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Counseling Psychology and Special Education 400

Winter 2005

BrighamYoungUniversity

Department of Counseling Psychology and Special Education

Course Title:Exceptional Students: Principles of Collaboration

Course Credit:2 semester hours

Instructors: / Betty Y. Ashbaker, Ph.D.
340-C MCKB
422-8361
/ Tina Taylor Dyches, Ed.D.
340-F MCKB
422-5045

JoAnn Munk, M. S.
350-D MCKB
422-9133

Barbara Smith, M.Ed.
340-R MCKB
422- 8396
/ Shelly Reier, M.S.
237-B MCKB
422-8547

Teaching Assistants: / Aaron Smith,
Sungti Hsu,
Mindi Marshall,

Office Hours:Dr. Dyches: Mondays & Wednesdays 12-1 pm, Thursdays 3-4 pm; others by appointment; open door policy

Course Description:This course prepares future classroom teachers to understand how students with exceptionalities learn, and to use basic strategies for meeting their educational needs. Participants will identify: the ways individuals differ, the exceptionalities defined in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, strategies to instruct students with various learning needs, curricular adaptations and accommodations for students with disabilities, and ways to collaborate with parents and professionals.

Prerequisites:None

Concurrent field

experience:Work a minimum of 12 hours with a student with disabilities (or at risk of failure) in a regular school classroom, submit a case study regarding this volunteer work.

Text:Available online via Blackboard and packets are available in bookstore.

Guiding Framework: As a department, we embrace the Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC) Standards as our guiding framework for preparing teacher candidates.

The Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC) Standards:The INTASC standards center on five major propositions: (1) Teachers are committed to students and their learning. (2) Teachers know the subjects they teach and how to teach those subjects to diverse learners. (3) Teachers are responsible for managing and monitoring student learning. (4) Teachers think systematically about their practice and learn from experience. (5) Teachers are members of learning communities.

Course Objectives:This course is designed to meet the requirements needed for a state of Utah teaching license in Elementary Education, Secondary Education, and Special Education and also meets the standards of the Council for Exceptional Children. INTASC standards are also met in this course as listed below.

Students will:

Objective / INTASC Standard / Assessment
1. Describe the various ways in which people differ and identify barriers and ways to increase understanding of exceptionality. / 3: Diverse Learners /
  • Quiz 1
  • Unit Exam I
  • Electronic Discussion 1

2. Define special education and describe the legal structure of services for individuals with disabilities, including the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. / 7: Planning Instruction /
  • Quiz 2
  • Unit Exam II
  • Hypothetical Parent Letter

3. Describe the Learning Journey and how teachers use it to plan and implement effective instruction. / 7: Planning Instruction /
  • Quiz 3
  • Unit Exam I

4. Identify the keys to effective collaboration, and the role of collaboration in special education. / 10: Collaboration, Ethics, and Relationships /
  • Quiz 4
  • Unit Exam I
  • Electronic Discussion 2
  • Collaboration with Others

5. Describe the steps in the Individualized Education Program (IEP) process. / 7: Planning Instruction /
  • Quiz 5
  • Unit Exam I

6. Explain the requirements of the law for services for eligible infants and toddlers, preschool children, and adolescents with disabilities. / 7: Planning Instruction /
  • Quiz 6
  • Unit Exam I

7. Describe the characteristics, prevalence, and educational strategies for students with specific learning disabilities, speech or language impairment, mental retardation, and emotional disturbance. / 3: Diverse Learners /
  • Quiz 7
  • Unit Exam II
  • Demographic Information
  • Electronic Discussion 5

8. Describe the characteristics, prevalence, and educational strategies for students with other health impairments, visual impairments, autism, traumatic brain injury, deaf/blindness, and developmental delay. / 3: Diverse Learners /
  • Quiz 8
  • Unit Exam II
  • Demographic Information
  • Electronic Discussion 5

9. Define various cultural differences and explain the effects of cultural, ethnic, and language diversity on the education of individuals with disabilities. / 3: Diverse Learners /
  • Quiz 9
  • Unit Exam II

