MENTAL RETARDATION Characteristics

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LEE v. MACON AWARENESS TRAINING
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In memory of Mr. Detroit Lee
1917
_
2001
Montgomery Advertiser
3
Mandate of the Lee v. Macon Consent Decree

• Provide ongoing awareness and professional
  development for administrators, evaluators, and
  educators
• Provide ongoing monitoring of all initiatives

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A Message From the Governor
PICTURE
I have made children the focus of my
administration. My wife, Lori, and I know that
education is the key to our childrens success
and the success of all of Alabamas children. I
commend your efforts to ensure that every Alabama
child has the opportunity to achieve his or her
full potential.
Don Siegelman
5
A Message From the State Superintendent of
Education
PICTURE
Public education is a distinguishing
characteristic of the United States of America.
An excellent public education system is
absolutely essential if Alabamas citizens are to
enjoy a brighter future. Education for students
with disabilities in Alabama has improved
dramatically since the Lee v. Macon litigation
was filed in 1963. I support the initiatives of
the Decree. I am confident we will meet its
requirements and continue our strides to provide
quality education for all students. You are to
be commended for your commitment to this
effort. Ed Richardson
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Implementation of the Lee v. Macon Consent Decree

• Redefined eligibility criteria
• Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD)
• Mental Retardation (MR)
• Emotional Disturbance (ED)
• Gifted

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Alabama Desegregation Timeline
1954 Brown v. Board of Education
1956 Alabama law allowed schools to close if
threatened with integration
2000 Lee v. Macon Consent Decree signed in the
area of special education
1963 Original Lee v. Macon suit filed in Macon
County to desegregate schools
1997 The courts ordered all parties to move
toward unitary status
1964 School districts throughout the state joined
original Lee v. Macon suit
1977 Alabama district courts ordered schools to
move toward unitary status
1964 Federal Civil Rights Act
1970 District court orders approved desegregation
plans throughout Alabama
1967 Alabama public schools remained
overwhelmingly segregated
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Alabama Desegregation Timeline

• 1954 Brown v. Board of Education
• 1956 Alabama law allowed schools to close if
  threatened with integration

Southeastern Equity Center
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Alabama Desegregation Timeline(continued)

• 1963 Lee v. Macon, plaintiffs filed (August)
  original suit to desegregate schools in
  Macon County
• 1964 Lee v. Macon, joined school districts
  throughout the state to the original case

Southeastern Equity Center
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Alabama Desegregation Timeline(continued)

• 1964 Federal Civil Rights Act
• 1967 Lee v. Macon, Alabama public
  schools remain overwhelmingly segregated

Southeastern Equity Center
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Alabama Desegregation Timeline(continued)

• 1970 District court orders approved
  desegregation plans throughout Alabama
• 1977 Alabama district courts ordered
  schools to move toward unitary status

Southeastern Equity Center
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Alabama Desegregation Timeline(continued)

• 1997 The courts ordered all parties to move
  toward unitary status

Southeastern Equity Center
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Unitary Status

• Means school systems no longer discriminate on
  the basis of race
• Is an indicator that a concerted effort has been
  made to eradicate the vestiges of dual school
  systems
• Is a reflection a change in attitudes, beliefs,
  actions, values, and outcomes

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A Unitary School District Must Satisfy a
Three-Pronged Analysis

• Has the district complied with the courts
  desegregation orders for a reasonable period of
  time?
• Has the district eliminated the vestiges of
  dejure segregation?
• Has the district demonstrated a good-faith effort
  to the whole of the courts desegregation orders?

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Alabama Desegregation Timeline(continued)

• 2000 Lee v. Macon Consent (August 25)
  Decree signed in the area of
  special education

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Green v. New Kent County (1968)The Green
Factors

• Student Assignment
• Faculty and Staff Assignment
• Transportation
• Extracurricular Activities
• Facilities

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Unresolved Issues

• Overrepresentation of
• Minority students identified as mentally retarded
• Minority students identified as emotionally
  disturbed
• Underrepresentation of
• Minority students identified as having specific
  learning disabilities
• Minority students identified as gifted

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Who is Most Affected by Overrepresentation?

