classroom management plan for special education

Sample Classroom Management Plan for Special Education

Welcome to my blog on classroom management plans for special education! As a former special education teacher , I know firsthand how challenging it can be to manage a classroom of diverse learners with unique needs and abilities.

The key to creating a successful classroom environment is a solid classroom management plan. This plan outlines expectations, rules, consequences, and rewards for students and teachers. It helps to establish a sense of structure and routine, which can be especially important for students with special needs who may struggle with transitions and changes to their daily routines.

In this blog, I’ll be sharing a sample classroom management plan for special education that you can use as a starting point to create your plan. We’ll cover the key components of a classroom management plan, including setting expectations, building relationships, and managing behavior.

Whether you’re a new teacher just starting or a seasoned veteran looking to revamp your classroom management strategies, this blog will provide the tools and resources you need to create a supportive and inclusive learning environment for all your students. Here are some tips on the responsibilities of a teacher in an inclusive classroom . So let’s get started!

What is a Management Plan for Special Education Classroom?

A special education classroom management plan is a structured plan designed to meet the unique needs of students with special needs or disabilities. It is a tool used to create a supportive and inclusive learning environment tailored to each student’s specific needs.

Key Components

Some key components of a special education classroom management plan may include:

• Setting Clear Expectations: Clear and concise expectations for behavior, academic performance, and social interactions are critical in special education classrooms. Students with special needs often thrive on structure, routine, and predictability, so it’s essential to clearly define the expectations for behavior, classroom rules, and routines.
• Building Positive Relationships: Establishing a positive relationship with students is crucial for any classroom, especially for special education classrooms. Building positive relationships with students can help to create a safe and supportive environment where students feel comfortable taking risks, making mistakes, and learning from their experiences. The Edutopia website offers insights on how to build these relationships.
• Providing Accommodations and Modifications: Accommodations and modifications are necessary to meet the unique needs of students with special needs or disabilities. A special education classroom management plan should outline the specific accommodations and modifications provided to each student, such as additional time for tests or assignments, preferential seating, or modified assignments.
• Managing Behavior: Managing behavior is a critical aspect of any classroom management plan, and it’s especially important in special education classrooms. Strategies such as positive reinforcement, clear expectations, and consistent consequences can help to manage behavior and support student success.
• Ongoing Assessment and Adjustment: A special education classroom management plan should be flexible and subject to ongoing assessment and adjustment. As the students’ needs and abilities change, the classroom management plan should be adapted to meet those changing needs. Resources from Council for Exceptional Children can be very useful in this regard.

What is Classroom Management Special Education?

Classroom management in special education is the set of strategies and techniques teachers use to create a positive and structured learning environment that meets the unique needs of students with disabilities or special needs. It requires a deep understanding of the needs of each student, as well as a range of skills and techniques for managing behavior, providing accommodations and modifications, and fostering positive relationships.

Classroom management plans for special education typically include clear expectations and rules, consistent consequences for behavior, accommodations and modifications to support learning, and ongoing assessment and adjustment to meet the changing needs of students. Creating a positive and effective learning environment for all students is essential to academic success, developing social and emotional skills, and building confidence and self-esteem.

What are Some Classroom Management Strategies for Special Education?

Teachers can use classroom management strategies to support students with special needs, such as developing a clear and structured routine, providing clear expectations and rules, using positive reinforcement, visual aids, and assistive technology, and incorporating movement and sensory breaks. Collaboration with families and other professionals can help to develop individualized support plans and ensure consistency across settings.

How Do You Write a Plan for Classroom Management?

Here are the steps to write a classroom management plan:

• Assess your classroom: The first step in creating a classroom management plan is to assess your classroom and students. Consider the age, developmental level, and individual needs of your students, as well as the physical layout and resources of the classroom.
• Establish expectations and rules: Next, develop clear and consistent expectations and rules for behavior in the classroom. Make sure the rules are age-appropriate and support a safe and positive learning environment. Communicate these expectations and rules to students and families.
• Develop consequences for behavior: Create a set of consequences for behavior that are consistent with your expectations and rules. Make sure students understand the consequences and the reasoning behind them. Consequences should be appropriate to the behavior and aim to teach positive behaviors.
• Incorporate positive reinforcement: Incorporate positive reinforcement strategies into your classroom management plan. This includes verbal praise, positive notes at home, and tangible rewards. Positive reinforcement promotes positive behavior and creates a positive learning environment.
• Create a plan for accommodations and modifications: Consider the unique needs of students in your classroom and create a plan for accommodations and modifications to support their learning. These may include assistive technology, preferential seating, and individualized support.
• Establish routines and procedures: Create routines and procedures for daily tasks, transitions, and emergencies. Establishing routines and procedures helps create a predictable and organized learning environment, especially for students with special needs.
• Review and revise: Review and revise your classroom management plan regularly. Make adjustments as needed to support your students better and promote positive behavior. Keep open lines of communication with families, staff, and administrators to help create a positive classroom culture.

Remember, an effective classroom management plan is not a one-size-fits-all approach. It should be tailored to meet the individual needs of your students and be flexible enough to change over time.

Here is a sample plan for classroom management for special education:

• Setting Clear Expectations:
• The classroom rules will be posted in a visible location in the classroom.
• The teacher will review the classroom rules and expectations at the beginning of the school year and as needed.
• The teacher will model and reinforce positive behavior.
• Building Positive Relationships:
• The teacher will take time to get to know each student individually, including their interests and strengths.
• The teacher will provide opportunities for students to work collaboratively and build relationships with their peers.
• The teacher will provide positive reinforcement for appropriate behavior and academic progress.

Here is a sample classroom management plan for special education:

• Providing Accommodations and Modifications:
• The teacher will work with the special education team to determine appropriate accommodations and modifications for each student, such as additional time for tests or assignments, preferential seating, or modified assignments.
• The teacher will provide visual aids, assistive technology, and other tools to support student learning .
• The teacher will provide differentiated instruction to meet the needs of all learners.
• Managing Behavior:
• The teacher will use positive reinforcement, such as praise and rewards, to encourage appropriate behavior.
• The teacher will use a consistent system of consequences for inappropriate behavior, such as verbal warnings, loss of privileges, or time-out.
• The teacher will communicate regularly with parents and the special education team about behavior progress and concerns.
• Ongoing Assessment and Adjustment:
• The teacher will regularly assess student progress and adjust the classroom management plan.
• The teacher will work collaboratively with the special education team to meet each student’s needs.
• The teacher will provide ongoing support and resources to ensure all students succeed.

By implementing this classroom management plan for special education, teachers can create a positive and inclusive learning environment that meets the unique needs of each student. This plan emphasizes clear expectations, positive relationships, accommodations and modifications, behavior management, and ongoing assessment and adjustment. Students with special needs can thrive academically, socially, and emotionally by providing a supportive and structured environment.

