Tiffany Poritz

Spe 615
5-9-2015
Final Reflection paper

For the final case study for SPE 615 I was assigned to evaluate a
student Marcus Young for Specific Learning Disability. The case study proved
to be a bit challenging. Some of the challenges that I faced included not
being familiar with the use of an Informal Reading Inventory and analyzing
the data that was collected. It was difficult for me to read the results of the
Reading Inventory and not know exactly what the information was telling me
about the students reading ability. To problem solve, I sat down with a
couple of the Reading Specialist at my school and we analyzed the data
together and discussed the deficits that were presented in Marcus reading.
Another difficulty that arose from the Case study was not having more
information. It frustrated me how little information was given about Marcus. I
received input from one individual teacher and that was all the information
that was provided. This became extremely frustrating when I needed to
complete the evaluation form. Marcus is at the beginning stages of referral.
He has not been placed in interventions to meet part of the criteria for
Specific Learning disability. Therefore, I felt as though I was not completing
the process accurately. However, I realize that this frustration is present in
real life situations and not on a fictional case study of a student. After
setting aside my frustrations, I plowed ahead and completed the required
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documentation. When it came to Intervention goals, again it became difficult

to write goals for a student that I do not have interaction with.
Writing goals for students is a lot easier when you have a clear
understanding of the students abilities. It would also be helpful to have
feedback from the student. Marcus is in 6th grade and old enough to be
present for meetings and advocate for himself. However, I took into
consideration all the information I was able to gather from the Reading
Specialist at my school and applied that developing knowledge towards
creating appropriate reading goals for Marcus.
Marcus is only one of many children that have difficulty with reading.
When referring a student for special education, one may look at special
education with wonder about ethical issues in identifying a student with a
disability. For some, the identification can create a label for a student. One of
the common labels associated with a disability is limiting the expectations
for the student. We have discussed several issues with labeling students in
SPE 614 and SPE 615 and lowered expectations is one of the issues. Another
issue associated with identifying a student with a disability, is the issue of
the label. Individuals may look at only the label and not the child thus
creating more issues than providing the support the student needs to be
successful in the least restrictive environment.
I personally believe that a child should not have to be labeled with a
disability to receive the help that they need to be successful. My teaching

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philosophy is as follows I believe that all students can learn. It is my job as

a teacher to provide my students with all the tools necessary to be
successful. This is where I begin to have issues writing in supplemental aides
and services for students --- such as, providing visuals to aide for
comprehension, check for comprehension, read test and quizzes out loud, etc
. . . These are tools that can be helpful for all students in the classroom not
just for students labeled with a disability. It has also been my experience that
when teachers see labels such as Emotional Behavioral Disability and the
teacher automatically expects a student with poor behavior to cause a
disturbance in the classroom and not see the child for who they are with no
label attached.
Reflecting back to the beginning of the semester to now, there is a lot
that I have learned and apply to my teaching now. One of the major concepts
that I have learned is understanding the criteria for students to be eligible for
a certain disability. Prior to class I would view the forms in Infinite Campus at
the school I work at and think how foreign the concept is to me. As of right
now, I understand the purpose for the checklists and what information to
look for. I will need to continue practicing and checking for feedback. Another
item I will take away from class is the idea assessments and how to properly
use them. I am more familiar with the Woodcock Johnson Tests of
Achievement III and I have actually tested students in the area of reading
using the assessment.

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There are many other topics from class that I apply to my teaching on
a regular basis. I think one of the major concepts I do on a daily basis is to
reflect on my teaching practices. I think it is super important to reflect on
your practices. This is one major reason for Educator Effectiveness reflect,
look at your practices, view your strong areas, look at the areas that need
growth, and make the necessary changes to be stronger in the weaker areas.
One area that I feel that I am most strong in is communicating.
Communication between teachers, students, and home is crucial for success.
There are parents that I contact on a weekly basis, bi-weekly, and monthly
basis. I have relationships with parents that are appropriate for success. I
contact parents with both positives and concerns. One way of
communication I enjoy the most is mailing positive cards home with Starbuck
tickets (PBIS reward) congratulating the student on a great job!
I work with students with varying disabilities and I think it is important
to consider how the disability affects the student and their family. I put that
into account when I contact home and what is appropriate amount of contact
that should be made home. Each child and family involvement is different.
Therefore, I think it is difficult to identify how often I contact home. I have
IEPs written where in the IEP I am contacting home to give them updates on
homework completion. If I am an EBD student there might be more contact
home to that family to keep them updated on the positive interactions as
well as addressing the negative behavior and how we can create a
Behavioral Intervention Plan that is appropriate for the students needs.
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It is also important for me to identify how I work with families with

different backgrounds and beliefs. The elements of culture grid helped to
support my beliefs (that I already had) everyone comes from different
backgrounds. With different backgrounds comes different experiences and
beliefs. I work with a large population of Hispanic families. It is important for
me to recognize that my students come from families that may only value
education as my responsibility for their student or that education is only
meant to get their child ready for the workforce and not for college. Most
importantly, I need to recognize that different beliefs exist and I need to be
able to address these differences appropriately and with respect even if I
do not believe them myself.
Overall, I feel like I have taken a lot away from SPE 615. Most
importantly, I believe that this has been a positive experience for me. I have
my initial teaching license in Language Arts. I am working on the job under a
provisional license. I am learning a lot of information every day. In all
honesty, it is very intimidating not having the background knowledge for
special education and having the confidence that I am fulfilling my
responsibilities as a special education teacher correctly. However, I feel like
my classes have affirmed that I am fulfilling my responsibilities and I can
create lesson plans and deliver them effectively. This definitely helps with
confidence and the knowledge I have gained gives me a solid foundation to
understanding special education.

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