Running Head: WEEK FIVE CASE STUDY 1

Week Five Case Study: The Broken Arm

SPED 854: Family and Interprofessional Collaboration in Special Education

University of Kansas

Dr. Irma Brasseur-Hock & Naheed Abdulrahim

Brent Seager

June 12, 2017

WEEK FIVE CASE STUDY 2

The Broken Arm Case Study

1. In the case study, I learned that the student Jim is motivated by football and academics, as

he strives to do well in each class; Jim is also motivated by the possibility of earning an

athletic scholarship in football to pay for college. Helen is motivated by graduation

requirements and high stakes testing, and the students are held to higher standards to

fulfill graduation requirements and be successful on high stakes testing. I also believe

that Helen is motivated by seeing students be successful and have the necessary skills to

be successful in life and in post-secondary endeavors. Mary is motivated by student

success and providing her students with the resources to be successful in the classroom. I

also believe that Mary is motivated by having the opportunity to advocate for students

and provide them with accommodations and modifications as necessary. While it appears

that Mary and Helen have one similarity in their motivations as educators, their methods

and expectations differ significantly; which can create an environment in the classroom

that is not in the best interests of all students.

2. a. The first problem in the case study is a lack of agreement or continuity between the

two teachers Mary and Helen. Another issue is that Helen is not differentiating

instruction or providing appropriate accommodations and modifications for students with

disabilities. Another concern within this case study is that Jim is in danger of failing this

English class, a credit that he will need to graduate high school and remain eligible for

football and academic scholarships for college.

b. There are several common issues and problems that are experienced in the co-teaching

classroom. One of the most common issue and problem faced by co-teacher is what role

each teacher will play in the classroom. Another issue and problem faced in the co-

teaching classroom is finding time to collaborate, and based on the information provided,

it appears that Mary and Helen did not spend much time collaborating or discussing

concerns in the classroom. A third problem and issue experienced by many co-teachers is
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selecting the appropriate delivery of instruction to best accommodate the learning styles

of each student. Perhaps one of the biggest problems and issues faced in co-teaching is a

lack of communication, as this can deteriorate a co-teaching relationship quickly.

c. There are several steps that co-teachers can take to establish a healthy and productive

co-teaching relationship and classroom. The first step in building and establishing a

healthy and productive co-teaching relationship is for all teachers to find time to

collaborate, whether it is during the school day or outside of the school day.

Collaborating will help to ensure that each teacher can plan for instruction and address

concerns in the classroom. Another step that co-teachers can take to build and establish

healthy co-teaching relationships is to establish classroom roles prior to students entering

the classroom; as all teachers in healthy co-teaching relationships and classrooms play an

integral role in sharing the responsibilities of educating each student and addressing

student needs. A third method for building and establishing a healthy co-teaching

relationship is to ensure that all teachers in the co-teaching environment communicate

effectively and are working continuously to improve their co-teaching relationship and

the classroom environment for the students. Perhaps one of the most important methods

that can be used to improve co-teaching relationships is for each teacher to set and

establish classroom expectations and even implement modifications as necessary; this

will help to ensure continuity and consistency within the co-teaching classroom.
3. a. While some general education teachers are reluctant at times to make accommodations

and modifications, arguing that the content in the class contains vital information and

skills that the students will need to be successful moving forward. However, if it is

apparent that a student is beginning to fail with the current content and standards, it might

be time to consider implementing accommodations or modifications to the assignment or

curriculum to address student specific needs. Accommodations and modifications can be

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used to modify the delivery, instruction, and assessment of the content, while maintaining

content goals and expectations. It is also important that general education teachers keep

in mind that students with accommodations and modifications in their IEPs are to

receive these items in the classroom, without exception. This means that regardless of a

teachers opinion about accommodations and modifications, that a student that has these

in their IEPs are to receive these supports; failure to provide or implement

accommodations or modifications is a violation of state and federal laws.

b. Accommodations are in place to help students with the content and information of any

given subject, and are useful for assisting both general and special education students that

are struggling to master the content within a classroom. When accommodations are not

working and students are continuing to struggle, despite the best efforts and

accommodations implemented by teachers, it is time to consider modifications.

Modifications occur when the content is changed or adapted from that of other students,

and can be a vital resource in helping struggling students to succeed in the classroom.

While the debate on whether to use modifications or accommodations or a combination

of both continues, I believe that student need should determine which of these to use.
c. There are several ways in which educators can modify assignments, content, and

activities for struggling students in the classroom. One of the first modifications that can

be used is to shorten tests, assignments, and portions of the content that are not necessary

for mastery of the content. Another modification that can be used in the classroom is to

modify the assignment; for instance, an assignment that requires an essay is modified for

a struggling student to short answer or multiple choice questions. Perhaps one of the

most used modifications used by many teachers is to find readings and activities within a

class or content area that are aligned with the current reading and achievement levels of

struggling students. While there are many other great modifications that teachers can use
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for struggling students, these are some of the most commonly used in many classrooms

today.
d. Some of the accommodations and modifications used by Mary for Jim in spelling

were flash cards with spelling words, spreading the addition of new spelling words

throughout the week, writing the words several times each week before the test, and word

structure rules. Despite her efforts, these accommodations and modifications were not

helping Jim master the spelling content or improve his ability to spell words. Mary also

discussed with Helen about implementing spelling accommodations and modifications of

having Jim select the correctly spelled words from a list or having him select the word to

use in a sentence. Helen did not agree with these accommodations and modifications and

Jim undoubtedly continued to struggle with spelling in this classroom. The

accommodations and modifications implemented by Mary were not effective in allowing

Jim to access the general education curriculum, as these did not address his deficits in

spelling. However, if Mary could implement the accommodations and modifications that

she mentioned to Helen, then Jim may have been successful in spelling in the classroom.

While the outcome is not known, I unable to determine what type of outcome that came

of this situation, but I can only imagine that it was not positive; unless Mary could try

different accommodations and modifications for Jim.

4. Communication and collaboration between parents, students, teachers, and community

members is essential to ensuring that the school continues to provide the best

environment to educate the students. Collaboration and communication between parents

and family members allows each teacher the opportunity to address concerns, and it

works to create a healthy working relationship and continuity between home and school.

Teachers must also be excellent communicators and collaborators with students, as this

will ensure that every student and teacher are on the same page; and it will also help
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establish a trusting and healthy relationship between students and teachers. One

important communication and collaboration factor that is often overlooked by educators

is that of communicating and collaborating with members of the community; as this

enables teachers to gain the support and confidence of the community in the education

process. Perhaps one of the most important aspects of communication and collaboration

is that between teachers and other school staff members, as these school personnel need

to collaborate and communicate to provide the supportive and a conducive environment

for education for each student that they serve.

Reference
The IRIS Center. (n.d.). Instructional accommodations & co-teaching: A broken arm. Retrieved

from: file:///C:/Users/Seager/Downloads/sped854-m5 full %20broken %20arm % 20

case% 20 study%20(1).pdf