their child might have a disability. However, it’s always best for the
teacher to follow Child Find policies, regardless of how the parents may respond. Once notified of
the referral, the parents do have the legal right to refuse evaluation and services. Furthermore, an
evaluation can bring peace of mind: the evaluation team might conclude that the child does not
have a disability, or if he or she does, that needed help is readily available.

Parents and educators who are unsure of their state’s policies and eligibility criteria
can contact their state’s education agency and/or their school district.

Does Child Find mean the school has to agree to every request for
an evaluation?
If the school knows or has reason to suspect your child has a disability, then by law
(IDEA) it must agree to do an evaluation. For example, a child’s teacher or parents may be concerned
about a child’s academic work and request an evaluation. By law, the school must seriously consider
their request.

The school doesn’t have to agree to every request for evaluation, though. If there’s no
reason to think your child has a disability that requires services, the school doesn’t have to evaluate.

44
What if the school won’t evaluate your child?
The Child Find mandate gives parents some power. If the school turns down a request
for an evaluation, parents can seek a due process hearing. This hearing gives parents and the school
a chance to tell their side of the story to a trained, independent hearing officer. Teachers or outside
professionals can explain what they know about the child. Parents may present evidence such as
evaluation results and samples of their child’s work.

In some cases, when the school fails to evaluate, the parents may have a claim for
monetary damages.

The Child Find mandate gives schools an important legal responsibility. Understanding
their responsibility can help you ensure that your child gets the services he needs.

Components of the Child Find Program

There are two methods for identifying and referring a child to EI. The first is a
referral, usually by an educator or a parent. The second is the Child Find program. Mandated by IDEA,
Child Find continuously searches for and evaluates children who may have a disability with the use
of Child Find activities, which can vary widely from school district to school district. For example,
one district might hold periodic conferences to train staff on policies, while another may hold
playgroups, during which parents are asked to complete a developmental milestone questionnaire.

At least seven main elements are included in a Child Find program:

1. Definition of Target Population: The state defines the criteria that determine which children are
eligible for help. Some states expand the target population to include at-risk children, not just
those who have disabilities or developmental delays.

2. Public Awareness: The state raises public awareness about children who need help and the
services available to them, targeting parents, caregivers, educators, school staff, physicians and
others.

3. Referral and Intake: A child is referred for services; specific procedures vary, depending on the
state.

4. Screening and Identification: The child is screened for possible disabilities or developmental
delays.

5. Eligibility Determination: Results of the screening are compared to the state’s eligibility
guidelines, which must be consistent with federal regulations.

6. Tracking: The state tracks and follows up with children who are receiving services.

7. Interagency Coordination: Some states have multiple agencies that share responsibilities
mandated by IDEA. Resources must be coordinated to ensure availability of services.

45
 APPLICATION
Direction: In this assessment activity, you will fill in the chart to
assert what you previously KNOW about the topic, what you WANT to
know more and what have LEARNED about a topic the lesson.

What you What you What have you

previously WANT LEARNED
KNOW to know more

Congratulations! You have just finished

lesson 1 of this module. You are now familiar with the
Child Find Program and its importance and how it works.
The next lesson would be about Students
with Special Needs Educational Placement. You will learn
more about the things you must consider in order to
properly place students according to their special needs.

46
 LESSON 2
STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS
Educational Placements
This lesson discusses
educational placement for special needs
students. This is in line with the purpose In this lesson, challenge yourself to:
of special education, which is to integrate a. build strong understanding
special needs students into normal about the importance of
classrooms or mainstreaming while also educational placement for
meeting their individual needs. You will students with special needs;
and
explore the method of conducting
b. discuss the process of
placement in special and inclusive conducting educational
education in this lesson. You will reinforce placement in special and
your learning for this lesson by inclusive education.
participating in discussions and engaging
tasks.

ACTIVITY

Direction: Search for a quote on the internet about students with special needs diverse way of
learning. Then, based on your understanding, expound the idea or image that best describes
the quote you have researched.

Quote and
quote
“
47
 ANALYSIS
Direction: To wrap up the previous activity, answer the following
guide questions:

1. Do you think identifying the learners diverse way to learn specially those
with special needs helps you in their educational placement? Explain.
________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________.
2. In what ways do you believe you will assist your learner in developing their
ability despite their disabilities in the future?
________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________.

abstraction

SPECIAL EDUCATION PLACEMENT

Students whose educational needs cannot be adequately met in the general education
setting may require specialized attention in a more controlled setting. In such a case, students
complete grade-level work in targeted subject areas in a setting frequently called the Resource Room.
In the Resource Room, a special education teacher works with a small group of students and utilizes
instructional methods that will foster meaningful progress for those students. Related services may be
provided in the Resource Room setting or a different room outside of the general education
environment. Different students require different amounts of time in the Resource Room, and the IEP
will designate what percentage of a student’s school day should be in the Resource Room and what
percentage in General Education.

48
Special Education Placement Options
Once your child’s Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) committee (which you are a
part of) has developed your child’s Individualized Education Program (IEP), the next step is to decide
on an educational placement.

Placement refers to the amount of time in each school day that a student spends in
the resource or in a general education classroom. The school district is required to have a range of
placements where your child can be taught, including in the general education classroom.

