Which of the teacher dispositions relates to the concept of fairness? How does a teacher display fairness in the classroom? Give two concrete examples.

The disposition to teach document specifically addresses fairness by stating ‘Educators should promote social justice and equity, maintain appropriate standards of confidentiality, and exercise fairness in all areas including assessment.’ I also think that addressing the social and cultural atmosphere of the class and setting expectations imply fairness in some sense. I think that this means having the same expectations for all students, SPED or general education, holding each student accountable by the same standards, grading fairly without granting one student an advantage, and maintaining fair discipline throughout. I can see challenges for special education teachers in all these areas. For example, giving assessments a special education teacher needs to be mindful of assessment accommodations, but understand that the modifications need to leave the rigor and the critical content intact. Accommodations should be in place to assist the student in specific areas that they need support, not to make the work easier for one over another. Assessments should have a grading rubric that is fair for both general and special education students. I may allow a student with an IEP to use a calculator on an assessment, but not for portions of the assessment that specifically measure a student’s individual ability to calculate or demonstrate knowledge of a specific area.

Fundamentally all of this is tricky. It means getting to know your students, awareness of their IEP’s, and understanding the curriculum and how changes affect it. We owe it to our students to be creative, knowledgeable, and ultimately fair.

I need a response.