CSN Education Department - EDU 203 Special

Education 10 Hour Field Observation Activities

Packet

Greetings Future Educator,

One of the most rewarding aspects

of EDU 203 is the opportunity you will have to actually observe
students in a classroom setting. This CSN course requires all
students to complete a 10 Hour Field Observation in one of the Clark County School District schools.
Once your placement is processed, you will receive details regarding your specific assigned school from
your CSN instructor. You will then contact the school and meet with your cooperating teacher. Both you
and your cooperating teacher will design a mutually agreeable schedule to complete your required
contact hours. Within this packet, you will find the required experience assignments and field documents
that you must complete in order to pass this class.
**Read this entire packet prior to making your initial visit.

Student’s Name: Mackenzie Melnar_____ CSN Course: EDU 203 Introduction to Special Ed.

CSN Professor: Vicki Rieger_____ Professor’s email: vrieger@interact.ccsd.net

CCSD School: Kim, Frank__________ Cooperating Teacher: Virginia Santamauro____

IMPORTANT NOTE:
Save this completed packet for your Education Capstone Course, (EDU 299) and pay particular
attention to items marked with an (*asterisk) as these will be especially helpful in completing your
Classroom Management, Diversity, and Differentiated Instruction presentation in EDU 299. Your CSN
instructor will let you know whether you will be handwriting directly in this packet, in a separate
reflective log, or word processing response to the following requirements and assignments.

CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT (Observations): After arrival, take a seat in a nonintrusive location

to begin your classroom observations. Consider/Complete the questions below:

Observation 1: What are your first impressions of the classroom/school environment? Warm? Friendly?
Organized etc? Describe the physical environment in detail.

The classroom I observed in was quite a small classroom. However, the class itself was the
preschool age special education class so there were only about eleven students in the class. Upon initial
observation, it felt like a very hectic classroom. Once I spent a few hours there I started to notice that the
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room works well for these students. There were multiple stations for different kinds of learning and a lot
of activities that can go on at once. The school itself is an older elementary school but the staff does a
great job of decorating the halls and displaying student projects that it feels like a very welcoming,
happy, successful environment.

*Observation 2: Please describe the student make-up of the class, including gender, ethnicity, ELL,
students with physical challenges, and any other apparent attributes that are important to note.

There were only eleven students in the class and they were all between the ages of 3 and 4. Most
of the class, about five students, was Hispanic. There were two Caucasian/White students. The last four
students were mixed races. The class was made up of 9 boys and 2 girls (there were only 8 students
present on the days that I observed). It is hard to say if any of them would be considered ELL students
because most of them have yet to develop significant language skills. Only one of the boys in this class
had a physical impairment that I observed. He has cerebral palsy and this causes him to have a harder
time walking.

*Observation 3: What are the posted class rules in the room? (exactly as written)
Mrs. Santamauro uses 5 classroom rules: 1. Listen to your teacher, 2. Use quiet voices, 3. Share
and take turns, 4. Keep hands and feet to yourself, 5. Do your best.

*Observation 4: Does the teacher enforce the rules? Are rewards or consequences being used for
compliance or non-compliance.

I observed Mrs. Santamauro enforce these rules on several occasions. The students are very
young and most are served under the label of Developmental Delay so the rules were frequently broken.
Good behavior was rewarded with a special permission to do a different activity such as play games on
the classroom tablet or with a sticker. Whereas bad behavior generally resulted in time-out or getting
their permissions taken away.

CLASSROOM LAYOUT: Use graph paper or drawing software to create an accurate overhead view,
labeled drawing, of your assigned classroom before answering the questions below. (THIS
DOCUMENT APPLIES WHEN IN A REGULAR EDUCATION CLASSROOM)

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Classroom Layout Question 1: Describe the workflow of the room. Is the space used efficiently? Are
there any improvements you would recommend?

This room was rather small but had excellent workflow and the space is used effeciently. There
were several stations set up around the room so that students rotate from one activity to the next. Mrs.
Santamauro uses fabric to cover up some of the shelves which I think is a great technique for keeping
the children focused on one activity at a time. The bookshelves are placed strategically so that when the
students are at one station they will not easily get distracted by the other stations. I honestly cannot think
of a better way for this room to be arranged.

Classroom Layout Question 2: In your opinion, are there any concerns regarding safety during a
normal school day or during the possibility of fire, shelter in place, or lock-down?

