Resource room

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A resource room is a type of support for students with disabilities in need of special education that allows them to be leave their general education classroom placement and go to another location for targeted instructional support. It is one of many support options for special education students around the world to help meet their needs [1] and serves as a transition stage between a self-contained classroom and a general education classroom for special education students. [2] In the resource room, students work with a special education teacher or aide in either a small group or individual instruction. [3]

Contents

Individual needs may be addressed in resource rooms as indicated in a student's Individualized Education Plan (IEP). [4] Special education instructors in a resource room focus on particular goals as mandated by an IEP and remedial general education curriculum. Some programs emphasize the development of executive skills, including homework completion and behavior. [5]

Rationale

Depending on individual needs, students usually attend resource rooms three to five times per week for about forty-five minutes per day. Some research has suggested these classrooms are of particular benefit to students with language-based learning disabilities such as dyslexia. [6] Other research has indicated that students show growth in visuo-motor perception, arithmetic, spelling and overall self-perception through time in the resource room classroom. [7] At least one study has suggested students with learning disabilities in resource rooms have higher expectations regarding their academic success when they are in the class. [8] This may be due to the familiarity with the resource room teacher, small group direct instruction or confidence within an area they are comfortable in. Researchers believe that explicit instruction that breaks tasks down into smaller segments is an important tool for learning for students with learning disabilities. [9] Students often benefit from "reteaching" of core concepts taught initially in general education classroom and reinforced in resource rooms [10] via the small-group instructional model, which has been shown to lead to achievement in students with a multitude of educational disabilities. [11] [12]

In multiple studies, research showed that special education students prefer resource rooms as opposed to having a special education teacher in their general education classroom setting. [13] Students thought the work in resource rooms was easier and more fun, their resource room classmates were more friendly, and resource room teacher was more supportive. In these studies, general education students were also surveyed about which method they prefer, and a majority answered resource rooms as well.

Resource Rooms in Various Countries

In Turkey, resource rooms, also called pull-out programmes, are used as an option for special education students who are in integrated classrooms. Students in resource rooms either work individually with the teacher or in small groups of students, and focus on reading, writing, and mathematics. These sessions can occur anywhere in the school and do not require a specific classroom or space, such as the library or a teacher's lounge. [1]

In China, resource rooms were created to support inclusion classrooms in the 1980's. Their purpose was to aid special education teachers in managing their students' evaluations, behaviors, academics, and more. China implemented the Guidelines for the Construction of Special Education Resource Rooms for Regular Education Schools in 2016 that required resource rooms and a resource room teacher if schools had at least five students with special education needs. [14]

In Jordan, a student is placed into a resource room if they are a special education student in a general education classroom, and if their teachers, parents, and principal approve of the placement. Only students in second through sixth grade can be placed in a resource room. The resource room is made up of either a small group of four to six students, or one student who learns one-on-one with the teacher. [15]

In the United States, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) protects students with disabilities by requiring placement in their least restrictive environment (LRE). The LRE varies depending on the student and falls on a spectrum beginning with a general education classroom and becoming more restrictive in a resource room, special education classroom, separate special education school, or a private placement. [16] Special education students in the United States can only be placed in a resource room if it is considered their LRE because their needs can only be partially met in a general education setting. [17] The full inclusion movement in the United States sometimes comes into conflict with the requirements of IDEA by aiming to place special education students into general education classrooms 100% of the time. [18] Less ideological inclusionists recognize that resource rooms can help support students with disabilities who may languish in general education settings without sufficient assistance.

See also

Related Research Articles

Special education is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates their individual differences, disabilities, and special needs. This involves the individually planned and systematically monitored arrangement of teaching procedures, adapted equipment and materials, and accessible settings. These interventions are designed to help individuals with special needs achieve a higher level of personal self-sufficiency and success in school and in their community, which may not be available if the student were only given access to a typical classroom education.

An Individualized Education Program (IEP) is a legal document under United States law that is developed for each public school child in the U.S. who needs special education. It is created through a team of the child's parent(s) and district personnel who are knowledgeable about the child's needs. IEPs must be reviewed every year to keep track of the child's educational progress.

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is an educational framework based on research in the learning sciences, including cognitive neuroscience, that guides the development of flexible learning environments and learning spaces that can accommodate individual learning differences.

