 Preparing
to Teach Special Education
Special Education is specially designed instruction that often
incorporates related services to meet the educational, social emotional,
and vocational needs of young children and students with disabilities.
It is a service or an array of services, for students eligible for
them under the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA). It is not
to be considered a specific place or class.
How Do Students Qualify for Special Education Services?
There are criteria in the law related to qualifying disabilities.
Students who are assessed and found to have one of the qualifying
disabilities are eligible for services based upon their assessed
needs and an Individual Education Plan (IEP) is developed.
What is an IEP? The IEP (Individual Education Plan) is a
contract; a guarantee for services determined and agreed upon by
the IEP team based upon the student's assessed strengths and needs.
Students who meet the disability qualifications and are eligible
for services under IDEA are found in both mild moderate and moderate
severe settings. Placement is determined by the degree, amount and
intensity of the services needed based upon the multi disciplinary
assessment results.
The IEP team convenes. Assessment results are reported and services
are suggested and goals are written for each area of need. Time,
duration, frequency, person(s) responsible and place are then discussed
by the team and agreed upon. Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE)
in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) as close as possible
to typical age peers is a goal of special education.
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