This is likely one of the safest rooms to be in if there was a fire at the school because the door
leads straight outside. However if the need arises for a shelter in place or lock-down, this room may be
the least safe for the same reason, it faces the street and could possibly be accessible to criminals
infiltrating the school. As for safety concerns inside the room itself, I do not have any. Mrs. Santamauro
does an excellent job of keeping dangerous items out of harms reach, including the cords connected to
the computers in the room.

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INSTRUCTION: Observe any instructional time in your assigned classroom, and record your
observations when presented with the questions below:

Instruction Question 1: What is the posted daily schedule for different subjects or periods?

The class was divided into AM and PM, I observed the AM sessions and the schedule was as
follows, the first part of the day was circle time, then center time, playground time, snack time, and story
time.

Instruction Question 2: Is instruction done in small groups, centers, whole groups, individual?

Circle time is where all of the students would gather on the rug, take attendance, have a social
story read to them, and discuss a new activity that is being introduced. During center time the students
are divided into groups of 2s and rotated from one activity to the next. These activities included kitchen
play, tablet time, Legos or building blocks, and some sort of educational game to be led by an assistant
(or myself).

Instruction Question 3: How would you describe your cooperating teacher’s teaching style?

Mrs. Santamauro has a hands-on teaching style where she encourages students to play and try
new things.

*Instruction Question 4: Does the teacher incorporate the sensory modalities (learning styles)? If so,
give examples.

Mrs. Santamauro uses a number of sensory modalities. The students she teaches are not only
preschoolers but a majority of them are classified as Developmentally Delayed. She relies on videos,
demonstrations, picture symbols, and hands-on activities for teaching her students. When the students
come in to class there is already an ABC or numbers video playing on the smart board and this, not only
reminds the students that they need to gather on the rug, but helps reinforce basic ELA and
Mathematical skills. When she gives demonstrations, she will have students touch pictures that pertain
to the topic and use sounds and retrieval cues to help the students remember.

*Instruction Question 5: Do the students seem engaged in the lesson(s) that are being presented?
Please explain.

The students are so young that they are largely spurred by their interest. The students who were
not interested would not engage very well. However, there were some students who were engaged
throughout the whole lesson. These were generally the students with larger vocabularies. They often
asked questions relevant to the content and the teacher always encouraged this.

*Instruction Question 6: Are there any students isolated from the rest of the class for any reason?
Why?

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There was one student who had a tendency to isolate himself from the class. He was a rebellious
child who could not focus on one thing for too long.
Instruction Question 7: Is individualized instructional time managed efficiently? Please explain.

Mrs. Santamauro is excellent at working with students one on one. It’s a matter of keeping the
other students busy enough to do so effectively. She moves around the class and guides each activity
where it is necessary. One on one instruction needs to be quick for these students because they have
short attention spans and because anything can happen if she leaves the rest of the students to be on their
own for too long. Mrs. Santamauro uses her time very well in this case.

Instruction Question 8: How does the cooperating teacher handle transitions from one subject or period
to another, and are these transitions effective?

Transitions in this classroom usually go well because it is just as the students start losing interest
in one event that the transitions occur. Some students will have a hard time moving from one activity to
another but Mrs. Santamauro always handles these students well.

*Instruction Question 9: List ways that the teacher attempts any “attention getting” commands? (Ex:
Countdown, Light flicker, Heads on Desk) How effective are they?

Since the class size is small and there is very little whole group time, she generally calls names
for attention getting. This tends to work well for certain students; others need a little more motivation.
She also used “give me five” frequently, where the students raise a hand up in the air and face the
teacher with a finger over their mouth. This works well when it is time for a transition because she has a
majority of the class’s attention. Mrs. Santamauro often relies on the students who pay attention to set
the example for the ones who don’t pay attention.

*Instruction Question 10: What specific behavior issues does the teacher have to deal with? How does
the teacher deal with these behavior issues? Be specific.

A good number of the students in this class display signs of behavior disorders. There was a
different (sometimes the same) student crying at least once every hour. These students are still so new to
being in classrooms that they are still learning how to behave and listen to the teacher. One student
would stand up on the tables and when he was told to get down he would go to the next table and stand
on it. When he kept doing this she stopped the behavior by giving him something else productive to
focus on and something that he would like to do, tablet time. It was surprisingly effective and I didn’t
see that specific behavior again from him. The same student was always acting in defiance of Mrs.
Santamauro’s requests. He simply did not want to listen to her whatsoever. I am increasingly curious
about his home life and how it has shaped his behavior. Another technique that she used on this student
when he was defying her was ignoring him until he did what he was told. I thought this was a certainly
effective technique because she eventually got him in control and was able to use positive
reinforcements on the good behavior. Another student had a short attention span and would often stray
from where he was supposed to be to where he wanted to be. His mental age seemed to be much
younger than some of his peers. Mrs. Santamauro would often hold his hand to keep him where she
needed to be. This seemed to work for the most part but he had a major meltdown at least twice while I
was visiting.
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*Instruction Question 11: Are there any policies or procedures in place that help or hinder
instructional time? (Examples: Stoplight- (Red, Yellow, Green), clickers, happy/sad faces etc. are
students allowed to bring home unfinished work to complete as homework, is daily homework assigned)
If so, explain them and how they help or hinder use of instructional time.

