ED360:
Prerequisites
Meeting Times, Location, & Course Delivery Details
Contact Information
Upon successful completion of this course...
Textbook:
Name: Teaching Students Who Are Exceptional, Diverse, and At Risk in the General Educational Classroom
Edition: 8th ed.
ISBN:
Author: Vaughn, S.R., Bos, C.S., & Schumm, J.S. (2024)
Publisher: Pearson
Supplemental Readings: Links to other readings will be posted in the modules on Blackboard.
Candidates will:
Course Specific Goals InTASC Standards | Assignments and Learning Experiences |
#2: The teacher uses understanding of individual differences and diverse cultures and communities to ensure inclusive learning environments that enable each learner to meet high standards. | Resource binder project, discussion, reflections, case studies |
#7: The teacher plans instruction that supports every student in meeting rigorous learning goals by drawing upon knowledge of content areas, curriculum, cross-disciplinary skills, and pedagogy, as well as knowledge of learners and the community context. | Resource binder project, discussion, reflections, case studies |
Course Learning Objectives:
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
Summarize and describe the legal foundations, litigations, and legislation concerning students with disabilities, such as IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act), Section 504 (Vocational Rehabilitation Act), and ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act).
Describe procedures for collaboration and communication for intervention, including pre-referral procedures employing response-to-intervention (RtI) and multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) models.
Describe and discuss the prevalence and characteristics of students with higher-incidence disabilities and explain strategies for classroom adaptations.
Describe and discuss the prevalence and characteristics of students with autism and lower-incidence disabilities and explain strategies for classroom adaptations.
Describe and discuss the prevalence and characteristics of students with other special learning needs (i.e. gifted/talented, culturally/linguistically diverse, etc.) and explain strategies for classroom adaptations.
Describe the PASS variables and their application to effective differentiated instruction in inclusive settings.
Describe the components and process of RtI and MTSS models.
Identify strategies and techniques for managing classroom behavior and social skills.
Describe how to implement strategies for peer-supported social acceptance.
Describe preconditions and strategies for improving the school success of students with special needs.
Demonstrate understanding of tools to develop independent learners, using personal organizational skills, and strategies for completing homework, for effective listening, for note taking, and for successfully completing reports or projects.
Identify and describe the uses of different types of tests, ways to adapt different types of tests, and procedures for adjusting grading of tests for students with special learning needs.
Describe strategies and adaptations for teaching basic reading skills, such as letter and word identification, phonemic awareness, phonics, and basic sight words; reading fluency; reading comprehension; and multi-tiered reading instruction with response to intervention.
Describe strategies for teaching mathematics in inclusive settings, including beginning math, addition and subtracting, multiplication and division, response-to-intervention strategies, problem-solving, money and time, fractions and decimals, area and volume concepts, algebra, and functional math.
Describe and apply strategies for adapting textbook- or content-oriented approaches in science and social studies, such as content enhancements and mnemonic strategies; evaluate and implement strategy instruction for using mnemonic strategies; evaluate and implement strategy instruction for using content-area textbooks; and describe and evaluate methods for selecting and adapting textbook materials to accommodate diverse learners in the classroom.
Tentative Schedule - Subject to change during the semester. Adequate notice of changes will be given.
Course Calendar: I am including a short version of the course calendar in the syllabus. Please go to the appropriate weekly module in Blackboard/Content each week to find the overview for the week (including an agenda for each class session and reminders of assignments), links to readings outside of your textbook, websites to explore, and assignments to complete. Please keep in mind the course calendar is subject to change at the instructor’s discretion.
