Special Education Interview and Observation 1

Zach Zimmer

Special Education Interview and Observation

National University

ITL 604

12/20/2018

Professor Wong
Special Education Interview and Observation 2

Abstract

The observation in Mr. Kidd’s special education classroom gave me great insight on tools to

implement in the classroom. Mr. Kidd was coming to the end of a unit where he was teaching

his students about budgeting. The specific lesson I had the opportunity to observe was a credit

card lesson. The credit card lesson was the closing segment of a broader budgeting lesson. The

students were using a plethora of different forms of technology to research different credit card

interest rates, incentives, etc. I also received the opportunity to interview Mr. Kidd. During the

interview we discussed a wider variety of topics stemming from what grade levels he taught,

what information systems he worked with, how he implemented UDL in his classroom, and

much more. The observation and interview with Mr. Kidd were a wealth of knowledge that gave

me great insight into implementing UDL in my classroom as well as working with future SPED

students.
Special Education Interview and Observation 3

The “Allan” story was a pivotal moment for individuals with disabilities. In the 1940’s

Allan, an infant male, was left on the steps of an institution for those with mental retardation.

Allan grew up in the facility and spent much of his time in the corner humming and striking

himself in the face. By the age of 35, Allan was blind and had spent his whole life in the

institution. It wasn’t until the 1970’s when Allan was assessed by professionals​ ​who, to their

astonishment, found he was of average intelligence and found that he had went blind from his

self-inflicted injuries. When the professionals assessed the rest of the individuals in the facility

they were surprised to find that a good majority of the people in the facility were of average

intelligence as well. Allan’s story was one of the many tragic life stories that set in motion

special education as we know it today. Fast forward to 2010, as stated by Spring, “the U.S.

Department of Education released its report “Thirty-Five Years of Progress in Educating

Children with Disabilities through IDEA,” which listed the following four purposes: to assure

that all children with disabilities have available to them … a free appropriate public education

which emphasizes special education and related services designed to meet their unique needs, to

assure that the rights of children with disabilities and their parents … are protected, to assist

States and localities to provide for the education of all children with disabilities, to assess and

assure the effectiveness of efforts to educate all children with disabilities.”(p. 137) For my

observation I had the opportunity to observe the RSP teacher at Buchanan High School, Stephen

Kidd. I learned some valuable lessons about UDL, a few of the assessments and information

systems in SPED, and important insights that a general education teacher can learn from a SPED

classroom.
Special Education Interview and Observation 4

Walking into Mr. Kidd’s class the first thing I noticed was the amount of student’s

schoolwork that covered his walls. He had a variety of student projects, artwork, and

assignments posted on the walls. On the back wall there were projects that the students made

that were all about themselves. I had a great time reading about the individuals likes and

dislikes, their goals for the future, and what their education meant to each of them. The day I

observed in Mr. Kidd’s class they were finishing up a lesson on credit cards, one lesson on a

larger project of budgeting. Talking to Mr. Kidd I found out that the budgeting unit was very in

depth. Students first had to research what the minimum wage in California currently was and

find out the average yearly salary they would earn while on minimum wage. Once the students

determined their average salary they had to complete a plethora of tasks; they had to find an

apartment or place to live, a mode of transportation, how much it would cost them to eat, and so

much more. I was amazed at how in depth the entire unit was.

The credit card lesson was intriguing. Mr. Kidd was having his students research a

variety of different credit cards and determine what bank they would go through for a credit card,

if it was something they wanted to do at all. The lesson had the kids motivated and all seemed

extremely focused. The ability of Mr. Kidd to relate course work back to real life lessons was

the reason for this. They researched everything from what banks offered the best interest rates,

how and when they planned to use the credit cards, incentives that were offered when registering

for the credit card, and much more. After completing the worksheet, Mr. Kidd brought the

student focus back in and asked them various questions. He asked what were some of the best

interest rates they found, what were some of the worst interest rates they found, if they would or

would not get a credit card and why? Bringing the students back as a group and asking them
Special Education Interview and Observation 5

various questions was a great tool that I learned early on in Physical Education classes in college.

Asking students questions to check for understanding is a great tool for teachers to gauge how

well the students absorbed the material, if they have a firm grasp on the material then the teacher

may move on, if they struggle or show little understanding it shows that more time should be

spent reteaching the material. Finally, after asking a wide range of questions to the students Mr.

Kidd ended the lesson by showing the class a video on the dangers of using a credit card while

only paying off the minimum monthly amount. The video was extremely informative and I

learned a lot from watching it myself. The video explained if someone were to rack up $10,000

of charges on their credit card it would take them more than 35 years to pay it off when only

making minimum payments! I found this extremely interesting.

This lesson was truly genius because the interest level it raised in the students. Mr.

Kidd’s ability to incorporate math, studying strategies, various writing skills all into a unit or

lesson while keeping the students’ motivation and interest levels very high was truly inspiring. I

believe their motivation levels were so high due to the fact they could each personally relate to

the material in their own way. Slavin states, “It is important to convince students of the

importance and interest level of the material that is about to be presented and to show (if

possible) how the knowledge to be gained will be useful to students”(p. 262).​ ​Many of the

students loved getting the opportunity to look up the specific car they wanted to buy or the

house/apartment they wanted to live in. However, Mr. Kidd used each of these situations as an

opportunity to teach. One student thought that he was going to eat out at his favorite fast food

restaurant every night. But, when Mr. Kidd met with him one on one and they crunched the

numbers the student soon learned that this was not only not the most healthy choice, but not very
Special Education Interview and Observation 6

cost effective either. I left Mr. Kidd’s RSP class with new knowledge, not only about credit

cards, that I will carry along with me in my journey as a teacher.

