Syllabus
Master of Science in Education
EDU 720: Special Education Law for the Classroom – Fall B 2015
Credits - 3
Description
Laws, regulations, and judicial decisions relating to the education of students with special needs are discussed. Methods of conflict resolution, mediation, and ethical standards are examined. Students will be required to apply what they learn as they analyze real-life case scenarios.
Materials
Learning Objectives and Outcomes
|
Course Objectives This course will provide information regarding… |
Learning Outcome Upon completion of this course, teachers will be able to… |
UNE Guiding Principles |
INTASC |
ISLLC |
Evaluation |
|
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, No Child Left Behind, Americans with Disabilities Act, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act |
Describe major pieces of educational legislation with regards to special education |
CD RS |
2, 9 |
2:B,D,E,G,I 4:A,C 5:A,D,E 6:A |
Discussion Due Process Memo |
|
Individualized Education Plan, referral and pre—referral process, least restrictive environment |
Identify the basic elements of the IDEA |
CD RS RM |
1, 2, 6, 7, 9 |
2:B,D,E,G,I 4:A,C 5: A,D,E 6:A |
Discussion IEPs and educational benefit assignment Due Process Memo |
|
Referral and pre-referral process |
Describe the referral and pre-referral process for students with disabilities |
CD RS RM |
2, 6, 9 |
2:B,E 4:A,C,D 5: A,D,E |
Discussion IDEA and high stakes assessments assignment Initial identification of students with learning disabilities and autism assignment Due Process Memo |
|
Discipline procedures |
Identify how the IDEA impacts school discipline for students with disabilities |
CD RS RM |
2, 3, 9 |
4:D,E 5:E 6:A |
Discussion IDEA and discipline assignment Due Process Memo |
RM – Rigorous mind
CH – Compassionate heart
CD – Competent demonstration
RS – Reflective stance
Assignments
All Assignments are due each week by midnight on Sunday, EST. Please refer to the late policy for late submissions. More thorough descriptions of assignments can be found within each module along with a link to upload your assignment.
Please save written assignments as Word documents with your last name and the assignment title. For example, “Smith_lessonplan”.
Discussion Board Posts:
This course has seven discussions you are required to participate in. The discussions may ask you to discuss an issue related to the week’s content or post your assignment and comment on others. Initial posts are due by Wednesday each week. Responses to classmates are due by Sunday unless otherwise noted.
Written Assignment: IDEA and High Stakes Assessments:
This assignment requires you to answer two questions from your text.
Written Assignment: Initial Identification of Students with Learning Disabilities and Autism:
This assignment requires you to research and reflect upon your school/district’s processes for the initial identification of students with learning disabilities and autism.
Written Assignment: IDEA and Discipline:
This assignment requires you to answer two questions from your text.
Written Assignment: IEPs and Educational Benefit:
This assignment requires you to answer two questions from your text.
Final Assignment: Due Process Memo:
This final assignment requires you to analyze a case study of a student whose parents have filed for due process. You must write a memo to your superintendent discussing the case.
Grading Policy
Your grade in this course will be determined by the following criteria:
Grade Breakdown
| Assignment | Points |
| 7 Discussion Board Posts (3 points each) | 21 points |
| 4 Written Assignments (15 points each) | 60 points |
| Final Assignment: Due Process Memo | 19 points |
| TOTAL | 100 points |
Grade Scale
| Grade | Points Grade | Point Average (GPA) |
| A | 94 – 100% | 4.00 |
| A- | 90 – 93% | 3.75 |
| B+ | 87 – 89% | 3.50 |
| B | 84 – 86% | 3.00 |
| B- | 80 – 83% | 2.75 |
| C+ | 77 – 79% | 2.50 |
| C | 74 – 76% | 2.00 |
| C- | 70 – 73% | 1.75 |
| D | 64 – 69% | 1.00 |
| F | 00 – 63% | 0.00 |
Schedule
This is only a tentative schedule and is meant to give you a bird’s eye view. The activities and assignments may change at the discretion of the instructor.