Course Calendar
| Week | Date | Topic | Assignments Due |
| 1 | 1/13 | Introduction to the Course; Special Education & Inclusion |
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| 1/15 |
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| 1/17 |
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| 2 | 1/20 | NO CLASS – MLK Day |
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| 1/22 | Con’t Special Education & Inclusion |
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| 1/24 |
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| 3 | 1/27 | RtI/MTSS |
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| 1/29 |
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| 1/31 |
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| 4 | 2/3 | Communication & Collaboration |
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| 2/5 |
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| 2/7 |
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| 5 | 2/10 | Behavior Management |
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| 2/12 |
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| 2/14 |
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| 6 | 2/17 | Learning Disabilities/ADHD |
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| 2/19 |
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| 2/21 |
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| 7 | 2/24 | Culturally/Linguistically Diverse Students |
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| 2/26 | NO CLASS – STATE MEETING |
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| 2/28 | Culturally/Linguistically Diverse Students |
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| 8 | 3/3 | Communication Disorders |
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| 3/5 |
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| 3/7 |
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| 9 | 3/10 | NO CLASS – SPRING BREAK |
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| 3/12 |
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| 3/14 |
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| 10 | 3/17 | Emotional/Behavior Disorders |
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| 3/19 |
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| 3/21 |
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| 11 | 3/24 | ASD/PDD |
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| 3/26 |
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| 3/28 |
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| 12 | 3/31 | ID/DD |
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| 4/2 |
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| 4/4 |
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| 13 | 4/7 | Low Incidence Disabilities |
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| 4/9 |
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| 4/11 |
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| 14 | 4/14 | Differentiation/Assessment |
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| 4/16 |
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| 4/18 | NO CLASS – GOOD FRIDAY |
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| 15 | 4/21 | Content Learning |
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| 4/23 |
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| 4/25 |
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| 16 | 4/28 | Lesson Planning |
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| 4/30 |
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| 5/2 |
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| 5/7 | FINAL EXAM TIME: 1-3pm |
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Application Activities: Some of the activities done during the week will be individual assignments based on your chosen grade/content area. Instructions for the assignment will be posted on Blackboard, and you will be expected to complete the assigned readings, watch assigned videos, visit assigned websites, etc. to get the necessary information to be able to complete the individual activity. A drop box will be posted for the assignments to be submitted within the weekly module. These activities are generally worth 10-30 points.
Tests: There will be three tests during the semester. One will be mostly multiple choice but will include a few short answer or “scenario” questions as well. “Scenario” questions mean that you will be given a short vignette or case study, and you will be asked to write some dialogue or tell what the teacher in the story should do to solve the problem presented in the story. For these type of questions, there is generally more than one right answer, but you need to be able to justify your response. For example, if you say you think the teacher should make the child who is misbehaving stand in the corner of the classroom, you need to be able to explain why that is the right choice in this situation. You will get credit for both your answer as well as your justification. The second test will be done via Blackboard. The first and third tests will be “scenario” exams that are open book/open note; the first one will be a take-home exam, and the third one will be done during our final exam meeting time.
Diversity: In this course, you will be learning about strategies and models for inclusive teaching and differentiated instruction to meet the needs of all students. There will be an emphasis on the diverse learning needs of students and how these strategies can improve the inclusion of these students into traditional classroom settings as well as into appropriate post-secondary settings. Additionally, I would strongly encourage you to write and speak using “person-first language” where the person precedes the disability, both figuratively and literally. This standard will result in terms such as “people with disabilities” rather than “the disabled” (Retrieved on August 15, 2004 from http://www.cec.sped.org/bk/Author_Guidel.ines_TEC.pdf). Using person-first language in writing or speaking, we would write or say “the child with autism” rather than “the autistic child.” The only exception to this standard is when referring to a deaf or blind child. Many deaf people have long felt that deafness is part of who they are and prefer to not have person-first language applied to them.
