Advocating for Students: The Special Education Process and Beyond

3 Credits | 45 Clock Hours

Regular price
$199.00
Sale price
$199.00
Regular price
$199.00
Download Syllabus
  • Equity - PSESD 121
  • Exceptional Students
  • Instructional Strategies
Advocating for Students: The Special Education Process and Beyond K-12 teachers professional development course

Course Description

As a special educator, general educator, school counselor or administrator, your role is to ensure that the needs of your students (or clients) are met. Working with students who are not performing to their potential can be tricky. An understanding of student strengths and needs, along with the knowledge of the special education process, are key to ensuring that you are providing those students with what they need in order to be successful. The purpose of this course is to better prepare you with the necessary skills to identify students with a disability as well as implement child-specific interventions and accommodations to support those not performing to their potential. But what do you do to ensure a student’s needs are met? How do you ensure that you are successfully advocating for your students? How do you utilize your school or community’s resources to best meet diverse learners? Students with disabilities? Gifted students? No matter what your role is in the school system or outside of the school system it’s important that you understand why special needs identification and planning works the way that it does.

This course will provide you with a strong foundation in the principles of special needs advocacy, with an emphasis on practical application of the fundamental legal requirements that drive special needs education. You will learn about the IEP process and about 504 Plans, and use your knowledge of the rights and entitlements granted by the aforementioned special education laws to create effective plans for student success. Through learning the differences between IDEA and Section 504, you will be better equipped at determining which plan is best for a particular student. Once a plan has been created, you will learn tips and be given tools to implement that plan and monitor the plan’s effectiveness and the child’s progress. This course will also focus on exploring how to maximize effectiveness by writing S.M.A.R.T. goals and choosing appropriate accommodations and adaptations. By the end of this course, you will be able to feel confident in their ability to successfully advocate for struggling students and understand the process necessary to ensure their needs are met.

To Enroll in a Course:

  • Select the salary advancement or recertification course or courses for Washington State teachers you wish to take.
  • If you want Clock Hours only, select the Course Only option. You will receive a Certificate of Completion when you finish the course, which you will use to obtain your Clock Hours.
  • If you need an official transcript, choose the University Credits option. See our University Partners page for more information about our regionally accredited university partners.
  • Add the course to your cart.
  • When you are ready to check out, go to your cart, and click “Check Out”.
  • You will be asked to log into your account or create a new account.
  • Follow the enrollment and payment prompts. If you have a discount code, you will enter it at the end of the enrollment process.
  • Upon purchase, you will receive an email receipt and be able to log in to your course at eClassroom Sign in. You have 180 days (about 6 months) from your purchase to complete your course.

If you have any questions, check out our FAQs or email support@cecreditsonline.org.

Obtaining Clock Hours

CE Credits Online is proud to offer high quality courses that are approved for Clock Hours through Puget Sound Educational Service District 121 and are eligible for graduate-level professional development credit towards Washington State License Renewal from our regionally accredited university partners.  Our online professional development courses are also available for salary advancement. Purchase Clock Hours through PSESD 121 and Graduate Credits from CE Credits Online. Participate in professional learning from CE Credits Online today!

Obtaining University Credits

  • We have partnered with regionally-accredited universities to provide graduate-level professional development credits for our courses. See our University Partners tab for more information. All courses taken for graduate credit receive both a Certificate of Completion and an official University Transcript.
  • Select the University Credits option of the course(s) you wish.
  • Upon completion of your course, CE Credits Online will forward all the required documentation to the University you selected.
  • The University partner will process your course completion and provide a transcript that includes the name of the course, course number, number of credits, and your grade.
  • You will receive directions on how to receive your transcript in email form, and you can also review the University Partners section of our website for more information.
  • Your success is important to us, and we want to help you choose a course that fits your needs. Because state, district and school acceptances vary, we suggest confirming with the appropriate department ahead of time. Refunds aren’t available if the credits don’t meet your individual requirements.
  • Courses are work at your own pace, standards based, user friendly and facilitated.