In deciding your child’s placement, the ARD committee must make sure your child
spends as much of their school day (as is appropriate) with children who do not have disabilities.
This includes academic, nonacademic, and after school activities. This part of IDEA is called Least
Restrictive Environment or LRE. And, in this case, the word "appropriate" follows the definition of
Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE).

The LRE for children with disabilities depends on each child’s unique needs. It’s
important to know that the school district cannot use a “one size fits all” approach to educating
children who have disabilities.

The Educational Setting

There are some common placements in which students might get specific services.
Teams of trained teachers and aides are in all types of placements.

A student could be placed in a single setting all day or spend parts of the day in
different settings. For example, a student in a mainstream education classroom all day might receive
special education services in the same general education classroom as part of regularly scheduled
instruction time. Or, a student might go to different educational settings for part – or all – of the
day to receive special education services.

There shouldn’t be any surprises, because educational placement is part of an

Individualized Education Program (IEP) created by your child’s ARD committee. You are a part of this
committee and have the right to agree with (or disagree with) your child’s placement. To learn more
about what to do when you disagree with your child's placement, see our When You’re Having Trouble
Getting the Right Services for Your Child page.

Here are some educational settings your child could have:

• Mainstream (many people refer to this as General Education): Many students receive special
education and related services in a general education classroom where peers without disabilities
also spend their days. This is called inclusion. Some services that a student might receive in a
mainstream setting include: direct instruction, a helping teacher, team teaching, co-teaching, an
interpreter, education aides, modifications or accommodations in lessons or instruction, or more
teachers per student.

49
• Resource: This is a class for students who receive special education services and need intensive
help to keep up with grade-level work. The class may have 1 or 2 students, or may have many
students. However, students receive instruction or support based on their unique needs. The number
of minutes your child spends in a resource class must be written into the IEP.

• Self-Contained Programs: This is a general term for placements for which the student needs to
receive services outside of the general education classroom for half of the school day or more.
Placement in a self-contained classroom has to be based on a student’s unique needs, not on the
disability alone.

Programs That Often Have Specialized Settings

Each school district is going to offer its own set of special education programs and
services, and the names of these programs will be different. However, here are 4 examples of
programs often delivered in specialized settings that we thought you should know about:
At least seven main elements are included in a Child Find program:

1. Preschool Program for Children with Disabilities (PPCD): This is a set of special education
services for children age 3 to 5. PPCD services can take place in different settings, including a
child development center, Head Start, a private preschool, or right on an elementary school
campus. Any PPCD placement can include related services like occupational, physical, or speech
therapy. See our PPCD page to learn more.
2. Life Skills: This helps students with many different types of disabilities but generally those who
need support with academic, social, or behavioral issues as well as daily living skills. Students
who receive services in this program may stay until they turn 22 years old.
3. Social Behavior Skills (SBS): This goes by different names in different districts. It is also called
Applied Behavior Skills or just Behavior Skills. In this program, trained teachers help students
learn decision-making and social skills (to promote self-responsibility) with other peers around.
SBS is a separate classroom that children can stay in full-time or part-time, depending on their
IEP.
4. Transition or 18+: A small number of students may stay enrolled in special education services
until they turn 21 or 22 years old (depending on which calendar month they turn 22), even after
they have graduated with a certificate of completion. Students are able to get into these
programs if it is approved by their ARD committee and written into their IEP before they
graduate. Most of these programs are designed to help the student build more independence and
get ready to go out into the workforce. Students might stay in the classroom for some of the day
and go to job training for the rest of the day. You can find out more on our Transitioning Out of
Public Education page.

50
 APPLICATION
Direction: Read the situation below and answer the questions.

High up in the hills of Ecuador’s capital city Quito, you’ll find eight-year-old
Richard who lives with Marina, his mother and 15-year-old brother, Armando. He has
a genetic disorder called osteogenesis imperfecta, also known as brittle bone
disease. It means he cannot enjoy a ‘typical’ childhood, he says: “I cannot run or
jump or play on the swings. I have bones of glass.” Despite having to be really
careful when he’s away from home and with his friends, Richard really enjoys going
to school, where he’s top of his class! Education has meant that Richard’s dreams are
not limited by his disability. He dreams of taking to the skies one day so that he
can see the world.

1. How important placement is as a component of special and inclusive education?

___________________________________________________________________.
2. In the case of Richard, how placement would be helpful to him?
___________________________________________________________________.

3. Discuss how LRE helps the learners with special needs just like Richard.
___________________________________________________________________.

Congratulations! You have just finished

lesson 2 of this module. You are now familiar with the
Educational Placement for Students with Special Needs.
The next lesson would be about Curriculum
Modification for Special Education. You will learn more
about the things you must consider in order to make your
classroom inclusive to everyone. See you!

51
 LESSON 3
Accommodation & Curricular
Modifications
This lesson presents the
accommodation and modifications support In this lesson, challenge yourself to:
services in the classroom as well as
curricular modification for special a. identify accommodation and
modifications support
education programs in support to the
services in the classroom; and
ultimate goal of SPED which is the b. discuss the curricular
integration or mainstreaming of learners modifications and special
with special needs into the regular school education programs.
system and eventually in the community
(Policies and Guidelines for Special
Education, 1997).

