How to Evaluate Special Education Teachers
Special education teachers are responsible for ensuring that the needs of disabled students are met. While the performance of any teacher is important, the effectiveness of a special education teacher is even more vital, as these teachers work to maintain a school's compliance with special education laws. If a school is found to be out of compliance, it faces hefty fines and sanctions. When evaluating a special education teacher, there are a number of things that the school administrator needs to take into consideration.
Instructions
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Monitor the teacher's daily meetings with special education students. Students' IEPs (Individualized Education Programs) dictate how much one-on-one attention they must receive weekly. Check to make sure that your special education teacher is providing the required amount of service for each special education student to ensure that these guidelines are being met.
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Check the teacher's organizational system. There is much requisite paperwork associated with maintaining a special education department. Review the special education teacher's files to ensure that she has an orderly recording and record-keeping system.
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Monitor special education law compliance. Review all IEPs and make sure that they have been updated on time and contain up-to-date information about student needs and performance to ensure that all special education laws are being met. Check recent updates to special education laws and current compliance regulations by checking with the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services frequently. See the Resources section for a link to this government-sponsored website.
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Consider any new programs implemented by the special education teacher. Special education teachers often need to establish new programs to help students with disabilities that have not previously been accommodated at the school. Check into any new programs that the special education teacher in question has established to meet students' needs and evaluate their effectiveness.
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Discuss with the teacher the accommodations he has established. Speak about specific accommodations that he uses and ask him to explain why they were selected and how much success he has seen since implementing them.
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