i.

Students With Special Needs or Exceptionalities Background Profile/Reflections

One of the items on the student teaching evaluation form relates to ability to obtain background information
about students. Maintaining confidentiality in relation to all student records is an important part of being a
professional Music Educator. For this assignment, please ask your Cooperating Teacher to help you choose two
students they are aware have documented special needs and/or exceptionalities for each block and complete
the following steps:

(a) Observe the students carefully in the context of their music learning environment;

(b) Discuss the challenges the students have in the context of the music learning environment with your
Cooperating Teacher (and as/if appropriate other professionals in the building), and learn more about the
types of accommodations and modifications that the Cooperating Teacher utilizes to provide for the needs
of each student;

(c) Ask permission to view their permanent records if your host school district allows you to do so;

(d) Write a one-two page profile/reflection of each student that includes information about how you plan to
modify your teaching in light of the background research you have undertaken. Please remember not to list
any identifiers in your profile/reflection (e.g. names of people or the school. You can certainly describe the
class setting by grade level and type (e.g. orchestra, etc…), and you might choose to use terminology such
as Student "A" and Student "B").

The sooner in each block this assignment can be completed, the greater the impact it will have on your
teaching.
 i. Students With Special Needs or Exceptionalities Background Profile/Reflections
One of the items on the student teaching evaluation form relates to ability to obtain
background information about students. Maintaining confidentiality in relation to all student
records is an important part of being a professional Music Educator. For this assignment,
please ask your Cooperating Teacher to help you choose two students they are aware have
documented special needs and/or exceptionalities for each block and complete the following
steps:
Student A: hearing impaired
Student B: 504 plan

In my high school placement, I have observed two students that have special
accommodations. Student A is hearing impaired with a 504 plan, and student B has OCD with a
504 plan. While an IEP is a specific set of learning goals and services on a written document, a
504 plan is broader and does not have to be a written plan, but rather a set of accommodations.

In this case, student A, who is hearing impaired, wears a hearing aid and often reads lips.
Due to COVID and mask wearing, student A sometimes cannot hear directions or hear when
spoken to with a mask on. In this case, my cooperating teacher will pull her mask down to speak
to the student so that they can read her lips.
Student A also occasionally takes off their hearing aid during orchestra because all of the noise
can cause a lot of feedback and extra sounds in their hearing aids. Other than pulling down her
mask to speak to student A, my cooperating teacher has noted to me that this student requires no
additional accommodations.

I have noticed that sometimes I forget to pull down my mask to speak to student A, and
when this happens they usually just ask me to repeat my directions, which is no problem.
Something I am working on is to always remember to pull my mask down to speak to this
student.

Student B has documented Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Specified accommodations

include: additional time on examinations, clear routines, clear directions, and the option to listen
to music. It is listed that this student can get easily overwhelmed or have more intense emotional
reactions. This is a newer accommodation (as in the past couple months), but my cooperating
teacher has already established very clear and consistent routines in her class, so this has made it
very easy for student B to feel comfortable. My CT and I both have personally have never
noticed anything yet with Student B, so maybe I should pay more attention.
 In my personal experience, I have often found that music classes are a place where
students feel comfortable and have the appropriate outlet to succeed. Perhaps this is the case with
this student.