Ch. 7 Students as Diverse Learners: Legislation to Know

Question 1

American with Disabilities Act (ADA)

Answer 1

is a federal law, enacted in 1990, that prohibits discrimination on the basis of a person’s disability for all services, programs, and activities provided or made available by state and local governments.

Question 2

Due Process

Answer 2

is a set of procedures that give students with disabilities and their parents/ guardians extensive rights. Those rights include notice of meetings, opportunities to examine relevant records, impartial hearings, and a review procedure.

Question 3

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

Answer 3

Legislation passed in 1974 that gives students and parents access to school records and limits others’ access to those records.

Question 4

Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA)

Answer 4

is a federal statute, enacted in 1990, that has resulted in several grant programs to states in educating students with disabilities. It specifically lists types of disabilities and conditions that render a child entitled to special education.

Question 5

Individualized Education Plan (IEP)

Answer 5

An IEP is a written plan for a student with disabilities developed by a team of professionals (teachers, special educators, school psychologists, and so on) and the child’s parents. It is based on an evaluation by the child’s multidisciplinary team (MDT) and describes how the child is doing presently, what the child’s learning needs are, and what services the child will need. IEPs are reviewed and updated yearly.

Question 6

Inclusion

Answer 6

Although there is no official legal definition, inclusive education practices strive to educate a child with disabilities in his or her neighborhood school and in the regular education classroom as much as possible. The key goal is to foster a sense of belonging and full acceptance of the learner within the school and classroom community.

Question 7

Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)

Answer 7

is the educational setting that, to the maximum extent appropriate, allows students with disabilities to be educated with nondisabled peers.

Question 8

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act

Answer 8

1973 -is a civil rights law prohibiting discrimination against individuals with disabilities by federally assisted programs or activities. Eligibility for protection under the act is not restricted to school-age children; it covers individuals from birth to death.

Question 9

Accommodations and Modifications

Answer 9

Teachers must learn to make accommodations (adjustments to the student’s task, learning environment, or supports provided without changing academic achievement expectations) and modifications (changes to curriculum expectations because the curriculum is beyond the student’s level of ability).

Question 10

Alternative Assessments

Answer 10

include anecdotal records of student behavior, portfolios, checklists of student progress, and student/ teacher conferences. They can be contrasted with traditional assessments. They provide a view of a student’s process and product, which is closely related to the instructional activity.

Question 11

Differentiated Instruction

Answer 11

A Teacher plans and implements varied approaches t teaching content, process, and product in an effort to respond to student differences in readiness, interests, and learning needs.

Question 12

Testing Accommodations

Answer 12

Common testing accommodations provided to students include providing longer testing times, giving untimed tests, having someone write or type for the student, offering braille or large-print reading materials, allowing for short breaks during testing, and providing sign-language interpretation for directions.