Inclusive Special Ed Foundations: Legal, Characteristics, Collaboration, Assessment, and…

Catalog description

Legal issues, learner characteristics, collaboration skills, assessment, and behavior management related to educating students with disability in inclusive settings. SPLED 400 Teaching Exceptional Students in General Education Settings (4) This course is delivered via a model of blended instruction and addresses foundational skills (assessment and management) and knowledge (laws, etiologies, collaboration) for those working with students with special education needs in general education classrooms. Almost 30% of the content includes student understanding of the history and current relevance of special education law; roles and responsibilities of general education teachers in providing services to students with special education needs; characteristics and etiologies relevant to providing effective instruction to students with mild and severe disabilities; and developing and maintaining effective education teams. Roughly, 35% of the content is relevant to assessment in inclusive settings and is centered on sound instructional decision making as well as linking instruction to standards based curricula. Coverage includes understanding formative and summative assessment; creating and administering curriculum-based assessments in reading, mathematics, and writing; designing systems to collect behavioral data; interpreting a variety of norm-referenced test scores; using brief experimental analyses is adequate for a given purpose. Roughly 35% of content is relevant to applying principles of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) to managing and motivating learners with special needs placed in inclusive settings. Broad objectives include student acquisition of knowledge and skills related to ABA principles and interventions such as: identifying the nature (positive and negative) of consequences maintaining or decreasing specific behaviors; operationally defining behavior; establishing a classroom and school environment conducive to learning for all students; creating class-wide, school-wide; and individual motivation systems; intervening to decrease specific behavior; and using functional behavioral assessments (FBAs) and positive behavior supports.