Blog Post #4- Kamovitch

Disproportionate representation is a consistent problem that could easily be resolved with appropriate evaluations, viewing students with a non-biased state of mind, and considering all factors in regard to a student's characteristics. In my opinion, from the field experiences that I have encountered so far, inappropriate placements and misclassification seems to have improved over the years. Within our reading, I have gained knowledge on how far disproportionate representation has come in special education throughout the years. I do feel that we have come a long way from one of the most important court cases in history, Brown v. Board of Education. Students are no longer segregated due to their racial and ethnic minorities. Nor are students only placed into the special education program relying solely on their disproportion from other school-age peers. According to Education for All: Critical Issues in the Education of Children and Youth with Disabilities, weaknesses were surprisingly found in the research regarding biases. From the reading, I learned that though biases may be a factor that can be considered with overrepresentation it is not the overall underlying cause of the situation. (Jimenez & Graf, 2008)

In my perspective, one solution to overcoming disproportionate representation is that when you encounter a student who is displaying unexplainable characteristics you keep a non-biased state of mind and acquire for them the appropriate evaluations. As an educator who works with students with disabilities on a daily basis, it can be tough to refrain from quickly labeling them according to my knowledge. For example, recently I have been providing services to a Kindergarten student who is not yet diagnosed. He is displaying characteristics that include running around the classroom, asking the same question even though answered multiple times, showing obsession about certain topics, and an academic level and knowledge that is substantially lower than his school age peers. He is currently in the referral process, but is often misclassified during professional discussion as being emotionally disturbed. He has yet to have completed a ETR; however, due to his characteristics, he already has a label. I agree with Jennifer in the aspect that most of our inappropriate placing and misclassification in today's society is arising from students who are not yet diagnosed and beginning their school journey. This brings me into my second solution to overcome disproportionate representation. In regard to my students that I have worked with, I find it vital to consider all characteristics and view the whole picture before making any judgements. Though the student from my example is displaying the factors mentioned above, one must consider and question if there are underlying causes to his characteristics such as; home life, medical issues, or even a lack of attention. I believe if we work to eliminate biases against students of different races and ethnicities, get the students their appropriate evaluations, and consider all characteristics of a child, then we can continue to overcome this issue in education. 

Another problem within the overrepresentation of our students is that so often students are pushed directly into the special education program without the use of a great system: RTI. As noted in our reading, "RTI models provide an alternative way of conceptualizing how we support student learning." Sadly, a lot of teachers just don't want to be bothered with exceptional students and that is where overrepresentation becomes a factor, but with the use of RTI models they can reduce the amount of inappropriate placements. (Jimenez & Graf, 2008)

Overall, our attention needs to be less focused on the identification and labeling of disabilities, and more on what these students need to receive a beneficial and thriving education.