Special Education Classroom Behavior Management

Behavior management strategies for special education are the set of strategies and techniques that teachers use to promote positive behavior and prevent and respond to challenging behaviors in students with disabilities or special needs. It requires a deep understanding of the underlying causes of challenging behaviors and a range of skills and techniques for promoting positive behavior and addressing challenging behaviors.

One important aspect of behavior management is using accommodations and modifications to support positive behavior, such as preferential seating, visual aids, assistive technology, or other supports. Positive reinforcement, such as praise, rewards, and recognition, is also used to encourage appropriate behavior. Teachers can create a supportive and structured learning environment where all students can thrive by taking a proactive and positive approach to behavior management.

Teaching Strategies for Students with Special Needs

Effective teaching strategies for special needs students include using multi-sensory techniques, differentiated instruction, repetition and reinforcement, assistive technology, structured and predictable environments, frequent feedback, collaboration and peer support, cooperative learning, peer tutoring, and social skills training. These strategies can help to reinforce learning and promote retention of new concepts.

Other Resources

Many resources are available online for classroom management plan examples in PDF format. Your search for “classroom management plan example pdf,” “teaching strategies for special needs students pdf,” or “classroom management in special education ppt.”

Here are a few websites where you can find examples of classroom management plans:

• TeachThought: This website offers a free downloadable classroom management plan template and a sample classroom management plan in PDF format.
• The University of Kansas Center for Research on Learning: This website offers a free downloadable classroom management plan template for middle and high school teachers.
• Edutopia: This website offers a variety of classroom management resources, including a sample classroom management plan in PDF format.
• Study.com: This website offers a free downloadable classroom management plan template and a sample classroom management plan in PDF format.
• Pinterest: You can also find many classroom management plan examples in PDF format on Pinterest. Search for “classroom management plan examples” and browse the many available examples.

Remember, when using a classroom management plan example, it’s important to customize the plan to meet the unique needs of your students and classroom. Use the example as a starting point and make adjustments to create a plan that works for you and your students.

We hope you enjoyed today’s discussion of the Sample Classroom Management Plan for Special Education. Have a great day!

Jennifer Hanson is a dedicated and seasoned writer specializing in the field of special education. With a passion for advocating for the rights and needs of children with diverse learning abilities, Jennifer uses her pen to educate, inspire, and empower both educators and parents alike.

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Behavior and Classroom Management in Special Education

Techniques to Use to Encourage Positive Behavior

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Behavior is one of the greatest challenges a special education teacher faces. This is especially true when students receiving special education services are in inclusive classrooms .

There are a number of strategies that teachers—both special and general education—can employ to help with these situations. We will begin by looking at ways to provide structure, move on to addressing behavior in general, and look at structured interventions as prescribed by federal law.

Classroom Management

The most effective way to deal with difficult behavior is to prevent it. It really is as simple as that, but that's also sometimes easier to say than to put into practice in real life.

Preventing bad behavior means creating a classroom environment that reinforces positive behavior . At the same time, you want to stimulate attention and imagination and make your expectations clear to the students.

To start, you can create a comprehensive classroom management plan . Beyond establishing rules, this plan will help you institute classroom routines , develop strategies to keep student's organized and implement Positive Behavior Support systems .

Behavior Management Strategies

Before you have to put a Functional Behavior Analysis (FBA)  and Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP) in place, there are other strategies you can try. These will help refocus behavior and avoid those higher, and more official, levels of intervention.

First of all, as a teacher, it's important that you understand the potential behavioral and emotional disorders children in your classroom may be dealing with. These may include psychiatric disorders or behavioral disabilities and each student will come to class with their own needs.

Then, we also need to define what inappropriate behavior is . This helps us understand why a student may be acting out the way she has in the past. It also gives us guidance in properly confronting these actions.

With this background, behavior management becomes part of classroom management . Here, you can begin to implement strategies to support a positive learning environment. This may include behavior contracts between yourself, the student, and their parents. It could also involve rewards for positive behavior.

For example, many teachers use interactive tools like the "Token Economy" to recognize good behavior in the classroom. These point systems can be customized to fit the individual needs of your students and classroom.

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is a research-based therapeutic system based on Behaviorism (the science of behavior), which was first defined by B.F. Skinner. It has been proven to be successful in managing and changing problematic behavior. ABA also provides instruction in functional and life skills, as well as academic programming .

Individual Education Plans (IEP)

An Individual Education Plan (IEP) is a way to organize your thoughts in a formal manner regarding a child's behavior. This can be shared with the IEP team, parents, other teachers, and school administration.

The goals outlined in an IEP should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and have a timeframe (SMART). All of this helps keep everyone on track and gives your student a very detailed sense of what is expected of them.

If the IEP is not working, then you might need to resort to the formal FBA or BIP. Yet, teachers often find that with earlier intervention, the right combination of tools, and a positive classroom environment, these measures can be avoided.

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• Guide to Behavior Intervention Plans (BIPs)
• Behavior Versus Classroom Management
• Creating a Comprehensive Classroom Management Plan
• Introduction to Special Education Resource Rooms
• Physical Education Adaptations for Students with Disabilities
• IEP - Writing an IEP
• IEP - Individual Education Program
• A Guide to Specially Designed Instruction for Children
• Classroom Essentials for the New Special Educator
• Identifying Behavior for a Functional Behavior Analysis
• Data Collection for Special Education
• What is Special Education?
• Behavior Goals for An Early Intervention IEP

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11 Classroom Management Strategies for Children with Special Needs

Topics: Inclusive Education , Brain Parade , Infant/Toddler (0-3) , Elementary (4-12) , Teen (13-17) , Articles

Strategies to use with your students

Inclusion is a great thing. Children with special needs are no longer isolated in “Special Ed” classrooms and only seen on the playground or in the lunchroom. Kids with special needs thrive in the presence of their peers. There are so many lessons that children with special needs can learn from other kids, and so many friendships to be formed.

Teachers are called upon to be creative and innovative when preparing classrooms. Managing an all-inclusive classroom is easier if simple, personalized teaching strategies for the special needs student are implemented.  The following tips will help you create a learning environment that will help students bloom where they are planted!

1. Use computer based programs to hold the interest of students with autism. Stages Learning Line is an invaluable tool when working with children with autism. The platform is a revolutionary visual learning and assessment tool for teachers and educators working with young children wit autism. The program includes thousands of images and exercises created by a certified behavior analyst. You can also use your own images to personalize lesson plans for students who have specific interests. One standardized platform allows teachers to create effective, customized lesson plan, that can be shared with other students and teachers who may share the same interests. The products preceding Stages Learning Line have been researched and implemented in schools around the world and have proven to be  effective learning tools for instructing students with autism.