|
Week |
Topic |
Activities & Assignments |
Dates |
|
1 |
NCLB and IDEA |
Class Discussion Thread |
Due: November 1 at 11:55 pm. EST |
|
2 |
FAPE and High Stakes Assessment |
Written assignment (IDEA and High Stakes Assessments) Small Group Discussion Thread |
Due: November 8 at 11:55 pm. EST |
|
3 |
Referral and Identification under IDEA |
Written assignment (Initial Identification of Students with Learning Disabilities and Autism) Small Group Discussion Thread |
Due: November 15 at 11:55 pm. EST |
|
4 |
IDEA and Discipline |
Written assignment (IDEA and Discipline) Small Group Discussion Thread |
Due: November 22 at 11:55 pm. EST |
|
5 |
The Individualized Education Plan (“IEP”) |
Written assignment (IEPs and Educational Benefit) Small Group Discussion Thread |
Due: November 29 at 11:55 pm. EST |
|
6 |
Least Restrictive Environment (“LRE”) |
Small Group Discussion Thread |
Due: December 6 at 11:55 pm. EST |
|
7 |
Due Process |
Due Process Memo Assignment |
Due: December 13 at 11:55 pm. EST |
|
8 |
Section 504 and ADA |
Class Discussion Thread |
Due: FRIDAY, December 18 at 11:55 pm. EST |
Student Resources
Online Student Support
Your Student Support Specialist is a resource for you. Please don't hesitate to contact them for assistance, including, but not limited to course planning, current problems or issues in a course, technology concerns, or personal emergencies.
Questions? Visit the Student Support Education page
UNE Libraries:
- Library Access for all students: Your library login ID and password are the same as the ones you use to log into Blackboard/Brightspace.
- Education Databases: https://library.une.edu/library-materials/find/research-by-subject/education/
- Library Questions: Ask a librarian or phone library staff at (207) 602-2361 or (207) 221-4330.
UNE Student Academic Success Center
The Student Academic Success Center (SASC) offers a range of services to support your academic achievement, including tutoring, writing support, test prep and studying strategies, learning style consultations, and many online resources. To make an appointment for tutoring, writing support, or a learning specialist consultation, go to une.tutortrac.com. To access our online resources, including links, guides, and video tutorials, please visit:
Information Technology Services (ITS)
- ITS Contact: Toll Free Help Desk 24 hours/7 days per week at 1-877-518-4673
Accommodations
Any student who would like to request, or ask any questions regarding, academic adjustments or accommodations must contact the Student Access Center at (207) 221-4438 or pcstudentaccess@une.edu. Student Access Center staff will evaluate the student's documentation and determine eligibility of accommodation(s) through the Student Access Center registration procedure.
Online Peer Support
Togetherall is a 24/7 communication and emotional support platform monitored by trained clinicians. It’s a safe place online to get things off your chest, have conversations, express yourself creatively, and learn how to manage your mental health. If sharing isn’t your thing, Togetherall has other tools and courses to help you look after yourself with plenty of resources to explore. Whether you’re struggling to cope, feeling low, or just need a place to talk, Togetherall can help you explore your feelings in a safe supportive environment. You can join Togetherall using your UNE email address.
Information Technology Services (ITS)
Students should notify their Student Support Specialist and instructor in the event of a problem relating to a course. This notification should occur promptly and proactively to support timely resolution.
ITS Contact: Toll-Free Help Desk 24 hours/7 days per week at 1-877-518-4673.
Career Ready Program
The College of Professional Studies supports its online students and alumni in their career journey!
The Career Ready Program provides tools and resources to help students explore and hone in on their career goals, search for jobs, create and improve professional documents, build professional network, learn interview skills, grow as a professional, and more. Come back often, at any time, as you move through your journey from career readiness as a student to career growth, satisfaction, and success as alumni.
Policies
Mission
The mission of the Department of Education is to develop – through research, service, and innovative teaching – reflective teachers and school leaders who are competent and caring lifelong learners. In addition to the mission statement, the Department of Education has four guiding principles that are used in development and delivery of all courses and programs. These principles are:
- Rigorous mind
- Compassionate heart
- Competent demonstration
- Reflective stance
“Rigorous mind” and “compassionate heart” are overlapping principles we want to build in our students. Tasks may require primarily one principle-describing a theory in leadership-yet many times an overlap occurs when one applies knowledge to the school setting-how can a theory in leadership be used to benefit the school environment and impact student learning? Hence, as these two principles “rigorous mind” and “compassionate heart” are played out, the essence of both is our commitment to requiring “competent demonstration” from our students whether they are aspiring to be teachers or school leaders or are presently teachers or school leaders pursuing an advanced degree. The fourth principle, “reflective stance,” encompasses the first three principles, since it is critical that our students are continuously reflective in all aspects of their work. These four principles work with our mission statement to define our commitment to our students. Since programs in the Department of Education are aligned with state teacher certification standards, only individuals who demonstrate that they possess the knowledge, skills, professional attitude, and commitment to future students will be recommended by the institution for certification. The goal of the Department of Education and the University is to graduate teachers who reflect rigorous minds, compassionate hearts, competent demonstrations and reflective stances. That is, we seek students who are suitable to contribute to the teaching profession.
