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links lead off of our website. Use them at your own risk. We
are not accepting new links at this time. The purpose
of Incredible Art Department is to promote art education. If
you find a link that goes to an inappropriate site, please
notify Judy
Decker or Ken
Rohrer immediately.
Congress Has an IDEA
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (“IDEA,” 20 U.S.C.
§1400, et seq.) is a federal law passed in 1975 to provide the
states with funding to create and develop programs to provide eligible
disabled children with a "free appropriate" public education. With the
Congress’ permission, the Department of Education creates hundreds of
federal regulations that specifically set forth the requirements of the
IDEA. In addition, the states pass their own laws, and each state’s
board of education creates its own regulations and rules to ensure that
the requirements of the act are met in their schools.
What I Need to Know in a "Nutshell"
If there is a student who is struggling and is suspected of having a
disability, the first step is to usually hold a GEI (General
Educational Intervention) meeting. Typically the regular classroom
teacher, special education teacher, counselor and administrator attend
these to brainstorm strategies and discuss the possibility of testing
the student for a disability. If these strategies don't work, then a
school employee approaches the parents for permission to test the
student. A parent also has the right by law to request testing be done.
As soon as the
paperwork is signed, testing must be completed within a certain time
period. When the testing is done, a special education case conference
is held. Parents have a right to have an "advocate" attend the meetings
with them. Testing results are presented by a school psychologist
and/or counselor. At this point, it is up to the case conference
committee to determine elegibility. To qualify for a disability, the
student has a condition that interferes with his/her ability to perform
one or more acitivities of living or learning. If the child qualifies,
an Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) is created. A copy is given to
the regular classroom teacher, special education teacher who is
servicing the student, parent, and a copy for the student's school
file.
It is important for the regular classroom teachers to share the IEP
with the art teacher. However, many times this is not done and the art
teacher will have to ask to read a copy of the IEP from the special
education teacher or file. Because of IDEA, a special education student
is placed in the "least restrictive environment." IDEA mandates that
whenever possible, disabled children should be educated in the regular
classrooms. If not possible, then they must be educated in the setting
that provides the maximum opportunities for interaction with
non-disabled peers. Many times this means that the student is placed in
the regular classroom at least part of the day. The majority of the
time, these students will be in your classroom.
Many times, teachers resist "inclusion" but it is the law and as a
professional, you should do your best to help this student become
successful. You are required by law to follow the IEP and ignorance is
not a defense. Keep in mind that only those on a "need to know" basis
are allowed to view an IEP. The most common special education category
is speech impairment. These students usually graduate from the program
after a few years. Usually the art teacher will not need to read their
IEP.
After the student is placed in special education, educators are
required to hold an annual case review. This does not preclude any
emergency meetings that may have to occur if there is trouble with the
placement. Art teachers can request to attend these meetings if they
have a vested interest in the outcome. You can read an excellent PDF document that gives a nice summary of IDEA.
As if that isn't difficult, there is another category called a 504. Usually students who need just a few modifications have a 504.
Typically ADHD students, students with severe allergies, and minor
impairments qualify. The modification might be simply allowing extra
time on a test. For students with kidney ailments, the modification
might be to grant the student extra bathroom breaks. A section 504 plan
also is usually shorter and more informal.
In 2004, IDEA had some significant changes- especially for the secondary teacher. The
law changed the diagnostic information that
secondary schools are required to develop for graduating students. The
law calls for a summary of student performance that specifies that “a
local educational agency shall provide the child with a summary of the
child's academic achievement and functional performance, which shall
include recommendations on how to assist the child in meeting the
child's postsecondary goals” (IDEA, 2004, Section 614). Other changes
include the fact that "Limited English Proficiency" is now one of the
five conditions considered to prevent a child from learning when
considering the child has a learning disability. This new law takes
effect on October 14, 2006.
In other
words, high schools must now create a summary of achievement,
performance, and recommended modifications for their adult life. The
intent of the Summary of Performance is to describe a student’s current
performance and functional limitations based on a historical review of
assessments and services received in the K-12 setting. It will identify
accommodations and supports that may be beneficial in postsecondary
education and employment. It is clear, however, that the more
traditional documentation to which postsecondary insttutions have
become familiar (e.g., measures of aptitude, achievement, and
processing that are no more than 3-years old) will no longer be
required nor be readily available.
