This is your third group of benchmark assessments from the following courses:

SPE 351, SPE 358, EED 470, EDU 450, EED 475 and SPE 350.

For each course, upload the benchmark assessment. Introduce the assignment by using TEXT to type a RATIONALE of how the assignment meets the selected standards. Be sure to use STANDARDS and select from the specified standards that apply to the assignment you have attached. Then, submit each benchmark assignment for evaluation.  Send your instructor an email URL notification.

Remember to add the Practicum Documents as an additional attachment.

Discovering the Relationship Between the Law and Your School

i)        Use the GCU Library to research information beyond what is provided in the course materials to explore the law and its application to special education issues covered in this course. Explore state departments of education Web sites to investigate the laws of your state and other states as well as their application to special education issues covered in this course.

(1)   Schedule an appointment with an attorney well-versed in school law or with a special education director to learn about the following issues.

(2)   How has the legal system evolved, as it applies to special education, over the past 20 years, and how has that affected the legal framework for special education today?

(3)   How does the legal framework differ for special needs students and regular students in private and public schools?

(4)   Who monitors the implementation and evaluation of IEPs in private and public schools?

(5)   In the legal expert’s opinion, are there any elements of special education law that need refinement? Explain.

ii)       Write a 1750-2000 word essay in which you compare and contrast the findings of your research and the information obtained in the interview.

iii)     Use standard essay format in APA style, including an introduction, conclusion, and title page. An abstract is required. Cite in-text and in the References section.

NOTE:  For a professional presentation please remember to include the Rationale and Standards that apply to this assignment.  

Significant Connections for Families of an ID Child

i)        Interview a teacher of students with intellectual disability. Specifically, focus your interview questions on the impact an individual with intellectual disability has on family structure. You may also want to center your questions on collaborative skills necessary for teachers to possess when interacting with families who have a child with intellectual disability.

ii)       Next, attend an IEP meeting and/or conference for a student with intellectual disability.

(1)   During the meeting, note the interactions that take place, facilitation skills that are employed during the meeting and the manner in which information is disseminated to parents.

(2)   According to what you have learned in this course, are these interactions, skills, etc. appropriate in terms of effective interactions with parents of children with intellectual disability?

(3)   Write a 1000-1250 word essay that chronicles your observations and reactions, using your text and notes from lectures, and your recommendations to foster better collaboration with regard to what you observed in the meeting.

iii)     Use standard essay format in APA style, including an introduction, conclusion, and title page. An abstract is not required. Cite in-text and in the References section.

NOTE:  For a professional presentation please remember to include the Rationale and Standards that apply to this assignment. 

Accommodating Physical and Other Health Impairments

Identify a minimum of 10 accommodations and/or modifications that the teachers used to assist students with physical and/or health impairments. Describe them in detail and then evaluate them according to research findings from a minimum of five references. Use the GCU eLibrary for your research. Make suggestions regarding more appropriate accommodations and/or modifications. This section of your essay is entitled Research-based Evaluation of Accommodations and/or Modifications.

Select three accommodations/modifications to implement with a student who has a physical or health impairment (you may use three different students if desired). Implement them under the auspices of the mentor teacher. Conduct the implementation with the following questions in mind for the section of the essay entitled Self-evaluation of Accommodations/Modifications Implementation:

Write a 1250-1500 word essay that encompasses the three sections. Ensure that responses to the above questions are inherent within the essay and not simply short answer. Use standard essay format in APA style, including an introduction, conclusion, and title page. An abstract is required. Cite in-text and in the References section.

NOTE:  For a professional presentation please remember to include the Rationale and Standards that apply to this assignment. 

Create with Microsoft Word a document that focuses on the group of students in your program of study. Consider all you have learned throughout this course and the interaction you have had with classmates and include the following:

Cover page

Table of Contents

Section title pages

1. “My Philosophy of Classroom Management” – Write a 2-3-paragraph description of the culture you will promote in your classroom. Include broad expectations of the teacher and the students.
2. “Classroom Procedures” –Include five from the “Procedures” assignment.
3. “Rules, Consequences, and Reward System” – Include a rationale for your system.
4. “Communication with Parents/Guardians” – Identify at least three ways you will communicate with parents and include a rationale for each.
5. “Student Engagement Strategies” – Summarize three ways to keep your students engaged. Include drawings of classroom arrangements and how you would implement the drawings in your future classroom.
6. “Professionalism” – Summarize ten ways of being professional with students, parents, co-workers, and administrators. Also, include your areas of strength, an area for improvement, and why professionalism is important.

While APA 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 APA documentation guidelines, which can be found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center.

This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

For a professional presentation please remember to include the Rationale and Standards that apply to this assignment.

Reflection Paper

• Write a 1000-1250 word essay summarizing:
• Your learning experience during the practicum
• Assessment administration- the pre and post assessment data, challenges and strengths.
• Data analysis.  Include a chart or graphic organizer.
• Specific activities with the student during instruction
• Progress made to be notated in the chart
• Collaboration with the classroom teacher
• Your reflection on how assessment guides instruction. Explain how data was used to target the needs of the student and to plan instruction.

 NOTE:  For a professional presentation please remember to include the Rationale and Standards that apply to this assignment. 

Benchmark Assignment:Language Arts Unit Plan (e-portfolio)

• Choose a specific grade and concept from the Language Arts Standards – visit the Arizona Department of Education’s Language Arts Standards page at:  http://www.ade.az.gov/standards/languagearts/articulated.asp
• Create a mini-lesson (15-30 minutes) to address each of the following areas related to literacy development:
  • Monday: Oral language and Vocabulary
  • Tuesday: Phonics, word patterns, and word analysis
  • Wednesday: Fluency
  • Thursday: Reading Comprehension
  • Friday: Writing
• Each day’s mini-lesson should address an evaluation of learning that is objective and measurable, and directly assesses the students’ achievement of the targeted academic standards. Every lesson should have the following structure at a minimum: objective (linked to academic standards), materials (include copies of all materials to teach lesson), procedure (a step-by-step description of the lesson from beginning to end), and assessment (a concrete, measurable way to assess the objective).
• Each mini-lesson should be a piece of the larger whole, not individual or unconnected lessons. That is, lessons later in the week should build on lessons from earlier in the week, and they should all reinforce and integrate skills from the prior lessons in the weekly sequence.

Write a 1500-1750 word Practicum Reflection that includes the following:

• A synopsis of your observations in the reading classrooms, and how they influenced your Language Arts Unit Plan.
• A reflection on the Language Arts Unit after you taught it. What were its strengths and weaknesses? What would you change and why? What did you learn about teaching from your mentor teacher? Include this reflection with your Unit Plan.

NOTE:  For a professional presentation please remember to include the Rationale and Standards that apply to this assignment.