AI Use
The Graduate Programs in Education holds the position that Grammarly and other AI writing and generative technology should not be used when completing course assignments, unless explicitly permitted by course faculty and assignment instructions. These tools do not support a student’s personal and direct capacity to develop and hone skills in creativity, logic, critical thinking, analysis, evaluation, theorization, and writing, which are central to graduate-level rigor, assessment, and research. Use of these tools when not explicitly permitted may result in an academic integrity infraction.
Turnitin Originality Check and Plagiarism Detection Tool
The College of Professional Studies uses Turnitin to help deter plagiarism and to foster the proper attribution of sources. Turnitin provides comparative reports for submitted assignments that reflect similarities in other written works. This can include, but is not limited to, previously submitted assignments, internet articles, research journals, and academic databases.
Make sure to cite your sources appropriately as well as use your own words in synthesizing information from published literature. Webinars and workshops, included early in your coursework, will help guide best practices in APA citation and academic writing.
You can learn more about Turnitin in the guide on how to navigate your Similarity Report.
Technology Requirements
Please review the technical requirements for UNE Online Graduate Programs: Technical Requirements
Course Evaluation Policy
Course surveys are one of the most important tools the University of New England uses for evaluating the quality of your education, and for providing meaningful feedback to instructors on their teaching. In order to assure that the feedback is both comprehensive and precise, we need to receive it from each student for each course. Evaluation access is distributed via UNE email at the beginning of the last week of the course.
Late Policy
Assignments: Late assignments will be accepted up to 3 days late; however, there is a 10% grade reduction (from the total points) for the late submission. After three days the assignment will not be accepted.
Discussion posts: If the initial post is submitted late, but still within the discussion board week, there will be a 10% grade reduction from the total discussion grade (e.g., a 3 point discussion will be reduced by 0.3 points). Any posts submitted after the end of the Discussion Board week will not be graded.
Please make every effort ahead of time to contact your instructor and your student support specialist if you are not able to meet an assignment deadline. Arrangements for extenuating circumstances may be considered by faculty.
8 week: Students taking online graduate courses through the College of Professional Studies will be administratively dropped for non-participation if a graded assignment/discussion post is not submitted before Sunday at 11:59 pm ET of the first week of the term. Reinstatement is at the purview of the Dean's Office. 16 week: Students taking online graduate courses through the College of Professional Studies will be administratively dropped for non-participation if a graded assignment/discussion post is not submitted before Friday at 11:59 pm ET of the second week of the term. Reinstatement is at the purview of the Dean's Office. The policies contained within this document apply to all students in the College of Professional Studies. It is each student's responsibility to know the contents of this handbook. Please contact your student support specialist if you are considering dropping or withdrawing from a course. The last day to drop for 100% tuition refund is the 2nd day of the course. Financial Aid charges may still apply. Students using Financial Aid should contact the Financial Aid Office prior to withdrawing from a course. The University of New England values academic integrity in all aspects of the educational experience. Academic dishonesty in any form undermines this standard and devalues the original contributions of others. It is the responsibility of all members of the University community to actively uphold the integrity of the academy; failure to act, for any reason, is not acceptable. For information about plagiarism and academic misconduct, please visit UNE Plagiarism Policies. Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to the following: Charges of academic dishonesty will be reviewed by the Program Director. Penalties for students found responsible for violations may depend upon the seriousness and circumstances of the violation, the degree of premeditation involved, and/or the student’s previous record of violations. Appeal of a decision may be made to the Dean whose decision will be final. Student appeals will take place through the grievance process outlined in the student handbook.Attendance Policy
Student Handbook Online - Policies and Procedures
UNE Course Withdrawal
Academic Integrity