Ashford 7: - Week 6 - Final Paper

IEP Case Study: Collaborating with Multiple Points of View

After completing this assignment, you will have demonstrated your understanding of the following objectives:

• Analyze the value of co-teaching as an inclusion model of instructional delivery.
  
• Analyze the value of collaborative consultation as an inclusion model of instructional delivery.
  
• Analyze ways to create a collaborative school culture to promote professional growth and leadership.
  
• Determine some of the causes of education-based conflict.
  
• Evaluate problem solving and negotiation strategies to resolve education-based conflict.
  
• Recognize the importance of knowing personal strengths and weaknesses in conflict resolution.
  
• Evaluate verbal, non-verbal, and para-verbal cues that impact communication with educators, administrators, parents, and community members.
  
• Analyze the range of placements and services offered to students who have a disability.

Additionally, this assignment demonstrates your mastery of the Course Learning Outcomes 1, 2, 3, 4, & 5 and the MAED Program Learning Outcomes 2 & 8 and will have reinforced your competency with the MAED Program Learning Outcome 7.

As you have learned throughout this course, it takes a team to educate a student. The team is composed of stakeholders who have a professional and/or emotional investment in the student’s education and post-graduation success. Although everyone has the same destination in mind, their paths may differ. Being a proactive problem-solver means recognizing a disagreement or differing of opinions and finding an amicable solution through understanding and compromise. To further your abilities with these essential skills for a special educator, you will complete this comprehensive final assignment.

In this assignment, you will design a differentiated instructional strategy that aligns with learning strengths and needs in a collaborative team environment. This strategy should take into account each stakeholder’s investment in the academic growth and social well-being of a hypothetical student named Henry. Additionally, by successfully completing this assignment, you will be able to answer essential questions related to course topics, which are intended to provoke critical thinking in this course and throughout your professional career. The essential questions are: What is the best environment to educate a child with a disability? What are the best pro-active problem solving strategies for collaborative communication? How can teachers realistically teach students using differentiated teaching techniques and Universal Design for Learning?

Follow the instructions below to write your Final Paper.

Content
Read the Case Study: Supporting Henry and the IEP Team Meeting Description. Then, using the “Collaborative Problem Solving: Steps in the Process” (Windle & Warren, n.d.), proactively address Henry’s academic needs while considering each IEP team member’s perspective. Create separate headings in your paper for each category provided in this section.

Reflecting on the case study information provided with this assignment:

• Communication (2 points) – Construct an analysis of the messages each person sent to the team with their physical appearance, non-verbal cues, and para-verbal patterns.
• Interest (2 points) – Identify each person’s interests in attending this collaborative team meeting including a rationale to support the interests you have identified.
• Perspectives/ Emotions (2 points) – Construct an analysis of each person’s area of interest including why their interest is important professionally and personally, the emotions involved in the decision-making, and each person’s perceptions of the issues in the case.

 

• Common Interest (2 points) – After analyzing each person’s interest and what they are communicating (linguistically and non-linguistically), describe what each person has in common.
• Brainstorming Options (2 points) – Explain ten ways to provide Henry with equitable access to education. Be sure to explain the types of services Henry might need (e.g., pull-out reading, speech, or counseling), where Henry will receive his education, parent/teacher communication ideas, and how instruction will be delivered and by whom.
• Reaching Agreement (2 points) – Reflect on your ideas from the previous Brainstorming Options section, then explain in detail the plan that will meet the needs and interests of everyone on Henry’s team. It is expected and important here that you support your plan using scholarly sources.
• School-Wide Vision (2 points) – Recall your Week 5 Assignment “Everyone Wants What’s Best, So How Can ‘Best’ Be So Different?” Then, include an analysis of how your proactive team collaboration and the final agreement align with the long-term school goal to promote a collaborative school culture that embraces professional growth and leadership.
• Role Reflection (2 points) – Writing from the perspective of the special educator in the Case Study, describe the skills you have when encountering conflict and how you will leverage these during Henry’s meeting. Additionally, describe how you will use other’s skills in Henry’s meeting to strengthen your areas of weakness. Be sure to describe how you, as the special educator in this case, will grow professionally from this experience to become a stronger leader.

Case Study – Supporting Henry

Henry, who is 11 years old and in the fifth grade, was recently diagnosed with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) and a SLD (Specific Learning Disability), and is now attending his first IEP meeting after going through the referral process. After several attempts to help Henry stay on task and complete his work, his teacher, Mr. Smith, referred Henry to the school’s student intervention team as the first step to start the referral process. He reported that Henry was constantly asking to leave his seat for “every excuse in the book” and this led Mr. Smith to finally acquiesce to Henry’s demands. However, on the way to his destination, Henry would invariably manage to be a disruption to people he encountered. Additionally, Henry rarely finished his coursework and often misplaced his homework. Henry is therefore in danger of failure. Mr. Smith reported that he truly liked Henry despite his behavior issues and work ethic. “He’s a really likeable kid! He’s funny and if someone gets hurt, Henry is the first one to arrive at the scene to help. He is never intentionally disrespectful, but his impulsivity and social immaturity has caused problems when he speaks before thinking.”

