2045.3.2 : Understanding Section 504
The graduate describes how Section 504 processes adhere to federal laws to enable students with impairments to receive appropriate accommodations and services to succeed academically in the least restrictive environment (LRE).
It is the principals’ responsibility to ensure that students’ legal rights under Section 504 are protected and all requirements set forth within are adhered to. Although oversight can be delegated, you, as the principal, will ultimately hold accountability. As such, you must demonstrate your competence in ensuring adherence to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. In this task, you will act as a principal as you address parental concerns regarding Section 504 accommodations and oversee the development of a Section 504 plan.
Your submission must be your original work. No more than a combined total of 30% of a submission and no more than a 10% match to any one individual source can be directly quoted or closely paraphrased from sources, even if cited correctly. An originality report is provided when you submit your task that can be used as a guide.
You must use the rubric to direct the creation of your submission because it provides detailed criteria that will be used to evaluate your work. Each requirement below may be evaluated by more than one rubric aspect. The rubric aspect titles may contain hyperlinks to relevant portions of the course.
A. Explain, as if you were talking to a parent, what Section 504 is, including the following:
• the type of law that Section 504 is
• the purpose of Section 504
• the eligibility requirements for Section 504 in an educational setting
• how Section 504 differs from the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
B. Explain how a Section 504 referral is submitted and how the screening or record would be reviewed, including the following:
• how the school should respond to the referral
• what documentation is required
• what meeting(s) should take place
• who should be involved
• the responsibilities of those involved
C. Evaluate the attached “Draft of Omar Thompson’s Section 504 Plan” by doing the following:
1. Evaluate whether the Section 504 plan as written is appropriate and meets all of Omar’s needs.
2. Evaluate whether the Section 504 plan as written adheres to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
3. Write a memorandum to the school’s Section 504 coordinator outlining any suggested revisions you may have for the draft of Omar’s Section 504 plan.
D. Respond to the following questions from Omar’s parents about his Section 504 plan:
• Will Omar’s Section 504 plan transfer from a K–12 school system to college?
• What should parents do if they think that a school staff member is not implementing Omar’s Section 504 plan appropriately?
• Will accommodations for state standardized testing be provided to Omar?
E. Explain the process for a Section 504 plan review, including the following:
• what documentation is required
• what meeting(s) should take place
• who should be involved
• the responsibilities of those involved
1. Describe how the process for a Section 504 plan review could impact Omar’s Section 504 plan over time.
F. Acknowledge sources, using in-text citations and references, for content that is quoted, paraphrased, or summarized.
G. Demonstrate professional communication in the content and presentation of your submission.
File size limit: 200 MB
File types allowed: doc, docx, rtf, xls, xlsx, ppt, pptx, odt, pdf, txt, qt, mov, mpg, avi, mp3, wav, mp4, wma, flv, asf, mpeg, wmv, m4v, svg, tif, tiff, jpeg, jpg, gif, png, zip, rar, tar, 7z
NOT EVIDENT The submission demonstrates consistently unprofessional or unethical behavior or disposition as outlined in the WGU Teachers College Code of Ethics. |
APPROACHING COMPETENCE The submission demonstrates behavior or disposition that conflicts with the professional and ethical standards outlined in the WGU Teachers College Code of Ethics. |
COMPETENT The submission demonstrates behavior and disposition that align with the professional and ethical standards outlined in the WGU Teachers College Code of Ethics. |
NOT EVIDENT An explanation of Section 504 is not provided. |
APPROACHING COMPETENCE The explanation of Section 504 is inaccurate, or 1 or more of the given points are not addressed. |
COMPETENT The explanation of Section 504 accurately addresses each of the given points. |
NOT EVIDENT An explanation of how a Section 504 referral is submitted or an explanation of how the screening or record will be reviewed is not provided. |
APPROACHING COMPETENCE An explanation of how a Section 504 referral is submitted and how the screening or record will be reviewed is inaccurate, or 1 or more of the given points are not addressed. |
COMPETENT An explanation of how a Section 504 referral is submitted and how the screening or record will be reviewed accurately addresses each of the given points. |
NOT EVIDENT An evaluation of whether the Section 504 plan meets Omar’s needs is not provided. |
APPROACHING COMPETENCE The evaluation of Omar’s Section 504 plan is inaccurate, does not address whether all of Omar’s needs are met, or does not address whether the Section 504 plan is appropriate for meeting Omar’s needs. |
COMPETENT The evaluation of Omar’s Section 504 plan accurately addresses whether all of Omar’s needs are met and whether the plan is appropriate for meeting Omar’s needs. |
NOT EVIDENT An evaluation of the Section 504 plan is not provided. |
APPROACHING COMPETENCE The evaluation draws inaccurate conclusions about whether the Section 504 plan adheres to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Or the conclusions are not supported by specific examples from the attached scenario. |
COMPETENT The evaluation draws accurate conclusions about whether the Section 504 plan adheres to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The conclusions are supported by specific examples from the attached scenario. |
NOT EVIDENT A memorandum regarding additions or deletions to the Section 504 plan is not provided. |
APPROACHING COMPETENCE The memorandum suggests additions or deletions that are inappropriate for Omar, that are unrealistic, or that do not adhere to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Or the additions or deletions suggested would not result in a Section 504 plan that meets all of Omar’s needs. |
COMPETENT The memorandum suggests additions or deletions that are appropriate for Omar, are realistic, and adhere to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The additions or deletions suggested would result in a Section 504 plan that meets all of Omar’s needs. |
NOT EVIDENT A response to the given questions is not provided. |
APPROACHING COMPETENCE The response provided to 1 or more of the given questions is inaccurate or inappropriate. |
COMPETENT The response accurately and appropriately addresses each of the given questions. |
NOT EVIDENT An explanation of the procedures for a Section 504 plan review is not provided. |
APPROACHING COMPETENCE The explanation of the procedures for a Section 504 plan review is inaccurate, or 1 or more of the given points are not addressed. |
COMPETENT The explanation of the procedures for a Section 504 plan review accurately addresses each of the given points. |
NOT EVIDENT A description of how the process for a Section 504 plan review could impact Omar’s Section 504 plan over time is not provided. |
APPROACHING COMPETENCE The description of how the process for a Section 504 plan review could impact Omar’s Section 504 plan over time is inaccurate or is not specific to Omar’s Section 504 plan. |
COMPETENT The description of how the process for a Section 504 plan review could impact Omar’s Section 504 plan over time is accurate and specific to Omar’s Section 504 plan. |
NOT EVIDENT The submission does not include both in-text citations and a reference list for sources that are quoted, paraphrased, or summarized. |
APPROACHING COMPETENCE The submission includes in-text citations for sources that are quoted, paraphrased, or summarized and a reference list; however, the citations or reference list is incomplete or inaccurate. |
COMPETENT The submission includes in-text citations for sources that are properly quoted, paraphrased, or summarized and a reference list that accurately identifies the author, date, title, and source location as available. |
NOT EVIDENT Content is unstructured, is disjointed, or contains pervasive errors in mechanics, usage, or grammar. Vocabulary or tone is unprofessional or distracts from the topic. |
APPROACHING COMPETENCE Content is poorly organized, is difficult to follow, or contains errors in mechanics, usage, or grammar that cause confusion. Terminology is misused or ineffective. |
COMPETENT Content reflects attention to detail, is organized, and focuses on the main ideas as prescribed in the task or chosen by the candidate. Terminology is pertinent, is used correctly, and effectively conveys the intended meaning. Mechanics, usage, and grammar promote accurate interpretation and understanding. |