Running Head: WEEK SIX REPLIES 1

Week Six Discussion Replies

SPED 854: Family and Interprofessional Collaboration in Special Education

University of Kansas

Dr. Irma Brasseur-Hock & Naheed Abdulrahim

Brent Seager

June 19, 2017

WEEK SIX REPLIES 2

Week Six Discussion Replies

Caroline Woody

Caroline,

I also believe that one of the biggest reasons why many parents and guardians of special

education students request one-to-one support is to ensure that their student(s) have the necessary

support to be successful in the general education classroom. While some students may benefit

from the one-to-one model in the general education classroom, it does not benefit all special

education students in the general education classroom. Another aspect that I did not mention in

my posting was about the parents and guardians interpretations and expectations of support for

their student(s) in the general education classroom, as some parents and guardians are not always

fully aware of the placement of their student(s). Prior to determining which model and supports

are put into place for each special education student, it is imperative that the team meets to

determine the benefits and the challenges that each educational model and placement will have

for each student.

It is also vital to ensure that each paraeducator placed with students in a one-to-one

model are properly trained and work to ensure that the rights of the student are not violated.

Paraeducators serving students in one-to-one models should also be aware of their presence in

the classroom and how that impacts the learning and social interactions of the student that they

are providing services for. I also believe that special education teachers should monitor and

observe paraeducators in one-to-one placements periodically, as this will allow any concerns or

issues to be addressed by the special education teacher. Perhaps one of my biggest concerns

with the one-to-one placement that I observed during last school year was that the general

education teacher relied heavily on the paraeducator to provide instruction to a special education

student, which violated the rights of the student. The issue was addressed with the general
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education teacher and paraeducator, which was resolved and was not present during my

following observations. While the one-to-one model might be essential for some students, the

challenges and benefits should be weighed prior to suggesting or implementing this type of

placement for the student.

Brent

Brittany Young

Brittany,

I agree that some students in the one-to-one model do become dependent on the

paraeducator to participate in the general education classroom. Some students may also

experience a lack of access to the general education teacher or curriculum because of the one-to-

one model. The one-to-one model can also cause difficulties in special education students

interacting and socializing with their peers in the general education classroom. For these

reasons, it is imperative to weigh the benefits and costs of placing a student in a one-to-one

support model. Instead, special education teachers and IEP team members should suggest other

support and placement options for special education students in the general education classroom

that will address their needs and goals. If a parent does not accept the IEP teams decision on

support models for the general education classroom, it is imperative that the special educator

provide training for the paraeducator placed with the student to ensure that the rights of the

student are not violated.

In order to address some paraeducator training, the school district that I will be working

at this fall has begun testing paraeducators on curriculum, laws, and many other aspects that are

vital to the daily responsibilities that paraeducators undertake. In my first year as an educator, I

have experienced the change in mindsets of school districts, as they are moving away from one-

to-one models and into co-teaching models. While some students will require the one-to-one
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model support, I believe that many other students will benefit from the co-teaching model.

Having a general and special education teacher in the general education classroom can be an

awesome advantage for all students in the classroom, as two teachers can accomplish more and

can better meet the needs of all students in the classroom without violating the rights of special

education students. Even though not all school districts are adopting the co-teaching model to

support special education students in the general education classroom, it does provide some

advantages over the one-to-one model.

Brent

Jaclyn Landis

Jaclyn,

I also believe that as a supervisor, many special education teachers find it challenging to

have paraeducators make instructional decisions that they may or may not be qualified to make.

This can have detrimental effects for special education students in the general education

classroom; to address this concern, special education teachers should find time to collaborate and

observe paraeducators in one-to-one placements. One concern that I have with the one-to-one

placement is that the student might pay more attention to the paraeducator than the teacher,

which can create many issues down the road. While it is imperative that the paraeducator

support the student in the one-to-one placement, the paraeducator must also learn how to

distance themselves for the student to participate in the general education classroom. For these

reasons, I believe that school districts should provide more training and professional

development for paraeducators to learn how to be more effective in supporting students in the

one-to-one and other support models.

While removing the one-to-one support model for special education students in the

general education classroom could resolve some of the issues that are faced by special education
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students, it is still a support that some students benefit from. This school year, I had several

parents and guardians requesting one-to-one support for their students; at the meetings, the team

and even the parents and guardians thought that the co-teaching model and other supports were

more beneficial than the one-to-one support. Even though this might not be the case for all

students, all considerations and supports should be weighed and the appropriate ones should be

chosen for each individual student. Another issue that I believe can arise from the one-to-one

model is the limiting of social interactions with peers in the general education classroom, and

this social interaction is vital to the growth of the student. Although some students might need

one-to-one support in some general education classrooms, I believe that this support should be

limited to the students that absolutely need this support.

Brent