In education, Response to Intervention is an academic approach used to provide early, systematic, and appropriately intensive supplemental instruction and support to children who are currently or may be at risk of performing below grade or age level standards. However, to better reflect the transition toward a more comprehensive approach to intervention, there has been a shift in recent years from the terminology referring to RTI to MTSS, which stands for "multi-tiered system of supports". MTSS represents the latest intervention framework that is being implemented to systematically meet the wider needs which influence student learning and performance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mainstreaming (education)</span> Placing disabled students in regular classrooms

Mainstreaming, in the context of education, is the practice of placing students with special education needs in a general education classroom during specific time periods based on their skills. This means students who are a part of the special education classroom will join the regular education classroom at certain times which are fitting for the special education student. These students may attend art or physical education in the regular education classrooms. Sometimes these students will attend math and science in a separate classroom, but attend English in a general education classroom. Schools that practice mainstreaming believe that students with special needs who cannot function in a general education classroom to a certain extent belong in the special education environment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inclusion (education)</span> Where disabled students spend most of their time with non-disabled students

Inclusion in education refers to all students being able to access and gain equal opportunities to education and learning. It arose in the context of special education with an individualized education program or 504 plan, and is built on the notion that it is more effective for students with special needs to have the said mixed experience for them to be more successful in social interactions leading to further success in life. The philosophy behind the implementation of the inclusion model does not prioritize, but still provides for the utilization of special classrooms and special schools for the education of students with disabilities. Inclusive education models are brought into force by educational administrators with the intention of moving away from seclusion models of special education to the fullest extent practical, the idea being that it is to the social benefit of general education students and special education students alike, with the more able students serving as peer models and those less able serving as motivation for general education students to learn empathy.

Special education in the United States enables students with exceptional learning needs to access resources through special education programs. These programs did not always exist. "The idea of excluding students with any disability from public school education can be traced back to 1893, when the Massachusetts Supreme Court expelled a student merely due to poor academic ability". This exclusion would be the basis of education for all individuals with special needs for years to come. In 1954, Brown v. Board of Education sparked the belief that the right to a public education applies to all individuals regardless of race, gender, or disability. Finally, special education programs in the United States were made mandatory in 1975 when the United States Congress passed the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EAHCA) "(sometimes referred to using the acronyms EAHCA or EHA, or Public Law 94-142) was enacted by the United States Congress in 1975, in response to discriminatory treatment by public educational agencies against students with disabilities." The EAHCA was later modified to strengthen protections to students with disabilities and renamed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). IDEA requires states to provide special education and related services consistent with federal standards as a condition of receiving federal funds.

In the United States, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a special education law that mandates regulation for students with disabilities to protect their rights as students and the rights of their parents. The IDEA requires that all students receive a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE), and that these students should be educated in the least restrictive environment (LRE). To determine what an appropriate setting is for a student, an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) team will review the student's strengths, weaknesses, and needs, and consider the educational benefits from placement in any particular educational setting. By law the team is required to include the student's parent or guardian, a general education teacher, a special education teacher, a representative of the local education agency, someone to interpret evaluation results and, if appropriate, the student. It is the IEP team's responsibility to determine what environment is the LRE for any given student with disabilities, which varies between every student. The goal of an IEP is to create the LRE for that student to learn in. For some students, mainstream inclusion in a standard classroom may be an appropriate setting whereas other students may need to be in a special education classroom full time, but many students fall somewhere within this spectrum. Students may also require supplementary aids and services to achieve educational goals while being placed in a classroom with students without disabilities, these resources are provided as needed. The LRE for a student is less of a physical location, and more of a concept to ensure that the student is receiving the services that they need to be successful.

Adapted physical education is the art and science of developing, implementing, and monitoring a carefully designed physical education. Instructional program for a learner with a disability, based on a comprehensive assessment, to give the learner the skills necessary for a lifetime of rich leisure, recreation, and sport experiences to enhance physical fitness and wellness. Principles and Methods of Adapted Physical Education and Recreation. Adapted physical education generally refers to school-based programs for students ages 3–21yrs.

In clinical diagnostic and functional development, special needs refers to individuals who require assistance for disabilities that may be medical, mental, or psychological. Guidelines for clinical diagnosis are given in both the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and the International Classification of Diseases 9th edition. Special needs can range from people with autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, dyslexia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia, dysgraphia, blindness, deafness, ADHD, and cystic fibrosis. They can also include cleft lips and missing limbs. The types of special needs vary in severity, and a student with a special need is classified as being a severe case when the student's IQ is between 20 and 35. These students typically need assistance in school, and have different services provided for them to succeed in a different setting.