The grading scale will be as follows:
Grading Criteria:
*** Students are expected to complete work on time, on due dates, or when they have committed to present their projects. ***
| Assignment | Due Date | Points Possible | Your Points |
Exams 3@50 points each | 2/14; 3/21; 5/7 | 150 |
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Application Activities | weekly | 165 |
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TOTAL | 315 |
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Grading Scale: The score ranges and percentages in the following table represent the exact number of points for each grade level. There is no A+ option in the Wilmington College grading scale.
| Grade | Point Range |
Percent of Total Points Possible |
| A | 296-315 | 94-100 |
| A- | 283-295 | 90-93 |
| B+ | 274-282 | 87-89 |
| B | 264-273 | 84-86 |
| B- | 252-263 | 80-83 |
| C+ | 242-251 | 77-79 |
| C | 233-241 | 74-76 |
| C- | 220-232 | 70-73 |
| D+ | 211-219 | 67-69 |
| D | 201-210 | 64-66 |
| F | 200 and below | Below 63 |
Highlighted rows indicate earned grade is not sufficient to pass this course for Education Area program Requirements. You must pass with a C or better.
Late work will be accepted on a case-by-case basis. For example, if you are experiencing illness and if you have communicated that with me prior to the due date for the assignment, we will be able to work out an acceptable extension. If you have not communicated with me prior to the due date, late assignments will not be accepted. PLEASE NOTE THAT EDUCATION MAJORS MUST PASS THIS CLASS WITH A C (NOT A C-) OR BETTER FOR THIS CLASS TO COUNT FOR GRADUATION. An education major cannot take this course pass/fail.
Instructor Course Policies
Attendance and Participation: Your participation and effort are necessary for you to learn from this class. You will be working on activities during class that will help you apply the knowledge you are learning. If you are not in class, you will not get that practice and you will be missing important content. Please see the current Student Handbook for the college’s Attendance policy especially as it pertains to excused absences. The College accepts these four categories of excused absences:
1) Activities in which the student serves as an official representative of the College (e.g. musical performances, athletic contests, field trips, etc.)
2) Personal illness, with documentation by the College nurse or a physician, if possible;
3) Family or personal emergencies
4) When severe weather makes travel to campus dangerous
PLEASE DO NOT COME TO CLASS IF YOU ARE ILL!
I will be tracking attendance using Blackboard. If you miss more than 3 class days, I will submit your name to Student Success because you will have missed one week of classes.
Additionally, it is important that you come to class prepared. This means you have completed the assigned readings and activities. Please check the Blackboard Content folders for what you will need to bring to class each week as well as what assignments you will need to complete prior to the next class session.
E-Mail: Please see IT Help Desk if you need assistance with computer access or need help learning how to use e-mail. It is your responsibility to transfer your WC email to a private account if you so desire. We will rely heavily on Blackboard for course organization and you will be held accountable for knowledge of announcements sent via email. My response time for emails is usually 24 hours if you email me from Monday to Thursday. I spent less time on emails over weekends and school breaks, so I answer as I can but sometimes will not see an email until I’m back in the office. There may be times when I am under a deadline for my own work or away at a conference or meeting and it may take me longer than 24 hours to respond to an email; I will do my best to get back to you as quickly as I can.
Preparation for Class: Wilmington College – and federal financial aid authorities – require that students commit a minimum of two hours of time per week outside of class for each hour of time they are in class. This means that for this class, you should expect to spend a minimum of 6 hours per week completing homework and projects. Field hours are NOT counted as part of those six hours.
Privacy Statement for WC Students Submitting Data for Institutional Review: We must maintain confidentiality for any P-12 students with whom we work. Any data collected for course projects should be “scrubbed” to maintain that confidentiality by using either an initial or a pseudonym in lieu of the student’s name. Teacher candidate work may be kept on file and used for evaluation and assessment purposes. Any work shared with students, faculty, or administration will be done so anonymously.
Weather Policy: Class is obviously cancelled if Wilmington College is closed. State Highway Patrol information and the status of local public schools will also be considered. Students will be notified via email at least two hours prior to class if it is cancelled. Cancellation will also be posted on Blackboard. In the event there is no class, students should still complete any assignments found in the weekly module on Blackboard.
Registration: I follow all the policies in the catalog regarding registration, withdrawal, and receiving an Incomplete.
Integrity is one of the Wilmington College Core Values and honesty is our mutual responsibility. Academic dishonesty in any form will not be tolerated. Such dishonesty may result in failing the assignment, project, test, or course and additional disciplinary action.
