AEPA Special Education (NT601) study plan
AEPA Special Education (NT601) · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 7 hours per week
Understanding Students with Disabilities
Define each of the 13 IDEA disability categories in your own words and list two classroom implications for each
Distinguish characteristics of specific learning disability, emotional disturbance, and intellectual disability using a self-built comparison chart
Identify the legal principles (FAPE, LRE, due process, nondiscriminatory assessment) and explain how each shapes classroom practice
Describe typical developmental milestones and flag which disability categories commonly co-occur
Your checkpoint
A one-page-per-category reference sheet covering all 13 IDEA categories with characteristics, classroom implications, and one common misconception each
Understanding Students with Disabilities
Explain the impact of sensory, physical, and health impairments on learning and participation
Summarize the components and classroom relevance of Section 504 versus IDEA eligibility
Analyze how cultural, linguistic, and socioeconomic factors can be mistaken for or mask a disability
Write three short scenarios and correctly classify the likely disability category with justification
Your checkpoint
Three original case scenarios with written classification rationales scoring at least 4 of 5 rubric points on accuracy and reasoning
Assessing Students and Developing Individualized Education Programs (IEPs)
Sequence the referral-to-eligibility process from pre-referral intervention through IEP development
Compare formative, summative, norm-referenced, and criterion-referenced measures and state when each is appropriate
Interpret standard scores, percentile ranks, and standard error of measurement in plain language
Identify common accommodations versus modifications and match each to student need
Your checkpoint
A flowchart of the special education referral and eligibility process with annotations on required timelines and team roles
Assessing Students and Developing Individualized Education Programs (IEPs)
Draft present-levels statements that are data-based and specific rather than generic
Write measurable annual goals with condition, behavior, and criterion components
Construct at least two behavior intervention plan components tied to functional behavior assessment data
Explain the required members, notice requirements, and review cycle of an IEP team meeting
Your checkpoint
A complete mock IEP section containing two present-levels statements, two measurable annual goals, and one behavior support plan excerpt
Planning and Managing the Learning Environment
Design a physical classroom layout that supports students with mobility, sensory, and attention needs
Establish three to five positively stated classroom routines and the procedures for teaching them
Select proactive behavior management strategies and justify each with a behavioral principle
Plan a transition procedure that minimizes disruption for students with disabilities
Your checkpoint
A classroom management plan document including layout rationale, routines, and a proactive behavior strategy menu
Planning and Managing the Learning Environment & Providing Instruction and Promoting Student Learning
Differentiate instruction using content, process, and product adjustments for two learner profiles
Apply universal design for learning principles to a lesson you would actually teach
Build a continuum of least restrictive environment placements and justify one placement decision
Describe how paraprofessionals and related service providers are coordinated within the classroom
Your checkpoint
One lesson plan revised into three versions (Tier 1, accommodated, modified) with a written rationale for each adaptation
Providing Instruction and Promoting Student Learning
Implement explicit instruction components (modeling, guided practice, independent practice, feedback) in a written lesson
Select evidence-based strategies for reading, writing, and mathematics instruction for students with disabilities
Design a progress-monitoring plan using curriculum-based measurement with a decision rule
Explain how assistive technology is selected and integrated to support access to the general curriculum
Your checkpoint
A progress-monitoring plan for one student including baseline data, measurement schedule, goal line, and decision rules
Understanding Students with Disabilities & Assessing Students and Developing Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) & Planning and Managing the Learning Environment & Providing Instruction and Promoting Student Learning
Synthesize all four domains into a single concept map linking law, assessment, environment, and instruction
Complete a timed 100-question practice set and analyze errors by domain
Re-teach your two weakest subareas using self-generated explanations and examples
Review your week 1-7 deliverables and correct any factual errors you find
Your checkpoint
A scored practice test with an error-analysis log identifying the two weakest subareas and a written remediation plan for each
Milestones
Week 2: Score at least 80% on a self-made 20-question quiz covering Domain 1 categories and legal principles
Week 4: Mock IEP section passes a self-check against a 10-point measurable-goal rubric with no goal scoring below 8
Week 6: Lesson plan shows documented differentiation across all three tiers and cites the rationale for each adaptation
Week 8: Practice test score of 75% or higher overall with no domain below 65%; remediation plan written for any domain below 80%