2. Set the desks in the classroom is rows , rather than using circular seating around large tables, if possible. Students with autism need their own space. The student with ADHD is easily distracted, so a seat close to the teacher, facing forward works best. Children with special needs are easily distracted, so keep their desks away from the windows, doors and activity centers in the classroom.

3. Post classroom rules in a conspicuous place in the classroom , and review the regularly. Ask students to take turns reading the rules aloud as part of the daily routine. Make sure all students understand the rules of the classroom and the consequences for not adhering to them. It may be helpful to allow the class to help formulate the classroom rules.

4. Keep it simple. Give verbal prompts frequently, and be sure your instructions are easy to understand. Repeat instructions if the student does not seem to comprehend what you are saying.

5. Use visual aids such as charts , graphs, and pictures. The Stages Learning Line computer program consists of colorful, vivid pictures that are sure to please. Children with autism tend to respond well to technology. Stages Learning Line is very appealing to them and allows them to be interactive while learning.

6. Peers can be wonderful role models for students on the autism spectrum. Pair compatible children together when working on projects or participating in classroom activities. Many children welcome the opportunity to be a peer role model to the special needs student. The experience is not only positive for the student with autism, but for the peer counselor as well.

7. Have a predictable schedule. Children with autism tend to prefer predictable routines. Give advance warning if the daily schedule is going to change. If there is going to be a field trip, a special guest in the classroom, or a substitute teacher, try to let the class know in advance. Unexpected changes in the routine can be difficult for the child with autism.

8. Teach social skills , such as hand raising, taking turns and sharing as part of the learning curriculum. All students will benefit when reminders are given. Children with autism often engage in self-stimulating behaviors such as hand flapping, rocking or even slapping themselves in the face. Help the other students in the class understand these behaviors.

9. Provide opportunities to take a break. Read a story, play a short game, stand up and stretch, or have casual conversation. Sometimes an opportunity to get out of his seat and walk around the room can be very calming for the child on the autism spectrum. Try to be aware of the signs that your student may need a short break.

10. Focus on student strengths. If a child is interested in dinosaurs, baseball, dogs or water sports, he or she needs the opportunity to exhibit expertise in that subject. Stages Learning Line was developed with the personalized lesson plan in mind. Students with autism thrive when they are studying a lesson plan that was formatted specifically for them.

11. Be aware of environmental triggers. Loud noises, bright lights, and hot or cold temperatures can disrupt a child’s thinking pattern and cause an unnecessary classroom outburst. Be mindful of these environmental triggers and eliminate them whenever possible. 

A Positive Experience All Around

Teaching students with autism is a challenge, but the experience can be a positive one for the autistic child, his teachers, and his classmates if the proper teaching strategies are incorporated into the daily routine. Autistic children struggle with socialization. The Stages Learning Line computer based program opens a world of wonder for each student who is enrolled. The autistic student can work independently, and can feel a sense of pride and accomplishment as he masters skills and learns new concepts. The program makes it possible to focus on the things that appeal to the student. Teachers are impressed as they watch in wonder as their students with autism improve their verbal skills as they progress through the program at their own pace.

Stages Learning Line helps teachers improve the effectiveness of their teaching. Parents are delighted when they attend parent-teacher conferences and hear about the positive accomplishments being made in their child’s education. The combination of classroom management strategies and the Stages Learning Line program can help teachers create a learning environment that is productive, enthusiastic and conducive to academic success.

Written by Jim McClafferty

Jim McClafferty is the original Founder of Brain Parade. With a technology career of over 25 years and a lifetime of tinkering with new and innovative products, Jim was shocked to find out how this innovation was largely absent in special education. He founded Brain Parade with the goal of using his experience to build applications that help people with special needs. Brain Parade was created to build products that will have a profound, positive impact on the lives of these individuals, their teachers, their families and their caregivers. Before the sale of Brain Parade to Stages Learning Materials, Jim's leadership put quality digital autism education in the hands of hundreds of thousands of parents and educators.

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5 Effective Strategies for the Inclusive Classroom

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Students with special and exceptional needs are placed in inclusive learning environments more frequently than in the past. For general educators with a limited special education background, this can often be anxiety provoking and stressful. Every teacher wants to provide the best instruction and education for her students. As a special education teacher for the past ten years, my job has been to support general education teachers when we share responsibility of students with special needs. I work with them to ensure that all students have the necessary resources in order to be successful, and that they themselves can grow and learn as an educator. Here are five strategies that have been successful for working with students in the inclusive classroom.

1. Get to know your students’ IEPs/504s

Upon receiving notice that a student with a specific plan is entering your class, it’s important to connect with that student’s case manager. For a student with a 504 plan, that is usually the school counselor; for a student with an IEP it’s either the Special Education Teacher or Resource Specialist. You should receive a brief synopsis of the IEP, often referred to as the “IEP at a Glance” form. This will detail the specific services and minutes each student receives, as well as any accommodations and modifications that are available for them.

One of the most common accommodations for students with special needs is preferential seating. This doesn’t always mean in the front row of the classroom right next to the teacher’s desk. There are many instances where seating a student in the front row can be catastrophic! Most of the rooms I see are grouped in clusters; I like to make sure that a student I am working with is next to peers they feel comfortable with, and can help explain a concept during collaborative time. Seats away from distractions such as windows or doors is quite helpful for students with attention issues.

Take Action: Check and make sure you have current documents for students in your class. Make a chart with what services each student receives and how frequently. Make note of their next IEP meeting date. If you haven’t started one yet, start a folder for student work samples-this will make the Special Educator’s job that much easier!

2. Implement Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

Universal Design is so much more than one of the hottest buzzwords circulating around education circles. It’s an approach to curriculum planning and mapping that makes learning engaging and accessible to a wider range of learners with different strengths and needs. UDL builds on Howard Gardner’s theories of multiple intelligences , in that it calls for teaching to utilize multiple modalities, and for students to respond to learning with a variety of assessment tools. Educators that recognize the importance of UDL realize that we all learn and express ourselves in different ways, and that in order to assess skills we need to be allowed to use our strengths, while practicing our areas of need at the same time.

A great introduction to the concepts behind UDL can be found at CAST’s website .

Take Action: View the video and reflect on your teaching practices. How are you engaging students? How do students show what they know? How are students presented with material?

3. Support Important Life Skills

As a seasoned educator, when I hear the term “life skills”, I often think of tasks that are performed by our more severely disabled students, many of whom are not in a general education environment. When I do this, I am shortchanging my students, many who lack very necessary skills they need in order to be a productive and contributing member of society. Many general education mainstream students cannot perform the following simple tasks:

• telling time from an analog clock
• writing a simple letter
• signing their name in cursive
• note taking and study skills

Many of the teachers that I work with have a “Study Skills Thursday”, where students clean out their backpacks, organize their binders and notebooks, and focus on developing and self-reflecting on both short and long-term goals. I also do locker checks with some of my students. The battle is half won if a student comes to school organized and prepared.