For more information on the 2004 additions and changes:
http://www.ahead.org/resources/idea2004.htm
http://www.healthinschools.org/ejournal/2004/dec2.htm
http://www.wrightslaw.com/idea/osep.statute.htm
http://www.ncld.org/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=283
Classroom Management and Special Education
Students in special education usually need a different form of discipline. There is a website that will help you with classroom management with special education students. You can also find many links dealing with student discipline and special education.
Sometimes discipline problems with these children are a result of their
needs not being met. You can meet their needs better if you make some
modifications to your classroom and technique. A list of possible
modifications include:
- Independent work is given to them in segments.
- Allow extra time for the student to complete their work.
- Information is presented visually such as on an overhead, posters, etc. This is not a problem for art teachers.
- Before
drawing or writing, have the student do a few simple exercises such as
pushing hands together, and squeezing and relaxing fists
- Allow the child
to stand at their desk and/or table
- Small group and
cooperative learning
- Allow "wait" time
for thinking before they answer a question.
- Use open-ended
questions
- Students read
or complete sections of an assignment and then share with a small
group.
-You can read more ideas on the Special Education and the Arts, Meeting
Multiple Needs and Effective
Teaching Strategies pages. You can also visit various Special Educaton Arts Orgnizations.
Although special education students may need an individualized behavior plan,
you have to be careful not to make it appear you are singling them out.
For example, if you have a point system for them, have a point system
for the rest of the students. If you have an ongoing problem with a
special education student, consult with the special education teacher.
They probably will have some recommendations for you. They can also
bring up the behavior in an annual case review.
Instructional Strategies for Learning Disabilities
In many cases, the art teacher will not need to make any modifications
to their teaching style or instruction with special education students.
This is because art is very visual and these students do well when
learning visually. Your approach depends on their disability. There are
many categories of learning disabilities.
With physically handicapped students, frequently there are tools to aid them. I once had a student without arms and legs.
This student functioned quite well by gripping his brush and pencil
between his cheek and shoulder. Others use their mouths. Autistic
students can be difficult to work with because they have trouble with
communication and are frequently in their own world. Repetition works
well with these students.
There
are times when you may be assigned a paraprofessional at least part of the
day to assist with special education students. There is a website that
covers how to fully utilize them in the classroom. You can also read about making art activities work for students with special needs.
You can find some resources and instructional strategies for special education students here.
You can find everything you need to know about IEP's here.
Children with ADD/ADHD
These children present a challenge for most teachers. They have short attention spans, squirm in their chairs, are hyeractive, create disturbances, and have a hard time completing tasks. Rather than go into detail here, there are many websites that are available to help you.
To understand what life is like for one of these children:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/
Strategies for Teaching
http://addadhd.suite101.com/
Collection of Resources
http://www.tea.state.tx.us/tchrtoolbag/
Visual Impairment
There are varying degrees of visual impairments in children. Some are totally blind, but the majority has some vision. There is an interesting web page that shows how photography can be used by children with visual impairments.
Following are some pertinent link on color blindness:
http://www.colormatters.com/v_colorblind.html
http://www.toledo-bend.com/colorblind/aboutCB.html
http://colorvisiontesting.com/
ESL (English as a Second Language)
The Hispanic population in the USA has exploded the past 10 years. It is now very common to have students who know little, if any English. How does an art teacher deal with these students?
Art teachers have a slight advantage over other teachers because visual aides don't need any translation. However, when it comes to lecturing or the written word, these students will have difficulty. There are resources online to help you out.
I recommend translating all your newsletters and communications into Spanish (or other language) by using free online tools such as Babelfish, Google's translation tools, and Free Translater.com. These won't give you perfect translations, but you will get your point across.
Everything ESL- A great collection of resources
ESL Enrichment Curriculum- A great resource from the Getty Center.
ESL Clubhouse- A forum for teachers dealing with ESL students.
Grandma Moses Meets ESL- A page with great information.
