Syllabus

Certificates of Advanced Graduate Study in Education

EDU 720: Special Education Law for the Classroom (Summer B 2024)

Credits - 3

Description

Federal and state laws, regulations, and judicial decisions relating to the education of students with special needs in inclusion classrooms are analyzed. Key legal provisions, such as free appropriate public education, least restrictive environment, and due process are examined. Methods of conflict resolution and mediation as well as ethical standards are examined. Students are required to apply what they learn as they research and analyze case scenarios.

Materials

Required:

Yell, M.L. (2018). The Law and Special Education. (5th ed.). Pearson. (ISBN: 978-0135175361, E-text 978-0135178324)

In order to provide an engaging and relevant course, a variety of internet resources will be used to supplement the content in this course.

Supplemental:

American Psychological Association. (2019). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). ISBN: 978-1433832154. E-text: 978-1433832185

Learning Objectives and Outcomes

Upon completion of the course, students will be able to:

Examine major pieces of educational legislation with regards to special education (INTASC 2, 9; PSEL 1, 3, 6, 9)
Analyze the basic elements of IDEA and how this legislation has changed through time (INTASC 1, 2, 6, 7, 9; PSEL 1-5, 8)
Describe the referral and pre-referral process for students with disabilities (INTASC 2, 6, 9; PSEL 1-4, 6, 8)
Evaluate how IDEA impacts school discipline for students with disabilities (INTASC 2, 3, 9; PSEL 3, 5)
Recommend a course of action in a due process case using special education law and conflict resolution practices (INTASC 10; PSEL 2, 3, 9)
Interpret a court case by applying an understanding of special education legislation (INTASC 5,9; PSEL 2)

Assignments

Discussion Board:

This course has seven required discussions designed to help you to synthesize the course concepts.

Week 2 Written Assignment: Peer Reviewed Research and FAPE

This assignment requires you to respond to two questions from your readings for the week.

Week 3 Written Assignment: Interpretation of a Court Case

This assignment requires you to read and analyze a district court case.

Week 4 Written Assignment: Manifestation Determination Case Study

This assignment requires you to respond to a case study that you will read.

Week 5 Written Assignment: Writing IEP Goals and Progress Monitoring

This assignment requires you to answer three questions from your readings this week.

Week 6 Assignment: Examining Judicial Standards for Determining LRE

This assignment requires you to respond to two questions from your readings for the week.

Week 7 Written 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

Assignments	Points
7 Discussion Board Posts (3 points each)	21 points
Week 2 Written Assignment: Peer Reviewed Research and FAPE	12 points
Week 3 Written Assignment: Interpretation of a Court Case	12 points
Week 4 Written Assignment: Manifestation Determination Case Study	12 points
Week 5 Written Assignment: Writing IEP Goals and Progress Monitoring	12 points
Week 6 Written Assignment: Examining Judicial Standards for Determining LRE	12 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

Course Dates

Week 1: Jul 3 – Jul 7
Week 2: Jul 8 – Jul 14
Week 3: Jul 15 – Jul 21
Week 4: Jul 22 – Jul 28
Week 5: Jul 29 – Aug 4
Week 6: Aug 5 – Aug 11
Week 7: Aug 12 – Aug 18
Week 8: Aug 19 – Aug 25

Week	Topic	Activities & Assignments	Dates
1	American Legal System, Legal Research, and the History of Special Education Laws	Class Discussion	Due: Sun. at 11:59 p.m. ET *Note: Initial discussion responses should be posted by FRIDAY at 11:59 PM ET
2	ESSA and FAPE	Written assignment (Peer-Reviewed Research and FAPE) Small-Group Discussion	Due: Sun. at 11:59 PM ET *Note: Initial discussion responses should be posted by WEDNESDAY at 11:59 PM ET
3	Referral and Identification under IDEA	Written assignment (Interpretation of a Court Case) Small-Group Discussion	Due: Sun. at 11:59 PM ET *Note: Initial discussion responses should be posted by WEDNESDAY at 11:59 PM ET
4	IDEA and Discipline	Written assignment (Manifestation Determination Case Study) Small-Group Discussion	Due: Sun. at 11:59 PM ET *Note: Initial discussion responses should be posted by WEDNESDAY at 11:59 PM ET
5	The Individualized Education Plan (“IEP”)	Written assignment (Writing IEP Goals and Progress Monitoring) Small-Group Discussion	Due: Sun. at 11:59 PM ET *Note: Initial discussion responses should be posted by WEDNESDAY at 11:59 PM ET
6	Least Restrictive Environment (“LRE”) and Due Process	Written assignment (Examining Judicial Standards for Determining LRE) Small-Group Discussion	Due: Sun. at 11:59 PM ET *Note: Initial discussion responses should be posted by WEDNESDAY at 11:59 PM ET
7	Procedural Safeguards and Due Process	Written assignment (Due Process Memo)	Due: Sun. at 11:59 PM ET
8	Section 504 and ADA	Whole-Class Discussion	Due: FRIDAY at 11:59 PM ET Initial discussion responses should be posted by WEDNESDAY at 11:59 PM ET

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:

UNE Student Academic Success Center

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

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.

Attendance Policy

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.

Student Handbook Online - Policies and Procedures

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.

UNE Online Student Handbook

UNE Course Withdrawal

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.

Academic Integrity

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:

Cheating, copying, or the offering or receiving of unauthorized assistance or information.
Fabrication or falsification of data, results, or sources for papers or reports.
Action which destroys or alters the work of another student.
Multiple submissions of the same paper or report for assignments in more than one course without permission of each instructor.
Plagiarism, the appropriation of records, research, materials, ideas, or the language of other persons or writers and the submission of them as one's own.

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.