Take Action: Find or create a survey for your students to gauge what essential skills they have, and what they need (I use this  Learning Skills and Work Habits Student Self-Assessment Checklist from Teachers Pay teachers ). How can you incorporate instruction in these skills into your everyday schedule?

4. Engage in Collaborative Planning and Teaching

No classroom is an island, especially an inclusive classroom. Opening up your room to service providers, paraprofessionals, special education teachers, and parents gives you valuable opportunities to participate in collaborative teaching. Collaborative teaching looks differently depending on what school, level, and setting you are working. I am fortunate enough to work in a school where collaborative teaching is encouraged and celebrated. Teachers have common planning times, and professional development time is often set aside for teachers to plan together. This often spans grade levels and subject areas.

Take Action: Try to find a common time to sit and meet with your grade-level Special Education teacher. How can you work together to improve student learning? Draft a plan to hand to your administrator; perhaps you can receive a stipend for your planning time!

5. Develop a strong Behavior Management Plan

Having a successful inclusive classroom depends upon having control of your classroom. It is essential to have clearly communicated expectations and goals, that are accessible to all students. Your classroom environment should be tailored to better suit diverse students’ needs. With students’ and specialists’ input, create a checklist or action plan for students.

Some specific behavior management strategies that support effective instruction are:

• Posting daily schedules
• Displaying classroom rules and expectations
• Encouraging peer to peer instruction and leadership
• Using signals to quiet down, start working, and putting away materials.
• Giving students folders, labels and containers to organize supplies.
• Checking in with students while they work
• Utilizing proactive rather than reactive interventions as needed
• Speaking to students privately about any concerns
• Employing specific, targeted positive reinforcement when a student meets a behavioral or academic goal.

Take Action: Look through student IEPs to see if any student has a formal Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP). Consult with your Special Education teacher for resources on how to establish and strengthen behavior management in your classroom. If possible, have the SpEd teacher observe and give feedback.

There are many pieces to the puzzle for creating an effective inclusive classroom. Communication is key, and collaboration with other educators and professionals has a great benefit to all.

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Classroom Management With Exceptional Learners

Managing a classroom effectively is a critical skill teachers need to maximize academic achievement, enhance student social competence, promote positive classroom climate, and support students with exceptional needs. When paired with effective instruction and implemented as part of a comprehensive classwide system of positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS), empirically-supported classroom management practices increase the likelihood of improved behavioral and academic outcomes for all students, including students with disabilities. The purpose of this paper is to highlight two key strategies that teachers can use to maximize student success and promote desired behaviors: (a) establishing and teaching routines and expectations and (b) providing behavior-specific praise and error corrections. These two practices, when implemented within a classwide PBIS system, help teachers establish classroom environments that maximize the impact of academic instruction and contribute to more positive classroom climates. Implementation guidelines, links to helpful resources, and multiple examples are included.

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Classroom Management Hacks For Special Ed

Classroom Management Ideas & Hacks

Managing a special education classroom can be overwhelming and exhausting, to say the least. To make your job a little bit easier, here are some great classroom management hacks I have learned over the years in my special education classroom.

visual supports & tools

Using visual supports are a must for students and staff. When used with students, visual supports and tools can reduce prompting, increase independence and reduce behaviors in the classroom. The more independent your students are, the less you have to be right there to guide them and the more time you will have for all of the other things you need to do.

Some of the visuals and tools I use with my students are visual schedules, the pause button, timers, a wireless doorbell, etc. Visual supports and tools greatly improve classroom management and student growth. Grab the behavior visuals below HERE .

Another classroom management hack is to use visual supports and tools with staff. We need our staff to be independent just like our students! When we use visuals to make them more independent and less dependent on our direction, then we aren’t pulled for questions, spending time to reteach & train.

Visual supports and tools I use with staff include:

• Prompt hierarchy
• Class schedule
• My lesson plans
• Break and lunch schedule for staff
• Prompts for ways to say and ask questions or directives

physical set up as a classroom management hack

How you set up and design the physical layout of your room has a huge impact on classroom management. Take the time at the beginning of the year to set up your classroom in the best possible way for your students to be independent and successful.

Think about ways you can use your furniture to create boundaries and quiet learning spaces. Consider what each space will be used for and what furniture, materials, etc will be used in that area. Be sure to limit visual distractions as much as possible so your students can focus, self-regulate and learn.

Establish & teach classroom routines right away

Our students crave structure! They need it to feel less anxious and better self-regulate. For our sake and theirs, it is important to establish routines starting on the first day of school. This includes your daily schedule, arrival and dismissal routines, your behavior management system, transitioning to other areas of the school building, lunch and snack routines, lining up, etc. If we want our students to be successful and independent, we have to start working on the structure and routines from day one!

organization & system classroom management hacks

Take the time before the school year starts to get your classroom organized and to put systems in place. The better organized you are and the more systems you have set up, the easier your classroom will run. Make sure you have systems for each of these areas:

• Behavior system ( I use a token economy system in my room)
• Data collection
• Centers: who leads it, the order, if students earn after each center, etc.
• How materials will be prepped for lessons: when they will be prepped, where to put materials after they’re prepped, etc.

Write up your systems on the computer so you have it at your fingertips any time you get new paras or therapists. You can print them out and hang them up, hand them out to classroom staff and email everyone so your instructions are available for the staff to use as a reference.

If you take the time to implement systems and have your materials organized, it will allow your day to run smoothly, your students to be less distracted, there will be less downtime, and you won’t be left scrambling for materials when it’s time to do an activity. This greatly improves classroom management!

Plan as though you won’t be in the classroom

Your classroom cannot stop running every time you get called to a meeting, have to take a phone call, are absent, etc. It is imperative that you set things up in a way that learning can continue even when you aren’t available to teach. If you have systems in place, materials prepped ahead of time, and staff that’s well trained, this won’t be difficult at all. Make sure that staff and students know that you expect the day, schedule, rules, behavior systems, and learning to keep going even when you aren’t there! Read more about how to do this HERE .

This is the most common area admins and visitors comment on and praise when they pop in my classroom. It’s a sign that you have effective classroom management skills.

classroom management relies on good training

The only way that a special education classroom can run effectively is if all of the adults know, understand and follow the protocols and expectations that have been established. You have to take the time to train your staff ! They need to know everything about the students, the program, the behavior system, prompting, protocols, your expectations for them and the students, etc. Your classroom simply cannot function and your students cannot learn and progress if all of the adults are not on the same page and don’t have all of the vital information they need to do their jobs.

