Standard 1
Student Learning
The Student Learning standard of effective practice (SEP) describes how students’ identities, cognitive processes, language, culture, and lived experiences impact their classroom experiences. Teachers must be aware of these factors to meet their students’ diverse needs and learning styles effectively.
As a trained and licensed school psychologist, I worked within this standard to assess students and determine whether they qualified for special education services. School psychologists must carefully consider how identity, cognitive differences, and language impact a student’s functioning in the classroom. I also conducted threat and risk assessments for elementary and high school students and observed how mental health impacts young people in their schools and communities.
Classwork that supports this includes many lesson plans (see this example from GED 7846 Theory to Practice). This lesson focuses on a fifth grade mathematics standard, 5.1.2.3: Order fractions and decimals, including mixed numbers and improper fractions, and locate on a number line.
This lesson incorporates various learning strategies, including kinesthetic and auditory approaches. Students were encouraged to move throughout the classroom and sit with their partner wherever they were comfortable, so that they would move twice during the lesson. The Reciprocal Learning activity allowed students to provide visual or auditory prompts as needed.
Standard 2
Learning Environment
The Learning Environment standard of effective practice (SEP) describes the ways teachers collaborate with students to create an inclusive classroom environment based on relationship-based, culturally-affirming practices in the classroom. This standard outlines that the teacher “fosters an environment that ensures student identities such as race/ethnicity, national origin, language, sex and gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, physical/developmental/emotional ability, socioeconomic class, and religious beliefs are historically and socially contextualized, affirmed, and incorporated into learning.”
Classwork that supports this includes a learning ecosystem reflection from GED 7846 Theory to Practice. In that reflection, I laid out the following foundational ideas to guide my classroom’s values:
Connection first. Then, learning, correction, and questioning.
Trust. If a kid is escalated and is requesting something, I'm going to trust that they know what their body needs.
De-escalation by any means necessary. This means rejecting the urge to be petty and hold kids to ridiculous standards because we’re annoyed by their behavior.
Our classroom is a fun and loving place. Students should want to be there, learning and growing. If not, we'll have escape/elopement issues more frequently than needed, and that's not fun for any of us.
Parent engagement is imperative to our success. My students know I communicate directly with their parents and share a weekly update on what we're doing in content areas.
On a day-to-day level, my classroom is predictable and structured, so that my students know what to expect and when. We practice procedures—and work together when we feel those have fallen apart or need tweaking. Because we do not suspend students in the Setting IV environment, they are welcomed back into the classroom immediately after giant behaviors have calmed. As such, it’s my job to create a space that holds all students accountable but also welcomes them after they’ve broken community trust. This can be a BIG challenge for all of us, especially when the student’s peers have witnessed the extreme behavior. I try to model accountability, forgiveness, and respect so that our students see each other for their whole selves—the flaws AND the brilliance. I know that striking the right balance is a work in progress and that learning from my mistakes is part of the work.
Standard 3
Assessment
The Assessment standard of effective practice (SEP) describes that teachers understand and navigate the student assessment process, including the impact of bias on assessment results, the positive impact of feedback to students, partnering with students on goal setting, and the use of strategies that minimize the effects of discriminatory practices.
As a trained and licensed school psychologist, I worked within this standard to assess students and determine whether they qualified for special education services. As a special education teacher, this is now one of my most comfortable areas. Here, for example, is an anonymized report written after administering the KABC-2.
As an adjunct professor in the school psychology graduate program at UW-River Falls, I anonymized two Functional Behavior Assessments to support student learning. The first, linked here, is the profile of an elementary student. The second, linked here, was a high school student. I first provided students with the separate information collected by the IEP/FBA team and asked them to compile their own functional behavior assessment (FBA) using the various reports.
As a special education teacher, assessments are far less formal and involve checks for understanding in the classroom setting, as well as more formal screening and progress monitoring.
Standard 4
Planning for Instruction
The Planning for Instruction standard of effective practice (SEP) describes the use and understanding of academic standards, the use of cross-disciplinary instructional methods, and the adaptation of lessons, unit plans, and learning experiences to local, state, and national discipline-specific standards.
Classwork that supports this includes lesson plans such as this example from GED 7846 Theory to Practice, and this AAC lesson from SPED 7103 ASD Communication. In both lessons, I had to consider the adaptation of lesson standards for all students and use various instructional methods to meet the needs of students across ability levels and academic needs.
As a special education teacher, adapting lessons, unit plans, and learning experiences to meet discipline-specific standards is an essential part of my day-to-day work. In both my observations of other teachers in the Setting IV environment and in my own classroom, I worked to become more aware throughout my graduate school experience of how my lesson plans needed to meet both student needs and academic standards.
Standard 5
Instructional Strategies
The Instructional Strategies standard of effective practice (SEP) describes how teachers should use strategies beyond simply lecturing to their students, including collaborative tasks, inquiry, student-led learning, technology integration, and differentiated instruction. Teachers need to encourage students to think deeply, make connections, and apply knowledge in meaningful ways.
Classwork that supports this includes lesson plans such as this mathematics example from GED 7846 Theory to Practice, the previous example of an AAC lesson from SPED 7103 ASD Communication, and this UFLI-aligned irregular words lesson from GED 7846 Teaching Literacy in the Elementary Setting. Each of these lessons pulls on instructional strategies beyond the traditional lecture format.
