What Parents Need to Know

about Special Education

By: Andrea G Haines

Topics to Talk About

Our
commitment as
teachers
IDEA
IEP
RTI
Services
available to
parents

Our Commitment As Teachers

We will be teaching Special Ed students in a
general education classroom using the
following strategies:
Collaborative consultation where an
expert provides advice to the general
education teacher by suggesting changes to
instruction or provides additional support.
Co-teaching between general and special
educators where two or more professionals
deliver instruction to a diverse/blended, group
of students in a single room.
Curricula and Instructional Strategies
such as Cooperative learning which can help
students with disabilities succeed in the

Our Commitment As Teachers

Having instructional accommodations
which include changes instruction that dont
necessarily change the content or difficulty
level of the curriculum, and adaptations
which involve modifications of instruction.
Training general education teachers to
accommodate diversity by the special
education coach to address a wider range of
instructional needs than they otherwise would
have.

Whats The Big IDEA?

IDEA is short for
Individuals with
Disabilities Education
Act, which is the nations
federal special education
law that ensures public
schools serve the
educational needs of
students with disabilities.
IDEA requires that schools
provide special education
services to eligible students
with disabilities in the least
restrictive environment.

What is IEP?
Individualized education
program (IEP) is the legal
document that describes the
educational services a
student receives. Most IEPs
include the following:
1. Specific accommodations.
2. Annual goals.
3. What type of special education
should the student get.
4. It mentions specific setting in
which the service will be
delivered.

What is RTI?
Also known as Response to
Intervention, refers to a
students change in academic
performance or behavior as a
result of instruction.
RTI is usually associated with
learning disabilities and
academic learning.
A prereferral team (PRT) is
assigned to work with the
general education teacher to
help identify alternative
educational strategies for the
student before making a referral

Services Available to Parents

Parent Training and
Information Center (PTI)
provides parents with
information about special
education so that they can
participate in meeting the
educational needs of their
children.
Community Parent
Resource Centers (CPRC)
are designed to serve the
needs of low-income parents,
parents of children with
limited English proficiency,

Closing Remarks
It is OK to feel
overwhelmed with all
the information out
there about special
education. There are
yet a lot of questions
we need answers to
about this matter, but
as long as we help
each other out and
keep a good
communication link
going, we will help the
child in need, achieve

REFLECTION
Not knowing what to expect from a general education
teacher is a concern many parents of Special Ed
children have. I wanted to address this topic first
because this would leads us to the rest of them.
I dont think the order in which I placed the following
terms matter (IDEA, IEP, RTI) as much as what their
meaning does. I sincerely believe the terms I chose to
speak about are the ones parents should know first
and should consider doing some research of their own
to learn more about the terms that apply most to their
childrens disabilities.
I believe that parents could really benefit from a Power
Point presentation like this one, because it can help
open up the lines of trust and communications
between educators and parents which is one of the
first steps to take in order for us to work as a team to

References:
Hallahan, D. P., Kauffman, J. M., & Pullen, P. C. (2012).
Current Practices for Meeting the Needs of Exceptional
Learners. Exceptional Learners: An Introduction to Special
Education (12th Edition). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey:
PEARSON Education, Inc.
NCLD, P. P. (2012, February 6). What Is IDEA? | Individuals
with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). National Center for
Learning Disabilities. Retrieved June 28, 2014, from
http://www.ncld.org/disability-advocacy/learn-ld-laws/idea
/what-is-idea