Many teachers don’t have consistent paras or time to meet with paras away from students. If this is the case in your classroom, I would recommend creating a systems packet that outlines your classroom rules and systems. I also make student cheat sheets for paras and therapists. Include diagnosis, important info, relevant background, and a photo. This is very helpful for staff changes, the first month of school, and ESY.

movement improves classroom management

Research shows that students learn best when given plenty of opportunities to move! Put research into action:

• Look at classroom & studnet schedules. Students shouldn’t be sitting for more than an hour.
• Add movement into most activities
• Schedule short motor groups, recess, brain gym, brainbreaks, etc. throughout the day.

Movement doesn’t have to be running around to be effective. It could be activities as simple as:

• Doing exercises during morning meeting
• Count and write the room during some ELA and math times
• Students rotating through centers or stations instead of adults moving to students.
• Changing seating: lay prone on floor for independent reading, stand up and do writing on the board, sitting at a ball during task bins, etc.

Be sure to find time throughout the day to fit in movement, it will increase your students attending, decrease behaviors & improve classroom management.

reduce downtime to improve behaviors

Downtime does not work well for most of my students and it often leads to behaviors. I keep my classroom running on a pretty tight schedule to eliminate as much downtime as possible. My students all use a token economy system. They cash in when they hear my wireless doorbell go off, and they have 3-5 minutes of reinforcement, then we go right into our next activity. If there is any downtime, we have bins of activities for students who just cannot tolerate waiting. In order to keep your students ready to learn and to avoid behaviors, reduce the downtime in your classroom as much as possible.

Theme units help classroom management

Not only does using themes have tremendous benefits for your students, but it makes things so much easier on you as well. Lesson planning is a breeze when you have a good schedule in place and you use themes. In my classroom, we do each theme unit for a two-week block. When I am doing my lesson plans for that two-week block, I simply plug the new theme activities into my existing schedule. So, for example, on Mondays at 9:00, we do vocabulary on our whiteboard. All I have to do is pull out the new vocabulary cards from the theme unit bin and I’m good to go. Using theme units will save you so much time!

build Relationships with students and staff

Our students (and staff) have to trust us and feel safe in order to take risks in learning. One of the best things you can do for your students is to take the time to build connections with them. Start doing this on day one!

It is also important to pair yourself with the reinforcers a student most enjoys. They need to know that you are the gateway to getting what they want. If you build a positive relationship and pair yourself with the fun, enticing reinforcers that the student wants, you will quickly establish instructional control and improve classroom management.

These classroom management hacks can really get you off on the right foot to a great school year. They take some work and time in the beginning, but they will all decrease your stress and workload and will increase your students’ learning, independence and success.

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• Published on March 30, 2021
• |  Blog
• | by Kenton Levings

7 Behavior Management Strategies for Special Education Teachers

Managing a mainstream classroom can be a challenge, but a special education class requires a greater commitment from the teacher.

In every classroom, there are students who have specific educational needs. A special education teacher needs to be able to adjust their lesson plans for every individual. Without the proper training and behavior management strategies, it’s easy for a student to fall behind or for the educator to lose control of the classroom.

For their class to succeed, they need to both routinely  educate themselves at workshops  as well as rely on their school’s resources. That could mean speaking to the school’s psychologist about some challenges they’re facing, as well as conferring with the principal about implementing some new strategies or privileges.

Here are some tips to get started on improving your classroom management.

Establish Meaningful Relationships

Building a relationship with your students helps you understand your students as well as helps them feel connected to you. The stronger the relationship, the more you can understand what’s going through their minds and make connections regarding their behaviors.

One great way to do this is by greeting students at the door. It allows you to check how they’re doing in the morning and address any feelings that might cause issues later on in the day.

Teachers should also check in with special needs students throughout the day to keep them on task and motivated.

If you’re a school counselor, special education director, school psychologist, or behavior interventionist, check out one of these free monthly  managing student behavior series . These webinars teach how to deal with frustrated students, identifying behaviors, and more.

Post Classroom Rules and Reference Them

Especially for students with learning disabilities and behavioral challenges, seeing rules on the walls can help keep them stay focused.

The teacher should post these rules around the classroom where they’re easily seen. Review them on a regular basis so that they don’t fade into the background.

One way to remind students of the rules is to have them take turns reading them every day. You could also give them examples of situations and ask what an appropriate reaction would be. Teaching proper behaviors is as important as any of the other lessons on their curriculum.

Use Reminders to Keep Students on Task

Students can get off task fairly easily if left unchecked. For younger students, a soft chime sound or some other kind of fun noisemaker can get their attention.

For older students, give them time to follow instructions. During an assignment, remind anyone who has finished what they should be doing when they’re done. That way, they won’t distract the other students who are still working.

Make sure not to give mixed signals, though. If you allow one student to do something, then other students might ask for the same privileges. Work out a system of what they can and can’t do, and stick to it.

Schedule in Breaks

Students of all ages look for excuses to take a break from their schoolwork, whether it’s to go to the bathroom or get a drink of water. Special education classrooms are no different.

Scheduling in breaks  can actually help special needs students focus better throughout the day.

Too much work can cause unnecessary stress and lead to an emotional outburst. It can also cause students to become unfocused and retain less information.

When implementing a break, teachers need to give some general guidelines. Set a timer for a certain amount of time, after which the student returns to their work. If given an individual break, direct the student to a predesignated break area.

Break time should be treated as a privilege and dealt with accordingly if a student refuses to go back to work or is disruptive.

Classroom Seating Options

Another method of classroom management is to provide plenty of seating options. When students are allowed to sit wherever they want, they’re three times more likely to become disruptive than when assigned seating.

However, giving students some level of freedom with certain expectations can reduce anxiety and boost academic performance. Let them sit on couches or rugs as long as they do their work. Invest in some  special needs seating  to create a more optimal work environment.

If a student can’t do their work, move them back to a desk until they do better.

Supervise the Lesson

It’s easy to think that a quiet classroom is an opportune time to do some paperwork and grade some assignments. However, it takes only a single student acting up for a domino effect to occur, and then everyone is off task.

Teachers should actively supervise the classroom. Don’t watch over them like a hawk, though. Move around, check-in on their progress, and be ready to answer whatever questions they have.

Be an active participant in their education, and they’ll thank you for it.

Consistency is Key

One of the most important behavior management strategies is consistency.

When disciplining one student for a certain behavior, they’ll be quick to point out other students who’ve done the same exact thing in the past. If they believe they’re being unjustly punished, they’re likely to repeat the behaviors again in the future.

Don’t single out students, even if they start things up more than others. Focus on the behaviors, instead. Correct errors when you see them and turn them into a learning moment.

Try Out These Behavior Management Strategies

Special education teachers should always be enhancing and retooling their behavior management strategies. What works for one class or student might not be a perfect fit for another.

Hopefully, these tips help get you started on improving your classroom management skills.