Mrs. Santamauro is required to keep track of the students’ progress and behavior patterns. The
way she does this is actually quite effective and does not hinder instructional time at all. She has an app
on her cell phone connected to the program ‘Teaching Strategies’ from which she can take photos and
record the students following rules and reaching goals that are being worked on. She also has notebooks
where she needs to record specific students behavior every day. These take a little bit of time out of her
day but don’t get in the way of her instructional time. Homework is not assigned but the students are
responsible for bringing a folder to and from school (the folder mainly serves as a communication
system between the teacher and the parents).

CULTURE: Using the information provided below, carefully observe and evaluate the culture of the
school where you are assigned to observe. Remember you are evaluating the school for its educational
culture, place of learning, sense of safety, invitation for learning, promotion of self-actualization,
development of values and socialization.

Physical Characteristics: Look at the physical areas of the school to determine atmosphere, comfort,
and feelings the school creates for students in the educational setting.

1. Consider the school property: building, grounds, fencing, equipment, landscaping, trees, parking lot,
crosswalks, gates, signs and symbols.

The school was built in the 1980’s and the outside of the building reflects just that. Almost all of
the grass in the field was dead but there were several big trees on the campus. The parking lot was rather
small and it is likely that most teachers and staff were forced to park their cars on the street or at the
church next to the school. The equipment, fences, gates, and crosswalks were all in excellent condition.

2. Next, study the interior of the school: are hallways/classrooms labeled, halls, floor coverings,
lighting, doors, windows, hall colors and decorations and entrance security.

The interior of the school seems to be very well taken care of by the staff. It seems as though the
interior may have been refurbished to reflect how newer schools in the area look. In the hallways, there
was little to no natural lighting. Most classrooms did not have windows either. The halls were vibrant
and decorated with student projects. Each room was labeled by number and every room that I passed
seemed to have a significant amount of decorative/educational qualities. The doors to the front office
were locked and controlled by someone inside with a button.

Culture of the School: Read, listen and observe to determine the climate, values, and atmosphere
within the school.

1. Identify the school’s mission statement, motto, and mascot.

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The schools motto is a simplified version of the mission statement which is “Discovering the
Past and Exploring the Future through Kindness, Integrity, and Motivation.” Making the motto
“Discover the past, Explore the Future.” Their mascot is “Explorers.”

2. Analyze staff and visitor interactions in the main office. Note student and faculty interactions in other
areas of the school. (Example: teachers’ lounge)

The staff were extremely friendly and I enjoyed being at the school because I didn’t feel like I
stood out from the teachers. They greeted visitors like myself kindly and were always helpful. Faculty
and students seemed to have good relationships and say “hello” or “good morning” to each other in the
hallways.

3. Observe student-to-student interactions, inside and outside the building.

Observe where students gather to socialize – lunchroom, halls, playground, etc.

I didn’t get the opportunity to interact with much of the school because the class I was in is self-
contained. What I did see of playground time is that students had a tendency to play in smaller groups of
3 to 4.

4. Examine school traditions, achievements and awards; community recognition or community partners;
extracurricular activities/clubs and athletics. Look for and document sources of community pride and
sense of identity through ceremonies, assemblies, trophies, and artifacts.

This school seemed to take a lot of pride in their achievements. A large chunk of wall near the
front office is dedicated to displaying awards and achievements.

C. Culture of the Classroom: Each classroom has its own culture and way of life.

*1. Look for teacher(s) expectations for learning and success, interactions with students, and his/her
personality.

Mrs. Santamauro made sure to place herself in charge of everyone at all times. She has
appropriately high expectations for her students’ success and she is sure to check them on their poor
behaviors.

*2. Evaluate the interactions between teachers and students, rapport, cohesiveness, distribution of
power, tone, frequency and reinforcements. Who participates? Who does not?

