Field Experience Interview

Posted: December 11th, 2013

Application/Field Experience Assignment: Understanding the Referral, Assessment, Identification, and IEP Processes

“As a school professional you have a responsibility to thoroughly understand what happens from the time someone expresses concern about a student struggling in school through the steps of assessment and identification of the student as eligible for special education, to the procedures in place to review the education programs of students with disabilities” (Friend, 2006, p. 52).

For this Field Experience Assignment, you will have the opportunity to interview a teacher who works with at least one child who has been assessed and identified as eligible for special education. This interview can be with a teacher who works in an inclusive setting or special education classroom, or a specialist in the special education field. You will discuss the steps that must be followed in order to determine whether a student is eligible to receive special education, the IEP process, and the educator’s thoughts and experiences with regard to special education. After the interview, you will have the opportunity to reflect on how this field experience relates to what you have learned and ways in which it can help you work more effectively with all of the students you will be teaching.