AAs a teacher for students with moderate to severe disabilities, documenting and communicating medical and IEP information to support staff, service providers, and parents is critically important to executing the IEP and ensuring the well-being of each student. Because students with moderate to severe disabilities often have multiple diagnoses, it is the legal and ethical responsibility of the special education teacher to ensure that everyone who works with these students in the educational setting be well informed about all required documentation, the procedures that will be used for documentation and executing the IEP, and how information will be shared with support staff, service providers, and parents/guardians.
Allocate at least 2 hours in the field to support this field experience.
In a Grades K-12 classroom for students with moderate to severe disabilities taught by a certified special education teacher, interview and observe the classroom teacher, paying special attention to how daily documentation tasks and the communication of medical and educational information are managed legally and ethically.
Address the following in your interview with the mentor teacher:
- How services are scheduled appropriately to implement the IEP
- How to ensure the IEP is being followed and goals are being met. Include the specific types of documentation required, processes for documenting information, and how to ensure the information is communicated legally and ethically with paraprofessionals, service providers, and parents/guardians.
- The legal, district, and school policies related to medical documentation requirements, reporting possible illness/injury to parents/guardians, and criteria for sending students home due to medical conditions. Include how medical conditions and/or medication can affect student learning and participation in classroom activities.
- Role as a mandatory reporter of child abuse and neglect, explanation of the laws and district/school policies that govern this type of reporting, and the process used at your district or school for communicating this information.
- How and to what extent paraprofessionals are involved in case management and communicating student progress with parents/guardians. Include the legal limits on this information specified by FERPA and HIPAA as well as district and school policies about sharing student information.
- How you communicate with IEP team members about specific individualization to meet the needs of each student (e.g., “This student works best when…” or “You know this student is struggling when…”).
- The typical process used when a new student enters the class. Include how the existing IEP information is shared with the IEP team, the policies related to how you meet, collaborate, and communicate with the parents/guardians to update the IEP based upon district/school specifications, and the types of information you share with parents/guardians about outside agencies, support resources, etc. that are available to them.
- How you handle breakdowns in communication, specific protocols that are followed, and a real-world example to illustrate strategies for overcoming communication failures.
After completing the interview, observe the classroom, paying special attention to communication about students, what information is communicated, how it is communicated, and by whom it is communicated, data collected, and processes used for collecting and recording data.
Following the observation, meet again briefly with the teacher to ask clarifying questions related to communication and documentation related to student medical and educational data.
Use any remaining field experience hours to assist the teacher in providing instruction and support to the class.
In 250-500 words, reflect on the following. Remember to honor confidentiality when writing about these students by using pseudo names.
- Discuss how the medical needs of students with moderate to severe disabilities affect the development and execution of IEP goals, the learning environment, and the students’ educational experiences.
- Explain why documentation and communication with support staff, service providers, and parents/guardians of medical and educational data is critically important to professional practice when teaching students with moderate to severe disabilities.
- Discuss the legal implications of FERPA and HIPAA for teachers, support staff, and service providers of students with moderate to severe disabilities.
While APA style format is not required for the body of this assignment, solid academic writing is expected, and in-text citations and references should be presented using documentation guidelines, which can be found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center.
This assignment uses a rubric. Review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.
You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. Refer to the LopesWrite Technical Support articles for assistance.
Document the locations and hours you spend in the field on your Clinical Field Experience Verification Form.