Practical Special Education for Parents
Hello, I'm David Poeschl, a retired school district special education director and Cal State University lecturer.
For the past 10 years I have been providing individual advocacy services to parents of students with disabilities.
Currently, I speak to 300-400 families per year and work closely with 40-50 of those.
I see every day the difficulty parents have trying to access the system initially, and the struggles to get and maintain a good special education program for their children over time.
I also know that knowledge is power, particularly when one is facing a complex and sometimes incredibly frustrating system. Studies consistently show that parents who are better informed are more satisfied with their children's IEP programs.
The podcasts in this series are designed to provide you with both the facts and, more importantly, the context and meaning that my experiences bring to the facts.
In my professional career, I chaired thousands of IEP meetings, set-up school and district programs, both special and general education, and provided training to hundreds of teachers and paraprofessional staff.
At a Cal State campus, I taught the one special education course required for general education credential and masters candidates. I taught thousands of students about the field and how to work with students with disabilities.
Although the program is geared towards California, there is universally applicable information in each episode.
There are several types of episodes that encompass different areas of special education. Here is a list of the categories:
IEP Meeting Series - Insightfully presented information about the nuts and bolts of the IEP process. This is not just about what an IEP is but also includes the real-world experiences of someone who has been there.
IEP Tidbits - short and to the point IEP technical information.
Behavior Series - a deep dive into Positive Behavior Support theory and practice. This series was originally meant to be used for school district paraeducator training, but I decided to release it here. The information is relatively complex at times.
Behavior Tidbits - short additions to the Behavior Series that help explain and clarify the longer behavior episodes.
For Your Information - explanation and examples of best practices in the field.
Commentary - Examination of current problems and possible solutions in special education.
Policy and Law - Often focused on California, information that parents need to know regarding special education programs.
Musings - Short, real-time episodes with my reactions to things that happen in my work on a daily basis.
Practical Special Education for Parents
SMART Goals (IEP Meeting Series)
IEP goals are the most important part of the entire IEP process. It is vital to write goals that clearly and concisely describe what progress a student should make on a specific skill over the course of a year.
The services a student receives is directly relarted to goals in an IEP. The IEP team determines what services are needed to provide a reasonable chance of meeting the goals.
While the implementation of goals is the purview of the professional staff working with a student, the goal drives that teaching.
The SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time Based) goals concept is the most effective way of guding an IEP team on the content and wording of goals. It is an invaluable tool that every IEP team should be using.
Listen in to hear the whys and hows of SMART Goals.
Here are the goals that are used in the podcast:
Behavior:
When his classroom teacher invites participation by students by being called on after raising their hands quietly, John will call out with an answer or comment in 5 of 10 opportunities.
Goal:
By (one year), in a classroom setting, When his teacher asks the class to answer a question or make a comment by being called on after raising their hands quietly, John will do so 4 out of 5 opportunities with 80% accuracy.
Academic:
Marie’s reading level in the area of oral reading as measured by standardized testing is 85 words per minute, she is 4th grade, should be 100-120 per minute.
By (one year) in a one-one setting with an assessor, Marie will read a 5th grade passage at 100 words per minute with accuracy and age-appropriate expression 4 of 5 opportunities.
Thanks for listening!