ACTIVITY
Direction: Read the excerpt below and answer the questions found on the
next page.

As Sabrina’s general education teacher, Nancy Preto, talked with Nelia and began to
prepare for Sabrina’s inclusion, she realized that a traditional whole-class instructional approach
would not work. So she decided to create activity stations and focus on small-group instruction.
During Sabrina’s first week, it was clear how these stations provided Nancy with opportunities for
accommodations and modifications.

For example, Sabrina was not yet able to decode, so Nancy made sure she had reading
buddies at the reading station. To introduce the buddy system, Nancy explained to students: “Some of
us need out-loud reading support. Are any of you willing to read aloud to a buddy at the reading
station?” Many students raised their hands.

“Great!” Nancy responded. “Let me show you my favorite way to read with a buddy.” She
then modeled the “say something” strategy: Students partner up (both students might be reading
independently or one might be reading aloud to the other) and periodically stop to turn and “say
something” to each other about what they have just read. Nancy was modeling how to provide peer
reading support while simultaneously teaching a reading comprehension strategy that all students
would use.

52
 Sabrina also had difficulty with fine motor skills, so Nancy made sure she had large
manipulatives at the math station and a writing buddy at the writing station. Nancy introduced the
purpose of a writing buddy: “Some of us need writing support to help us share our great thoughts and
ideas.” She asked for volunteers who were interested in learning to transcribe Sabrina’s thoughts at
the writing station, and then modeled the process of listening and writing a student’s thoughts down
verbatim. Within a few weeks, students were skilled at capturing Sabrina’s thoughts on paper and
even encouraged her to share ideas during whole-group discussions.

Nancy was careful to rotate Sabrina’s reading and writing buddies. She often noted
similarities between Sabrina and her peers, highlighting Sabrina’s strengths and making it clear all
students were expected to support each other. For example: “Sabrina and Rachelle, both of you love
stories about animals. Would you like to read this book together?” Nancy also facilitated other
opportunities for peers to work closely with Sabrina on academic tasks and social activities. For
example, she asked another student to check math problems with a calculator while Sabrina solved
the same math problems with manipulatives

ANALYSIS
Direction: To wrap up the previous activity, answer the following
guide questions:

1. What support was given to Sabrina in order to learn better?

________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________.
2. What changes can be concluded if teacher Nancy continuously implement this
support to Sabrina?
________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________.
3. As a teacher, what strategies would you implement to make your classroom
inclusive for students with special needs?
________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________.

53
 abstraction
Accommodations remove learning barriers in the classroom to provide every child with
equal access to learning. An example is offering an audio version of classroom text for a student with
dyslexia or visual supports for children with ASD. Modifications are changes to what a child is taught
and expected to do in class. For example, a student who struggles with spelling may be tested on a
different set of words than his peers.

Accommodation Modification
A strategy used to help a student with A strategy used to help a student with
learning needs access the same curriculum as learning needs achieve the same curriculum
his peers. as his peers.
Curriculum learning expectations and Curriculum learning expectations and
outcomes are the same. outcomes are different.
Occurs in the general education classroom. Occurs in the general education classroom.
Tools, materials, technology, visual aids, Tools, materials, technology, visual aids,
physical space, and timing are used to help physical space, and timing are used to help
the student access the curriculum. the student achieve the currculum.
Grading is different and appropriate to the
Grading is the same. student's specific developmental level and
learning needs.

Curriculum modification
Curriculum modification consists of the adjustments educators make to curriculums to
make them accessible for students with special needs. Educators classify curriculum modification as a
type of educational strategy. In a nutshell, they’re a set of resources designed to allow special needs
students to have better access to information.

In this regard, educators have to be aware of the student’s individual traits when they’re
planning the class methodology, content, and assessment. They make the necessary changes to adapt
their curriculum to the particular characteristics of that student. The goal is to make the content more
accessible to students who have some kind of learning barrier. They may also completely eliminate
certain elements of the curriculum for a student if they simply can’t grasp them.

54
When Do Teachers Resort to Curriculum Modification?
The basic elements of any curriculum are the goals, content, and evaluation criteria.
Teachers use these three factors to design and execute their curriculums and their curriculum
modifications.

The first thing you have to know is how to differentiate between the two kinds of
modifications. The difference lies in whether or not the educator makes changes to the basic
elements we just mentioned. If they do, they’re making significant modifications. If not, they’re
making non-significant modifications.

Non-Significant Curriculum Modification

In this case, the teacher doesn’t make changes to the basic elements of the
curriculum. However, they do change:

• The organization or methodology.

• The students’ general environment.
• Minor content.

Within these guidelines, the modifications only affect things such as the kinds of
activities or the evaluation method. They never affect educational goals. Those will be exactly the
same as they are for all the other students.

Consequently, there won’t be any repercussions in the child’s evaluation or whether or not they go
pass to the next grade.

Significant Curriculum Modifications

On the other hand, significant curriculum modifications are those that change the
basic elements of the curriculum.

An educator may resort to them when the student’s traits in relation to the school
environment make it impossible for them reach the proposed class goals. These needs are called
specifics of educational support.