10. Describe the characteristics, prevalence, and educational strategies for students who are gifted, talented, and/or creative. / 3: Diverse Learners /
  • Quiz 10
  • Unit Exam II

11. Explain the concept of, and strategies for, accommodating to meet individual student needs. / 7: Planning Instruction /
  • Quizzes 11-13
  • Unit Exam III
  • Electronic Discussion 4

12. Describe how to use assessment results to make instructional decisions. / 7: Planning Instruction /
  • Quizzes 11-13
  • Unit Exam III
  • Pre-referral Checklist and Instructional/
Behavioral Strategies
13. Identify ways to accommodate for individual learning needs in reading. / 7: Planning Instruction /
  • Quiz 11
  • Unit Exam III
  • School Learning Environment

14. Identify ways to accommodate for individual learning needs in written language. / 7: Planning Instruction /
  • Quiz 12
  • Unit Exam III
  • School Learning Environment

15. Identify ways to accommodate for individual learning needs in math. / 7: Planning Instruction /
  • Quiz 13
  • Unit Exam III
  • School Learning Environment

16. Explain ways to understand and manage student behaviors, including proactive strategies for success, building positive relationships, and strategies for managing challenging behaviors. / 5: Learning Environments /
  • Quiz 14
  • Unit Exam III
  • Electronic Discussion 3

17. Complete a 12-hour field experience involving service with a student with disabilities and submit a case study of assignments regarding the experience. / 3: Diverse Learners /
  • What I Learned
  • Learning Log
  • Cooperating Teacher Evaluation
  • Confidentiality Statement

Course Content:

This course is organized into two parts, each of which must be successfully completed to receive a passing grade for the course. The first part is the Field Experience/Case Study. This is explained in detail in the beginning of the course. The second part is the three units of study.

UnitI on Foundations and the Law consists of six lessons: an introduction to exceptionality, an explanation of special education, a discussion of education for all learners, instruction oncollaboration for special needs, a description of the IEP process, and an explanation of services for young children and adolescents.

Unit II, entitled Exceptionalities, includes four lessons which teach the following topics: high incidence exceptionalities, low incidence exceptionalities, multicultural issues, and gifted and talented children.

Unit III, called Making Adaptations andAccommodations, includes four lessons which cover: adapting the curriculum in reading, language arts, and math, and adapting the classroom for challenging behavior.

Course Assignments:
Quizzes. Each lesson hasMastery Checksinterspersed throughout the lessons, and each lesson is followed by a 10-question multiple choice quizto test your understanding of the material taught. Quizzes should be taken following your study of the lesson and must be taken prior to the unit evaluations. You should NOT print the quizzes from the website.
Unit Exams. There will be one unit exam of 50 multiple choice questions following completion of each unit. You should NOT print the unit exams from the website. There is no final, comprehensive exam in this course.
Professionalism. Attendance, promptness, completion of assignments, and accessing other Internet sites (at least two per lesson) will be evaluated using a self-evaluation form. This must be completed during class and will not be accepted before or after the end of each class period.

Electronic Discussions. Since this is a hybrid course (part live, part online), our face-to-face discussions in class will be limited. Therefore, we will engage in electronic discussions with each other online. Topics for discussion will be posted and each student is required to respond to the topic and make at least one thoughtful comment to another student’s response.

Case Study. A case study will be submitted describing the 12-hour field experience (see Case Study Checklist).
Field Experience:

The field experience and related assignments are described in detail on the course website. Briefly described, participants will:

•Locate a classroom and a student with disabilities (or at risk of failure) that can serve as the subject of the experience.

•Spend at least 12 hours working in the classroom with the student, under the direction of the classroom teacher.

•Complete and submit a case study regarding this experience.

