Student A Background and Reflection

Student A is a Kindergartner that has documented goals and a learning plan that help meet her

needs so she can succeed in the educational classroom. As it is still early in the school year, her

teachers have just started to undergo the process of consideration for an Individualized Education

Plan (IEP) or 504 plan. However, her behavior thus far has been distracting for other students who

are learning around her, and have not been conducive to her own learning. She struggles the most

with transitions, and behaviors she has been identified as having in specials classes due to these

transitions in learning have included eloping (running out of the room), saying she is “scared”,

“hates” something, or she “can’t” do something. It is also worthy of noting that she has a twin

brother in kindergarten with a documented IEP, who comes into specials with an assistant. She lives

with her brother and likely sees this behavior modeled at home. In music, my cooperating teacher

and I have observed her unable to participate at all with her class and distracting other students in

her class by not sitting down in her spot, running around the room, touching instruments without

permission, going into restricted areas, and leaving the room without permission. These actions

cause an issue of safety for both herself and her classmates, and have prompted my cooperating

teacher and I to take turns keeping watch of her whereabouts and redirecting her when she is being

unsafe or off task. As a result of aforementioned behaviors, her classroom teacher has developed a

learning plan for use in both her general education class and specials classes using an acronym titled

“D.E.C.I.D.E.”. This plan outlines behaviors that are deemed unacceptable, behaviors that are the

goal for her learning and class environment, and areas of behavior that are not quite “goal

behaviors” but areas that can be flexible. Her classroom teacher has also asked each specials teacher

to come up with their own learning plan for Student A that is specific to their classroom

environment. Examples of behaviors that my cooperating teacher and I deemed are unacceptable

for the music class include eloping, running around the room, touching instruments without
permission, sitting on an adult’s lap, and entering restricted areas. Examples of flexibility in the

music room include using a fidget tool if she is sitting with her class (taken away if she begins

exhibiting any unacceptable behaviors), using a chair to sit on instead of sitting on the rug, and

having a “calm down” corner she can use if she becomes upset and escalates in her behavior. Ideal

or goal behaviors for her include sitting down on the rug in her spot, active listening and

engagement with material, participating in activities, and collaboration with her peers. My

cooperating teacher and I have already begun to notice an improvement in the behavior in Student

A through creating areas of flexibility and enforcing our non-negotiable rules that we hope to

continue to see throughout the school year.

 Student B Background and Reflection

Student B is a fifth-grader that has documented exceptionalities and behavior needs with

accommodations to help her succeed in educational settings. This student has been at the same

elementary school since Pre-K, and through looking at her records for the past six years, I was able

to see the trend in her academic performance and behavior issues. Her report cards starting even as

early as Kindergarten show above average academic performance when compared with those of her

peers. She often gets a “perfect” score on assignments, not missing a single question on exams

across a variety of disciplines, including language, reading, spelling, math, science, and social studies.

However, the section on report cards dedicated to behavior exhibited in the classroom has a

negative trend from the beginning to end of each school year, starting out as ‘meets or exceeds

expectations’, then ending the year with ‘needs improvement’ in areas such as ‘listens to directions’

or ‘works well with peers’, likely due to boredom or frustration that stems from not being

academically challenged. Her teachers have reported her behavior as “awkward; doesn’t understand

social cues”, with her “not able to show empathy and put herself in the position of others”, and

“unable to work collaboratively with her peers”. She has trouble making friends and relating to her

peers, which makes her stand out from those her age. She lives with her two mothers, both of whom

work in the field of psychology, and she has undergone psychological evaluations which have

confirmed she is exceptional and as such, becomes bored in school which leads to behavior

problems outside what is normal for other students her age. Through observing her in her general

education classroom environment, I noticed that she struggles to sit still in class and consistently

talks out of turn, interrupting both other students and the teacher to correct them. My cooperating

teacher and I have also observed these behaviors in the music classroom. She is very detail oriented,

and will ask specific questions regarding the exact dates of a composer, or correct my cooperating
teacher and I if we sing a song twice and change the starting key the second time. Modifications to

material in the music classroom to better meet her need to be challenged could include providing

more complex rhythms, increasingly intricate melodies, assigning a project about a composer that

allows her to do thorough research, or creating a composition assignment with specified guide lines

so she can showcase her creative capability through vocal or instrumental music. I hope to continue

learning about Student B’s needs and interests to provide opportunities to challenge her and expand

her knowledge about music.