EDUC 4515

Special Education Law & Practice

 

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Course Number: Title: Credit Hours: Instructor: Class Time Office Hours: Telephone: E-mail:		EDUC 4515 Special Education Practice & Law 3 semester hours Natalie A. Williams, Ph.D.     801-626-8654 nataliewilliams1@weber.edu
*The instructor reserves the right to change requirements or course outline as deemed necessary.  Students will be notified in writing of any changes to the syllabus.

 

Course Description

 

This course provides students with a broad knowledge and understanding of a wide range of legal issues concerning the provision of special education services to students with disabilities. A review of pertinent legislation concerning human and constitutional rights related to persons with disabilities will be addressed. Teachers' specific responsibilities and liabilities are described and related to current requirements for development of appropriate educational programs. Prerequisite: Admission to Teacher Education.

 

Course Outcomes:

This course is based on CEC Standard 1: Foundations

Special educators understand the field as an evolving and changing discipline based on philosophies, evidence-based principles and theories, relevant laws and policies, diverse and historical points of view, and human issues that have historically influenced and continue to influence the field of special education and the education and treatment of individuals with exceptional needs both in school and society. Special educators understand how these influence professional practice, including assessment, instructional planning, implementation, and program evaluation.

 

 

Upon completion of this course, the student will meet the following objectives/outcomes:

1. Describe models, theories, and philosophies that form the basis for special education practice.
2. Outline the laws and major court cases that impact individuals with disabilities.
3. Identify rights and responsibilities of students, parents, teachers, and other professionals related to exceptional learning needs.

4.      Describe federal and state legal systems.

5.      Describe the major provisions of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and state laws affecting the education of students with disabilities.

6.      Identify and explain the major principles of the IDEA.

7.      Identify and explain the major litigation leading to the passage of the IDEA.

8.      Discuss and evaluate the major court rulings on the IDEA.

9.      Analyze the results of litigation using the case briefing form.

10. Identify similarities and differences among individuals with exceptional learning needs.

 

 

REQUIRED MATERIALS

1.      Yell, M. L. (2012). The Law and Special Education (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill/Prentice Hall.

2. Mandlawitz, M. (2007). What Every Teacher Should Know About IDEA 2004 Laws and Regulations. Pearson Education Inc. Boston: MA.
3. Eraser board, erasable marker and cleaning materials
4. Guided notes, assignment guidelines, articles and miscellaneous information to be downloaded weekly from the class website (https://learn-wsu.uen.org/)

           

 

Course Requirements and procedures

• Completion of weekly quizzes covering assigned readings, lectures, and study objectives
• Article Reviews to be written and submitted as assigned
• Case Briefings
• Utah State Education Law Presentation

 

 

Quizzes: Six quizzes will be administered throughout the semester. They will take place in the first 10 minutes of class and will cover content from the day’s assigned readings and the previous week’s lectures

 

1. The quizzes will cover the information from the assigned reading, book chapter(s) and materials from the previous class sessions. Students are responsible for the required reading and the guided lecture notes.
2. Make-up quizzes will not be allowed. If you are absent the day of the quiz, you will receive a 0 for that quiz.

 

 

Article Reviews: Read and respond to specific assigned readings related to special education law. For each paper, address the following:

1. Summary of the author(s)’ position: What was the main point the authors were trying to make?  What evidence was presented to support their position?
2. Your reaction to the article: Do you agree or disagree with the authors?  Why?  Don’t just state your opinion; support your position using other references or research data (e.g., citations from the textbook or other sources).
3. Implications for practice: Discuss how you could use this information in your own teaching practice

 

Case-Briefing: Students will brief two cases dealing with special education. A form for briefing cases can be found on the course website. In order to fully answer the questions designated in the case briefing, this paper should be approximately 3-4 pages in length.

 

 

Utah State Education Law Presentation: Each student will pair up with another student and will be assigned a topic relating to General and Special Education Law in the state of Utah. The students will be expected to thoroughly research the topic assigned and present that to the class. Presentation expectations are posted to the class website.

 

 

                                 

 

Grading – POINTS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE

 

Attendance & Participation                                  15 @  3	45
Quizzes                                                                      6 @ 10	60
Article Reviews                                                         2 @ 10	20
Special Ed- What is it?	10
Case-Briefing                                                            2 @ 25	50
Utah State Education Law Presentation	50
Final Exam	65
Total Points	300

 

 

Grading Scale

A	95%-100%
A-	90%-94%
B+	87%-89%
B	84%-86%
B-	80%-83%
C+	77%-79%
C	74%-79%
C-	70%-73%
D	65%-69%
E	64% and below

                                                                              

                       

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Instructor Expectations:

 

Attendance:  Preservice teachers are expected to demonstrate professional behavior; therefore, you must notify the instructor before missing any class sessions. Unexcused absences will result in a lowering of your grade.

 

Late Assignments:  Late submissions will result in the loss of 10% of the points earned, unless prior arrangements have been made with the instructor. After one week past the due date the paper/assignment will NOT be accepted.

 

University Ethics Policy: Failure to maintain academic ethics/academic honesty including the avoidance of cheating, plagiarism, collusion and falsification will result in an E in the course and may result in charges being issued, hearings being held, and /or sanctions being imposed. For further clarification of WSU’s policy please review Section 6-22 of the Policies and Procedures Manual.

 

Plagiarism is complex because it comes in many shapes and forms, but in simple terms it means copying material from somewhere else and passing it off as your own work, either intentionally or unintentionally. For the sake of clarity, keep in mind the following: every word of your paper is expected to be your own work, written specifically for this class (no resubmitting work from previous classes). It is acceptable to use a few short quotations so long as the source is properly attributed and quotation marks are used, but papers copied in whole or in part are entirely unacceptable. Failure to use quotation marks, even if only by accident, is still plagiarism.

If you are caught submitting a copied paper, even if you didn’t mean to, you are guilty of plagiarism and the range of penalties runs from failing the assignment (for the most minor infractions only), failing the class (the most common penalty) or expulsion from the university (for extreme repeat offenders). These penalties also apply to anyone caught cheating on exams.

 

 

ADA Statement:

Any student requiring accommodations or services due to a disability must contact Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) in room 181 of the Students Service Center.  SSD can also arrange to provide course materials (including this syllabus) in alternative formats if necessary.

 

 

Attention to Special Education Majors:

 

In order to enhance your teaching skills each semester will require your placement in a practicum setting. In order to do this, you need to have Fingerprinting and Background Check completed. Contact the advisement office regarding the details. You can find the information for fingerprinting at www.weber.edu/fingerprinting.