A lot of these students were defiant but Mrs. Santamauro used effective techniques for getting
the students to do what she wanted them to. She knows all of her students well and has the ability to be a
couple of steps ahead of them when they start acting up. I detailed some of this already in Instruction
Question 10.

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COOPERATING TEACHER INTERVIEW: Complete the questions below by interviewing your
cooperating teacher during a convenient time. Include any school documents that your cooperating
teacher will allow you to photocopy for your packet.

Interview Question 1: What was the primary reason you became a teacher?

Mrs. Santamauro has been a teacher for nineteen years and started after receiving a master’s
degree in another subject area. She decided to start teaching when she found out that she could become
certified after the fact.

Interview Question 2: What is the main challenge(s) you face as a teacher?

One of her biggest challenges is student behavior. The students coming into her class tend to
have little to no basic skills (i.e. listening). This is a big challenge because there simply is not enough
time in the day or aids available to help to really get through to all of these exceptional children.

Interview Question 3: What is the best part(s) of being a teacher?

“The ‘Aha!’ moments, when a student finally starts to understand something and the ‘lightbulb
goes on.’” Every day for Mrs. Santamauro is filled with love and hate; one minute the students are
behaving well and being sweet, the next they are kicking and screaming.

Interview Question 4: Beyond standardized testing, what assessments do you use regularly?
How do assessment results determine flexible grouping?

Assessments that Mrs. Santamauro uses include the ECERS model and the Teaching Strategies
measures of assessment. ECERS stands for Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale. This scale helps
educators determine students’ level of skills in 43 different categories. It accurately shows where growth
needs to occur and when it has occurred.

Interview Question 5: What requirements are placed on you for reporting progress to parents?

Mrs. Santamauro is responsible for providing IEP reports every trimester and report cards twice a
year where she can make specific comments that she wants to communicate to parents. She also has
daily behavior charts and an app through Teaching Strategies that she uses to communicate progress to
parents daily and weekly.

Interview Question 6: Describe the interaction and discussion you have with a student’s parents?

She meets with each student’s parents once a year to discuss their student’s IEP. Other
discussions that are had at parent meetings include where the students should transition to after their
time in Mrs. Santamauro’s class. Some parents drop their children off at school and she interacts with
them frequently. These are brief interactions and generally do not result in in-depth topics.

Interview Question 7: What type of discussions do you typically have with parents?

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Mrs. Santamauro discusses many things with parents from their student’s behavior, eureka
moments, their IEPs, and medical history or concerns.

Interview Question 8: How much grading do you complete on a daily/weekly basis?

The students are not given letter grades but Mrs. Santamauro keeps track of their progress every
day. She spends at least an hour a day recording progress, sometimes up to 3 hours in a day.

Interview Question 9: How much time does it take to prepare lessons for the day/week?

Mrs. Santamauro spends usually 30 minutes a day preparing lessons before the students arrive.

*Interview Question 10: What procedures or strategies do you use to maximize instructional time?
Rotating the students and working in small groups is one way that she maximizes instructional
time. Another is by talking to the students about the activities that they are going to be doing before they
do them.

*Interview Question 11: What positive reinforcement programs and behavioral consequences seem
most effective with students?

One technique that works well for her is “first, then” actions. This is where a student will have to
do something that is being asked of them before they get to do something they want to do, an example is
“first, sit down and listen, then you can play in the kitchen.” Other techniques that work for her are hand
holding, thinking time (or time-out), and raising her voice and saying “NO” when necessary.

Interview Question 12: How are specialist teachers involved in the instructional planning process?

Because this class is self-contained, there are no specialist teachers involved. Some students
however, receive other services from the school such as speech therapy, physical therapy, and
occupational therapy. These teachers are not involved in the instructional planning in her class. They
simply take the kids out of class when it is their turn.

Interview Question 13: How often are you evaluated, and what measurement tool(s) is used by the
administration for determining your own performance?

Mrs. Santamauro is evaluated twice a year and administration uses the Nevada Educator
Performance Framework (NEPF) standards.

Interview Question 14: What consequences are there if your evaluation is not favorable?

If the evaluation is not favorable there would be a correction plan made and administration
would observe her more closely.

Interview Question 15: What types of support do you receive instructionally, financially or
professionally from the school, parent organization or school district to enhance instruction?
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This school is in a low socioeconomic area and there are not any parent organizations. She
receives a lot of support from the school however. Her class receives new supplies at the beginning of
the school year and there is usually one assistant teacher in the class with her at any given time.

