This assignment prompt asks students to write a letter from the perspective of a family member of a child with mild to moderate special needs, discussing how the child’s current placement in a regular classroom may hinder or support their future education based on the Minnesota Grad

s you learned in Week 4, federal law states that all placement decisions must be made by each child’s case study committee, which minimally includes the child’s parent, regular teacher, and special education teacher, as well as an administrator (or representative). You also learned that all children are entitled to receive instruction in the least restrictive environment (LRE).
You have likely had some experience in classrooms yourself—either through your own children or through conversations with teachers and/or parents—in which children with differing needs were receiving instruction. You may have listened to descriptions of situations in which the perception is that one or two children took time away from the other children due to their unique needs. You may have listened to other perspectives in which the perception is that a child’s placement in the grade-appropriate classroom was required, acceptable, fair, and valuable.
While the placement of the child may be open to discussion, it can be agreed that all children must be properly prepared for middle and high school. As stated in the Minnesota Graduation Standards, “Elementary and middle school students have to master preparatory content standards.” Proper preparation for future education is a challenge faced by all educators and parents. This is something that must be continually evaluated to ensure the success of all students.
For this Discussion, use the grouping format below to determine your assigned perspective. The hypothetical children are in grades 1–3.
Candidates who have a last name starting with A–L: Write a letter from the perspective of a family member of a child with mild to moderate special needs, thanking the classroom teacher for working with the child in the regular classroom. For both of these posts, review the Minnesota Graduation Standards and Profile of Learning Standards (see this week’s resources). Discuss how the current placement of the child will either hinder or support the child’s future education. Use the resources to validate the issues.