Special Education and the importance of it.

Introduction

Hey there! This WebQuest has been designed to help you learn about Special education. Children with disabilities can use special education as a service to aid in their learning. Autism, ADHD, and other intellectual and behavioral issues that would require them to need special educational attention are just a few examples of the many disabilities that children may have. Special education is a broad phrase that embraces and examines many disabilities. Our special education system today is a result of numerous laws that have been implemented with the goals of expanding access to the curriculum, regulating the appropriate delivery of education, encouraging positive behavior, and enabling social skills.

Task

For this activity, you will work with a partner to complete a series of questions regarding Special education laws and policies. Your partner and you will work together to learn about numerous laws and policies that have aided in making special education and the rights of disabled people what they are today. At the end of this WebQuest, you will both separately give a short summary (no less than 5 sentences) based on what you learned throughout your activity. For your summary be sure to thoroughly explain and go in-depth about what laws you thought were important and what you believe could be done.

Process

Task 1: Find a partner and grab two sheets of blank paper (one for each partner).

Task 2: You and your partner may split the number of questions and focus on 11 questions each. You will need to look through all websites listed to complete the questions that will be listed.

1. The Civil Rights of Students With Hidden Disabilities and Section 504 (ed.gov)

2. Guide to Disability Rights Laws | ADA.gov

3. The Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 | U.S. GAO

4. What Is the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)? | Understood

5. What’s Covered Under FAPE | Free Appropriate Public Education | Understood

6. IEPs in School: Purpose of an IEP and the IEP Process | Understood

7. About IDEA - Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

8. Assistive Technology Act Fact Sheet (ku.edu)

9. Handicapped Children’s Protection Act (craftlegal.com)

10. What Is Early Intervention? | Understood

11. IEP Transition Planning: A Guide | Understood

These resources have a lot of information regarding the questions that will be given but can also be helpful in growing your knowledge and understanding of special education.

Task 3: After reading the sources listed above the students will decide if they would like to split the questions or complete them together. After deciding the process of completing the question the students will either work separately or together to complete the following questions.

1. What is a 504 plan?

2. Who is eligible for a 504 plan?

3. What does the ADA prohibit?

4. What is necessary to be protected by ADA?

5. What does The Education for All Handicapped Children Act do?

6. Who is covered in the Education for All Handicapped Children Act?

7. What does ESSA provide?

8. What law did ESSA replace?

9. What does FAPE stand for?

10. Where does the right to FAPE come from?

11. What is an IEP?

12. How can you acquire an IEP?

13. What is IDEA?

14. What does IDEA do?

15. When was the Assistive technology act implemented?

16. What Does the Assistive technology act do?

17. What act does the Handicapped Children's protection act build off of?

18. What does the Handicapped Children's protection act ensure?

19. Early intervention focuses on skills in what areas?

20. Early intervention helps children with?

21. What age does transition planning start?

22. What does transition planning help students accomplish?

Task 4: Once you and your partner have finished answering the questions listed above, please complete a short (minimum of 5 sentences) summary/reflection of what you have learned. Your summary must include one law/policy that you found interesting/important and why as well as what you believe could be done and if nothing could be done, please explain why that is, along with a short reflection on what you have learned.

Task 5: The questions listed above must be turned in at the end of the class period along with the summary/reflection. You will be graded based on the items listed in the evaluation tab.

Evaluation

Category	Good (10)	Needs improvement (5)	Poor (1)
Questions	Gave thoughtful feedback and answered questions with the information given.	Answered questions well, but more information was missing.	The questions were not satisfactory and lacked thoughtful explanations.
Summary	Summary was good. Gave lots of thoughtful feedback. Completed the task pertaining to the question.	Gave some feedback and answered the questions, that were missing information or parts of questions.	No feedback was given. Questions were not fully answered but had half of an explanation.
Grammar	Perfect grammar, no spelling mistakes.	Some grammar and/or spelling mistakes.	Many grammar and spelling mistakes.
Effort	Tremendous effort is put into their work.	Some effort is given but could use more.	No effort was give/ effort was lacking at some points.

Conclusion

Learners should walk away from this activity with a newfound perspective and knowledge of Special education laws and policies. By completing this activity students should be able to give information regarding the topics of laws and policies for special education covered in this activity. The student has been given the opportunity to learn about special education and used it to further their knowledge and is expected to use this project as a learning opportunity. Students should be able to describe which laws they felt were important and why students must also state what they believe could be done and what they learned from this activity. If the student didn't believe anything else could be done, then they should explain why that is. We want learners to walk away with more knowledge than what they started the assignments and to broaden their understanding of Special education laws and policies and what they do.

Credits