Running head: OBSERVATION !

Field Work Special Education Teacher Interview and Observation

Caleb Ricks

National University
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Field Work Special Education Teacher Interview and Observation

For my fieldwork observation and interview, I contacted the Lakeside Union School

District in San Diego and was able to set up an interview with Cindy Hilliker at Lindo Park

Elementary. This school is a Title 1 school and has roughly 80% of its students listed as low

socioeconomic status. Before teaching at Lindo Park Elementary, Mrs. Hilliker previously taught

at Lakeside Middle School and at Tierra del Sol Middle School. She is one of three Special Day

Class Teachers at Lindo Park and has been teaching in the Lakeside Union School District since

January 2008. Prior to teaching in the Lakeside Union School District, Mrs. Hilliker taught for

the San Diego Unified School District in an upper elementary Integrated Life Skills classroom.

Her Special Education background extends beyond the classroom as she has also worked as a

behavioral tutor for children and teens, providing intensive intervention services to children and

teens with autism both at home and in inclusive classrooms. Mrs. Hilliker has attained her

Masters of Arts degree and holds teaching credentials for Multiple Subject General Education as

well as an Education Specialist Credential with authorizations to teach students with mild to

severe disabilities and students who need support with English as a second language. With her

extensive background in Special Education, Mrs. Hilliker provided essential information I need

as a future educator in an integrated classroom. As Mrs. Hilliker emphasized, not all of my

students will be General Education, and she is an advocate for General Education teachers

learning as much as they can about the Special Education programs and the processes involved

in Special Education. The interview lasted 54 minutes.

I began my interview with Mrs. Hilliker by asking her the broad question of what she

believes every General Education teacher should know about Special Education, as my own
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knowledge about the subject is not very extensive. Mrs. Hilliker stated that years ago, General

Education teachers may have been able to get by with knowing little about Special Education.

However, with the rise of standardized testing, inclusion classes, and the growing awareness of

disability, the modern classroom does not afford teachers this chance. Though not a listed

question, I asked Mrs. Hilliker to explain Individualized Learning Programs. Mrs. Hilliker

stressed that almost every classroom has at least one student with an Individualized Education

Plan (IEP) and therefore General Education teachers must understand IEPs and how they are

written. According to Spring (2018), “IEPs are now a standard part of education programs for

children with disabilities.” Slavin (2018) builds upon the concept of IEP by explaining, “An IEP

describes a student’s problems and delineates a specific course of action to address these

problems.” As Mrs. Hilliker explained in the interview, General Education teachers need to be

aware of a students IEP because it outlines a course of action the teacher can take to best educate

the student. Since General Education teachers are required by law to follow a student’s IEP, Mrs.

Hilliker claimed that it is imperative that General Education teachers adhere to a student’s IEP.

Mrs. Hilliker further explained that the consequences of not following an IEP can be great for

both the individual teacher and the school. Therefore, school administrators ensure that teachers

are following IEPs. As Mrs. Hilliker explained, there is no defense for not following a student’s

IEP, as it is the teacher’s responsibility to read the IEP, know the student’s disability, and follow

the IEP.

Though not a listed interview question, I asked Mrs. Hilliker how a student’s IEP is

written and determined. Mrs. Hilliker explained that before an IEP can be written, a student must

first be assessed and screened. Once a student is referred for assessment, the school’s Special
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Education team will provide tests to determine the student’s disability. According to Slavin

(2018), “The referred student is then given tests to assess strengths and weaknesses. For learning

and emotional problems, these tests are usually given by a school psychologist. Specific

achievement tests (such as reading or mathematics assessments) are often given by special-

education or reading teachers.” As these assessments continue, Mrs. Hilliker explained that a

portfolio for the student will be created, describing the student’s acdemic and behavioral

strengths and weaknesses. From this data, the student’s IEP can be written. Slavin (2018)

explains, “Usually, the special-education teacher and/or the classroom teacher prepares the IEP.”

Once again, Mrs. Hilliker emphasized why it is important that a General Education teacher

follow the student’s IEP. If the General Education teacher helps write the IEP, then there is

absolutely no excuse for not following it. An IEP is not written in a vacuum, Mrs. Hilliker

clarified. The student’s parents are involved in the drafting and placement process, and the

parents’ signature of consent is required. Needing the signature, Mrs. Hilliker explained, gives

parents the opportunity to refuse having their child placed in a Special Education program.

Because I have heard so many General Education teachers talk about IEPs, I asked Mrs.

Hilliker what exactly an IEP looks like. She explained that the IEP will explicitly state the child’s

level of performance. This will include test results, behavior tracking, classroom feedback, and

other observational reports. IEPs will also include academic goals for the student to achieve by

the end of the academic year. IEPs may include short term objectives alongside long term

objectives, such as monthly test score goals, reading goals, etc. Most importantly, the IEP will

include the specific type of Special Education and services to provide for the student, including

whether or not and to which extent the student will participate in General Education classes.
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Many students, Mrs. Hilliker said, with IEPs are integrated into inclusive classrooms and

learn alongside General Education students. These students will participate in the class according

to their IEP. In elementary school, this is often seen when a student with an IEP attends another

classroom for instruction with a resource teacher and then returns to the General Education

classroom. By providing this information, the IEP also specifies “any adaptations necessary to

accommodate the student in the general education class, such as wheelchair ramps, large-type

books, or CDs,” yet again emphasizing the General Education teacher’s role in an IEP (Slavin,

2018). Furthermore, the “IEP should specify a strategy for remediating the student’s

deficits” (Slavin, 2018). Mrs. Hilliker explained that the IEP functions like a roadmap for

teachers to use in order to achieve academic goals and objectives. IEPs are updated every year,

so the explanation for how a teacher can help their student with an IEP will always be current.

