Course Syllabus

SCHOOL UNIVERSITY 

SPE 101 - Special Education Components Course Syllabus

 

Please print a copy of this syllabus for handy reference.

Whenever there is a question about what assignments are due, please remember this syllabus is considered to be the ruling document.

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GENERAL COURSE INFORMATION

COURSE NUMBER: SPE 101 

COURSE TITLE: Special Education Components

COURSE START DATE: 9/6/16 

COURSE END DATE: 10/17/16

REQUIRED READING:  Text: Winterman, Kathleen G. (2014). The IEP Checklist: Your Guide to Creating Meaningful and Compliant IEPS (1st ed.) Brookes, Paul H. Publishing Company.

 

Facilitator Information

Chris Irene

Twitter: @ChrisIrene01

Email: cirene@umflint.edu (Work), stryker362@yahoo.com (Personal)

Phone: 716-844-8552 (EST)

 

Facilitator Availability

If you have difficulty accessing class please call me, send a Tweet or a message to my personal email address. The necessary information is listed above. 

 

General Course Description

This course provides an overview of how to construct an Individual Education Program (IEP) for those students with special needs and/or learning disabilities. The time frame includes early childhood through secondary school focusing on those with learning disabilities and emotional handicaps. Students will create and construct an IEP study for a fictitous child, sharing their findings and work with the class. For this assignment, class participants will delve into the relationship between student characteristics and IEP development. This will include preparing a formal IEP using a three-part IEP case study to gather pertinent information. 

 

Course Objectives

• Discussion of the components involved in an Individualized Education Program (IEP)
• Identify student strengths and needs based on formal and informal assessments.
• Describe the process of IEP development.
• Analyze an IEP based on the evaluation of student strengths, needs, disability, and state/district standards.
• Examine the role of the consultant teacher in special education. 

 

The Online Weekly Schedule

Electronic weeks begin on Tuesday and end on Monday.

Day 1 - Tuesday
Day 2 - Wednesday
Day 3 - Thursday
Day 4 - Friday
Day 5 - Saturday
Day 6 - Sunday
Day 7 - Monday

 

Where to go for class:

1. Home/Syllabus – what the course is about.
2. Discussions – where class discussions are held and questions are asked.
3. Assignments – where you will find the week’s work.
4. Pages – upcoming week’s events.
5. Collaboration – a meeting place to discuss team assignments.

 

Policies and Procedures

Participation

When taking an online course, it is essential that you actively participate in class. Therefore, in order to earn full credit, you will be required to submit at least 2 quality posts 4 out of 7 days to the Discussions Forum.  "I agree, disagree" or "Yes, that's true” is not considered to be a quality response. As graduate students you have your own thoughts and experiences that are important to our class, please don't be shy, share them. Sharing those ideas in classroom discussions can only enhance your personal growth and learning. Assignments are not included in your participation grade. Participation will be counted only in the Discussion forum. 

Grading

Each week, grades and comments on assignments will be visible in the grades column on the left side of your screen. I will post those grades within 7 days of when they were submitted. 

Points	Grade
95+	A
90-94	A-
87-89	B+
84-86	B
80-83	B-
77-79	C+
74-76	C
70-73	C-
67-69	D+
64-66	D
60-63	D-
<59	F

 

Late Assignments

There will be a 10% grade deduction for each day an assignment is late, unless you have made prior arrangements with me. Deadlines will be defined as 11:59 p.m. Monday EST. If you unable to get online the day an assignment is due, please make sure to post it early. Anytime you feel that you might be falling behind in the course, it is best to contact me to discuss your situation.  An assignment due in an academic week will not be accepted after Day 7 of that week and no papers will be accepted after the last day of class.

 

Weekly Responsibilities of the Instructor

• Grade weekly assignments within 7 days of submission.
• Reply to student’s conversation posts/assignment clarification questions within 24 hours, as well as manage class discussions.
• Post the next week's assignments by Monday evening.

 

Week 4 Assignments

Reading: Chap. 2. Collaborative Teaming for Better IEP's, pgs. 21-36.

Due Day 3 (Thursday): Discussion Question: How do the four pillars relate to the development of meaningful, effective IEP's?

Post your responses to the Week 4 Question in the Discussions forum and begin responding to each other's responses. 

Due Day 6 (Sunday): IEP Development Project Part I: Student Description (use fictitious name only) 

• Discuss the educational background of the individual.
• Describe developmental/health issues that may affect the individual.
• Address any sociological or cultural considerations.

Due Day 7 (Monday): Week 4 Summary: Reflect upon this week's discussions. Post in the Discussions forum.

 

Participation: Remember to participate in the class discussions 4 out of 7 days during the week.

 

Week 5 Assignments

Reading: Chap. 3-5. Present Levels or Performance, Goals, Short Term Objectives, pgs. 37-84.

Day 3 (Thursday): Discussion Questions: Can revisions be made on an IEP with out holding an additional meeting? If so, what is the protocol?

Post your responses to the Week 5 Questions in the Discussions forum and begin responding to each other's responses.

Due Day 6 (Sunday): IEP Development Project Part II: Research

• Identify individual's disability.
• Research characteristics using references (journal articles, educational texts etc...)
• Discuss any descriptions /characteristics of the individual's disability.

Due Day 7 (Monday): Week 5 Summary: Reflect upon this week's discussions. Post in the Discussions forum.

 

Participation: Remember to participate in the class discussions 4 out of 7 days during the week.

 

Week 6 Assignments

Reading: Chap. 6-8. Measuring and Reporting, LRE, Accommodations/Modifications, pgs. 85-136.

Day 3 (Thursday): Discussion Questions: What is the definition of the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)? How does this benefit a student?

Post your responses to the Week 6 Questions in the Discussions forum and begin responding to each other's responses.

Due Day 6 (Sunday): IEP Development Project – Part III: IEP Components 

• Describe all areas of strength by creating PLEP statements (Present Level of Performance).
• Create 3 goals and 2 objectives foe each PLEP statement.
• Consider how these goals/objectives will be assessed (observation, testing, portfolio, parental input).
• Determine the rational of delivery (LRE - Least Restrictive Environment).
• Identify accommodations, modifications, related services, and assistive devices if needed.

Due Day 7 (Monday): Week 6 Summary: Reflect upon this week's discussions. Post in the Discussions forum.

 

Participation: Remember to participate in the class discussions 4 out of 7 days during the week.