If you’re a director of special education, consider signing up to try out our  behavior intervention planning software . With it, you can assess and track behaviors and strategies. Tackle problems in the classroom the smart way.

Modernize your District's Behavior Management with research-based best-practices.

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Classroom Management Strategies for Special Education Students

• Categories : Inclusion strategies for mainstreamed classrooms
• Tags : Special ed information for teachers & parents

Classroom Management Strategies - Individualizing the Interventions

Each student is unique and different in behavioral needs within the classroom. Interventions that address behavioral issues must be individualized and implemented with specific behavioral outcomes that meet the unique needs of special education students. The student’s IEP (Individualized Education Plan) will present diagnostic behavioral concerns and the IEP team members may have shared outcome strategies in the FBA (Functional Behavioral Analysis) or the BIP (Behavioral Intervention Plan) if included in the IEP. However, it is the teacher in the student’s classroom who must understand that students with special needs must be addressed individually when creating effective classroom management strategies for the classroom.

Monitor and Adjust

Oftentimes, teachers are asked to monitor and adjust expectations according to the students behavioral or learning disability. Students could have defined learning disabilities which require curriculum and instructional modifications to accommodate the learning needs of the students or they could have physical or emotional disabilities that require a different intervention or adjustment. The following strategies can create effective classroom management goals that are win-win for both teacher and students in the classroom.

The Strategies and Interventions

• In designing effective curriculum and instruction to meet the academic needs of the student, create lessons that scaffold into smaller chunks of learning and instructional access. Students must be able to feel success in learning which translates into more on task behavior and less off task monitoring during the class period.
• Provide collaborative peer pair sharing groups so that special education students feel valued and included in the learning process. Have expectations of constructive contributions within group projects so that all students understand that inclusion equals academic and behavioral accountability.
• Use assistive technology or other learning tools to provide a diversity of educational aids that promote student opportunities to process and practice the learning objectives.
• Monitor and adjust assignment expectations so that students can feel more win-win moments and fewer lose-lose moments when they may have difficulty understanding and producing academic and behavioral outcome.
• Create classroom management plans that are doable with constructive consequences and adjustments for special education students.
• Provide students with graphic organizers or a diversity of learning strategies to process and master learning chunks.
• Create a classroom SIP (Student Intervention Plan) capitalizing on the unique needs of the student using input from the student on behavioral actions and re-directions needed to create academic and behavioral success in the classroom.

By providing special education students with high expectations to self-monitor academic and behavioral performance in the classroom, teachers are providing them with tools to understand and redirect their own behavior in more constructive and proactive ways that say win-win in learning and in life.

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The Key to Effective Classroom Management

A three-phase process helps build strong teacher-student bonds, which can reduce disruptive behavior.

It’s a daunting but all-too-common sight for many teachers: A classroom full of rowdy students who are unable to focus on the lesson. Classroom management techniques may get things back on track, but valuable time has already been lost.

Many experienced teachers know that making meaningful connections with students is one of the most effective ways to prevent disruptions in the first place, and a new study set out to assess this approach . In classrooms where teachers used a series of techniques centered around establishing, maintaining, and restoring relationships, academic engagement increased by 33 percent and disruptive behavior decreased by 75 percent—making the time students spent in the classroom more worthwhile and productive.

“Strong teacher-student relationships have long been considered a foundational aspect of a positive school experience,” explains Clayton Cook, the lead author of the study and a professor at the University of Minnesota. When those relationships are damaged, student well-being may be affected, leading to academic and behavioral problems.

In the study, teachers used an approach called Establish-Maintain-Restore to build positive interactions with students—a total of 220 in fourth and fifth grade—and boost their sense of belonging. (A follow-up study with middle school teachers used the same strategies, with similar results.) Relationship-building was broken down into three phases: the first meeting, maintenance throughout the school year, and points when a relationship may suffer damage, with useful strategies for each phase.

Since it can be easy for some students to fall through the cracks, a relationship reflection form—like the one we share here—can help teachers take notes on each individual student and highlight ones who need the most attention.

Starting on a Positive Note

At the start of the school year, the teachers in the study made time for establishing relationships. “The goal is to ensure all students feel a sense of belonging that is characterized by trust, connection, and understanding,” Cook and his colleagues explain. For students with learning or behavioral problems, cultivating positive relationships provided “protective effects” that helped them stay focused on learning.

To establish positive relationships, teachers can:

• “Bank time” with students. Schedule one-on-one meetings with students to get to know them better. The goal is to “make deposits into the relationship” to help ease conflict in the future if you have to give constructive feedback or address disruptive behavior.
• Encourage student-led activities. Students feel more invested in their learning if given opportunity to share their interests . Teachers can step aside, be supportive, and listen.
• Welcome students into the classroom. Activities such as positive greetings at the door and icebreaker questions help create a warm classroom culture.
• Use positive communication techniques. Open-ended questions, reflective listening, validation statements, expressions of enthusiasm or interest, and compliments help students—especially shy or introverted ones—ease into classroom discussions.

Maintaining Relationships

Without active maintenance, relationships deteriorate over time, the study authors point out. Teachers may focus too much on academics and not enough on supporting students’ emotional well-being, slowly using up the banked time they initially built up with students.

Teachers can maintain relationships by continuing to implement the strategies above, and in addition they can:

• Take note of positive and negative interactions with students.  Teachers should aim for a five-to-one ratio.
• Regularly check in with students. Ask how they’re doing and what support they may need. In an Edutopia article, Todd Finley explains how 5x5 assessment time helped him focus on a handful of students every day.
• Acknowledge good behavior. When teachers focus attention on positive conduct, disruptive behavior is stemmed before it becomes an issue.

Repairing Harm Before Things Get Worse

Eventually, negative interactions such as misunderstandings, conflict, or criticism can weaken a teacher-student relationship. If these negative interactions are left unaddressed, students may feel disengaged and be less willing to participate in activities. They may also be more likely to misbehave, creating further damage. So it’s important for teachers to “intentionally reconnect” with students to restore the relationship to a positive state.

When relationships need repair, teachers can:

• Let go and start fresh. Teachers should avoid holding mistakes over a student’s head, instead giving them a chance to start each day with a clean slate.
• Take responsibility for their actions. Teachers can avoid blaming students when things go wrong, and think, “What could I have done to avoid the problem in the first place?” They shouldn’t be afraid to apologize when that’s called for—doing so helps build trust with students.
• Show empathy. There are two sides to every story, and a teacher can acknowledge that students may have a different perspective about what happened.
• Focus on solutions, not problems. Teachers can work with students to find a solution that everyone feels is fair.
• Separate the deed from the doer. It’s important to criticize the behavior, not the person. If teachers label children as “problem students,” there’s a danger that they’ll internalize that label, making it more likely that they’ll repeat the behavior in the future.