• African-American males are
• Less likely to receive early intervention
• Less likely to receive counseling and
  psychological supports
• More likely to be placed in restrictive
  environments

The Civil Rights Project, Harvard University
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Who is Most Affected by Overrepresentation?(conti
nued)

• African-American males are
• Twice as likely to be identified as mentally
  retarded living anywhere in the United States
• Three times more likely in Alabama to be
  identified as mentally retarded

The Civil Rights Project, Harvard University
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Office for Civil Rights andOffice of Special
Education Programs Concerns

• Students may be
• Unserved or receive services that do not meet
  their needs
• Misclassified or inappropriately labeled
• Placement in special education classes may be a
  form of discrimination

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• Whatever affects one directly, affects all
  indirectly. Never again can we afford to live
  with the narrow, provincial outside agitator
  idea. Anyone who lives inside the United States
  can never be considered an outsider anywhere
  within its bounds.
• Dr. Martin L. King, Jr.

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(No Transcript)
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How and Why Special Education Evolved Nationally

• At the turn of the last century
• Children with mild disabilities were
  instructed in the general education classroom
• Children with severe disabilities did not
  attend school at all

(Friend and Bursuck, 1999)
24
How and Why Special Education Evolved Nationally
(continued)

• In the 40s and 50s
• Nonacademic classrooms were put in place
  to serve children with disabilities
• 
  

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How and Why Special Education Evolved Nationally
(continued)

• By the mid-50s and early 60s
• Studies began to show that the needs of
  students with disabilities were not being met

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How and Why Special Education Evolved Nationally
(continued)

• In the 50s and 60s
• The Civil Rights Movement
• Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

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How and Why Special Education Evolved Nationally
(continued)

• Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
• Provided for equal opportunity concerning
  participation in the full range of school
  activities for disabled students

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How and Why Special Education Evolved Nationally
(continued)

• In 1975, P. L. 94-142, the Education for All
  Handicapped Children Act, provided
• Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE)
• Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)
• Individualized Education Program (IEP)

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How and Why Special Education Evolved Nationally
(continued)

• In 1975, P. L. 94-142, the Education for All
  Handicapped Children Act, provided (continued)
• Nondiscriminatory Evaluation
• Due Process
• Child Find

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How and Why Special Education Evolved Nationally
(continued)

• In 1990, P. L. 101-476 changed the name to
  Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
  (IDEA)
• Other provisions
• Autism and traumatic brain injury added
• Transition emphasized
• Preschool childrens services increased
• Grants provided

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How and Why Special Education Evolved Nationally
(continued)

• In 1997, P. L. 105-17 reauthorized P. L.
  101-476
• New provisions
• General education teacher on IEP Team
• Participation in statewide assessments
• Transition
• Student behavior
• Paraprofessionals trained and supervised
• Mediation

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Influences on Special Education Practices
Civil Rights Laws
Education Laws
Classroom
Court Cases
Parent Professional Advocacy Groups
Research
Friend and Bursuck, 1999
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Special Education Service(s)It is NOT a Place

• Based on assessments, individualized, and
  provided in the least restrictive environment
• Special education should only be considered
  after appropriate interventions and strategies
  have been implemented in the general education
  classroom

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Purpose and Significance of Appropriate Placement
in Special Education
The purpose of special education is to ensure
that children with disabilities receive
appropriate services and instruction.
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Purpose and Significance of Appropriate Placement
in Special Education (continued)

• There is a greater likelihood of
• Attaining skills and knowledge
• Meeting those challenging expectations
• Being prepared for adult life

(Friend and Bursuck, 1999)
36
Significance of Inappropriate Placement of
Students in Special Education
If students are mislabeled, they will not
receive the appropriate supports and
services to be successful.
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Significance of Inappropriate Placement of
Students in Special Education (continued)

• When this occurs, they are
• Less likely to graduate
• More likely to be suspended/expelled
• More likely to drop out and/or enter
• into a correctional facility

Osher, Woodruff, Sims Glennon Losen
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The Problem

• Overrepresentation of minority students in
• Mental retardation programs
• Emotional disturbance programs
• Underrepresentation of minority students in
• Specific learning disabilities programs
• Gifted programs

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Reasons for Overrepresentation/
Underrepresentationin Special Education Programs

• Unlevel Playing Field
• Resources
• Teacher Effectiveness
• Prereferral/Referral
• Assessment Procedures
• Involvement of Family

