Home-School Partnerships for Students with Exceptional Needs

Course Description

Focuses on the needs of parents and families as they interact with personnel in schools, including procedural safeguards for parents/families, formal and informal meetings, culturally competent interactions, and home-school communication systems.

Syllabus

Student Learning Outcomes, Goals, Objectives:

Students successfully completing this course will be able to:

  1. Demonstrate an awareness of the importance of family involvement in the education of a child who has a disability or who is deaf or hard of hearing (D/HH). (3.0, 4.0)

  2. Identify and understand the life cycles of families who have children with disabilities or who are D/HH. (3.0, 9.0)

  3. Develop an awareness of the types of reactions family members have to parenting a child with a disability or who is D/HH. (3.0, 8.0, 9.0)

  4. Identify resources, concerns and priorities of families of students with exceptional needs related to services the child or family may need. (3.0, 8.0, 9.0)

  5. Effectively advocate for family members and children with disabilities demonstrating a system of care philosophy. (3.0, 8.0, 9.0)

  6. Describe and understand the due process procedures from a parent’s perspective and the role of teachers, administrators and other staff. (3.0, 4.0, 9.0)

  7. Describe the federal and state legislative requirements for family involvement in educational procedures and programs. (8.0)

  8. Develop strategies for creating effective professional-family partnerships. (4.0, 8.0, 9.0)

  9. Understand the role of different family members and the individual dynamics in family interactions. (4.0, 8.0, 9.0)

  10. Demonstrate an awareness of cultural and linguistic diversity of children who have a disability or who is D/HH and their families. (8.0, 9.0)

  11. Identify and provide a rationale for parent involvement in a child's development. (4.0, 8.0, 9.0)

  12. Demonstrate skills in guiding parents to facilitate their child's development. (9.0)

  13. Demonstrate an awareness of the teacher’s role as facilitator in the exchange of information between the school and the family of a child who has a disability or who is D/HH. (4.0, 8.0, 9.0)

  14. Demonstrate an awareness of social, cultural, and/or service organizations serving children who have a disability or who is D/HH and their families. (*8.0, 9.0)

  15. Demonstrate the ability to communicate with parents of children who have a disability or who is D/HH using principles of family counseling and therapy. (4.0, 8.0, 9.0)

  16. Demonstrate an understanding of professional ethics and responsibilities in working with children who have a disability or who is D/HH and their families. (4.0, 8.0, 9.0)

Course Grading Information:

Activity/Performance Measure

Percentage/Points

Discussion Board 1

5 points

Discussion Boards 2, 3, and 4

45 points

Jigsaw Activities (3 X 10 points)

30 points

Connect Module

10 points

Exams (2 X 50 points)

100 points

Quizzes (3 X 20 points)

60 points

Case Reaction Papers (2 X 15 points)

30 points

Family Story Project Paper

100 points

Required Forms/Documentation

20 points

Grading Scale

Percentage

Letter Grade

93-100%

A

90-92%

A-

87-89%

B+

83-86%

B

80-82%

B-

77-79%

C+

73-76%

C

70-72%

C-

67-69%

D+

63-66%

D

60-62%

D-

<60%

F

Attendance/Participation:

Attendance/participation is not a graded component included in the student's final grade for this course.

Course Materials Purchased by the Students:

Turnbull, A. Turnbull, R., Francis, G. L., Burke, M., Kyzar, K., Haines, S. J., Gershwin, T., Shepard, K. G., Holdren, N., & Singer, G. H. S. (2022). Families and Professional: Trusting Partnerships in General and Special Education (8th Edition). Pearson

Scholarly Perspectives

This course engages diverse scholarly perspectives to develop critical thinking, analysis, and debate and inclusion of a reading does not imply endorsement.