Monday, January 17, 2011

Chapter 1: The Foundation for Educating Students with Special Needs

·         Inclusive Practices is founded on the belief or philosophy that students with disabilities should be fully integrated into their school learning communities, usually in general education classrooms, and that their instruction should be based on their abilities, not their disabilities.
·         Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) 2004: specified that all students with disabilities must participate in all assessment conducted by local school districts with needed supports provided.
o   This site is part of the U.S. Department of Education and  it explains with detail the IDEA act of 2004.  It has video clips, news, notes and is considered a “one-stop shop” for resources related to IDEA.
·         No Child Left Behind Act of 2001: the goal is for all students, including those with disabilities, to be achieving at grade level in reading and math by the end of the 2013-2014 school year.
o   Resource: No Child Left Behind: Past, Present and Future by William Hayes. http://books.google.com/books?id=W67vHaByunAC&printsec=frontcover&dq=No+Child+Left+Behind&source=bll&ots=XPt0ERRVK6&sig=wNQzmHQeR_j-ObMvku4toRJwNTI&hl=en&ei=jT4zTbLHIsH_lgeZxuSECg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=13&ved=0CIUBEOgBMAw#  
o   This book goes through the historical background of the Act, the law itself, the first five years that it was implemented and what the critics have to say about it.  It also has chapters that include “How are we doing in Reading?” “What is happening in math?” “Additional Provisions” and “The battle for Reauthorization”.  At the end it has a future section that takes a look at “What’s Ahead.”
·         Some professionals argue that students with disabilities sometimes need a small-group, highly structured environment that is difficult to create in the general education classroom, and they conclude that inclusion is not sound educational practice.
o   This website includes an article of the pros and cons of Inclusion.  It primarily addresses concerns and arguments about Inclusion and includes many people’s points of views why inclusion may or may not be good for the student and the classroom teacher.

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