The Art of Teaching

          Prior to this week, I was fairly uncertain of what a 504 plan was and what kind of accommodations would be readily available to students who qualify for receiving services under this Special Education plan. When it comes to an Individualized Education Plan (IEP), I felt knowledgeable in the functioning of this plan due to my own experiences while being on an IEP. Below is my Venn Diagram to illustrate the differences between a section 504 plan and an IEP. Figure 1. Venn Diagram of 504 vs. an IEP What is an IEP and What Accommodations are Available for Students and Their Families?           Students whom are placed on and Individual Education Plan (IEP), have to go through a strenuous process in the form of an evaluation to determine the services that will best serve them in the classroom (University of Washington, 2019). Due to this long drawn out process, once a student is placed on an IEP, the services the child with a disability receives will be reflective o

          As it pertains to Special Education, we have come a very long way from when students of all ethnicities were not given equal opportunities to receive an education. However, we as educators still have a little more homework to do in order to provide equal and quality education for all students regardless of if they have a disability or not (Link to timeline: https://www.timetoast.com/timelines/2050599 ).                     Figure 1. History of Special Education Timeline           From segregation upheld in Supreme Court case Plessy v. Ferguson that created the ‘separate but equal doctrine’ to those ideals being challenged by the Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education when Brown’s daughter would have to walk a long distance to her school to receive an education that was of lesser quality in comparison to the school that was located near her neighborhood for students of predominantly white ethnicity due to the laws set with segregation. This Supreme Court