Assignment:
This assignment assesses your ability to analyze social and cultural influences that may impact the assessment process and assessment results. This assessment also supports your achievement of Course Learning Outcomes 5 and 6 and the MASE Program Learning Outcomes 6 and 8.
As a special education professional, it is important to be aware of how social and cultural influences can impact the assessment process. Lack of awareness can lead to charges of discrimination and possible litigation.
Using support from the required readings, the Instructor Guidance, supplemental information derived from outside sources and your discussion, and information from the scenario below, you will (a) use information you have learned about Manuel to complete the Child Study Team Referral FormPreview the document found in the Week Three Instructor Guidance, and (b) write a 3 page report with your recommendations for Tier Two RTI interventions that take Manuel's social and cultural background into account.
Scenario: Manuel is becoming more and more listless in class and is still not doing well with his assignments. You have noticed though, that he seems to be making friends, as outside of class each morning you notice him joking and talking with a group of boys. They talk about BMX bikes and an online computer game that they all play. You are aware that some of the boys in that group are involved in the school robotics team and you begin to wonder how you could use his newly formed friendships and your insights into his interests to support his language arts skills.
You and Mr. Franklin are also excited about a workshop you just attended with Dr. Janette Klingner who talked about how to realize the potential of RTI (Klingner, J, 2011) with culturally and linguistically diverse learners. The Child Study Team has been doing diagnostic work to see if there are other variables within the classroom and/or school environment that may be affecting Manuel's performance.
What the Child Study Team discovers is that Manuel feels embarrassed by his slow reading compared to his classmates and does not see the relevance of classes that are not related to his intended career goal, engineering. The team also notes that Manuel is able to write well, but he often does not finish in-class assignments and tests, and his homework written assignments are very short. The lack of length in his assignments consistently costs him points.
When you talk to Manuel he shows pride when you compliment him on his bilingual ability and ask for his help in translating for a new student from Guatemala. Finally, the team becomes aware that Manuel does not want to be labeled "dumb" and is worried that he will be made fun of if he is pulled out of his regular classes for more intensive support. Manuel's vision and hearing test were both are normal and his medical exam does not reveal any medical issues.
As a member of the Child Study Team (CST) and taking into account Manuel's interests and the social and cultural influences that may be affecting Manuel's school performance, you and the CST are planning your next steps. You and Mr. Franklin discuss what interventions would take into account Manuel's cultural and linguistic background.
You also discuss how to involve Manuel in this process. You wonder what kinds of ethical and legal issues you may need to account for as you make your recommendations and the two of you decide to create a document that explains your recommendations for further RTI Tier Two interventions that will take Manuel's social and cultural background and experiences into account.