Kayla Kormos

Collaboration in Special Education

Dr. Carrie Mitchell

1/20/2021

Code of Ethics Assignment

A code of ethics is very important to make sure that everyone is on the same page of

the roles and responsibilities that we have to our students. The code of ethics truly

guides educators to the professional codes and standards that you should follow while

you are working. When I first got to Siena, we learned that it would be hard to have

everyone act in a professional way and have a common goal for the teachers to reach.

Without the code of ethics, it is impossible to hold teachers to the responsible level that

we should be acting in and doing for our students.

For the Council for Exceptional Children (special education) code of ethics, it fits

the description of why the codes of ethics are so important. With working with students

with disabilities, it is imperative that we advocate and work hard to make sure that their

special, and accommodated needs are being met. But using the special education code

of ethics, it is ensuring that we as the educators are using appropriate assessments,

tools, materials, resources, and using appropriate practices when it comes to the

learning needs of the students. For the special educational code of ethics, it is truly

holding the educator responsible for the student getting their needs met. In special
education the need drives the service of the student, and by using the code of ethics,

you are able to drive the student with the appropriate solutions to help them learn and

grow as individuals.

One of the major themes that I see in the code of ethics for special education is

doing the right thing for the students while teaching. With this being said, finding the

appropriate ways to teach and assess the students while in your classroom. This means

if a student is struggling with reading that you are using appropriate ways to track the

progress of the student and using that data to further instruction. Finding a target

behavior and monitoring and tracking the progress of the behavior by implementing

appropriate practices. This also means that you find appropriate materials for students

to use while learning such as hands-on manipulatives, assistive technology, and other

resources to further their learning.

Another theme that I see in the special education code of ethics is being an

advocate for your students. Sometimes, you face is going to be the only voice that is

rooting for your student. Making sure that you advocate for their accommodations, IEP

goals, LRE, and appropriate services they can receive. Sometimes people will push back

on some aspects in the student’s education, but by following the code of ethics, and

being a true advocate for the students, you will also put their needs first to then drive

the services you are advocating for them.

Another theme that I see in the code of ethics is collaboration. Like in our

reading in chapters 1 and 2, we learn how important collaboration is in education. You

need to understand that not only collaboration with the students themselves is

important, but collaboration between the special education teachers and the general

education teachers, collaborating with people in the special services such as OT, PT,

speech pathologist, school psychologist, and school social worker, and collaboration

with families. All collaboration in special education is important, and it is a good practice

to make sure that you are following the code of ethics and collaborating with the

professionals you work with and the families that you work with as well. Everyone is

working toward the same goal for the student.

There are 3 different areas that cross over each code of ethics. These include:

collaboration, advocacy, and being culturally sensitive. These are included in all three of

the code of ethics because these are extremely important aspects in teaching. Every

student with a disability needs an advocate. It is our job as teachers to stick up for our

kids and make sure they are getting everything that they need to succeed in school and

in their futures. Collaboration is also extremely important, as stated above, because in

special education, it is so important to be close to the families. Many hours that I have

done in special education rooms, the teacher collaborate almost everyday with the

families of students with disabilities. It is so important to have good rapport and trust in

the relationships. Lastly, being culturally sensitive is very important as well. Everyone is

different, not one person in this world is the same. With this being said, it is our

reasonability as teachers to make sure that we are culturally sensitive to not only our

students but with their families as well. These three aspects are so important in

education, and you cannot be an effective teacher without abiding by these codes.
 In the MDE code of ethics, there is a whole section about how to be responsible and

ethical with technology. I think that technology should be a big part of the CEC code of ethics as

well. In special education, technology is such a huge part of the day. Not only do you create IEPs

while using technology, but you use assistive technology as well. Especially now with Covid-19,

technology is a huge part of education. I think with the growing amount of technology use in

the schools, it should be one of the main themes in the CEC code of ethics. With technology, it

comes with a lot of responsibility because it is harder to keep some documents more secure

than hard copies. That should be in the code of ethics as well.