After getting the opportunity to observe Mr. Kidd’s class, I had the privilege of

interviewing him as well. The interview with Mr. Kidd was eye-opening and left me with many

new ideas I would like to implement into my future classrooms. Mr. Kidd’s job title is RSP or

Vocational teacher. An RSP teacher is responsible for helping in developing IEP’s to meet the

individuals needs in the classroom, provide instruction in varying subject areas as needed,

evaluate students and determine what extra help or resources they will require to meet their

individual needs. Mr. Kidd works with all levels of high school students, 9th to 12th grade. The

students in Mr. Kidd’s class are unique however, in the fact that they are students that will not be

receiving high school diplomas. They receive certificates of completion.

I found out that as an RSP teacher that Mr. Kidd has to work with an array of different

assessments, data collection tools, and information systems. Two of the information systems that

Mr. Kidd has to work with daily is Zangle and SEIS, or special education information system.

Zangle is the site or grading tool that all our teachers in Clovis Unified School DIstrict use to

record and post grades of their students. SEIS is the most widely used IEP program among

special education classes in California. The program allows teachers to do an assortment of

different things. It allows teachers to document and store IEP information, discipline

information, demographic information, to name only a few. All this information is immediately

available to the parents, teachers, and administration of the students school to edit and view. All

this information can be saved, stored online, and transferred along with the student no matter if

they change schools or districts. Mr. Kidd is also responsible for collecting data throughout his
Special Education Interview and Observation 7

students high school years. He will collect data such as 6-week progress reports from their

classroom teachers on both grades and behavior, administer and view students state testing

scores, and perform informal assessments throughout the year. When it comes to early screening

and identification of students who might need extra help or special education Clovis Unified will

usually start with a student study team, or an SST. At the SST the student his parents, the

student’s teachers, counselors, and SST coordinator will discuss ways to assist the student. At

that meeting it may be determined that the student may need special ed. testing.

One of the topics that we discussed in the interview is what knowledge general education

teachers can gain from observing or talking to a special education teacher. Teachers, in the

recent years, have been running into an increasing amount of legal troubles. One of the topics

we discussed was some of the important legal mandates that general ed. teachers should be aware

of. Mr. Kidd had only one. He told me the most important thing for teachers to remember is that

a student’s IEP is a legally binding document. As a general education teacher it is critical to be

aware of and implement any accommodations and modifications required in the general ed.

classroom. I also asked Mr. Kidd what he thought was the most important concept to remember

when dealing with students who have to take common medications. Teachers should always

remember when they have students who must have medication administered they must consult

with their school nurse first. All medication must be made apparent to the nurse, once the nurse

is aware of any medication that needs to be administered they will generally let the teacher know

what medical condition the child has, what medication they take, and how to administer the

medication if need be.

Special Education Interview and Observation 8

The final part of the interview Mr. Kidd and I discussed what a day typically looks like in

his RSP class. Mr. Kidd’s primary goal in a typical day is to ensure that every student feels safe

and able to learn. Also, we discussed the importance of implementing clear expectations for

each student right away in the classroom. Teaching the students what is expected of them from

day one, and sticking to it, was the most important concept that Mr. Kidd implements in his

classroom. One topic that Mr. Kidd brought up himself was the importance of setting up the

classroom to meet the diverse needs of all his students. He explained by typing up multiple

different seating arrangements throughout the school year he encourages social interaction

between all of his students. Indirectly forcing his students to interact with every classmates not

only forms a strong bonds, but Mr. Kidd explained that he found that he has much less conflict

this way. And since the students spend a lot of time with each other in this RSP class it is

important to form cohesiveness among the group. The last question I presented to Mr. Kidd, and

possibly the most important, is how he implements UDL practices in the classroom. One

practice that was apparent to me right when I walked into the classroom was the use of

technology. During the credit card lesson, instead of having all the students read out of a book or

off a handout, Mr. Kidd gave them the option. Some of the students were using the class tablet

to research interest rates, others were reading a handout that Mr. Kidd provided on the pros and

cons of applying for a credit card, and others were using chromebooks to look up what particular

banks were offering for interest rates. Giving his students the option kept the students engaged

and wanting to learn the material. However, Mr. Kidd’s biggest practice of UDL was letting the

students make all the decision . The students loved the lesson because they were in control.

They got to decide what credit card they wanted to apply for, if at all. They decided where they
Special Education Interview and Observation 9

wanted to live. They decided what car they wanted to buy to get to work. Since the students

made the choices, they were engaged ready to learn.

Allan was one of the many individuals in the early 1900’s that fell through the cracks.

Allan’s tragic story stands as a reminder of the importance of early intervention in children with

disabilities. Special education has come a very long way since Allan’s time. Mr. Kidd is a

phenomenal RSP teacher that taught me a lot in a short amount of time. The lessons I learned

about UDL, early assessments and information system in special education, and general insights

will forever sculpt the way I teach, even in Physical Education.

 Special Education Interview and Observation
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Resources

Slavin, R. E. ​Educational Psychology​. [National University]. Retrieved from 

https://nu.vitalsource.com/#/books/9780134524290/ 

Spring, J. ​American Education​. [National University]. Retrieved from 

https://nu.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781351616553/