Case Study Module 5

Brittany Johnson
SD560

It is your first month of school. The class that you have been given has 19 students
within it. There was a student that you have received "JJ". The cumulative file has been
given to you and you can read the previous teacher's remarks and see the behavior log.
"JJ" the year before was eloping (running out of class) continually. JJ also was beginning
to decline in the area of reading, the previous year he was a Tier 2, but when tested at
the beginning of the year, he was showing a need for Tier 3. The teacher also noted that
during academic time, he would often cause distractions, she believed this to be because
he did not want to do the assignment. This is starting to happen within your classroom,
currently, he is running out about 3 times a week, the administration is having to be
called because you have no help within your class and this student is not identified,
impeding of learning has begun to take place because of behaviors, not just for him but
for other students. JJ is also showing no growth in Tier 3 in the area of reading. JJ
currently goes to a strategist and is in a group of 4, they are also complaining about him
running out of class and that he is not making gains academically. They also have a
concern with his handwriting and they feel that there needs to be someone to come in
and observe him so that they can see if he needs any additional help or
accommodations. The strategist has a Tier log and the data showing academic progress.
The strategist comes to you and tells you that she believes that he requires a more
intensive curriculum and that we need to talk about where we need to go with JJ to
make academic gains and to stop the behaviors such as elopement. JJ elopes when he is
handed worksheets that he feels are overwhelming, something needs to change in all
instruction for him.

Answer the following questions, make sure you are thorough with your answers.
1. What concerns do you have for JJ? What strategies would you have within your
classroom to help him?
Safety is the first issue I have for JJ because he is running out of the classroom. A
strategy I would use with JJ is making time to do one-on-one activities/worksheets with
him. I would use positive feedback and positive reinforced learning. JJ needs
multisensory learning; use of manipulatives, oral instructions/lessons, and hands-on
activities because he is running out of the classroom whenever we are doing
worksheets. I would also use preferential seating with him and sit him away from the
door and near my desk.
2. Looking at Tier 3, we know as educators that this is the most intense placement we
have for General Education students, what do you have to collect in order to move this
student into the evaluation process?
We need to collect 4 to 6 weeks of data to move JJ into the evaluation process. It’s
preferred to have 6 to 8 weeks of data. Data needs to record behavior of student and
academic progress. Meetings with team members who are also working with this student
are needed.
Case Study Module 5
Brittany Johnson
SD560
3. What type of SPED services do you think he would need? Inclusion/Separate Setting
and explain why you came to this conclusion.
Inclusion is the first setting that you should provide SPED services to a student. This is
because by law you need to go with the least restrictive environment for that student.
The least restrictive environment would be the general education classroom. See if you
can get behavior/academic changes in a positive way with your student by bringing
someone into the classroom to work with them. Collect data off the para working with
them for about 2-4 (4-6) weeks. If they need additional assistance because that is not
working then the SPED teacher or teacher providing that additional assistance can pull
him out to work on their struggles in another setting, such as the SPED classroom.
(Placement will depend on where the student can learn the best with the least restrictive
environment possible.)
4. Elopement is a huge issue, you never want a child to run out of the building because
you are responsible for their safety. How could you encourage JJ to stay in class? Be
creative and explain the exact steps you would take.
Ways to discourage elopement and encourage staying in the classroom will include;
positive behavior contracts. With these contracts you can set up a goal and what the
student will receive when reaching the goal, such as a party, prize, extra recess or lunch
with you. You want it to be something they are interested in, so you want them to pick it
out with you. Don’t just pick what will happen when they reach the goal without their
input. If you do that, the goal could be something that won’t motivate the student and
they will continue to elope. I would also do more activities that are hands-on and involve
movement. The eloping could be happening because they have extra energy that needs
to be burned off, so we will work on burning it off in the classroom where it’s safe.
Provide one-on-one time with the student to connect and get them interested in
learning. Another thing that could be done is talking with other staff to see where your
students that elope can go to be safe. Such as sending them to another teacher to work
on a task when they want to run out of the classroom, or going to the library and helping
put books up. Have a safe place within the school for elopers. I would also have a safe
spot within my classroom for kids who needed to calm down, I would encourage my
student who was eloping to go to the safe spot instead.
5. Looking at the above, think about your graphic organizers and tell me with
EXPLANATION what disability category you believe that JJ would be in! Support your
answers using characteristics in sentence form.
JJ could also be diagnosed with a Specific Learning Disability, either academic or
social/emotional/behavioral. I would pick this one because it’s unsure what exactly is
causing him to run out of the classroom. He could be doing it because he’s over-
stimulated, because of abuse or a number of other reasons. He is having issues with
writing and because he is not staying in the classroom the reason for this is not defined.
Case Study Module 5
Brittany Johnson
SD560
6. What two related service providers would you bring into the picture to make sure that
he is getting the help he needs to make gains comparable to his general education peers?
Why do you think he needs each provider?
I would also bring in a sensory provider, because he seems to have a lot of issues with
sensory. He may be getting overstimulated and therefore running out of the classroom.
The sensory provider can work with him over self-regulation and get to the bottom of
what’s going on. The provider will have a bag full of tricks and useful information to help
her work with JJ, versus a first year teacher as myself would be. A school counselor can
help JJ work through his emotions and help him process what he is feeling. I would make
sure and get him someone to come in and help him with his writing. That way we can
find out what the reason is for him struggling. It could be emotional reasons or
metacognitive reasons.
7. If JJ is eloping during independent work, and it is when he gets a worksheet, how
could you differentiate a reading lesson where they are to write the answers to
comprehension questions?
I could have JJ answer verbally, if there is not enough time to listen he can use a device
to record his answer. He could also use speech to text where it will type the answer for
him. Sentence stems can also be used for JJ as well.