See the current Student Handbook for the college’s Academic Integrity policies as they pertain to examinations, plagiarism, classroom behavior, and the process for handling academic misconduct charges.
Plagiarism: Wilmington has strong policies against plagiarism. Students who engage put their standing at the college in serious danger. The expectation for this course, and indeed this institution, is that when students prepare papers, they will review relevant resources and then, using their powers of analysis and integration, develop products that reveal their understanding and original thinking on the assignment (McKeachie, 2002, p. 173). The best way to be able to do this is to plan ahead. Students should give themselves plenty of time to develop an idea, gather sources to carry it out, develop an outline or graphic organizer for their paper, write at least one draft, and allow plenty of time for rewriting.
The instructor will be more than willing to work individually with any students who need help, or to connect them with free developmental writing services available at Wilmington. Please do not succumb to the temptation to copy something from a friend, the Web, or any other source. Be sure to give credit for ideas that are taken from other authors.
Technology
Use of Electronic Devices: In this course, you will be required to use WC Blackboard and WC Email (the instructor recommends checking WC Email at least once a day on weekdays.) You will be required to upload some of your work to Blackboard. You will be using Word to set up APA formatted documents.
If you do not have access to computers or smart devices in your personal life, you are expected to use Watson Library, Pyle Center, or WC Computer Lab computers to keep up with class and complete your work. Even though there will be face-to-face meetings, you need to be sure to treat your time on the computer as though you were physically meeting in the classroom. This means that you need to do what is necessary to ensure that interruptions from your personal lives do not impact your ability to complete your assignments in a timely, focused manner. For students with demanding personal lives and schedules, this may mean that you want to come to campus and use computers there to complete your assignments.
Bringing smart phones, tablets, and laptops with WC Student or other wireless connection to the Internet is highly encouraged. We will be using the internet to search for information that will inform class discussions as well as doing a variety of in-class activities that will involve the use of Blackboard. Use of all electronic devices to make relevant contributions to the class discussion, vote on class questions, or check with colleagues on issues surrounding the topic at hand is not only encouraged, but also expected. Use of cell phones, tablets, and laptops to DISENGAGE from class is not okay; the instructor reserves the right to ask you to put up the device(s) or leave the classroom if the disruption is significant & on-going.
WC Mission Statement - Education Area Mission
The purpose of Wilmington College is to educate, inspire, and prepare each student for a life of success and services.
To fulfill that purpose, Wilmington College provides a high quality undergraduate and graduate education shaped by the traditions of the liberal arts, career preparation, and the distinctive values of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). By offering academic programs, practical experience, and co-curricular activities in a variety of settings to students from diverse backgrounds, the College leads students to gain an awareness of the world, to acquire knowledge of career and vocation, and to seek truth and social justice.
In keeping with the rich heritage of the liberal arts, the College seeks to educate the whole person-intellectual, emotional, physical, and spiritual-in ways that foster critical thinking, reflection, the free exchange of ideas, open inquiry, tolerance, and a desire for lifelong learning. The liberal arts are integrated with career preparation to help students develop the knowledge and skills to succeed in a career or further education.
As an academic community, Wilmington College is rooted in historic Quaker values that include integrity, service, simplicity, equality, peace and social justice, and respect for all persons. These values motivate those who learn and work at Wilmington College to make positive contributions to their professions and their communities.
The Education Area mission is to prepare educators in the liberal arts tradition. Faculty members collaborate to develop professional educators who demonstrate a thorough knowledge of the subjects they will teach and of the teaching and learning process. Teacher education candidates in particular will gain the ability to teach diverse student populations and develop an understanding of the cultures and communities in which they practice. As educators they will be equipped to create positive learning environments that encourage active student engagement and self-motivation. Education Area graduates will become reflective practitioners who are able to collaborate with a variety of stakeholders in establishing learning communities.
Institutional and Program-Level Policies
All exams will follow the Final Exam Schedule. Students scheduled to take three or more final examinations on one day may request to arrange their examination schedule, so no more than two exams occur on one day.
