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For Educators...


LDA Life and Learning Services is a valuable resource for Rochester area educators who are seeking ways to best meet the needs of their students with learning disabilities. Specially created for you, this section of LDARochester.org strives to provide information about the latest research, strategies, issues, and legislation affecting your work.

Whether you are a general education teacher, a special education teacher, school administrator or CSE chair, come here for information about:

Laws Governing Education of Students with Disabilities
IDEA and General Education Teachers
Implications of Response to Intervention (RTI)
Educators' Role and Responsibilities
Collaboration and Co-Teaching
How to take a Leadership Role
Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Methods and Strategies

Because the general educator's role is more important than ever in the lives of learners with disabilities, there are specific steps general education teachers should take in order to be better equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills:

Step 1: Know the Law

The details of laws and what they require can sometimes get lost in translation. To best empower and protect yourself and your students, read and familiarize yourself with the actual law and updates to it. You will find the following helpful information at the website for National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities.
  • The Law - Read the statute passed by Congress in December 2004.
  • Final regulations for IDEA 2004, published in August 2006
  • Summaries and insight into what's new, what's the same, what it all means
  • Publications and products reviewed by the Office of Special Education Programs to assure their consistency with the IDEA 2004 statute
  • Training Materials on IDEA
IDEA and General Education Teachers The Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) was passed by Congress in 1975 to guide how states, schools, and teachers provide special education services to children with disabilities. IDEA is a federal law designed to ensure that learners with disabilities receive free and appropriate education.

IDEA is not the sole responsibility of special education teachers. General education teachers are important partners, along with parents, administrators, health care professionals, and special educators, in meeting the needs of and facilitating learning for the student with disabilities.

Implications of Response to Intervention (RTI)
The role of the general education teacher has become even more crucial in the 2004 reauthorization to IDEA with the introduction of Response to Intervention (RTI). RTI is intended to create a more seamless partnership between general and special educators. Specifically, RTI calls for:
  • Implementation in general education of instruction and interventions based on sound research
  • Assessment of students' responses to these interventions
  • Use of the assessment data to make decisions about whom to serve and whether to continue current forms of instruction or employ other methods and techniques


Step 2: Know Your Role and Responsibilities

The role of the general education teacher with students with learning disabilities is clear. Teachers should:
  • Provide direct or indirect special education services to students identified with learning disabilities.
  • Provide consultation and share expertise at the school-wide level.
  • Participate on planning teams to support other teachers as school-wide models of RTI are planned and implemented.


    • Step 3: Collaborate

    LDA's Project Connect, which was the impetus for creation of this on-line resource for the Rochester community, was sparked by a meeting of local educators, pediatricians and parents who recognized a detrimental gap in communication/understanding among the various "players" who address the needs of children with learning disabilities. It is critical for general education teachers to work with parents, physicians, special educators, administrators, and community agencies such as LDA Life and Learning Services to best meet the needs of learners who struggle.

    Some Insights on Collaboration (Knackendoffel and Robinson, 1992)
    Collaboration indicates a team approach and a substantial degree of communication, but it also allows each profession and community to be one in itself. Knackendoffel and Robinson (1992) define collaboration as an ongoing process whereby professionals with different expertise voluntarily work together to create solutions to problems that are impeding student's success, as well as to carefully monitor and refine those solutions. They highlight beliefs that must be central to a collaborative relationship:
    • Those involved in collaborative relationships must believe that all participants have equal status, that all participant have something to learn about working with children, and that services offered for children improve as educators work together rather than in isolation.
    • Collaboration is enhanced by trust, respect, openness, and clear communication among the participants.
    Co-teaching
    Many general education teachers are being called upon to co-teach one or more classes with a special education teacher. Working collaboratively with a co-teacher has many benefits for teachers and students alike. Research indicates that collaboration enhances the expertise of all teachers and often serves to make up for a lack of experience and preparation (Titone, 2005). There are several different co-teaching models: parallel teaching, station teaching, one teach/one assist, team teaching. The best co-teaching teams work in a way where it is almost imperceptible to observers who the general education teacher is and who the special education teacher. Recommendations for best practice include:
    • Arrange a common planning time for general education and special education teachers.
    • Be flexible.
    • Be willing to take risks.
    • Clearly define roles and responsibilities of teachers and assistants.
    • Communicate.
    • Avoid segregating students by ability level unless absolutely necessary.
    • Both teachers should work with and support all students in the classroom as much as possible.


    Step 4: Be a Leader

    General education teachers have more opportunities and resources available than ever before to support all learners in their classrooms. Get involved in your building and district and take the lead in creating curriculum, instructional strategies, and assessments that take the whole child into account and benefit all learners equitably. To become such a leader, the Council for Exceptional Children recommends that you:
    • Study IDEA and RTI on your own
    • Attend local, regional, or state conferences and training workshops such as those provided by LDA Life and Learning Services.
    • Contact local support and information centers like LDA Life and Learning Services for up-to-date information and support.
    • Visit "model schools" or "master teachers" in your area where you can see and study best practices with learners with learning disabilities.
    • Endorse relentless professional development for all personnel involved with students with learning disabilities.
    • Share your expertise in instructional methods and strategies used to teach struggling students. Collaboration with other members of the faculty and staff is key.
    • Promote the use of scientific data to monitor your school's RTI program and determine whether it is being implemented successfully.


    Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment: Methods and Strategies for the General Educator Working with Students with Learning Disabilities

    Curriculum
    Instruction
    Assessment, Grading and Testing
    Behavior Management

    Curriculum

    There are many good, reputable organizations with sites that include complete lists of curriculum resources for general and special education. Here are some of them:

    Instruction

    All learners deserve methods and strategies that best suit their individual talents and strengths, as well as their challenges. Educators should avoid creating a classroom where the expectations and teaching methods for learners with disabilities are radically different than those for the general education learners. More Info

    Assessment, Grading and Testing

    Making accommodations in assessment, grading, and testing is an important part of supporting students with learning disabilities. Frequent, well-planned, appropriate assessments should be used to monitor students' understanding as well as the effectiveness of instruction. Especially when working out new accommodations for students. More Info

    Behavior Management

    Many general education teachers struggle with behavior issues when working with students who have learning disabilities. As with any student, developing rapport with students and a safe, comfortable learning environment are the first steps. Application of the resources, instructional, and assessment strategies listed above will help to avoid many behavior problems. The following strategies also will be helpful: More Info

    Sources