Research

Throughout the United States there is a critical shortage of Special Education teachers. This lack of qualified professionals is especially prominent in rural areas. To solve this problem in Utah, USU’s Department of Special Education and Rehabilitation has created an online undergraduate program. This program allows graduates to help children with mild to moderate disabilities in K-12 setting. Students currently living in rural areas can complete USU’s program and meet the needs of their community. Conducting Individual Education Plan (IEP) meetings is a critical skill for special education teachers in K-12 settings. In most instructional programs, special education students do not participate in a formal IEP until their student teaching. But during student teaching the only role these students play is as an observer.

Role-playing activities are a way to introduce students to the IEP process before they start their careers. Currently, special education students at USU are trained to conduct these meetings through a mock IEP experience that occurs while taking the SPED 5070: Policy & Procedures course in a traditional classroom. Students participate in two meetings and are divided into teams. Students are then assigned roles of general education teacher, special education teacher, school psychologist, and LEA representative. Each of the student teams are given a referral for services from a “parent,” or “school district.” Students are told to gather data from a “parent interview, standardized assessments, reports from classroom observations, and medical records.” The meetings are currently held face-to-face during class time with one student team conducting the meeting while the rest of students observe the meeting.