CLASSROOM INTERACTIONS:
Teacher Exchange Directed to Boys vs. Teacher Exchange Directed to Girls.
Record tally marks for a 20-minute period when direct instruction is taking place. When interaction is
between the teacher and any male student, add a tally mark. Do the same when teacher interaction is
between the teacher and any female student. Record your tally marks in chart form, and then summarize
your findings in one paragraph.

*Summarize your Classroom Interactions data from above:

There was only one girl in the class so a large majority of her interactions were with the boys for
obvious reasons. As far as I could tell she did not treat anyone differently. Interactions were frequent
because these students have not mastered classroom behavior yet. Most of the interactions I observed
were behavior correcting interactions. She was successful in correcting behavior on most occasions. The
time frame in which I observed was center time where the students paired off and did different activities
in the classroom. Mrs. Santamauro would typically observe the students at their activities and interact
with the students when they came up to her. She inserted herself if students were not playing with
something appropriately and when they were not doing what is asked of them.

ADMINITSTRATOR INTERVIEW QUESTIONS: IF YOU HAD AN INTERVIEW WITH AN

ADMINISTRATOR, WHAT 5 QUESTIONS WOULD YOU ASK AN ADMINISTRATOR
REGARDING HIS/HER ADMINISTRATIVE POSITION? (QUESTIONS REQUIRED)

The prewritten student created questions are mandatory for credit, and a Principal/Assistant
Principal/Dean interview is optional but strongly encouraged ONLY IF IT CAN BE ARRANGED.
(Example Open Ended question: What are the most important qualities you look for in a newly hired
teacher?)
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CSN Student Created Open Ended Question # 1 for Administrator:

When selecting teachers for hire what is the number one thing that you like to see on their resumes?

CSN Student Created Open Ended Question # 2 for Administrator:

What did it take for you to get in your position?

CSN Student Created Open Ended Question # 3 for Administrator:

What methods do you use to motivate the educators and the school in general?

CSN Student Created Open Ended Question # 4 for Administrator:

What are some of the major challenges you face as an Administrator?

CSN Student Created Open Ended Question # 5 for Administrator:

What has been the proudest moment of your career so far?

Interviewed school administrator’s name/title: An actual interview could not be arranged.

SPECIALIST CLASSROOM OBSERVATION: This is optional: Remember… some schools do not have
these programs. Specialist classroom visits are strongly encouraged ONLY IF THEY CAN BE ARRANGED. Make sure
you get permission from your cooperating teacher, as well as the lead teacher in the specialist, GATE/AP, or special
education room.

Unfortunately this could not be arranged.

OBSERVING A STUDENT: Discretely observe one student during an extended period of direct
instruction in the classroom. Summarize what the student did during the observation, making sure to
document ALL behavior. Detail what was going on in the environment, and what you observed the
student doing while the lesson was being given. Please summarize the setting, the lesson that was given,
if the student was on task and engaged in the lesson, and what you uncovered about putting yourself in a
lesson from the student’s point of view.
(You may print and submit a hand written summary or electronically submit a one-page document.)

The student that stood out the most to me was the one female in the class. She was a very

eccentric and outspoken little girl who loved to show off. It was quite endearing. She happens to be

ahead of most of the class in skills such as communicating and listening; even her social skills seemed

high. During circle time she would usually do what was asked of her but would often interject and speak

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loudly over everyone to get their attention. She had a fairly good memory and would frequently tell

everyone what she knows. Mrs. Santamauro would be talking to the whole class at circle time and this

student was often used as an example to the other students when it came to sitting in their chairs and

being quiet when the teacher was asking for it. This student would go so far as to help the other student

to their chairs and tell them what to do. When Mrs. Santamauro took attendance and someone was

absent they would count on 3 fingers with the words "He is absent." This little girl did an excellent job at

counting along and was very engaged with the teacher throughout circle time. When it was time for

centers she would generally stay in the center that she was told to be in. If she had a problem or wanted

to do something else she went straight to the teacher to ask about it. When she did manage to stray from

her center without permission, Mrs. Santomauro would correct the student and she would go back to her

station with hardly a fuss at all, sometimes a stubborn question or 2 about why she can't play where she

wants to. She seemed to have a friendly relationship with every other student in the class. She liked to

hold hands with 2 certain boys but it never seemed to be inappropriate. It was more like they were her

best friends. More often than not she was quite engaged in all of the activities at hand. If I were to put

myself in her point of view I might say that she enjoyed showing off because she takes pride in her

accomplishments. She genuinely enjoyed talking and telling others what she knows. After observing her

I think that her experience in special education will be short lived and she will adjust to a normal

classroom with ease.