As part of the referral process, Dr. Burman, the school psychologist, completed the battery of psychological assessments. It was found that Henry did have significant attention, focus, and impulsivity issues. Ms. Young, a special education teacher, completed the educational assessment and found that he had problems with short-term memory and visual processing (how information is taken in visually and processed cognitively). It was decided that Henry did qualify for special education services as his disabilities negatively impacted his education. The team of educators, parents, the psychologist, and student now convene as a multidisciplinary team to discuss these results and if services are agreed to, the creation of Henry’s first annual IEP begins.

IEP Team Meeting Case Study Description

The following attendees are sitting at a round conference table.

Mr. Smith, general educator

• Physical Appearance: Wearing jeans, a t-shirt and sneakers.
• Non-Verbal: Sitting with both feet on the floor, hands on the table fidgeting with a stack of ungraded papers in a folder.
• Paraverbal Cues: Talks quickly while looking at his hands and rarely makes eye-contact.
• Verbally Stated Interest: Wants Henry to be educated in the “special education class” because he is continually disrupting other students from working, and he does not complete his coursework.

Ms. Young, special educator

• Physical Appearance: Wearing casual pants, loafers, and a button-up blouse. She has long hair tied away from her face in a ponytail.
• Non-Verbal Cues: Taking notes on her laptop during the meeting. Makes eye contact with everyone intermittently when she stops typing.
• Paraverbal Cues: When talking about the team process and education setting, Ms. Young is careful to use language the parents will understand and pauses often for questions.
• Verbally Stated Interest: Wants Henry to stay in his current placement so he doesn’t have to change classes in the middle of the school year.

Dr. Burman, school psychologist

• Physical Appearance: Wearing suit pants, a button-up shirt, and tie with pictures of Mickey Mouse (that he explains to the group was a Father’s Day gift from his 5-year old).
• Non-Verbal Cues: Sitting with his leg crossed under the desk, hands are palm down on the table, engaging in eye contact with whoever is speaking.
• Paraverbal Cues: When explaining his findings to Henry’s parents, he speaks louder than necessary with a clear voice. He does not pause until he has completed his report.
• Verbally Stated Interest: Feels that Henry will benefit from behavior therapy to control his impulsivity and has suggested visiting the pediatrician to discussion possible pharmaceutical intervention.

Dr. Jackson, assistant principal

• Physical Appearance: Casual business attire with khaki pants, a polo shirt, and dress shoes.
• Non-Verbal Cues: Sits with both feet on the floor, fingers intertwined on the table, rarely making eye contact by staring at his hands.
• Paraverbal Cues: It is customary for Dr. Jackson to attend initial IEP meetings; however, he does not intervene or participate.
• Verbally Stated Interest: None.

Mr. Jefferies, divorced parent, Lawyer

• Physical Appearance: Mr. Jefferies is dressed in business attire, he has left the office to attend the meeting.
• Non-Verbal Cues: Mr. Jefferies sits at the table with correct posture; hands folded on the table, making eye contact with everyone at the table except Mrs. Jefferies, his ex-wife.
• Paraverbal Cues: When Mr. Jefferies is addressed, he replies by speaking quickly and with few words.
• Verbally Stated Interest: Wants Henry to stay in his current placement so that he isn’t teased for being in “special education.” He wants Ms. Jackson to meet with Mr. Smith to help him manage Henry’s behavior and help adapt his work.

Mrs. Jefferies, divorced parent, kindergarten teacher

• Physical Appearance: Mrs. Jefferies is dressed casually in a knee-length skirt, flip-flops, a tank-top, and cardigan sweater.
• Non-Verbal cues: Mrs. Jefferies jumps in often, cutting off Mr. Jefferies every time he speaks; talking loudly over him.
• Paraverbal Cues: Mrs. Jefferies, on the other hand, looks at her hands a lot when speaking, slowly, and her responses involve stories about Henry when he was younger.
• Verbally Stated Interest: Wants Henry to stay in his current placement so that he isn’t teased for being in “special education”. They want Ms. Jackson to meet with Mr. Smith to help him manage Henry’s behavior and help adapt his work.

Henry Jeffries, the Student

• Physical Appearance: Typically dressed for an 11-year-old boy in jeans and a t-shirt.
• Non-Verbal Cues: Sits with both legs crossed under the table, hands in his lap, staring at the table.
• Paraverbal Cues: Whenever Henry is asked a question, he continues to look at the table and mumbles his response.
• Verbally Stated Interest: When he is asked what he wants to do, he shrugs his shoulders and says, “Whatever.”

Written Communication

• Page Requirement (1 point): Eight to ten pages, not including the title and references page.
• APA Formatting (1 point): Use APA formatting consistently throughout the assignment.
• Syntax and Mechanics (1 point): Display meticulous comprehension and organization of syntax and mechanics, such as spelling and grammar.
• Source Requirement (1 point): Reference five scholarly sources in addition to the course textbook which provide compelling evidence to support your ideas. All sources on the references page need to be used and cited correctly within the body of the assignment. Use the Ashford University Library to find scholarly references or use other books you may already own or otherwise have access to from prior coursework.

 

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