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Students in Poor School Districts Lack Reading
Resources
59
60
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Percent of Teachers Lacking Resources
33
28
25
16
10
Percent of Students Who Are Poor
Source Educational Testing Service. Teacher
Questionnaire from the 1988 NAEP Reading
Assessment, Grade 4, unpublished.
1999 by The Education Trust, Inc.
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Students in Poor School Districts Lack Math
Resources
Source Mullis, Ina V.S. et al. The State of
Mathematics Achievement. NAEPs 1990 Assessment
of the Nation and the Trial Assessment of the
States. Educational Testing Service, June 1991.
Data are for 4th grade.
1999 by The Education Trust, Inc.
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(No Transcript)
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Math and Science Classes with a High Percentage
of Minority Students are More Often Taught by
Underqualified Teachers
86
90
69
54
42
30
90-100 Non-White
90-100 White
Source Jeannie Oakes. Multiplying Inequalities
The Effects of Race, Social Class, and Tracking
on Opportunities to Learn Mathematics and Science
(Rand 1990)
1999 by The Education Trust, Inc.
44
Reasons for Overrepresentation/Underrepresentatio
nin Special Education Programs (continued)

• Limited training in
• The prereferral/referral processes
• Assessment procedures

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Limited Involvement of Culturally/Linguistically
Diverse Families
Reasons for Overrepresentation/ Underrepresentatio
nin Special Education Programs (continued)
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M3 Equals

• Misidentification
• Misassessment
• Misplacement

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• 19th Annual Report to Congress
• (1997)
• Identified problems associated with
  inappropriate classification and placement
• Denied access
• Separate programs
• Stigma

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Alabama State Department of Education Position
Statement It is clear that disability
classification and placement can have a
significant impact in either a positive or
negative direction. It is imperative that good
decisions be made for each student. This single
decision to place a child in special education
can impact a child for a lifetime.
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EMOTIONAL DISTURBANCE
Specific Learning Disabilities
MENTAL RETARDATION
Emotional Disturbance
Mental Retardation
SPECIFIC LEARNING DISABILITIES
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Disability Characteristics
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Characteristics ofMental Retardation

• Difficulty in
• Focusing attention
• Remembering information
• Regulating ones own behavior
• Mastering academic tasks
• Making friends

Harris, Alabama State University
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Characteristics of Mental Retardation (continued)

• Difficulty in
• Performing life skills
• Appears unmotivated
• Below average intelligence

Harris, Alabama State University
53
Characteristics of Specific Learning
Disabilities

• Difficulty in
• Using language and symbols
• Perceiving
• Managing emotions and behavior

Grill, Athens State University
54
Characteristics of Specific Learning
Disabilities(continued)

• Difficulty in
• Talking limited vocabulary difficulty in
  formulating coherent, grammatical sentences
• Math computation and reasoning/ problem solving

Grill, Athens State University
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Characteristics of Specific Learning
Disabilities(continued)

• Difficulty in using language and symbols
• Reading basic skills comprehension
• Writing penmanship and expressing ideas clearly
• Listening hearing, but not understanding

Grill, Athens State University
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Characteristics of Specific Learning
Disabilities (continued)

• Difficulty in perceiving
• Differences in voice tones
• Differences in facial expressions
• Body language
• Passage of time
• Verbal humor
• Personal space

Grill, Athens State University
57
Characteristics of Specific Learning
Disabilities (continued)

• Difficulty in managing emotions and behavior
• Controlling anger
• Making hasty decisions
• Interrupting (impulsive)
• Responding to rapid transitions (rigid)
• Organizing tasks
• Managing time and resources

Grill, Athens State University
58
Characteristics of Specific Learning
Disabilities (continued)

• Students often may
• Appear frustrated, shy, or act out in reading
  activities (because of reading problems)
• Panic, resist, or act out in writing activities
  (because of writing problems)
• Resist, refuse, act out at math time (because of
  math problems)

Grill, Athens State University
59
Characteristics of Specific Learning
DisabilitiesSummary

• All students have some academic problems
• The most common academic problem is reading
• No one with SLD will evidence all types of
  problems.

Grill, Athens State University
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Characteristics of Specific Learning
Disabilities Summary (continued)

• All students will evidence some types of problems
• Persons with SLD exhibit these problems
• To a greater extent than do normal individuals
• With greater adverse educational effects

Grill, Athens State University
61
Characteristics of Emotional Disturbance

• Learning problems may include
• Poor academic survival skills
• Academic achievement below grade placement
• School demands attribute to at-risk behaviors

Pearson, Troy State University NICHCY
62
Characteristics of Emotional Disturbance
(continued)

• Aggressive/non-compliant behavior
• Openly defies authority
• Verbally attacks or engages in inappropriate
  verbal exchange
• Physically threatens peers and authority figures
• Easily loses temper
• May have excessive absences or repeated
  suspensions

Pearson, Troy State University NICHCY
63
Characteristics of Emotional Disturbance
(continued)

