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Critical Field Experience Topic 4

Elena Abercrombie

GCU EAD 505

Kuterah Donald

July 9, 2022
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My friend and the Special Education Coordinator for the district agreed to answer

a few questions. Mrs. Hess first joined our school three years ago and taught fourth

grade. Previously, she did special education for fifteen years. She is now our SPED

coordinator for the district. She says the biggest stressor about being the coordinator is

the legal consequences. She would be the one held accountable if anything went

terribly wrong. Mrs. Hess is very knowledgeable about the laws and what is needed to

help the students.

IDEA stands for Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. It is a law that

enforces Special Education at state level and forces public schools to provide services

to students in need. Students are referred, evaluated, and then given a plan to monitor

goals called the IEP. The ultimate goal is that the SPED student stays in the classroom

most of the day and learns with their peers. Occasionally students are pulled out of the

classroom by various specialty teachers like speech therapists that help with the

students individualized needs. The IEP is the written goal setting and the plan of action

to help each student become successful in the classroom.

Mrs. Hess says most of her normal school day is meeting with her students in

and out of the classroom and going over strategies to help them with whichever subject.

She also has a para professional that helps her set up IEP meetings. She says it takes

a long time getting hold of parents and arranging a time and date they are available to

meet. These meetings range from an hour to as long as four hours if there are a lot of

explanations of services. I once had to translate at an IEP where the parents did not

understand a word of English and that meeting lasted at least three hours, due to lack of

understanding on both sides. She also added that working closely with the classroom
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teacher is crucial because they know best for the overall needs of their students. This

incorporates PSEL Standard 8: Meaningful Engagement of Families and Community.

Parents' involvement especially in Special Education is important for the growth of the

student.

The principal makes sure that the Special Education Department has all the

materials and tools needed for each student, and she also keeps up with all the

procedures and policies pertaining to the district. “The Every Student Succeeds Act

(ESSA, 2015) and the latest reauthorizations of the Individuals with Disabilities

Education Act (IDEA, 2004) expect that students with disabilities will be taught the same

content and achieve the same mandated standards as all students” (Billingsley,

McLeskey & Crockett, 2017) The principal has to make sure that special needs students

are learning the same content as the rest of their classmates.

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References

Billingsley, B., McLeskey, J., & Crockett, J. B. (2017). Principal leadership: Moving

toward inclusive and high-achieving schools for students with disabilities

(Document No. IC-8). Retrieved from University of Florida, Collaboration for

Effective Educator Development, Accountability, and Reform Center website:

http://ceedar.education.ufl.edu/tools/innovation-configurations/

McKinney, J. (2021). A Beginner's Guide to Special Education — Exceptional Lives.

Retrieved 9 July 2022, from

https://www.exceptionallives.org/blog/what-you-need-to-know-about-special-educ

ation?gclid=Cj0KCQjwzqSWBhDPARIsAK38LY-7STdScZ2cPaJkYB4nlUYrWQW

ytyeZvhR6FvknCv7WJin05Hx79hMaArGvEALw_wcB