Introduction
Special education and inclusive education training, covering IEPs, differentiation and learning support, is a five-day course for class teachers, learning support staff, resource room teachers and inclusion coordinators, ending with an IEP and a differentiated unit plan for a case learner. Many schools enrol learners with special educational needs but leave referral, individual planning and classroom adjustment to individual goodwill, so support is uneven and progress goes unmeasured. Nominees already teach or support mixed-ability classes and work through case files built on screening records, work samples and lesson plans. CoreConcept Training Center delivers this course on special and inclusive education.
Course Objectives
- Identify learners who may have special educational needs using universal screening, structured observation and work samples, without clinical labelling
- Run a school-level referral from first concern through tiered intervention to a multidisciplinary team decision
- Write an IEP with a present levels statement, measurable annual goals, short-term objectives, accommodations and review points
- Adapt lessons and assessments through Universal Design for Learning, task analysis, accommodations, modifications and assistive technology
- Organise resource room, pull-out, push-in and co-teaching arrangements and a classroom behaviour support plan for individual learners
- Monitor IEP progress with charted data and report it to parents in partnership meetings that lead to agreed next steps
Target Audience
- Class teaching teams that include learners with special educational needs in mainstream lessons
- Learning support and teaching assistant teams that deliver small-group and in-class intervention
- Resource room and special education teams that write and deliver individual education plans
- Inclusion coordination teams that manage referral, IEP meetings and support timetables across a school
- Student counselling and pastoral teams that handle behaviour support and communication with families
Course Outline
Day 1: Inclusive Education Principles and the School Starting Point
- Inclusion, Integration and Mainstreaming Compared for School Placement
- Special Education as a Service Rather Than a Place
- Special Educational Needs Categories in Non-Clinical School Language
- Multi-Tiered System of Supports Overview Across Three Tiers
- Inclusive School Readiness Self-Review of Policies and Classrooms
Day 2: Identification, School Referral and the IEP Framework
- Universal Screening and Observation Records for Early Identification
- Response to Intervention Cycle Before School-Level Referral
- School Referral Pathway and Multidisciplinary Team Roles
- PLAAFP Statement Writing From Classroom Evidence and Work Samples
- IEP Components From Present Levels to Related Services
Day 3: IEP Goals, Differentiated Instruction and Classroom Accommodations
- SMART Annual Goals and Short-Term Objectives for IEPs
- Accommodations Versus Modifications Decision Grid per Subject
- Universal Design for Learning Three Principles in Unit Planning
- Task Analysis Breaking Skills Into Small Teachable Steps
- Assistive Technology Overview From Low-Tech Aids to Text-to-Speech
Day 4: Learning Support Models, Behaviour Support and Family Partnership
- Six Co-Teaching Models Matched to Class and Learner Needs
- Resource Room Timetabling With Pull-Out and Push-In Sessions
- Classroom Behaviour Support Plan Using Antecedent and Consequence Records
- Parent Partnership Meetings and Home-School Communication Logs
- Progress Monitoring Data Charts and IEP Review Decisions
Day 5: Case Study: IEP and Differentiated Unit Plan for a Case Learner
- Case Learner File Review of Screening and Observation Evidence
- Case PLAAFP Statement and Annual Goal Drafting
- Case Accommodation and Assistive Technology Selection for Lessons
- Differentiated Unit Plan With UDL Options and Co-Teaching Roles
- IEP and Differentiated Unit Plan Completion and Peer Review
Skills You Will Gain
- Special Educational Needs Identification
- School Referral Coordination
- IEP Writing
- Measurable Goal Setting
- Universal Design for Learning
- Co-Teaching Practice
- Classroom Behaviour Support
- Parent Partnership
Why Attend This Course
- Hand the inclusion coordinator and the IEP team a completed IEP and differentiated unit plan for a case learner, ready to adapt to a real learner
- Decide whether a learner needs an accommodation, a modification, a resource room session or co-teaching support, using recorded evidence
- Avoid late referrals, unrecorded adjustments and IEP reviews that parents find unclear or unsupported by data
- Share screening, IEP, accommodation and progress chart templates with class teachers and assistants across the school
Conclusion
Back at school, the participant gives the inclusion coordinator and the IEP team an individual education plan and a differentiated unit plan that class teachers can use in their next unit. School leaders can then allocate resource room time, assistants and co-teaching pairs against recorded learner needs rather than requests alone. After the first review cycle, the team should check goal attainment on the progress charts, whether agreed accommodations were used in lessons and assessments, and what parents reported at the review meeting.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What should participants know before a special education and inclusive education course?
Participants should already teach or support learners in a school and be familiar with lesson planning and classroom assessment. Bringing an anonymised learner profile, a recent support plan or a unit plan helps them apply the case work to their own classes.
How does special education and inclusive education training differ from a general teaching strategies course?
It concentrates on learners with special educational needs: identification, school referral, IEP writing, accommodations, resource rooms, co-teaching and progress monitoring. General teaching strategy courses cover lesson design and assessment for whole classes, and workplace disability inclusion courses address employees rather than school learners.
What is the difference between an accommodation and a modification in special education and inclusive education?
An accommodation changes how a learner accesses or shows learning, such as extra time, alternative formats or assistive technology, while the expected content stays the same. A modification changes what the learner is expected to learn, for example simplified content or adjusted success criteria.
What do participants take back from the special education and inclusive education course?
Participants take back an IEP and a differentiated unit plan written for a case learner, plus screening, referral, accommodation, behaviour support and progress chart templates that can be adapted to learners in their own school.