English-language learner is a term used in some English-speaking countries such as the United States and Canada to describe a person who is learning the English language and has a native language that is not English. Some educational advocates, especially in the United States, classify these students as non-native English speakers or emergent bilinguals. Various other terms are also used to refer to students who are not proficient in English, such as English as a second language (ESL), English as an additional language (EAL), limited English proficient (LEP), culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD), non-native English speaker, bilingual students, heritage language, emergent bilingual, and language-minority students. The legal term that is used in federal legislation is 'limited English proficient'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Learning disability</span> Range of neurodevelopmental conditions

Learning disability, learning disorder, or learning difficulty is a condition in the brain that causes difficulties comprehending or processing information and can be caused by several different factors. Given the "difficulty learning in a typical manner", this does not exclude the ability to learn in a different manner. Therefore, some people can be more accurately described as having a "learning difference", thus avoiding any misconception of being disabled with a possible lack of an ability to learn and possible negative stereotyping. In the United Kingdom, the term "learning disability" generally refers to an intellectual disability, while conditions such as dyslexia and dyspraxia are usually referred to as "learning difficulties".

The term twice exceptional, often abbreviated as 2e, entered educators' lexicons in the mid-1990s and refers to gifted students who have some form of learning or developmental disability. These students are considered exceptional both because of their giftedness and because they are disabled or neurodivergent. Ronksley-Pavia (2015) presents a conceptual model of the co-occurrence of disability and giftedness.

Special education in China provides education for all disabled students.

Structural inequality has been identified as the bias that is built into the structure of organizations, institutions, governments, or social networks. Structural inequality occurs when the fabric of organizations, institutions, governments or social networks contains an embedded bias which provides advantages for some members and marginalizes or produces disadvantages for other members. This can involve property rights, status, or unequal access to health care, housing, education and other physical or financial resources or opportunities. Structural inequality is believed to be an embedded part of the culture of the United States due to the history of slavery and the subsequent suppression of equal civil rights of minority races. Structural inequality has been encouraged and maintained in the society of the United States through structured institutions such as the public school system with the goal of maintaining the existing structure of wealth, employment opportunities, and social standing of the races by keeping minority students from high academic achievement in high school and college as well as in the workforce of the country. In the attempt to equalize allocation of state funding, policymakers evaluate the elements of disparity to determine an equalization of funding throughout school districts.p.(14)

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Youth and disability</span>

Approximately 180-220 million young people live with disabilities globally, with 80% living in the developing world, therefore lacking access to education, healthcare and employment [1]. Disability includes physical, mental or mental illness. Many young people live a healthy and stable life, although people with disabilities may have more obstacles than those without because of their possible limitations, created by physical weakness and social incapacity..

Co-teaching or team teaching is the division of labor between educators to plan, organize, instruct and make assessments on the same group of students, generally in the a common classroom, and often with a strong focus on those teaching as a team complementing one another's particular skills or other strengths. This approach can be seen in several ways. Teacher candidates who are learning to become teachers are asked to co-teach with experienced associate teachers, whereby the classroom responsibilities are shared, and the teacher candidate can learn from the associate teacher. Regular classroom teachers and special education teachers can be paired in co-teaching relationships to benefit inclusion of students with special needs.

Disability studies in education (DSE) is a field of academic study concerned with education research and practice related to disability. DSE scholars promote an understanding of disability from a social model of disability perspective to "challenge social, medical, and psychological models of disability as they relate to education". A DSE perspective situates disability within social and political context and is concerned with the civil and human rights of students with disabilities, including issues of equity, access, and inclusion in educational settings, curricula, and activities.

Inclusive Classroom is a term used within American pedagogy to describe a classroom in which all students, irrespective of their abilities or skills, are welcomed holistically. It is built on the notion that being in a non-segregated classroom will better prepare special-needs students for later life. In the United States, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 guaranteed civil rights to disabled people, though inclusion of disabled students progressed slowly until the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, after which almost half of US students with disabilities were soon in general classrooms.

Disproportionality in special education refers to the unequal representation of certain demographic groups in restrictive placement and discipline, particularly in the United States' public school system. Disproportionality is often displayed as the under- or overrepresentation of specific racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, or culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) groups in special education compared to their presence in the overall student population. A child's race and ethnicity may significantly influence the likelihood of being misidentified as needing special education services, raising concerns about fairness, equity, and the potential impact on students' educational outcomes.