The takeaway: Effective classroom management starts with relationship building. When students feel a greater sense of belonging, they’re more likely to be academically engaged and demonstrate positive behavior.

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The Behavior Issues Guide: How to Respond, Prevent, De-escalate Effectively

Even though RTI teaching strategies  and interventions are widely used, it is estimated that between 15 and 30 percent of students struggle to learn due to psychosocial problems which affect attention to and retention of material. For these students, as well as for all those in their classrooms, positive behavior support (PBS) is crucial to success.

Just like the academic RTI framework , the framework for PBS has three levels. The first level is a positive school and classroom behavior plan. A school may use a program like CHAMPs, which is a school-wide, positive classroom management plan. In this plan, all classrooms share the same rules and consequences.

Tier Two Behavioral Interventions

When students don’t respond to proactive classroom management , they receive interventions associated with the second level of RTI, such as small group instruction in anger management, social interaction skills, how to follow directions or other needed skills to help them be successful in the classroom. You can also change the seating arrangement and proximity to peers who negatively influence a student, as well as seek help from other teachers, school counselors or parents. If a student does not respond to PBS interventions from level two of the RTI framework, the RTI team will assign more personal and individual behavioral interventions.

When disruptions occur at this level, the teacher records the behavior and its effect on learning using concrete, specific, non-emotional terms; he or she also records details surrounding the behavior, such as the time, the subject being taught, the learning activity and its difficulty, the location of the student in the classroom and nearby peers or other adults. Be sure to record what happened before the disruption, during the disruption and after the disruption as all three can supply clues which can help you successfully intervene. You are looking for a trigger (what started the disruption) so that you can address it in the small group.

There are several types of events that can trigger students to disrupt. For example, a student may be unable to answer a question or complete work and, as a result, may act out in frustration; this behavior can be addressed through an intervention. As you continue to watch the student’s behavior and record the cycle of disruption, you gather the data that will be necessary to complete a functional behavioral analysis (FBA) , which is used if the behavior continues.

Although a large part of PBS is teaching the student new skills to increase appropriate behavior, there are times when a student’s behavior needs immediate attention or when he or she needs to be removed from the classroom. If the behavior is escalating or influencing other students, the class is unable to learn or safety is threatened, it is time to involve administrative personnel. You can always work with the student later to help him or her learn how to deal with whatever is triggering the behavior, but sometimes, removal is the only option to allow other students to continue learning.

Understanding the Increase in Emotional and Behavioral Disturbances

Schools have seen an upsurge in the number of students with emotional or behavioral disturbance (EBD) ; however, as is the case with academic interventions , a student is not placed in a special education program just because he or she is receiving behavioral interventions from level three. Students in special education programs with an emotional or behavioral issue will have a behavioral intervention plan (BIP) , but they are far from the only ones receiving behavioral interventions.

The upsurge in the number of EBDs could be due in part to how we define them. Not all emotional or behavioral disturbances are long term; sometimes symptoms only last a short while, such as is often the case when a student is depressed after losing a loved one or when his or her parents are divorcing. An outburst from a grieving student might be considered disruptive; if the behavior continues, it is important to assign that student to interventions from level two of the RTI framework or even send the student to the school counselor for individual help if the disturbance is ongoing. Dealing effectively with students with EBD, in whatever form it occurs, is crucial, especially given the growing concerns of educators and parents about school shootings.

De-escalating the Cycle of Disruption

A cycle of disruption, tantrums and meltdowns can be common, given the stresses that are placed upon students who may have psychosocial or learning disorders, and knowing how to effectively recognize and de-escalate this cycle is crucial. First, understand that aggression leads to aggression, and that responding with frustration will only make the situation worse. Putting distance between yourself and a student who is building up to a behavioral eruption can help to reduce conflict. You can do this verbally; for example, if Patty is making noises while you are going over answers to a quiz, you could say, “Patty, I’ll get back to you in just a minute. George, what do you have for number three?” Circle back around to Patty privately and see if she will communicate with you. Of course, unless a student has a very good reason for his or her disruptive behavior, you will need to follow your discipline plan to maintain consistency in the classroom. When you do, don’t take a student’s behavior personally, and be as matter-of-fact as possible.

If the student is escalating toward an eruption, you may be able to verbally de-escalate him or her. For example, you could do this by changing the subject, listening and empathizing, setting limits (such as re-stating the classroom rules), giving a choice or distracting the student by getting him or her to focus on something else.

Especially for students with chronic or severe behavioral problems, it is helpful to recognize the steps leading up to an outburst so that you can take preventative measures. First, there is the calm stage. In this stage, students are doing what they are supposed to be doing. In the next stage, a trigger has set off the behavior. The student may demonstrate some agitation, murmuring, tapping or engaging in other excessive movement. If you can determine what the trigger was and intervene at this point, an outburst may be avoided. You may be able to break the cycle before it starts by using the verbal de-escalation techniques above, moving closer to the student without talking to him or her or having the student move by asking him or her to run an errand or complete a task, such as sharpen your pencil.

The next stage is acceleration or escalation. Here, the student engages others in the outburst. He or she may question loudly, make inappropriate comments, argue, provoke or defy. When this happens, it is very easy to feel that you are losing control and that it is a reflection on you and your abilities as a teacher. Let go of that and focus on de-escalating the student’s behavior. Assure yourself that you will discipline the student, if appropriate, when they calm down; in the meantime, you need to remain calm, keep your voice low and even and resist the urge to respond in frustration. Put distance between yourself and the student by walking to another part of the classroom, by doing something else or by verbally pausing. This shows that you are still calm and in control.

If none of these strategies are successful in de-escalating the behavior, the student may enter into the next stage in which the behavior peaks and the student may act in rage. This is the time to ensure everyone’s safety, including the student in the rage. Contact the appropriate help from outside of the classroom so the student can be separated from the class.

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• Teachers Helping Teachers: Special Education As part of the "Teachers Helping Teachers" Web site, these pages feature activities in math, language, and reading. Classroom management strategies are provided from teachers worldwide. The purpose, materials, and methods for each strategy are described. The strategies help educators use constructive and creative ways to teach, involve, and meet the needs of special education students.

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56. Plan the Year with Me! How to Set-up Your Planner as a Special Education Teacher STEPPING INTO SPECIAL EDUCATION, Special Education, SPED, Special Ed, Students with Disabilities, Classroom Management

Hey Special Ed Teacher, Have you set up your teacher planner? What do you include in your planner as a special education teacher? Do you have a system that you use to keep on track with your personal and work life? In today’s episode, I share my own step-by-step way of how I organize the planner that I use for the new school year! Getting your planner set up will make the year so much smoother! From planning your IEP meeting dates to not missing your next doctor appointment, this system will help you transition into the school year! Take Care, Michelle Resources Mentioned: Erin Condren Softbound Lifeplanner Callie Danielle Shop  Plum Paper Connect with Michelle Vazquez: Download your FREE IEP Meeting Checklist HERE! Become an INSIDER & join the email list HERE!  Join the FACEBOOK COMMUNITY! Follow on INSTAGRAM!  Contact: [email protected]

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A Guide to Special Education Terms

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The number of students in special education has increased steadily in the last four decades , with parents more readily seeking additional support and more students being diagnosed with conditions, like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder.