• Withdrawn
• Lacks social skills to make friends
• Uses retreat behavior
• Exhibits thought disorders
• Exhibits pervasive mood of unhappiness and/or
  depression

Pearson, Troy State University NICHCY Morgan and
Jenson
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Characteristics of Emotional Disturbance
(continued)

• Hyperactive
• Feet/hands often moving
• Out of seat often without permission
• Runs or climbs when walking or reaching would be
  better
• Trouble maintaining self in quiet activities
• Appears tense, anxious, and nervous

Pearson, Troy State University NICHCY
65
Characteristics of Emotional Disturbance
(continued)

• Immature
• Preoccupation with things not presently required
• Short attention span for chronological age
• Difficulty starting and completing tasks
• Prefers to socialize with younger-age peers
• Difficulty following multi-step directions
• Engages in behavior of younger children

Pearson, Troy State University NICHCY
66
Characteristics of Emotional Disturbance Summary

• Learning Problems
• Aggressive/non-compliant behavior
• Withdrawn
• Hyperactive
• Immature

Hallahan and Kauffman
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(No Transcript)
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Why Consider Student Characteristics?

• ...It is your responsibility (as educators)
  to learn fundamental characteristics students
  might have because of their backgrounds If you
  understand this, you can make a special effort
  to initiate interactions with those students.

(Friend and Bursuck, 1999)
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Dont Stereotype

• Stereotype
• a mental category based on exaggerated and
  inaccurate generalizations used to describe all
  members of a group. Stereotypes are erroneous
  beliefs, either favorable or unfavorable, that
  are applied universally and without exception.

Bennett
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Sociotype

• An accurate generalization about social groups.
  In a sociotype, the relationship between the
  specific group and the attribute is found
  extensively, though not universally it exists
  frequently, but not without exception.

Bennett
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Student Characteristics

• Motivation
• Cooperative environments
• Family
• Relationship with authority figures
• Trust

Grossman Friend and Bursuck
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Student Characteristics (continued)

• Spontaneous/Intuitive
• Reflective/Analytical
• Dependent Learners
• Global Perception
• Pace
• Stimulation
• Response Style

Grossman
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Student Characteristics (continued)

• Impact on Test Results
• How is the student tested?
• Who is testing the student?
• What is really being tested?

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(No Transcript)
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So What Does All This Mean?
IRRESPONSIBLE
StudentCharacteristics
76

• What Is The Connection Between Disability
  Characteristics And Student Characteristics?

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Referral

• Research results support the conclusion that
  the most important decision made in the entire
  assessment process is the one made by the general
  education teacher to refer a student for
  assessment.

Grossman, 1995
78
Referral

• Students without disabilities who are not
  referred for assessment cannot be misplaced in
  programs for students with disabilities gifted
  and talented students who are not referred for
  assessment cannot be placed in programs they
  deserve. Therefore, it is extremely important to
  reduce inappropriate and biased referrals.

Grossman, 1995
79
Referral (continued)

• This can be accomplished, in part, by
  increasing regular educators knowledge of
  contextual, cultural, gender, and socioeconomic
  factors that influence the way students behave
  and function in school and by making sure that
  appropriate prereferral procedures are followed
  before students who are thought to have
  disabilities are (referred for assessment).

Grossman, 1995
80
What Can Be Done To Reduce Overrepresentation/Und
errepresentation

• General education classroom
• Family involvement
• Referrals
• Evaluations
• Services
• Monitor

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Impact of Implementation of the Lee v. Macon
Consent Decree

• Implement more effective prereferral
  interventions
• Ensure appropriate referrals and placements
• Empower teachers
• Improve classroom management
• Reduce disciplinary office referrals
• Improve school environment

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Alabama State Department of Education MISSION
STATEMENT To provide a state system of
education which is committed to academic
excellence and which provides education to
the highest quality to all Alabama
students, preparing them for the 21st century.
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Special Education Services POLICY
STATEMENT Disability is a natural part of the
human experience and in no way diminishes the
right of individuals to participate in or
contribute to society. Improving educational
results for children with disabilities is an
essential element of our national policy of
ensuring equality of opportunity, full
participation, independent living, and economic
self-sufficiency for individuals with
disabilities.
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I fully support the Lee v. Macon Consent Decree
initiatives. Education is not just about what
one knows, but also about who and what one is.
Mabrey Whetstone
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POST ASSESSMENT

• 1. FALSE
• 2. TRUE
• 3. FALSE
• 4. FALSE
• 5. FALSE

6. TRUE 7. TRUE 8. TRUE 9. TRUE