In that situation, the child can only move on to the next grade if they reach certain
concrete objectives. These objectives are specified at the beginning of the semester in the individual
curriculum modification.

If the student doesn’t reach their goals, their school might make them repeat a grade
so they can have another opportunity to meet the requirements to pass. Not only that, but repeating
a grade can also be beneficial for the child’s social skills.

55
Social Aspects and Other Characteristics of Curriculum
Modification
The implementation process for curriculum modification is very important. A team of
professionals involved in the educational process should make the decision. It’s also essential for all
the decisions to be recorded in writing.

The basis of this practice is focused on the idea of social inclusion. The idea that no
one should be discriminated against, no matter their differences or abilities. Everyone should have an
equal opportunity to get an education and develop themselves professionally. Carina Paniagua, author
of Curricular Modifications, believes that inclusion encompasses listening, dialoguing, cooperating,
and asking questions. Inclusion means accepting, trusting, and embracing the needs of diversity.

Inclusive systems assume that everyone has unique skills and abilities and that
everyone can learn. It’s a continuous process, observable in participatory practices and actions built on
the foundation of freedom.

Talking about curriculum modifications is one thing, but actually carrying them out can
be quite complex. There are some consequences to graduating from high school with a modified
curriculum. For example, a student in that situation wouldn’t be eligible for certain government
programs.

That’s why it’s so important to seek professional help if you’re trying to navigate this
kind of situation. Everyone involved should think carefully before making any decisions about
curriculum modification.

Curriculum Modifications in Special Education in the Philippines

(Adopted from Article V, Policies and Guideline of Special Education in the Philippines)

This section presents the curricular schemes which may be adopted for special education
program depending upon the needs of the special learners:

(1) The regular curriculum prescribed for regular children,

(2) The modified curriculum which is the regular curriculum with certain adaptations to need the
needs of special children, such as inclusion of orientation and mobility for children with visual
impairment, and
(3) The special curriculum which is designed for children with special needs and aimed primarily at
developing adaptive skills and/or their potential.

Modified Curriculum

• The modified curriculum for the visually impaired shall include sensory training, special instruction
in Braille reading and writing, mathematics, orientation and mobility, Braille music, and typing.
• The modified curriculum for the hearing impaired shall emphasize communication and language
development based on the philosophy of Total Communication which is tailored to meet the
individual child's communication, and educational needs. The curriculum, in addition, shall include
special instruction in speech and speechreading, auditory training and rhythm. The multi-sensory
approach shall be maximized and speech/speechreading and sign language shall be encouraged
starting in Grade I.
56
• The modified curriculum for children with behavior problems shall include special activities and
instructional techniques for the normalization of behavior with emphasis on moral, civic and
spiritual values as well as training in livelihood, and technical and academic skills to prepare them
for the world of work.

Special Curriculum
• The curriculum for the physically handicapped child shall include functional exercises.
• The special curriculum for the mentally retarded shall emphasize training in self-care, socialization,
motor and prevocational and vocational skills. For the more severely retarded child, emphasis shall
be on development of self-care skills.
• All special schools shall strengthen their vocational and technical training programs. Arrangements
shall be made to enable the child with special needs to attend special courses offered in the
regular vocational schools whenever practical.
• A community-based, home-based or any useful alternative special education delivery system shall
be established to reach those who cannot avail of regular institution-based programs.

57
 APPLICATION
Direction: To wrap up this lesson, write an essay, consisting of at least
100 words, answering the internalizing question below.

If you become a teacher, what will you do to make sure that you will be able to
effectively cater the needs of your students despite their diversity and special
needs?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________

Congratulations! You have just finished

lesson 3 of this module. You are now familiar with the
concept of curricular modification and accommodation for
students with special needs.
The next lesson would be about Assessment
of Children with Special Needs.

58
 LESSON 4
Assessment of children with
special needs
This lesson discusses the
importance of assessment in the field of
Special Education. Knowing its importance In this lesson, challenge yourself to:
will enable teachers to better understand a. define assessment, testing,
what the students have learned and then and assessment in Special
decide what steps they will take to Education; and
improve the learning environment. b. recognize the function of
Multidisciplinary assessment
Assessment also allows teachers to
Team; and
recognize student's difficulties in school c. determine steps in observing
and their advancement toward goals. In students behavior.
this way, teachers are able to modify their
teaching methods to aid the students to
become successful.

ACTIVITY

Direction: Search at least five (5) assessment strategies on the internet being
implemented to assess students with special needs. Write a short description
about it and the process on how to implement it.

59
 ANALYSIS
Direction: To wrap up the previous activity, answer the following
guide questions:

1. How will you describe the assessment strategies being used for children with
special needs? Is it hard to implement? Explain.
________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________.
2. In what ways do assessment strategies for children with special needs
different from the regular or traditional assessment?
________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________.

abstraction

Assessment in Special Education

In the discipline of Special Education, assessment can be defined as "the systematic
process of gathering educationally relevant information to make legal and instructional decisions about
the provision of special services (McLoughlin and Lewis, 2008).

