Special Educators’ Job is Not to Raise Test Scores
Special educators don’t know their job.
Now, that sounds like I’m slamming special educators, but nothing could be further from the truth.
When I was the Special Education Graduate Director at Towson University, I interviewed prospective candidates. Every time – with men and women of all ages, all shapes and sizes, all background, races and cultures – I was touched by the sense of heart-felt purpose in their response. They told stories of standing up for siblings who were bullied, of being inspired by classmates’ determination to master a skill, of lasting affection for endearing campers. Some said they always knew in their souls that they would work with disabled children; others discovered rejuvenating satisfaction when children with disabilities were included in their general education classrooms.
No, the mission for special educators is clear – the intent to make a difference in the life and success of a struggling child or youth. I admire and applaud them.
The problem comes from what they DO with that commitment. In spite of what I hear in schools around the country, the job of a special educator is:
NOT to pull students’ reading and math levels up so that state test scores improve.
NOT to serve as a glorified tutor so their students keep up with assignments.
NOT to help general educators reach students who struggle in their classes.
NOT to pull “my kids” out of class to reteach classroom instruction that went over their heads.
NOT to meet with students on their caseload to remind them of assignments they missed, like a glorified task list reminder.
While special educators may do many of those things, it’s not the core of their job. Furthermore, I have noticed that those who scurry around trying to fix a broken system, become discouraged and too many leave the field.
They are derailed from their mission to make a permanent change in the life of a child.
Within the context of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004, the job of the special educator is to provide “individualized and specialized instruction” that will “prepare them for further education, employment, and independent living.”
These words establish the context for the work of a special educator. Every action should flow from the intent to prepare these students to develop the skills they will need in school and after they graduate.
That means that special educators
WILL coach each youth to recognize and build on his own strengths in the learning process and consider hopeful implications of those assets for future careers.
WILL empower each youth to understand his unique disability, how it interferes with various functions, and what accommodations he needs for particular learning or life situations.
WILL foster students’ self-reflection so that they can gain valuable lessons from mistakes they make.
WILL partner with general educators, related service providers, families, and especially the youth themselves to provide a unified network of support to accomplish these goals.
With this clarified focus, the challenge for educational systems will be to identify methods to measure the effectiveness of special educators, but the effort will be worth it. When we measure the wrong things, we send confusing messages about what is important. Special educators who are on track with their job expectations are continually re-energized.
