IEP vs. 504

IEP vs. 504

IEP		504
·      This plan focuses on a child’s special education plan. ·      Provided by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). ·      Child must have one of 13 specific disabilities and the disability must affect the education of the child. ·      IEP plan includes the following individuals: parents, at least one general education teacher, at least one special education teacher, school psychologist, and one district representative for special education. ·      IEP should include present academic ability of the student, annual goals, services provided, timing of services provided, accommodations and modifications, and more. ·      Parents are notified before any changes are implemented. ·      States receive extra funding.	·      Provided at no extra cost to families. ·      Plans to allow child to receive the best education that is parallel to non-disabled peers. ·      Requires parent consent. ·      Parents are notified of any changes to the plan.	·      A 504 is a plan dictating how a child will get access to equal education. ·      Provided by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. ·      Child must have any disability and the disability affects the child’s ability to learn in the general classroom. ·      504 team includes: parents, general and special education teachers, and the principal. ·      504 plan includes specific accommodations, names of who will provide the accommodations, and name of person who makes sure the plan is followed. ·      Parents notified that changes have been made to the plan. ·      States receive no extra funding.

IEPs and 504s are both incredibly useful for students with disabilities. Both plans are specific for the student and outline a plan to help the student get access to the most appropriate education for the student. However, these plans are only as effective as the people who implement it and how responsive the student is to the plans. For example, I have had some students who were given many accommodations such as copies of notes and more who did not take advantage of their accommodations. If the students do not utilize the accommodations then it doesn't matter how well teachers and administrators implement the plans. 

Not all students with disabilities get an IEP though. IEP plans are much more specific about details and involve a greater number of participants in both designing and implementing a plan. Between the two and in my experience, an IEP has much more support provided for the teacher to implement and to make the most of for the student. I've attended IEP meetings during the year where the team has been able to evaluate the student's progress or issues the student has been having and then making plans for adjustments to the IEP. 

Bennett, A., & Frank, L. (2009). Special Education Process: IEP vs. 504 Plan. Retrieved July 14, 2015, from http://www.davidsongifted.org/db/Articles_id_10671.aspx

Conners, S. (n.d.). IEP VS 504. Retrieved July 14, 2015, from http://www.nldline.com/iep_vs_504.htm 

History of Special Education

Timeline: http://timeglider.com/timeline/b2dec170294b218b


The current status of Special Education.

I believe that the current status of Special Education is one that is put on the back burner too often. In some of my experiences as a daily substitute, long-term substitute, or just an observer, I have seen both good and bad situations with students with disabilities. I think that mostly the issue comes down to funding. In a perfect world, each student that has a disability, whether it is physical, mental, or social, would have an IEP and would have an Individual Assistant (IA) in all of their classes that would help them if needed. However, schools do not have it in their budget to hire IAs for each of their students. I understand that not every student with an IEP will need an IA, but it seems most of the time there is a need for more IAs rather than less. These IAs play an integral role in helping students with IEPs or 504s because their focus is on those few students. Teachers have classes ranging in size and with an already diverse group of students to teach it can stretch any teacher to the limit to also provide the level of close watch students with disabilities need.

In addition to the lack of funds to hire more people, there is also the issue of delegating responsibility, which is linked to the lack of personnel. During my last long-term substitute position at a high school, one of my co-workers who is an IA always seemed to be running around doing something helping a teacher or helping a student. When I asked her why she did so much stretching her limits, she told me that she has to otherwise the quality of education her students with IEPs get. Her workload is simply too much between her case load, responsibilities, and what she can do because there were so few of them in the building. The staff hired who are expected to help students with IEPs and to get a quality education that is parallel to their peers lack the support. Whether it is delegating responsibility to the IAs that could be better suited for someone else, not giving IAs access to all the same resources teachers have, or just giving IAs too much to handle, it is ultimately the students who suffer. Making sure that the people in the school have the responsibilities they should have will make sure the quality of education doesn't suffer.

Although I focused a lot on the negatives of the status of Special Education on a local level, the status of Special Education as a whole in the big picture sense is doing well. There are policies in place to give these students the best education they can get and the stigma has been getting better, in my opinion, of children with disabilities. There is hope for these students to graduate and lead successful lives. However, without proper action, these ideas and hopes just become wishes. To sum up, the status of Special Education in the United States is that it is a work in progress.


Citations:

Archived: 25 Year History of the IDEA. (2007, July 19). Retrieved July 8, 2015, from http://www2.ed.gov/policy/speced/leg/idea/history.html

History of Special Education. (2015). Retrieved July 8, 2015, from http://www.learningrx.com/history-of-special-education.htm

Section 504 - Civil Rights Law, Protection from Discrimination - Wrightslaw. (2014, August 1). Retrieved July 8, 2015, from http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/sec504.index.htm

The History of Special Education. (n.d.). Retrieved July 8, 2015, from http://teach.com/the-history-of-special-education

The History of Special Education in the United States. (2009). Retrieved July 8, 2015, from http://www.specialednews.com/the-history-of-special-education-in-the-united-states.htm

Understanding Section 504: The American with Disabilities Act. (2009). Retrieved July 8, 2015, from http://www.understandingspecialeducation.com/section-504.html

Understanding Special Education Law (IDEA). (2009). Retrieved July 8, 2015, from http://www.understandingspecialeducation.com/special-education-law.html