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Butler University College of Education

The mission of the College of Education at Butler University is to prepare individuals to be highly qualified professionals who exemplify our core values of
integrity and responsibility; teaching, learning and mentoring; diversity and similarity; and theory, practice and collaboration.
ED 492: Special Education Law
Summer I 2014 1 Credit Hour

PROFESSOR/COURSE INFO.
Professor: Dr. Kelli Esteves
Phone: 317-940-6462 (office) Email: kesteves@butler.edu
Office Hours: By appointment Office: JH 180B

TEXTBOOK & INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS
Weishaar, M.K. (2007). Case Studies in Special Education Law: No Child Left Behind Act and Individuals with Disabilities
Education Improvement Act. Boston: Pearson.
All videos and articles found on Moodle are required reading and viewing unless otherwise indicated.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This online course will cover information on IDEA-2004; Section 504; Article 7 and its implication for teachers.
COURSE OBJECTIVES & STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
Upon completion of this course, students will:
Identify components of IDEA and Article 7 and understand their impact in education.
Understand the basis and social implications of special education law.
Understand and apply the provisions of disabilities law (such as inclusion, least restrictive environment, and
IDEA) and the responsibilities of educators.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Case Briefs (100 points)
Students will submit 9 theory-to-practice case briefs throughout the semester. The briefs, based on IDEA cases in the
Weishaar text, will be 300-500 words each and are to be submitted as online text in Moodle. Included in this point
total is the submission of an introductory post in the Welcome to Class discussion forum.
ePresention (50 points)
Students will study an assigned court case that pertains to special education and prepare an electronic presentation to
share with the class. See the assignment description on Moodle for more information.
Final Exam (50 points)
The final exam will be an open-book, open-note exam comprised of short answer and essay questions. It will also
include an oral component whereby students will respond to questions from the instructor via Skype.

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EVALUATION & GRADING
General Assignment Criteria
1. All assignments are to be completed alone unless otherwise indicated.
2. All assignments should be proofread for spelling and grammatical errors.
3. Grades for assignments turned in after the due date will be reduced by at least 10% for each day they are late.
4. In addition to the required components, the following factors will be considered when grading assignments:
clarity, organization, and quality of written expression.
5. The instructor reserves the right to alter the course agenda or assignment schedule with advance notice.

Grading Scale












STUDENT SERVICES, STANDARDS & OTHER ACADEMIC CONSIDERATIONS
Academic Achievement and Student Support
It is the policy and practice of Butler University to make reasonable accommodations for students with properly
documented disabilities. Written notification from Student Disability Services is required. If you are eligible to
receive an accommodation and would like to request it for this course, please discuss it with me and allow one week
advance notice. Otherwise, it is not guaranteed that the accommodation can be received on a timely basis. Students
who have questions about Student Disability Services or who have, or think they may have, a disability (psychiatric,
attention, learning, vision, hearing, physical, medical, etc.) are invited to contact Student Disability Services for a
confidential discussion in Jordan Hall 136 or by phone at extension 9308.

Academic Integrity
Students are expected to follow the principles of academic integrity as outlined in the Butler University Student
Handbook.
Grade Percentage
A 94-100%
A- 90-93%
B+ 86-89%
B 82-85%
B- 79-81%
C+ 75-78%
C 71-74%
C- 68-70%
D+ 65-67%
D 62-64%
D- 59-61%
F Below 58%
Incompletes (grades of "I") will be given only in the
case of very unusual circumstances and must be
contracted with the instructor. Students are advised to
retain all graded assignments returned to them.
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ED 492 - TENTATIVE COURSE OUTLINE & READINGS
Week Readings Assignments Due (All assignments are due by 11:55PM EST)
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Text: Chapter 1
Text: Appendix A & B
Module: Course Information
Module: The Basics of the US Legal System,
Special Education, and IDEA

Due 5/15: Post on the Welcome to Class discussion forum
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Text: Chapter 2-3
Module: Accountability
Module: Participation in High Stakes Assessments

Due 5/19: Case Brief from Chapter 2 2.1: Brandon
Due 5/22: Case Brief from Chapter 3 3.2: Paul
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Text: Chapter 4-5
Module: Prereferral & Referral Process
Module: Zero Reject, Child Find, & Discipline
Due 5/27*: Case Brief from Chapter 4 4.2: James
*Memorial Day is on Monday, 5/26, so a one-day
extension has been granted.

Due 5/29: Case Brief from Chapter 5 Either 5.1: Brian
OR 5.2: Terrance YOUR CHOICE
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Text: Chapter 6-7
Module: Landmark Cases
Module: Nondiscriminatory Assessment
Module: Appropriate Education and IEPs
Due 6/2: ePresentation
Due: 6/2 Case Brief from Chapter 6 Either 6.1: Carlos
OR 6.2 Anna YOUR CHOICE

Due: 6/5 Case Brief from Chapter 7 7.1: Thomas
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Text: Chapter 8-9
Module: Least Restrictive Environment
Module: Due Process
6/12: Final exam will be available on Moodle
Due: 6/9 Case Brief from Chapter 8 Either 8.1: Rhonda
OR 8.2 Jameca YOUR CHOICE

Due: 6/12 Case Brief from Chapter 9 Either 9.1: Darnell
OR 9.2: Andrew YOUR CHOICE
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Text: Chapter 10
Module: Parent Participation
Module: Additional Laws Related to Disability and
Student Rights


Due: 6/16 Case Brief from Chapter 10 10.1: Dan
Due: 6/17-6/19 Final Exam (oral component)
Individually set up with the instructor.

Due: 6/19 Final exam (written component)