Requests for early or late exams are considered only under extreme circumstances. Prior to the exam period, the student must file a written request on the Early/Late Exam Form available in the Student One Stop Center, Academic Records, and on the WC portal. The form must be signed by the Instructor and the Academic Dean, approving the alternate exam time. This process must be completed prior to the scheduled exam period.
Out-of-class Work Expectation A minimum of 2 hours of out-of-class student work is expected for each hour of in-class time for traditional face-to-face courses. For online and hybrid courses, the combination of face-to-face time and out-of-class work should be equal to 3 hours per credit hour per week. |
Instructional Course Delivery |
Academic Integrity Policy The use of generative AI is prohibited except where expressly allowed in assignment instructions. |
Academic Misconduct - Examples [10/24]
ACADEMIC CODE OF CONDUCT
This policy is directly related to the first Testimony, which is part of the Student Code of Conduct. “I will practice personal and academic integrity.” The initial responsibility for dealing with academic misconduct lies with the individual faculty member in whose classroom or course of study the offense occurs. The responsibility includes determination of the consequences for the offense. The goal is for faculty to confront cheating and plagiarism, to teach ethical behavior, and to provide an appropriate consequence based on the nature of the incident. Faculty are encouraged to explicitly address academic misconduct and its consequences in the course syllabus.
EXAMPLES OF ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT
A. Examination offenses include, but are not limited to, the following:
1.Taking unauthorized materials into or out of the examination room.
2.Leaving the examination room without authorization before completing an examination.
3.Talking in the examination room without authorization.
4.Discussing the examination outside the examination room during the course of the examination.
5.Attempting to observe the work of another student.
6.Taking an examination for another person or permitting someone else to do so.
7.Collaborating improperly by discussion, joint research, or joint effort in any way expressly prohibited by the instructor. This includes using a cell phone or other device to access information from another source or another student.
8.Improper knowledge of contents of an examination - No student shall knowingly acquire unauthorized knowledge of an examination or any part of an examination, or solicit, offer, or give information about any part of an examination.
B. Student work offenses include, but are not limited to, the following, which are expressly prohibited in the absence of prior written approval of the instructor or instructors involved:
1.Resubmission of work - Submitting work which has been previously submitted for credit.
2. Plagiarism - Submitting work done wholly or partly by another, including the unattributed copying of all or parts of a published work or internet document. Using generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) sources to produce work (when not expressly permitted) is also a form of plagiarism. Some instances of plagiarism are the result of ignorance rather than dishonesty. When plagiarism is encountered, the instructor should be sure that the student knows proper procedures for attributing content.
3.Prohibited sources - Consulting material or persons contrary to the directions of the instructor.
4.Improper collaboration - Engaging in any discussion, joint research, or joint effort of any kind expressly prohibited by the instructor.
5.Deception - Misrepresenting the authenticity of sources, citations, or principles in any written work.
6. Sharing work – Students who share their work with others are responsible for how that work is used. For example, if a student shares a paper with another student to help him or her understand an assignment, and that student submits the work as their own, the author of the paper shares responsibility for the plagiarism committed by the other student.
D. Other misconduct - Engaging in any other improper conduct as specified by the instructor.
E. Lying – deliberately providing false information relevant to academic matters, such as misrepresenting the inability to take an examination because of illness.
F. Disruptive or disrespectful classroom behavior – causing a disturbance in the classroom, interrupting instruction, speaking rudely or threatening students or faculty.
Class Attendance Policy |
ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act)
Students with Disabilities
In accordance with ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008 (ADA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973), Wilmington College provides access through reasonable accommodations to students with documented physical and psychological disabilities.
Students who wish to access Services need to meet with the Director of Accessibility and Disability Services and provide verification of their disability. To register with Accessibility and Disability Services, students submit an Application for Services. In addition, the student must provide the Disability Verification form accompanied by current disability documentation from a licensed professional. For more information, contact the Director of Accessibility and Disability Services at accessibility@wilmington.edu or 937.481.2444, 114 Robinson Communcation Center.