Special Education Flow Chart
🚩Do you notice that the student seems disinterested, disengaged, or lacks the ability to focus on the task at hand?
Do you notice that the student is exceptionally quiet or tends to look at other student's papers during tests?
Does the student walk around during class time or display aggressive or emotional behavior?
(How a Student is Identified as Having a Disability and Needing Special Education Services, 2020)
⭐ Yes
❌No
Prepare additional materials that are interesting and can be completed individually.This allows the teacher to spend more time with the students that need more help, and prevents the rest of the class from being bored.
✏Do you see improvement?
⭐Yes
Maintain specialized attention to the student. Continue teaching with differentiated learning techniques and adjust teaching style to meet the child's needs going forward.
❌No :
✅Talk with co-teachers, special education teacher, parents and students to see what the student is like in other classrooms and at home. See if the other teachers have any feedback or insight.
Is the issue new? Is the issue constant? Is the issue appropriate for children this age? Asking questions like this will help teachers understand the level of the situation.
✅Incorporate more music, movement and project-based learning in the classroom. Notice if there are any lessons that resonate with the student. Be aware of any shifts in attention or engagement. (Special Education Classroom Management Tips: Advice From Teachers, 2016)
✅Pay close attention to the child's interests. Do they enjoy any specific subject in particular? Art, music, math. Gaining more knowledge can help you relate to the student and better understand their needs.
Become an expert on what issue the child is struggling with and then address accordingly.(Special Education Classroom Management Tips: Advice From Teachers, 2016)
✏Do you see improvement?
❌No
✅Have a meeting with the parents, special education teacher, and class teachers. Include the nurse, guidance counselor and any other adult involved in the child's education. Review the goals and expectations for this child and create and individual plan. Stay in communication and set up weekly meetings to report progress. The plan will be based on the particular set of challenges.
⭐ Yes
✏Do you see improvement?
Maintain weekly meetings with the co-teachers, parents and special education teachers. Adjust the students personalized learning plan as needed.
❌No
⭐Yes
Re-evaluate the student each term to ensure the proper steps are being taken.
Meet with Parents, special education teacher and co-teachers at your school. Review your findings and evaluate your progress. Discuss a plan of action to find a school that is better suited for the child's needs. Then, meet with the staff of the new school to review the child's strengths and weaknesses.
(Special Education Referral Process, 2020)
If possible, facilitate a meeting with a child psychologist to ensure that the student can properly deal with any emotional distress from this process.
Maura Lambert
👥It is possible that the "issues" may be solved using a careful execution of differentiated learning to cater to the child's needs. Pay close attention to any progress and keep in constant communication with the student's parents. (Special Education Referral Process, 2020)
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✅Implement small group remediation as well as weekly one-on-one resource meetings for the student.
Implement small group instruction to improve the student's performance.
(Special Education Referral Process, 2020)
✅Make sure the Classroom environment is best suited for your students.
-Use preferential seating.
-Eliminate outside noises if possible.
-Allow for longer test time or answers given orally.
As the teacher, you are the first line of assessing and alleviating any challenges that your students might face. Learn how to cater to your student's needs to make the classroom the most effective environment for them.
(Special Education Classroom Management Tips: Advice From Teachers, 2016)
References
Best Practices for Teaching Special Education: Resilient Educator. (2020, May 20). Retrieved July 04, 2020, from https://resilienteducator.com/classroom-resources/advice-on-the-best-practices-for-teaching-special-education/
How a Student is Identified as Having a Disability and Needing Special Education Services. (n.d.). Retrieved July 04, 2020, from http://www.ldonline.org/article/6226/
Special Education Classroom Management Tips: Advice From Teachers. (2016, April 06). Retrieved July 04, 2020, from https://www.specialeducationguide.com/pre-k-12/behavior-and-classroom-management/classroom-management-7-tips-from-an-experienced-teacher/
Special Education Referral Process. (n.d.). Retrieved July 04, 2020, from http://www.projectidealonline.org/v/special-education-referral-process/
✅Try differentiated learning techniques. Allow for one on one time with the student. Talk with the student to see what they are thinking and feeling during class time. Assess their struggles and modify lessons accordingly.