Allie Beamish's ID Portfolio

About Me

My name is Allie Beamish. For my undergraduate degree, I double majored in Music and Inclusive Early Childhood and Childhood Education at St. Bonaventure University. I prefer working with younger students, and I have most recently taught special education in the integrated co-taught model of kindergarten and pre-k. I am currently studying at Albany to earn a M.S. in Curriculum Development and Instructional Technology as a means to obtain my permanent certification.

My Topic and Purpose

In my experience thus far, I have found that many general education teachers and content-specialized teachers struggle to unpack all of the terminology, test results, and individual sections in IEPs. Given that I am a special education teacher, I have worked hard to ensure I understand each item outlined in my students' documents, or I work to find that information. Through this course, I hope to give teachers a quick guide to understanding their students' IEPs and support them in supporting their students. Please note - my familiarity with this content is mostly at the early intervention and elementary level. Information may be applicable, though IEPs will look slightly different at the secondary level.

Scope of Learning Outcomes and Content

Learners will identify and explain IEP classifications and their meaning.

Learners will be able to locate programming information on an IEP document and interpret the meaning of those services in the context of their school setting.

Learners will be able to locate and interpret relevant information related to accommodations/modifications/management needs, etc.

Learners will identify and interpret pertinent information within the present levels of performance and effect of students needs sections.

Needs Assessment & Analysis

The Problem

In our country, there are many safeguards in place to protect students with disabilities as they work to access, interact with, and master the general education curriculum. According to NYSED, about 16% of students in Monroe County in the 2024-2025 school year were identified as students with a disability. This number represents those students who have an Individualized Education Program, often shortened and referred to as an IEP.

Once a child has an IEP, it is legally mandated to be implemented as written. This is where the challenge often comes in. While general education teachers are expected to adhere to provisions of the IEP, they are not often given the necessary education and support they need to support their students. It is the intention of this course to support general education teachers in understanding their role as an executor of provisions included in the IEP, as well as building a general knowledge of IEP processes, timelines, disability classifications, and other relevant information.

Addressing the Problem

Though it may be perceived by those outside of the field of education that every teacher understands students with disabilities and those systems in place to protect them, this is not the reality.

Many teacher career preparation programs only require one class to teach students basic laws pertinent to the field of education, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act, and Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The result of this is that many teachers are expected to enforce essential elements of students’ education without the information or practice to do so.

In some districts, district employees such as special education itinerant teachers or special education consultant teachers are expected to inform teachers of the essential supports in place for their students. However, it is often the case that these teachers are given caseloads that are unrealistic, which can lead to improper implementation of IEPs by the teachers and students they support.

Generally, lack of information regarding special education is a structural issue that is all too common in our schools. In order to give our students the best experiences possible, general education teachers need the resources to widen their scope of understanding.

Intended Learners

The intended target of this course are pre-service and current pre-k and elementary teachers, as well as any specials teachers (art, library, physical education, technology, STEM, etc.) who may teach in that age range. This course may be helpful to teachers of other specialties or grade levels. However, it should be noted that some programming or processes can change depending on the student and their surroundings.

Intent Statement

The intent of this course is to give educators a guide to examining an IEP, identifying important elements, and putting essential supports into practice within their own instructional space. This will be done by accessing the KNILT platform, using given documents to practice these skills, and eventually implementing learned skills into their own daily work as educators.

TO ADD LATER: More specifics on activities/resources, time needed to complete course, and more aligned goals

Performance-Based Objectives

After completing this mini-course, learners will be able to:

• Locate and describe critical features and sections of an IEP, given a reference document, with 100% accuracy.
• Interpret and reword technical jargon, given examples, until they have developed a definition and/or explanation that is useful for themselves.
• Identify sub-topics within the field of special education that are relevant to their current or future work, provided a list of options, until 2-3 "specialty" areas are identified.
• Develop a reference document for their future use in education, provided reference materials, prior to completing the course.
• Engage in multiple self-reflection activities related to the course, given leading questions and documents, at the end of each mini module.

Task and Content Analysis

Prerequisite Skills & Attitudes

Before taking this course, the learner:

1. should have experience working with students with disabilities in schools or other educational settings.
2. should have basic proficiency with online-based learning programs (Padlet, Google Docs, etc.).
3. should be actively seeking to learn more about the topic detailed above.

Intro: Read & Explore

Throughout this unit, the learner will:

1. engage in reflective actions regarding special education/related topics.
2. view and analyze key ideas from a variety of videos and documents.
3. create a KWL chart representing their baseline understanding for future reflection.

Unit 1: Critical Features

Throughout this unit, the learner will:

1. critically examine the IEP form and its' elements.
2. practice matching examples to various sections of the IEP form.
3. analyze and interpret technical jargon to support their own understanding.

Unit 2: Mini Topics

Throughout this unit, the learner will:

1. examine their own experiences and school community.
2. identify 2-3 topics that are relevant to the needs of their students or school community.
3. identify main ideas/critical differences in each mini topic.

Unit 3: Reference Document:

Throughout this unit, the learner will:

1. reference previously used documents and notetaking sheets.
2. identify current gaps in learning, in relation to original intent statement.
3. seek and explore additional sources to fill identified gaps in learning.
4. create a reference document for future use.

Conclusion: Final Reflection:

In this section, learners will reflect on their experience in the course and provide feedback.

Curriculum Map & Page Links

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References and Resources

• New York State Education Department. (2024-2025). Monroe country public school enrollment. https://data.nysed.gov/enrollment.php?year=2025&county=26