Disproportionate representation in special education has been an ongoing
issue for many years. It seems as though select groups are the target of such
misclassification. Historically, race and education have not always gotten
along. Although much progress has been made since the beginning of the civil
rights movement, educational equality has still not been completely achieved
(Jimenez & Graf, 2008, p. 132).
Some misrepresentation in special education is due to secondary effects
of biological, social, or contextual factors in development. These are factors
such as poverty and its secondary effects (Jimenez & Graf, 2008, p. 142).
Although factors like this contribute to the disproportionate representation,
it is just one of many explanations as to how the issue got to the place it is
now.
From my perspective, I think one way issues in the disproportionate representation
can be improved upon by removing bias from the referral and assessment process.
Just as with other areas of education, I think that some teachers are quick to
make a judgement about a student before actually exploring where the issue in
their education lies. Just because a student is not performing well does not
necessarily mean they have a learning disability. For whatever reason, students
are being misclassified as needing special education, when it is simply not the
case. I believe that most problems in education can be changed and challenged
by the teachers who work with the students every day. We, as educators, need to
fight for the proper identification of disabilities and make sure that students
are getting the services appropriate for them as an individual.
In addition, I do agree that RTI (Response to Intervention) is a good
approach in helping to reduce the overrepresentation of students in special
education. It is a good way to avoid labeling a student incorrectly. RTI simply
provides additional supports to students who are progressing at a slower rate
than their same age peers. It gives the students a chance to make progress
before throwing them into a category in which they do not belong.
In my opinion, most of the disproportionate representation and issues in
education come down to taking the time to do what is right for every child.
Gia, I agree with you in that removing bias from the referral and assessment process and implementing the RTI model can reduce disproportionate representation of culturally diverse students. I do believe that teachers pass judgement about students' abilities before implementing strategies to promote progression. Students who are struggling in our classrooms don't always have disabilities. The implementation of RTI also can reduce a number of students overrepresented in special edcucation, by providing multipe tiers of resources and evidence-based strategies to help the students progress.
ReplyDeleteI agree, if we were doing what was right for every child there wouldn't be such a disproportionate representation. I think the problem is teachers are not always trained to do what is best for children. Teachers need more training on how to teach culturally diverse students and on the RTI process. If these things were in place and teachers were doing them with fidelity, the numbers might begin to drop.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree that we must remove bias from the referral and assessment process because if we go in with negative attitudes then we will not be able to properly assess the child and give that individual the best fighting chance!
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