General Education Teachers are required to provide differentiated instruction to students at all levels, which includes students in Special Education. Classrooms usually consist of a combination of students without a disability, students with an Individualized Education Plan, and students with a 504 Plan. The teacher must be able to teach to everyone in the class. Classroom teachers are not only teaching general education students, but all students. All teachers need to have a basic understanding of Special Education laws, the Special Education process, and an understanding of disabilities. Most importantly, teachers need to know which students in the class have an IEP and what services and accommodations are needed. The following are 4 key things that a General Education Teacher needs to know about Special Education.
- Know which students have a disability and who is on an Individualized Education Plan. This may require looking through files and taking notes. Think about the following when reviewing the IEP:
- What is the student’s disability? -Make sure you know the basics of what it means to have this disability and how it will impact the student.
- Who is the case manager? -The case manager will be in charge of making sure the IEP is followed and should be working with you closely regarding the student.
- What accommodations am I to provide? Know all accommodations and be sure that you are providing the accommodations and informing substitutes when you are not available.
- What services is he or she receiving? Even if you are not providing the services, it’s helpful to know about the services and how you can work with those providers.
- Were there any recommendations in previous reports that I could utilize to better assist this child? Reports have a wealth of information you can utilize!
- Have a basic understanding of the Special Education Process. When a student is going through special education testing, teachers are involved throughout this process. The teacher may or may not have been the referring source, but they provide information to the committee making the referral. Teachers may be asked to complete rating scales or allow a Psychologist to observe the student in the classroom. Teachers can provide valuable information as they are aware of the expectations for the class and what is age appropriate. Teachers should come to the eligibility meeting with current information regarding grades, performance, and behavior. General education teachers will also be an integral part of the IEP committee.
Your school will have a referral process. Generally, there is a pre-referral team where teachers can connect with other professionals to get resources or start interventions. The next step is a Child Study Committee (names of this committee vary from district to district) where formal interventions can be attempted or the student can be referred for a full evaluation. After the evaluation is complete, an eligibility committee will convene to share the results and determine if the student is eligible for Special Education and related services or a Section 504 Plan. If the student is eligible for services, the IEP team will convene to create a plan. Check out any of these sites for more information about the Special Education process.
- Understand the basics of Special Education disabilities. Special Education is for students who have a disability. The federal government has identified 14 disability categories for Special Education. The states have interpreted how to identify those disabilities. Local school districts have created criteria based on the definitions and guidance from the state and federal Departments of Education. A copy of the criteria should be available to you in the school. Additionally, general education teachers are usually at the forefront of suspecting that a student has a disability. It is usually the teacher or the parent that begins to notice that the student is not performing at the same level of the other students. Teachers need to be current and know the basics of common disabilities in the classroom.
- Know who your resources are in the school. Be sure to collaborate with the Special Education teacher. The Special Education teacher should be taking the leadership role on the IEP and will likely be providing the supports. Also, work closely with the professionals providing related services such as speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, assistive technology, physical therapy, etc. The School Psychologist will have a wealth of knowledge and may have history with that child. The Special Education Administrator may also be a good support.
General education teachers are an important influence in the lives of a student. It is not just general education students a teacher will impact, they impact the lives of all students. It’s a huge responsibility being a teacher, and I have nothing but respect for teachers. While some teachers may feel that adding IEPs to their job is just one more thing, remember, it’s one HUGE thing in the life of the student with an IEP.