In the wake of the pandemic, though, districts struggle to hire and—more importantly—keep their special education teachers, who are often beleaguered by stressful working conditions and a lack of resources.

Even as the field shifts to address workforce shortages, with some states considering extra pay for special education and others eyeing how artificial intelligence could lessen the burden of increased workloads, students with disabilities make up roughly 13 percent of the school population, said Natasha Strassfeld, an assistant professor in the department of special education at the University of Texas at Austin.

These are key terms educators should know.

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act , or IDEA , is a federal law that establishes the rights of students with disabilities and their families.

First passed in 1975 and most recently reauthorized in 2004, the act provides grant funding to states that agree to the federal government’s vision for educating students with disabilities, said Strassfeld.

Students must be identified, evaluated, and deemed as IDEA eligible for the state to use federal money to educate that child. There are 13 categories under which a student could be eligible, including physical and intellectual disabilities.

There are about seven million students served under IDEA, said Strassfeld.

An Individualized Education Program , or IEP , is a legally binding contract between a school district and a family with a child with a disability. Under IDEA, students are afforded an IEP, said Dia Jackson, senior researcher for special education, equity, and tiered systems of support at the American Institutes of Research.

IEPs spell out what area a student has a disability in, how it impacts learning, and what the school will do to address those needs, such as providing speech or occupational therapy, more intensive instructional supports, and accommodations, including for standardized tests and other learning goals.

The number of IEPs is increasing in schools as conditions, like autism spectrum disorder, or ADHD, are being diagnosed more readily.

All students with disabilities are protected under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which requires schools to make “reasonable accommodation” for students with disabilities.

Educators don’t have to make specially designed instruction plans under a 504, but students can get certain accommodations, like elevator passes if a student is in a wheelchair, Jackson said.

“It’s a slightly different focus, but both play out in schools,” Jackson said.

Individualized family services plans , or IFSPs, are developed for children up to age 3 who need help with communication, social-emotional skills, and physical needs, Strassfeld said.

Like an IEP, the plan is made in collaboration with a parent or guardian, along with professionals such as a child care provider, religious leaders, or doctors. The document outlines a plan for families to help seek services—such as speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, medical services, and more—but is focused more on the family’s goals rather than strictly educational goals, Strassfeld said.

“While they’re focusing on pre-education goals, primarily at that age, we’re thinking about that child as being a part of a component of a family,” she said.

The right to a Free Appropriate Public Education , or FAPE , means that for every IDEA-eligible student, services must be provided at no cost to the student or their family, must be appropriate for the needs of the child, and have to be education oriented, Strassfeld said.

With FAPE, there is also the concept of least restrictive environment, or LRE, Jackson said. Students should be included to the fullest extent possible in mainstream classrooms and be challenged but appropriately supported, alongside their general education peers.

That’s not without its challenges, however, Strassfeld said.

“IDEA essentially is premised on the philosophical notion that it is that easy. It’s a real challenge for school districts,” she said, adding that as parents and advocates examine special education through disability justice and disability studies lenses, there are more critiques of the model.

Jackson said that she’s heard criticism along these lines: When students with disabilities aren’t prepared for a general education environment, or when general education teachers don’t have training on special education.

Response to intervention , or RTI , came as an amendment to IDEA in 2004 to help earlier identify students who are struggling before they begin failing, Jackson said, and begin giving them additional support through a tiered process. Generally, all students receive “tier I” instruction on grade-level standards. Then, students who need additional help get more intensive supports. That could look like a teacher working one-on-one, or in small groups, helping target specific areas to improve learning.

Intervention is an evidence-based program meant to address a specific learning or social-emotional need. It can be done in a general education classroom, and looks like regular teaching, Jackson said, but it uses particular materials and involves collecting data on progress.

The term RTI has evolved into multitiered system of supports , or MTSS , which is also a preventative framework, but goes beyond academics to consider the infrastructure districts need to implement MTSS, Jackson said.

“The shift to MTSS is meant to be more inclusive of the infrastructure as well as inclusive of social-emotional learning as well as academics,” she said.

A functional behavior assessment , or FBA , is a way for educators to collect data on student behavior, and what is triggering certain unwanted behavior, Jackson said.

For instance, she said, if a teacher has a student who has autism and, when they get upset, they throw a chair, an FBA could be conducted.

Once that analysis is collected, a behavior intervention plan , or BIP , is developed, describing what the behavior is, how often it happens, and what will be done to address it.

FBAs and BIPs are not without concerns, however, as students with disabilities—especially students of color—are more likely to face exclusionary discipline, such as suspension and expulsion.

“A lot of times, it is a subjective judgment call if a student is exhibiting ‘appropriate behavior’ or not,” Jackson said. “There’s a lot of potential bias that goes into discipline of students and behavior management.”

It’s one example of disproportionality , where an ethnic or racial group is over- or under-represented in certain areas. For instance, Jackson said, students of color with disabilities are over-represented in discipline, on being identified as having a disability, and being placed in more restrictive environments.

Restraint and seclusion are practices used in public schools as a response to student behavior that limits their movement and aims to deescalate them, by either physically limiting their movement (restraint) or isolating them from others (seclusion), according to previous EdWeek reporting .

The practice of physically restraining students with disabilities or placing them in isolation has been heavily scrutinized, but is still used in some states.

It should only be used in extreme cases when a student is at risk to harm themselves or others, Jackson said, but never as a behavior management technique, or as punishment. Students have been harmed, or even killed, as a result of restraints , Jackson said. Students of color are over-represented in the population who are restrained and isolated, Jackson added.

Even still, there are educators who don’t want to see the practices completely banned, Jackson said.

“Teachers have been hurt by students or they’ve been hurt in the midst of a restraint so they still want to have the option available,” she said. “It’s an issue of not having training in another alternative, so they feel like: ‘This is the only way I can handle this particular student, or type of student, because I don’t know anything else.’”

Strassfeld said that there’s been more focus on the practice alongside excessive force in law enforcement.

“There’s been discussion that disability advocates have had about criminalization of behaviors that a person has no control over, and this type of force seems to deny the humanity of people who perhaps are exhibiting behaviors they are not able to control,” she said.

Education Issues, Explained

Vanessa Solis, Associate Design Director contributed to this article.

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