CASE STUDY GUIDELINES 30%
Case Study (30%) Candidates will identify one student with a disability and conduct a comprehensive case study regarding this individual that will result in a 8-10 page paper that describes, in part, the individual, the family, the disability, the educational program and the educational setting. Candidates will interview student, family, regular education and special education teachers, related service providers, and other support personnel. You will also develop an authentic IEP for the student which will include goals and objectives, instructional strategies, links to general education curriculum, AT recommendations, appropriate accommodations, modifications, related services, instructional supports, etc. More information will be provided
Observe confidentiality. Do not identify the student, student’s teacher, or the school/site by name. You may use fictitious names.
· Exclude any information that would be of little value when working with a student, or when reading the results of assessment or other sections of the case study.
· Identify the source when reporting hearsay information, e.g., “According to the parents…”
· Exclude information that is sensitive, or from confidential sources other than the IEP.
(Sections of the Case Study)Cover Page
Lehman College Graduate Program in Special Education
Graduate Student Teacher: Semester: Summer 2015
Name of student: Age: Grade:
School: (e.g. PS 40, Quaker Hill School)
School/Site Background and Information
· Type of school/program (A parent or non educator should be able to understand the type of program.)
· Characteristics of student population- ethnicity if important, Ells, special education programs in school, location, community (do most students live in the community?
· Initiatives in the school for the summer, if there are any.
· Description of summer program.
Type of setting (e.g., first grade classroom in an elementary school, self- contained classroom, a home, a job site)
· Your role in the instructional program for the summer.(e.g., teach all academic subjects plus support a behavioral plan; pull out of general education classroom for supplementary instruction in reading.
· The schedule for the summer.
· The primary language of instruction, if other than English (e.g., ASL)
Student Background Information Include the following:
This section acquaints the reader with the student and the reasons for the evaluation. You may have
limited school data and will have to rely on information, which is self (child) reported and parent
reported. You should, however, include the following:
· Age, sex, grade, school
· Child’s placement in family
· Culture/language
· Medical Alerts
· School history – attendance. Why is the student in this program?
· What is the student’s classification, disability, learning or behavior issue?
· Attempt to interview school personnel who know the child, related service providers. Then include this information in the appropriate sections.
Assessment
· List all assessment in table format, including the name of each assessment, type, date of testing, grade or age equivalents, depending on the age of the child, and source, if it was not administered by you. E.g., reading assessment-teacher reported. This may also include teacher interviews, review of the student’s current IEP, classroom observation, and analysis of work samples and products.
· Assessment might include an Interest Inventory. The Bader provides one type. It is suggested that you complete your own inventory with the student. This makes the inventory less formal and promotes conversation, and more response from the student.
· Interpretation of Assessments. Begin with a description of the student’s behavior in the testing setting. This section provides the reader, in narrative form with the results of data gathering and your analysis. Describe initial behaviors. Include results of the interests Inventory.
Include behavioral observations of your student in each testing situation, time of day and day of week. The reason for this is to compare a student’s reaction to each testing situation, and to note significant differences. Remember that testing is one aspect of assessment, and that observation of behavior is an important component of accurate assessment.
If a student has a behavior related disability or need, and FBA could be administered.
This section also provides the reader, in narrative form, with the results of the data gathering and your analysis.
Please include examples of errors, your analysis of these errors, and how these translate to specific strengths and learning objectives.
Planning and Reflection Log (as a word document) 15 %
A Planning and Reflection Log is an essential component of any teacher’s instructional toolbox! In Summer Student Teaching, you are required to keep this log and to make daily entries that will become the building blocks for a quality Case Study on your focus student (s). Email the log at the end of each week.
Each entry in the log will have three parts:
1. Your plan for that particular meeting with the student. Be specific and detailed. Refer to the summer goals for the student, and/or goals on the student’s IEP.
2. Reflection The log should describe your impressions of and interaction with the student in detail, as well as corrections or refinements you would make in your next day’s planning. E.g., Was the lesson too easy, difficult? Did it require prior knowledge? Did you have enough information on the student? Was the student engaged? Who did most of the talking?, etc.
3. A detailed plan for the following session, based on the results of your analysis, and plans for the following meetings. It is a daily instructional plan, but is also rich in details, and description of instructional activities and materials.
4. You may also note other professionals in the school with whom you will collaborate. E.g., Information from a student’s previous or current teacher; from a parent interview, or related service provider.