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SUMMARY:
Using the information in this packet, thoroughly summarize and reflect upon your entire 10 Hour
Field Observation Placement (You may duplicate this page and submit a two to three page hand written
summary or electronically submit a two to three page summary.)

EDU 203 Special Education Course Summary

Student Name: Mackenzie Melnar

Date Submitted: December 9, 2017

Overall, my experience in Mrs. Santamauro’s class was wonderful. On my first day I did not

know that I was going to be observing preschoolers but I was more than happy to do so. I got the

opportunity to attend 3 morning classes and Mrs. Santamauro often had me help by leading activities

during center time. Getting to work one on one with these young students was especially fun because I

felt extremely confident in my ability of doing so. I have often babysat children this age; I also have a

cousin and a step-son this age with whom I interact frequently. The students in this class adapted to my

presence quickly and easily. Before long it was like I was a fixed part of the classroom and they

accepted me as one of their teachers.

During circle time I mainly observed the students. I tried to act as a model for them because they

were so young that I did not want to be a distraction for them. I would constantly throw them reminders

to pay attention to Mrs. Santamauro and tried to help keep them on task as much as was possible.

Whenever students were really acting up I would observe Mrs. Santamauro take charge of them and

most of her methods shocked me at their effectiveness. I often found myself thinking “wow, I would not

have thought of that,” or “how did that work so well?” Mrs. Santamauro thoroughly impressed me in

her patience with the children and her ability to keep them under control.

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I was asked to lead activities on 2 of the days that I was present. I was extremely happy that Mrs.

Santamauro gave me some hands-on experience working with these children. The first day that I led an

activity, I facilitated a game where students would roll dice and draw the number of cookies that comes

up. They were fake cookies of course but the students loved them all the same. The skills that I got to

help them work on included taking turns, counting to ten, and one to one correspondence. Some of the

students had not mastered these skills yet so I would have to walk them through their entire turn while

making the other player(s) wait patiently for their own turn. The second activity that I led was called

“What goes together?” and involved puzzle pieces with images on them that represented items that go

together (i.e. broom and dustpan, juice and cup, etc.). My first group of students pulled this off

excellently and once we had every pair matched up we were able to make a memory game out of it. We

flipped all of the pieces over and took turns finding a matching pair. When I had less skilled students I

would do my best to teach them what every item was and why the two items went together. Most

students had no trouble matching the pairs initially but some struggled with the memory game concept.

When they would struggle, I would simply demonstrate and hope they understood. I really enjoyed

helping lead activities because I was able to help these students learn new skills, which was fulfilling to

say the least.

The students’ favorite part of the day was typically when they got to go to the playground. It was

extremely sweet when they would ask to hold my hand as we walked to the playground. Seeing them

play and interact socially was very interesting because they all seemed to get along quite well. Some of

them would argue with each other but when it came to play time their troubles and tufts seemed to

disappear. Since there were mostly boys in the class it was important to keep a close eye on them during

playground time because they had a tendency to play rougher with each other. Mrs. Santamauro did an

excellent job of handling multiple students at a time.

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Upon reflection, I very much enjoyed spending my time in this class. In IDEA it is mandated that

exceptional students from the age of 3 on have the right to a free and public education. I got to learn a

lot about what goes on when students with exceptionalities enter school at age 3. It was hard for me not

to get attached to these children because I have always loved to work with preschool age children. I feel

that it is important to have thorough documentation of these students’ progress because some of them

will not require special education in the future. To be a good teacher it is important to make sure that the

students are receiving the education they deserve. Mrs. Santamauro did an excellent job of setting

appropriate expectations for these children and documenting their behaviors and progress. If it was up to

me, I would love to spend more time in her class helping to teach these children.

Before final grading for the EDU 203 SPED Course can occur, the CSN student must
submit:

> Field Observation Activities Packet, And / Or, Summary Document as directed by
your Instructor
> Validated “Field Observation Time Log”
> Completed “Field Observation Student Evaluation” sheets
> The CCSD cooperating teacher must also email the student’s CSN Instructor before
the final exam date. The instructor’s email can be found on the first page of this
packet. (pass/fail for the student).

STUDENT IMPORTANT NOTE:

Remember to save this completed packet in digital form, or as a hard copy for your Education
Capstone Course, (EDU 299)

© CSN Education Department, Las Vegas, Nevada 2015 15