Assessment in Special Education should be considered as continuous. To note, assessment

should be ideally an ongoing process. Assessment should also be done systematically to answer
important questions that are educationally relevant. Therefore, it should serve a definite purpose of
catering highly individualized instructional plans for the students with disability. In other words, each
program is designed to fulfill a specific purpose of addressing the needs of the student with disability

60
Legal Bases of Assessment for Individuals with Disabilities
Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA)
The Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) was previously patterned after the Public
Law 94-142 or the Education for All Handicapped Children Act. The specific purposes of the law
includes the following: (1) to insure publicly funded Special Education and related services for all
handicapped children no later than 1978; (2) to insure the rights of handicapped children and their
parents and guardians; (3) to relieve the Special Education financial burden of state and local
governments; and (4) to assess and insure the effectiveness of efforts to educate handicapped
children.

No Child Left Behind (NCLB)

This requires stronger accountability for results by specifying that schools must have
challenging educational standards, test children starting grade 3 every year, and specify progress
objectives that ensure proficiency of every child.

The Multidisciplinary Team for Assessment of Children with

Special Needs
Multidisciplinary team is responsible for the assessment of children with special
needs. A multidisciplinary team approach, including the integration of values perspectives, and ideas
gives an accurate decision-making process in identifying the academic, social, and vocational needs
of the child and to develop an individualized educational program that will meet the needs of the
student with disability. The team functions to support students in the Special Education and related
services. Members would share responsibility and have to maintain an open communication in the
form of collaboration and not merely coordination.

Members of the multidisciplinary team include teachers, administrators, and

appropriate specialists serving in selected roles. Considered as specialists are the therapists,
counselors, psychologists, bilingual teachers, and curriculum specialists. Parents, students, student's
peers, and others can contribute to the team. In assessing a child with special needs, the major
functions of the team are:

1. To determine if the student has a disability and would require Special Education services;
2. To plan and evaluate educational experiences of students who have been diagnosed to be in need
of Special Education services; and
3. To develop an action plan that would meet the needs of the child with disability in terms of
education, social, and vocation, in the inclusion process which indicates that the child with
disability will not be placed in Special Education and, if necessary, to identify the student's
unique needs to develop an individualized educational program to address the needs.

The basic multidisciplinary team activities include:

1. Evaluating students who are experiencing difficulty in the regular class upon referral or students
who are in need of Special Education upon entering the educational system

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2. Developing strategies that may be used as intervention in the regular class those students who will
benefit most from regular education while providing modifications to suit their needs;
3. Initiating the process of assessment for students who are suspected to have for disability;
4. Reviewing existing information and student assessment data that will be used as the bases for
developing an individualized educational program for the student;
5. Deciding on the appropriate placement for the student, educationally, socially and vocationally; and
6. Acting as a support system for educators who will be serving students with disabilities.

Members of Multidisciplinary Assessment Team

Administrators
Whether it is the administrator, principal, or assistant principal, cach one is an essential
member of the team. The administrators should have the know. how of specific resources and the
expertise within the school. Furthermore, administrators are qualified to supervise the program and can
commit necessary resources.

Regular Education Teachers

The Regular Education teacher and the Special Education teacher should have equal
responsibility to all children in the classroom, whether the child is regular or diagnosed under certain
condition. The Regular Education teachers role concerns the presentation of subject matter in the
classroom and is primarily in charge of instruction in the classroom

Special Education Teachers

The roles of the Special Education teacher are to individualize, diagnose, and modify
curriculum. A typical Special Education teacher would teach students with disabilities in self-contained
classes.

Students
Students are encouraged to be active participants in their own IEP process. Priority is set
in teaching self-determination skills and how to set their own life goals and objectives.

School Psychologists
The school psychologist may assume the following responsibilities:
a. Complete thorough assessment to determine if the child is suited for special programs and
services;
b. Provide interpretation and analysis of assessment data for parents and other team members;
c. Participate in the identification of curricula modifications and instructional interventions which
are deemed appropriate to the identified needs of the pupil; and
d. Conduct follow-up observations to establish the success of modifications and interventions.

Related Service Personnel

Related support people who will assist the Regular Education and Special Education
teachers include:
a. Speech/Language Therapist
b. Occupation Therapist
c. Physical Therapist
d. Vision Therapist
e. Dieticians
f. Guidance Counselors

62
Steps in observing student’s behavior
Step 1: Identify and pose description of the behavior to be observed.

TYPES OF BEHAVIOR

Discrete behaviors - behaviors that have clearly defined beginnings and endings; can be measured by
counting the frequency or timing the duration
Examples: writing and spelling words, reading a paragraph aloud

Not discrete behaviors - measurable behaviors during any given time period because an observer can
determine whether a student is displaying any behavior.
Example: It is difficult to detect the precise starting and ending points of behaviors
such as staying on task and swearing on classroom.

Step 2: Select a measurement system.

Frequency - refers to the number of times a certain behavior occurs.

Example, The teacher may be interested in the frequency with which Gab is able to
complete his Math assignments.

Duration – is the measure of the length of behavior, that is, how long it lasts in terms of seconds,
minutes, or hours.

