The overrepresentation of culturally and linguistically
diverse students is a huge problem in special education. While it is important for all students to get
the education they deserve, it is unfair to inaccurately place students in
special education programs if they don’t need it. As stated in Education for All, “the overrepresentation of students of color
means that they have limited access to general education experiences and the
opportunities those experiences provide” (Jimenez & Graf, 2008, p. 132)
The misidentification of special education students seems to
be one aspect of the problem. After
talking to a number of teachers (both general education and special education),
the major consensus is that both parents and teachers are too quick to label
students as special needs. Some students
just do not get good grades, and are placed in the special education
program.
While talking to a few teachers in
the Austintown School District, there seems to be an overwhelming agreement
that the students are mislabeled.
Austintown is one of the larger school districts in the area, and the special
education program is very culturally disproportionate. While I am not a teacher, it was very helpful
talking to these teachers and getting their opinions. They believe that some students are labeled as
special needs, but they just do not apply themselves. One example I heard, was a family asking for
their child to be placed in the special education program because he was not
getting good grades. He was tested, and
it was determined that he did not have a learning disability, but his mother
was insistent of his placement in special education.
I am not yet a teacher, but this is disappointing
to hear that some families request unnecessary placement of their child in
special education. They believe that
their child will receive specialized instruction; however, he or she is missing
out of the opportunities provided in the general education curriculum.
I believe that one solution is more parent involvement. If students can feel comfortable going to
their parents for academic help, then they tend to do better in school. They get the attention and extra assistance
they need at home, and that translates in the classroom. A good home life can help students perform
better in class. Focused attention from
parents can give the student more confidence in school when asked to
participate. He or she will be better
prepared going into the next school day.
This can lead to better grades, and not be inaccurately identified.
While I understand that this is
easier said than done, I believe that there must be some way for students to
get extra help. I know that some
students come from a very unhealthy home, and extra parent involvement is unlikely. However, as teachers, we must evaluate a child
properly, and not just immediately place him or her in special education. Some students might benefit from a tutor, or
an extra study hall. The answer isn’t always
to label them as special education.
Abby, I agree that we should not label someone as special ed when maybe they just need some extra help, and need parents who take an active role in their life. I am not a teacher in the classroom but one of my good friends is an intervention specialist at Boardman. They use the response to intervention approach. They will evaluate student's progress to determine how much support they need. The benefit of this approach is that the extra help is offered to all students who require it in the general classroom. This greatly reduces the amount of students who need special ed services. She said that occasionally the students who normally don't need additional help will raise their hand that they need extra help. She says this approach helps decrease the amount of labeling.
ReplyDeleteThat is unfortunate that a child is being mislabeled because he/she is not catching on right away. As an educator it is our job to meet the needs of ALL students. We should not need an IEP or a ' label' to accommodate lessons/ materials for children. Just because a child is struggling with a lesson or concept does not mean they are 'special education'. It means the current approach of teaching is simply not working for that child and it is the educators' duty to find an approach that will work for EVERY student.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Abby! I completely agree with you about the family piece needing to improve. I wrote about that as well in my post. As you stated though, it is incredibly challenging to fix such a broken mess. So many children are not only being disproportionately represented, but grossly neglected! Plain and simple! These kids don't need an IEP, they need a DAD!
ReplyDeleteI think sometimes parents are over involved at times.. reading too much into symptoms and assuming the worst and having their child be misdiagnosed.
ReplyDelete