The mathematics lesson includes collaborative tasks (the reciprocal learning task), inquiry-based learning, and differentiated instruction (math notebooks and sentence stems). The UFLI-aligned lesson uses a comfortable format (UFLI) to build literacy skills around “heart” or irregular words that don’t follow the rules we’ve learned in the classroom. We used whiteboards to circle and put hearts around parts of words that both follow - and don’t follow - the spelling and reading rules we had learned so far.
Standard 6
Professional Responsibilities
The Professional Responsibilities standard of effective practice (SEP) describes how teachers should reflect on their teaching, seek improvement, maintain integrity, work collaboratively with colleagues, families, and communities, serve as educational leaders, and advocate for students and equity as professionals in education.
The constant iteration of teaching is one of my favorite things about being an educator! In our Schools and Society course, I did a research presentation on the impact of nature on autistic students; the central question was “What is the impact of nature exposure on autistic students?” and is one that I’d love to continue exploring as a practitioner. I considered the work of Japanese forestbathing (森林浴 shinrin-yoku) researchers and those in the UK who have invested heavily in Forest Schools. Not much is known about the mechanisms of autism in general, let alone the ways that nature can impact autistic functioning; more research may determine alternative programming to be more effective.
I am also very interested in how twice-exceptional students are educated in the school setting. My synthesis paper from SPED 7106 ASD Social Cognition addressed my desire to continue researching and exploring this theme. I also discussed my desire to learn more about neuroscience and autism concerning the prefrontal cortex. Synaptic pruning is generally believed to be impaired in autism spectrum disorder, leading to an overabundance of synapses. At the same time, reduced myelination in specific cortical and subcortical regions may affect brain connectivity (Heine & Dooves, 2025). These brain changes must affect executive functioning; further research will likely reveal more about how we can support brain development in autistic children.
Standard 7
Collaboration & Leadership
The Collaboration & Leadership standard of effective practice (SEP) describes the ways that teachers must exhibit strong communication skills and build valuable partnerships. Teachers should engage families and communities in students’ learning and work with colleagues to improve instruction. The standard also emphasizes the importance of leveraging partnerships for student success.
Much of our special education coursework emphasized the value and importance of collaboration to support our students’ wide-ranging needs. This transition assignment in SPED 7105, Collaborative Transitions, for example, highlighted the importance of building partnerships across settings to support an autistic student’s transition from middle school to high school.
Collaborating in the classroom setting is also important for special education teachers. This assignment for SPED 7950: SPED Collaboration documents how teachers collaborate in the classroom, while this paper outlines an action plan for collaboration. To continue building efficiency, trust, and effectiveness, I will need to self-assess my role over time to identify areas for improvement and growth, and to target weaker relationships. Krammer et al. found in their 2018 study that the characteristics of collaborative teams were more influential on outcomes than the individual characteristics of teachers (11); as such, evaluating outcomes and team skills will need to be the focus of my self-assessments, rather than just my skills. Their research also found that each teacher's pleasure in the collaboration made a significant difference in effectiveness; as mentioned above, this shows that values must extend beyond the simple division of labor into how the collaborative relationship flows. This was especially interesting, given that the building's administrators often assign teams to teachers and support staff. While teachers may need to work with staff with conflicting work styles or values, prioritizing the relationship and collaborative practices must remain a top priority.
Standard 8
Racial Consciousness & Reflection
The Racial Consciousness & Reflection standard of effective practice (SEP) describes how teachers should understand how culture, race, ethnicity, and identity intersect with schooling; critically examine their own beliefs/practices; take actions to interrupt inequities; integrate culturally responsive pedagogy; and honor the knowledge and culture of historically marginalized groups.
Classwork that supports this includes a learning ecosystem reflection from GED 7846 Theory to Practice. In that reflection, I commented on how important it is to continue digging into the various types of culturally-responsive pedagogy and the ways I can incorporate them into my classroom’s ecosystems. I firmly believe in asset-based mindsets as a special education teacher. So often, by the time a child has been referred to a higher special education setting, their experiences in school are very focused on their deficits and negative behaviors. I actively work to highlight my students’ strengths to help rebuild their positive school experiences. I think I have a lot to learn and do when it comes to shifting my practice entirely into an anti-racist or abolitionist one.
It’s interesting to reflect in my growth in this area. In my graduate program in school psychology, I wrote a proposal highlighting the importance of restorative practices in schools as a step toward dismantling the school-to-prison pipeline. My paper discussed how some schools are moving away from zero-tolerance policies toward restorative justice approaches that address the underlying issues driving student misbehavior in schools. Restorative justice “is a powerful approach to discipline that focuses on repairing harm through inclusive processes that engage all stakeholders” (Ferlazzo, 2016). When it’s properly implemented, according to Shane Safir, author and founder of the June Jordan School for Equity in San Francisco, “restorative justice shifts the focus of discipline from punishment to learning and from the individual to the community” (Ferlazzo, 2016). Many view restorative practice as an approach to discipline in a school; however, it should instead serve as a “proactive strategy to create a culture of connectivity where all members of the school community feel valued and thrive” (Oakland Reunified School District, 2016).
Special education is closely tied to old standards and systems, including those that keep the school-to-prison pipeline in place; I want to continue exploring how I can meet my school's needs (e.g., assessments) while honoring the fact that my students need and deserve something different and more positive than the traditional schooling experience.