Measurement System
Discreet Behavior

Event Recording - is the frequency of a behavior noted in this system. The observer simply makes a
notation each time the behavior of interest occurs.
Duration Recording - happens when the observer records the time a behavior begins and the time it
ends to determine its length.
Latency Recording - occurs when the observer determines the amount of time it takes a student to
begin doing something For example, the teacher might be interested for how long it takes Jennifer
to begin reading her library book after she returns to the classroom for recess

For Non-Discreet Behavior

According to Alberto & Troutman (1990), the use of interval recording and time
sampling is recommended. Several variations of interval recording and time sampling are as follows:

Whole-interval recording - The student is observed for the entire interval, andthe observer notes if
the target behavior occurs continuously throughout the interval. Observation intervals are very brief,
usually only a few seconds.
Partial-interval time recording - The student is observed for the entire interval but the observer only
notes if the behavior occurred at least once during the interval. Again, observation intervals are very
brief.
Momentary time sampling - The student is observed only at the end of each interval; at that time,
the observer checks to see if the behavior is occurring Intervals are usually longer-3,5, or even 15
minutes

63
Step 3: Set up the data collection system.

Questions to be answered include the following:

a. When and where will the observation take place?
b. How many observation periods will there be, and how frequently will these occur?
c. Who will act as the observer?
d. How will observable data be recorded?

Classroom Observation Techniques for Teachers

It is not necessary to stop teaching to observe. In fact, it is almost impossible to

teach without observing. Try the following suggestions for integrating observations into your
classroom procedures.
1. Carry a small card such as an index card. List the names of the two target students and the
problem behaviors you wish to observe on the card.
2. Require students to record on their in-class work their starting and finishing time.
3. Carry a stopwatch to measure the duration of behaviors.
4. To count behaviors without interfering with the operation of the class, use wrist counters,
supermarket counters, paper clips moved from one pocket to another, navy beans in a cup, and
other inexpensive devices.
5. Have a seating chart in front of you as you talk to the class.
6. Recruit volunteers to observe in the classroom.

64
 APPLICATION
Direction: Read the situation below and answer the questions.

You are a teacher-adviser in a typical sixth-grade class. Your school is the district's
SPED center, and you have one ADHD student who is mainstreamed in your class. Let's
pretend he can't afford to sit still, threatens his seatmate, and races around the
room at any given moment. On your next class, you want to have a group activity for
your students. How can you handle this student and ensure that he takes part in the
group activity?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________

Congratulations! You have just finished

lesson 4 of this module. You are now familiar with the
Assessment of Children with Special Needs.
The next lesson would be about Parents in
Special Education. You will learn more about the important
roles of parents in implementing the curriculum for
children with special needs

65
 LESSON 5
Parents in Special Education

There was a time when people

thought of special education as a place.
In this lesson, challenge yourself to:
But that really isn’t the case any longer.
a. familiarize the important
Special education instead refers to services
roles of parents in the
that are used to meet the learning needs of learning process of children
students with disabilities. with special needs;
b. discuss the parental rights
involving the implementation
of Special Education; and
c. value the importance of
parental involvement in the
education of special children.

ACTIVITY

Direction: In your opinion, how will you describe the illustration of a family below?

66
 ANALYSIS
Direction: To wrap up the previous activity, answer the following
guide questions:

1. To what extent is it important for parents to help their children in their

learning process? ?
________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________.
2. Why should parents continue to support their child especially those children
with special needs?
________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________.
3. How can school encourage parental involvement?
________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________.

abstraction

Parent Education and Community Involvement

(Adopted from Article XII, Policies and Guidelines in Special Education)

The constitution is clear on the importance of parental involvement in the education of

their children. Parents of children with special needs are valuable members of the educational team in
the program of rehabilitation for independent living of their children. The basic requirements under the
policies and guidelines in special education are that parents must:

• Parent education shall be a necessary component of the special education program. As early as
possible, parents shall be made aware of their children handicaps and the intervention strategies
needed to help facilitate each child’s academic, social-emotional and communicative development.
• Parents shall be provided with information, and a process of sharing experiences continuously with
other parents experiencing similar problems.
• Parents of children with special needs shall be directly involved in the planning of educational and
special services for their children. They shall be helped to develop confidence in their abilities to
cope with, care for and teach their disabled children.

67
• The family of the child shall be involved in the process of habilitation and rehabilitation. It shall
be encouraged as the major rehabilitation unit.
• The training of trainers from among community volunteers, including parents and family members
of children with special needs, in basic special education techniques as part of the community-
based or home-based rehabilitation services shall be conducted to promote programs on early
identification and intervention and to enhance home-school relationships.

The Important Role of Parents in Special Education

Parent participation in the special education decision-making process is vitally important. The most
important thing parents can do is ensure they are involved with and take an active role as a member
of the Individual Education Program (IEP) team that determines a student's path. The IEP team is
charged with making educational decisions for students, and addresses issues such as eligibility,
evaluation, program development, and placement of a child in special education or gifted programs.

1. The Importance of the IEP Team

Despite their importance in education decision making, parents sometimes feel

overwhelmed by the IEP team process. They may believe team members perceive them as less
knowledgeable about teaching or as obstacles to the decision-making process, especially if they
disagree with the educators.

Parents and other guardians should not let school personnel intimidate them in this
process, because their role as student advocate is paramount.