References

  1. 1 2 Tan, Sema; Karal, Muhammed A.; Unluol Unal, Neslihan (2022-10-03). "Primary education teachers' experiences in resource rooms in Turkey: disability vs. giftedness". Education 3-13. 50 (7): 993–1007. doi:10.1080/03004279.2022.2059541. ISSN   0300-4279.
  2. ↑ Speece, Deborah L.; Mandell, Colleen J. (February 1980). "Resource Room Support Services for Regular Teachers". Learning Disability Quarterly. 3 (1): 49–53. doi:10.2307/1510425. ISSN   0731-9487. JSTOR   1510425.
  3. ↑ Thurlow, Martha L.; Ysseldyke, James E.; Graden, Janet L.; Algozzine, Bob (August 1983). "What's "Special" about the Special Education Resource Room for Learning Disabled Students?". Learning Disability Quarterly. 6 (3): 283–288. doi:10.2307/1510439. ISSN   0731-9487. JSTOR   1510439.
  4. ↑ Lerner, Janet W. (May 1989). "Educational Interventions in Learning Disabilities". Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. 28 (3): 326–331. doi:10.1097/00004583-198905000-00004. ISSN   0890-8567. PMID   2661524.
  5. ↑ Lamminmaki, T.; Ahonen, T.; Tolvanen, A.; Michelsson, K.; Lyytinen, H. (1997). "Comparing Efficacies of Neurocognitive Treatment and Homework Assistance Programs for Children with Learning Difficulties". Journal of Learning Disabilities. 30 (3): 333–345. doi:10.1177/002221949703000308. PMID   9146099. S2CID   12254600.
  6. ↑ Hagaman, Jessica L.; Reid, Robert (July 2008). "The effects of paraphrasing strategy on the reading comprehension of middle school students at risk for failure in reading". Remedial and Special Education. 29 (4): 222–234. doi:10.1177/0741932507311638. S2CID   145614318.
  7. ↑ Weiner, Lawrence H. (April 1969). "An Investigation of the Effectiveness of Resource Rooms for Children with Specific Learning Disabilities". Journal of Learning Disabilities. 2 (4): 223–229. doi:10.1177/002221946900200407. S2CID   145263246.
  8. ↑ Renick, Mari J.; Harter, Susan (December 1989). "Impact of social comparisons on the developing self-perceptions of learning disabled students". Journal of Educational Psychology. 81 (4): 631–638. doi:10.1037/0022-0663.81.4.631.
  9. ↑ Steele, Marcee M. (April 2005). "Teaching Students With Learning Disabilities: Constructivism Or Behaviorism?". Current Issues in Education. 8 (10).
  10. ↑ Thorson, Sue (1995). "Macbeth in the Resource Room: Students with Learning Disabilities Study Shakespeare". Journal of Learning Disabilities. 28 (9): 575–581. doi:10.1177/002221949502800907. PMID   8530900. S2CID   31134468.
  11. ↑ Marzano, Robert J.; Norford, Jennifer S.; Paynter, Diane E.; Pickering, Debra J.; Gaddy, Barbara B., eds. (2001). A Handbook for Classroom Instruction that Works . Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. ISBN   978-0871205223. OCLC   47785557.
  12. ↑ O'Connor, Peter D.; Stuck, Gary B.; Wyne, Marvin D. (1979). "Effects of a Short-Term Intervention Resource-Room Program On Task Orientation and Achievement". Journal of Special Education. 13 (4): 375–385. doi:10.1177/002246697901300405. S2CID   146365083.
  13. ↑ Vaughn, Sharon; Klingner, Janette K. (July 1998). "Students' Perceptions of Inclusion and Resource Room Settings". The Journal of Special Education. 32 (2): 79–88. doi:10.1177/002246699803200202. ISSN   0022-4669.
  14. ↑ Xie, Zhengli; Deng, Meng; Zhu, Zhiyong (2021-08-20). "From regular education teachers to special educators: the role transformation of resource room teachers in Chinese inclusive education schools". International Journal of Inclusive Education: 1–18. doi:10.1080/13603116.2021.1968516. ISSN   1360-3116.
  15. ↑ Al Khateeb, Jamal M.; Hadidi, Muna S. (2009). "Teachers' and Mothers' Satisfaction with Resource Room Programs in Jordan". Journal of the International Association of Special Education. 10 (1): 56–59. ISSN   1555-6913.
  16. ↑ Carson, Cari (2015). "Rethinking Special Education's "Least Restrictive Environment" Requirement". Michigan Law Review. 113 (8): 1397–1426. ISSN   0026-2234.
  17. ↑ de Bruin, Catriona L.; Deppeler, Joanne M.; Moore, Dennis W.; Diamond, Neil T. (2013). "Public School—Based Interventions for Adolescents and Young Adults With an Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Meta-Analysis". Review of Educational Research. 83 (4): 521–550. ISSN   0034-6543.
  18. ↑ Murphy, Donna M. (1996). "Implications of Inclusion for General and Special Education". The Elementary School Journal. 96 (5): 469–493. ISSN   0013-5984.
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