In terms of the Special Education laws that General Education teachers need to be aware

of, Mrs. Hilliker first explained that the Education for All Handicapped Children was the first

education targeted for students with physical and mental disabilities. This law was

groundbreaking in that it claimed public schools must provide children with special needs the

same opportunities as other children, paving the road for both equal opportunity and inclusivity

in classrooms. This law, Mrs. Hilliker explained, laid the foundation for fair instruction, systemic

evaluation, and the allocation of necessary resources. The Individuals with Disabilities Education

Act, passed in 1990, built upon the previous Act by ensuring special needs students receive the

appropriate education in the least restrictive environments possible. This allows special needs

children to participate with other General Education students rather than being restricted to

special classrooms all day. The No Child Left Behind Act, Mrs. Hilliker explained, held schools
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accountable for all of their students’ academic progress, both General Education and special

needs. This began the implementation of routine assessments meant to measure student progress,

special needs or not. These are the three main laws, Mrs. Hilliker stated, from which IEPs

stemmed from and from which inclusive classrooms emerged.

After this discussion, I then asked Mrs. Hilliker about Universal Design for Learning

(UDL). Mrs. Hilliker claimed that three primary principles of UDL include having an array of

presentation (multiple means of presentation), an array of expression (multiple means of

expression), and multiple means of engagement. Mrs. Hilliker emphasized that UDL

is universal and therefore one mode or method of instruction if far too limited. Every student

does not learn alike, and assuming all students will gain the same amount of knowledge from the

same method of instruction is the very issue UDL hopes to address. Mrs. Hilliker told me that

having multiple means of presentation can include visual and auditory presentations. For

example, a teacher can provide written text, which is one form of visual presentation, alongside a

graphic, which is another form of visual presentation. Furthermore, the teacher can also

incorporate a video, which combines both auditory and visual presentation in one. In this way,

the teacher could use three different methods of presentation in one class periods for one lesson,

reaching more students and providing more opportunities for students to engage and learn rather

than just providing one method of instruction. Secondly, Mrs. Hilliker stated that multiple modes

of expression can range from visual, physical, oral, or auditory. For example, with a given

assignment, a teacher could provide multiple choices for the assignment. Perhaps, in this

example, the students are learning about Romeo and Juliet. Mrs. Hiliker stated that the teacher

may provide multiple project choices for students. For visual, the teacher may provide the chance
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for students to illustrate/draw an important scene of the play or draw a specific simile or

metaphor from the play. In terms of physical expression, the teacher may allow groups to act out

a scene in front of the class. For oral and auditory, the teacher may allow students to recite a

soliloquy from the pay or rewrite a section in more modern English. Lastly, for the third

component, Mrs. Hilliker said that teachers need to provide multiple forms of engagement to

promote student interest, encourage effort, and encourage collaboration. Not all students can

learn by silently sitting through an hour long lecture. Using collaborative lessons and self-

regulation while building upon past lessons and providing opportunities to reteach important

concepts is the best way to do so.

After discussing UDLs, I asked Mrs. Hilliker about important insights for a general

education teacher regarding issues related to common medications administered to children and

adolescents. Mrs. Hilliker claimed that since students in Special Education are medicated at

higher rates than the general population, teachers with special needs students are out in a unique

position to assist parents and observe the effects of the medication on the student in the

classroom. Collaborating with parents and doctors regarding the student’s behavior while on

medication can provide useful information regarding the medication’s effectiveness. Mrs.

Hilliker stated that a teacher’s position is important because they play a critical role in analyzing

and pinpointing behaviors that lead to the prescription of medications. Mrs. Hilliker said that this

is often true for students with ADHD, as their teachers often communicate with the parents

regarding their student’s behavior. Teachers, then, should be partners with the parents regarding

their child’s use of medication. Teachers should have a working understanding of medication and
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its uses so that they can communicate with parents regarding the effects of the medication on

their students.

In terms of the type of software Mrs. Hilliker uses, she utilizes the school website, School

Email Blasts, school phone calls, Remind.com/mobile app, and www.lsusd.haikulearning.com.

Mrs. Hilliker prefers to maintain a clear line of communication between herself and her students’

parents. The school website provides more broad information regarding the types of Special

Education services provided while School Email Blasts tend to be more specific. Mrs. Hilliker’s

preferred mode of communication, however, Remind mobile app and phone calls. The Remind

app allows Mrs. Hilliker to send information directly to parents’ phones who have also

downloaded the app. This allows for immediate communication of events, student behavior and

progress, and any parental concerns. In terms of student information systems, Mrs Hilliker is

familiar with SEIS, which is an online system that allows for Special Education record keeping.

Mrs. Hilliker enjoys this program because it provides IEP forms that are pre-populated with

information from the Student Record, making the writing of IEPs efficient and accessible. Mrs.

Hilliker is also familiar with the Pupil Records Online Management Information System

(PROMIS), which is the current student information system used by San Diego County. It

provides student information allows the user to view any special programs the student may be

eligible for or participating in, such as an IEP.

Conducting this interview has been an extremely rewarding experience. I learned so

much about IEPs and how they are implemented by General Education teachers and how they

are written. I have learned about the laws, past and present, that have shaped the assessment of

Special Education, implementation of resources, and and accountability of teachers. I also gained
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further knowledge about a teacher’s role in observing students’ behavior when they are on

medication and a teacher’s role in maintaining a line of communication with parents. Overall, I

have learned much about students with special needs and feel more confident as a General

Education teacher in executing an IEP. 


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References

Slavin, Robert E. (2017). Educational psychology (12th ed.). New York, NY: Pearson.

Spring, Joel (2018). American education (18th ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.