2. Parents Provide Critical Input

Parents and guardians know their children better than anyone else and have the most
complete understanding of a child's physical, social, developmental, and family history.

Parents are the only adults in the educational process who have been and will
continue to be deeply involved throughout the child's school career; and while they may not be
educators themselves, they bring their years of experience in other professions and aspects of life to
the process.

3. Parents Know Their Children Best

While kids attend school about six hours a day, they only have a few minutes of teachers' undivided
attention in a class. Parents have the opportunity to sit side-by-side with them, working through
homework and other learning activities for extended periods. Parents may be the only adults who
closely observe students' work and get feedback from their children. Consequently, no one else has
the perspective of a parent in a meeting.

It's also critical for parents to be well-versed in the laws of their district and state so that they can
be sure school administrators are following the rules.

68
4. The Role of the Parent on the IEP Team

Parents are vital to the IEP team process. They provide information on the child's
strengths and weaknesses at home, background information on the child's history and development,
and information on any family factors that may affect the child's learning.

Parents should be prepared to offer insight into whether current strategies and
instruction are helping the child learn (even when not specifically asked), and provide suggestions
for change and improvement.

This back and forth communicating—listening to your child's educators so you can
practice at home, and having the educators hear your thoughts so they can follow through at school—
will not only be less confusing to your child but will reinforce efforts on both sides.

5. Parents Provide Vital Insight

Transition meetings are held to discuss movement from one school level to another,
from one program to another, or to a postsecondary program, job, or assisted living program.1

Only the parent accompanies the child throughout these important school and life
transitions. The parents' input at each transition can ensure that appropriate services and supports
are in place and increase the chances of the child's success in the new program.

6. Parents Are Their Child's Best Advocate

There is no one as interested in and motivated to see a child succeed and thrive than their own
parents, and this alone places the parent in a crucial role on the IEP team.

How can you advocate for your child?

• Correspond with teachers and other professionals in writing whenever possible, and hang on to
these communications. Hopefully, you will not need to refer back to any of these records, but if
the need arises, you will have them in black and white.
• Keep careful records of your child's education, including any testing and any IEP reports. Find a
way to file these carefully so that you have them on hand readily if needed.
• Learn as much as you can about their disability.
• Observe your child's learning styles. Despite the specialized tests which attempt to discern how
children learn best, parents are in the best position to watch this in action every single day.

+ =
Parental Involvement school Involvement Student success

69
Parental Rights
One of the constitution’s foundational principles is the right of parents to participate
in educational decision making regarding their child with a disability. The law is very specific about
what school systems must do to ensure that parents have the opportunity to participate, if they so
choose.

Parents Rights Which means that …

You have the right to have your child evaluated
Parents’ have rights to obtain independent by professionals from outside the school district
educational evaluations if you disagree with an evaluation that has
been conducted by the school district.
Parents’ have rights to receive prior written The school is required to notify you beforehand
notice any time the school district plans to if they wish to:
evaluate the student, schedules a meeting • Evaluate your child
where decisions will be made about the • Determine whether your child is eligible
student’s eligibility or educational placement for special education services
or refuses to evaluate or change the student’s • Change your child’s evaluation or
plan or placement. educational placement or plan.
The school must obtain your written, informed
Parents’ have rights to consent to evaluations consent before they can evaluate your child or
and to the school providing special education begin to provide special education services to
services your child (following initial evaluation and
eligibility).
You have the right to see your child’s
Parents’ have rights to have access to their
educational records, to have copies and to have
child’s educational records
the records explained to you by school officials.
Procedures for resolving parents’ complaints
against school districts include:
Parents’ have rights to present and resolve a • Mediation
complaint • Resolution meetings
• Due process hearings
• Appeals to courts
Both you and the school district have the right
to request a due process hearing to resolve a
Parents’ have rights in due process hearings dispute. A due process hearing is a formal legal
procedure before an impartial hearing officer or
administrative law judge.

70
 APPLICATION
Direction: To wrap up this lesson, ready the article entitled “Pushy
Parents” and answer each questions below.

Jamal was a first year teacher at Hull Elementary School. He had

worked hard to learn all the school procedures, set up his classroom for the success
of all students, and was aware of all students with special needs. He thought he was
prepared for anything. The third week of school, Amaya's parents called to set up a
meeting with him. Jamal thought this was strange as he had only seen Amaya a
couple of times and she had done well in class. He knew Amaya had difficulty with
transitions and was sometimes unable to participate in class because of mobility
issues (Amaya uses a wheelchair).

When Jamal arrived at the meeting, he saw both of Amaya's parents,

the Principal, and an advocate with a degree in special education law. The parents
and advocate were very vocal in their opposition to Amaya being "excluded" from
activities because of her disability and demanded that she receive a special music
class each week and that her inclusion music class be made 100% accessible to her.

Jamal didn't say much in the meeting because he was completely

intimidated by the parents and advocate. The Principal did not really seem to be in
his corner either. Jamal went home after the meeting to think about how to proceed.