Your Grade:Your final grade for the course is computed by the evaluation of the following assignments:

Quizzes / 14 @ 10 points per quiz / 140 points
Unit Exams / 3 @ 50 points per exam / 150 points
Professionalism Self-Evaluation / 20 @ 2 points per evaluation / 40 points
Electronic Discussions / 5 @ 5 points per discussion / 25 points
Case Study for Field Experience / 8 components @ 20 points / 160 points
TOTAL POINTS / 515 points

Your letter grade for the course will be calculated using the following grade equivalents for your percentage earned:

A 95 - 100 / C 73 - 76
A- 90 - 94 / C- 70 - 72
B+ 87 - 89 / D+ 67 - 69
B 83 - 86 / D 63 - 66
B- 80 - 82 / D - 60 - 62
C+ 77 - 79

Course Expectations:

  1. Honor Code: Students are expected to adhere to the BYU Honor Code, and dress/grooming standards.
  1. Preparation: Students are expected to be prepared for each class by completing assignments, readings, quizzes, and exams prior to class.
  1. Participation: Students are expected to attend each class period and to actively participate in classroom presentations, collaborative learning groups, and classroom discussions.
  1. Written Work: Written reports are expected to be professional: proof-read your report at least once prior to submitting it. Reports should be free of spelling, grammatical, and typographical errors. Type-written reports should be written in American Psychological Association 5th Edition style. Handwritten reports should be legible (D’Nealian or Zaner-Bloser style).
  1. Assignments: All assignments are due at the beginning of class on the day assigned. It is expected that all written work reflect the efforts of the individual student (except for cooperative learning group projects). Identical work submitted by two or more students will be regarded as plagiarism.
  1. Personal Responsibility: Students are expected to check the online course information and/or the course syllabus for clarification needed regarding assignments prior to contacting the professor.
  1. Out of Class Work: Since this class does not meet every week of the semester (due to Elementary Education practicum), a good portion of your time learning will be spent outside of class. Following university standards, students are expected to spend approximately 4-6 hours per week studying and preparing for this 2 semester hour course (2-3 hours out-of-class work per semester hour).
  1. Online Submission of Work: All quizzes and exams and electronic discussions will be administered via Blackboard. Other assignments may be submitted via Blackboard. Students are expected to complete these assignments as directed by their professor.
  1. LiveText: All case study assignments must be submitted via your LiveText account.

Methodologies/Teaching Strategies: The course content will be learned primarily through the following strategies: reading the text online, completing mastery checks, working with a child with special needs, engaging in class discussions, participating in cooperative learning groups, and viewing videotapes.

Preventing Sexual Harassment: Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits sex discrimination against any participant in an educational program or activity that receives federal funds. The act is intended to eliminate sex discrimination in education. Title IX covers discrimination in programs, admissions, activities, and student-to-student sexual harassment. BYU’s policy against sexual harassment extends not only to employees of the university but to students as well. If you encounter unlawful sexual harassment or gender based discrimination, please talk to your professor; contact the Equal Employment Office at 422-5895 or 367-5689 (24 hours); or contact the Honor Code Office at 422-2847.

Students With Disabilities: BrighamYoungUniversity is committed to providing a working and learning atmosphere which reasonably accommodates qualified persons with disabilities. If you have any disability which may impair your ability to complete this course successfully, please contact the UniversityAccessibilityCenter (422-2767). Reasonable academic accommodations are reviewed for all students who have qualified documented disabilities. Services are coordinated with the student and instructor by the UniversityAccessibilityCenter. If you need assistance or if you feel you have been unlawfully discriminated against on the basis of disability, you may seek resolution through established grievance policy and procedures. You should contact the Equal Employment Office at 422- 5895, D-282 ASB.

Mission Statement of the BYU Special Education Programs:

We maximize the potential of diverse learners with individualized educational needs to elevate their quality of life. We accomplish this by supporting the mission and aims of a BYU education as we integrate teaching, research, and service. We specifically:

  • Prepare competent and moral educators who select, implement, and evaluate research-based effective teaching practices and appropriate curriculum for learners with special needs.
  • Prepare master special educators who provide collaborative leadership to foster the moral development and improve learning and social competence of exceptional children with challenging behaviors.
  • Add to the knowledge base of special education and related disciplines through research.
  • Serve and advocate for learners with individualized educational needs and others who support them.