1. How will you describe the support of Amaya’s parents in her pursuit to
education?
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________.
2. As a teacher, what advice will you give to Teacher Jamal in order to create
harmonious relationship with the parents?
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________.
3. If you were to judge, is the complaint of Amaya’s parents appropriate? Why?
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________.
4. How should teachers and schools deal with parents’ complaints like that of
Amaya’s?
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________.

71
 Congratulations! You have just finished
lesson 5 of this module. You are now familiar with
important role of parents in special and inclusive
education.
Through this module, you have exposed
yourself to the different components of Special and
Inclusive Education. These components works together in
order to effectively implement the curriculum designed for
children with special needs. I hope you will embody these
learnings as you become a teacher in the future.

72
 Module EXERCISE

PORTFOLIO MAKING

General Instructions

A. Create a portfolio of activities for teaching students with special needs.

B. You may search on internet but make it sure you will modify it. Also, cite your
reference.
C. There should be at least five (5) activities.
D. The portfolio must consist the following parts:
a) Cover Page
b) Table of Contents
c) Profile
d) Activities
i. Activity 1
ii. Activity 2
iii. Activity 3
iv. Activity 4
v. Activity 5
e) References (APA Format)
f) Appendices
i. Photo Documentation
ii. Rubrics for Portfolio Assessment (See Page no. 74 )
E. Every activity must consist the following:
i. Rationale of the Activity
ii. Materials to be used
iii. Procedures
iv. Assessment tool (e.g. Checklist, Rubrics, Rating Scale)
F. You have all the freedom for the design of your portfolio.
G. Submit your output in PDF form.

73
 Rubrics for portfolio

Performance Level

(3) Excellent (2) Good (1) Poor

Criteria
1. Components include All components are All components Some components
cover page (with name, included and are included. are missing.
title of unit, dates clearly marked.
taught) table of
contents, reference, list
of appendices.
2. Organization follows Organization Organization Organization does
the requirements. follows the follows the not follow the
requirements requirements. requirements.
correctly and
completely.
3. Words processed; Words processed, Words processed Words processed
grammatically and edited and with few but with many
mechanically correct obviously proofread. grammatical and grammatical and
mechanical errors. mechanical errors.

4. Neatness and Presentation Presentation Presentation is

creativity demonstrates demonstrates neither neat nor
neatness and neatness and creative.
creativity in all creativity to some
areas and pages of extent.
the portfolio
5. Completeness of Contents are all Some contents are Most of the
contents completely filed missing and are contents are
and submitted. disarranged. missing and/or
disarranged.
6. Promptness (Working Student portfolio is Student portfolio Student portfolio
Days) submitted on time. submitted up to 2 submitted 3 days
days after the or a week after
deadline. the deadline of
submission.
74
 Module summary

❑Every child from birth to age 21 is covered, including infants, toddlers

and children who are homeschooled or in private school. Child Find does
not require schools to agree to evaluate every child. If a school refuses
to evaluate a child, parents may challenge that decision.
❑Placement refers to the amount of time in each school day that a
student spends in the resource or in a general education classroom. The
school district is required to have a range of placements where your
child can be taught, including in the general education classroom.
❑The first thing you have to know is how to differentiate between the two
kinds of modifications. The difference lies in whether or not the
educator makes changes to the basic elements we just mentioned. If
they do, they’re making significant modifications. If not, they’re making
non-significant modifications.
❑In the discipline of Special Education, assessment can be defined as "the
systematic process of gathering educationally relevant information to
make legal and instructional decisions about the provision of special
services
❑The constitution is clear on the importance of parental involvement in
the education of their children. Parents of children with special needs
are valuable members of the educational team in the program of
rehabilitation for independent living of their children.

75
 References

Accommodations and Modifications. (2019, December 16). Reading Rockets.

https://www.readingrockets.org/article/accommodations-and-modifications

E. (2019, May 10). Story time. Make A Change.

https://estonsier.wixsite.com/makeachange/post/story-time

Early Identification and the Child Find Program | Special Education. (2013, August 10).
Special Education Guide. https://www.specialeducationguide.com/early-
intervention/early-identification-how-the-child-find-program-works/

Hohl, C. (2019, December 20). Educational Placements for Students with Disabilities.
Special Education Placement Options | Navigate Life Texas.
https://www.navigatelifetexas.org/en/education-schools/educational-placements-
for-students-with-disabilities

Lee, A. M. I. (2021, March 9). Child Find: What it is and how it works. Understood.
https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/your-childs-rights/basics-about-
childs-rights/child-find-what-it-is-and-how-it-works

Logsdon, A. (2021, February 12). Why Parents Have Such an Important Role in Special Education.
Verywell Family. https://www.verywellfamily.com/parental-importance-special-
education-2162701

Operation Autism. (2020, February 4). Placement Options.

https://operationautism.org/education/educational-settings/placement-
options/#1543351237417-05be8757-e2f3a769-6e5b

Policies and Guidelines for Special Education (1987). Parent Education and Community
Involvement. Department of Education.

S. (2019, July 15). Curriculum Modification for Students with Special Needs. Exploring Your Mind.
https://exploringyourmind.com/curriculum-modification-for-students-with-special-
needs/

Special Education / Importance of Parent Involvement. (n.d.). Minneota Public Schools.

https://www.minneotaschools.org/Page/1602

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