Comments on: Closing the Disabilities Gap

By: Elizabeth Stein

Elizabeth Stein — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 01:25:23 +0000

Tom, you bring up such a necessary point of discussion.
For starters, teachers/psychologists/social workers, etc. are in communication to ensure that the transition is a smooth one for each student. They meet at the end of the school year to discuss each student’s present levels of performance, and specifically, what they will need to be successful as they make the transition.
When the school year begins and we begin to apply the IEP, most times, they are right on, and they clearly outline students’ strengths and needs, which gives us the information we need to move forward in productive ways. In cases where present levels or goals do not seem to match, we take a team approach. We confer with the teachers/team from the previous year to help fill in some gaps.

Speaking with the students and the parents is a huge step in the process as well. All voices join to paint the picture of what the child is capable of accomplishing. We put this information together with the assessments and classroom performance that give us a reliable baseline. If needed, as you know, IEP’s are amended to make any necessary changes to statements or goals.

Does this answer your question?

Also…

You said:

My students often arrive without the basic communication tools required to realize their post-
secondary goals, but all are capable to reach mastery if the goals are based on their strengths
and preferences.

Tell us more about that. I love how you state that the students are capable to meet their goals when given the right supports–I wholeheartedly agree! What do you do at the classroom, grade, and school levels to provide the tools your students need?

Thanks so much for your thoughtful post! We are looking forward to hearing more!

By: Tom Szambecki

Tom Szambecki — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 00:37:31 +0000

Your blog was suggested as a resource. I am a teacher of students with low-incidence disabilities in transition to adult services. The observations and framework suggested by Mr McNeil are spot-on as the environmental attitude must be respectful and rigorous. My students often arrive without the basic communication tools required to realize their post-secondary goals, but all are capable to reach mastery if the goals are based on their strengths and preferences.
I am interested in your approach to your primary assessments of students who have just transitioned from elementary to middle school or middle to high school. If you have not had previous experience with the student and the IEP present levels do not seem to match where do you start to get a reliable baseline?

By: Elizabeth Stein

Elizabeth Stein — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 21:30:12 +0000

Pat, thank you for adding your voice! You share so many great points throughout your post.

Your comment about leaders is one example:

School leaders need to create both the vision/climate and the conditions for systemic change, and that’s what it will take to close the gap. Strong leaders know where they want to be and plan and implement steps to get there. They share a vision with their team and create the conditions to realize it – including recruiting people who buy into shared goals. Closing the gap requires more than individual teacher commitment.

This really made me stand up and cheer! It reminds me of the message that teachers must rise above the status quo–they must be leaders. You are so right, it takes a shared vision and a definite team approach to create the conditions necessary for excellence. No teacher or administrator should ever feel alone on such important missions.

Thanks for your post!

By: Pat Reynolds

Pat Reynolds — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 22:40:25 +0000

Elizabeth – I agree with all your points and would like to add another dimension – leadership. School leaders need to create both the vision/climate and the conditions for systemic change, and that’s what it will take to close the gap. Strong leaders know where they want to be and plan and implement steps to get there. They share a vision with their team and create the conditions to realize it – including recruiting people who buy into shared goals. Closing the gap requires more than individual teacher commitment. Schedules needs to be developed that allow for collaboration – across grade levels, to establish vertical alignment, to include El and SPED specialists to design accommodations – all with the goal of maintaining students with learning challenges in their gen/ed classes with appropriate supports so that they’re not missing vital instruction. In addition, co-teaching models provide favorable student/teacher ratios to adjust pacing and provide for re-teaching. Lesson planning in PLCs allows teachers to review data and plan for instruction across the spectrum, ensuring a solid core lesson and accompanying formatives from which teachers can further personalize for student needs. With a shared vision and all students being the responsibility of all staff, we can make a difference and provide the support these students need.

By: Hope M.

Hope M. — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 00:30:43 +0000

Elizabeth,
I have been in schools that preferred that the IEP goals and objectives written based on the testing standards. Now, I am working in a school that doesn’t want any part of the IEP to directly reflect those objectives. There should be a neutral zone. Afterall, we are writing an INDIVIDUAL education plan. I am struggling this year with the required testing of my severely disabled students. Virginia changed the Standards of Learning (SOL) requirements so that my students are required to receive instruction and assessment on the 8th grade level for all academic areas except History. This is totally unreasonable for these students. Neither of them can write, read, or speak well. I have spent the past 3 years working with one of the boys trying to get him to speak. He can now say “no”! This is far more important to him than knowing the causes and effects of the American Revolution.

By: Hope M.

Hope M. — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 00:17:42 +0000

Brenda – I think the Passport is a great idea. How do you manage to have planning/conversation time? That seems to be the biggest problem in my school. There are not enough paraeducators and sped teachers to provide the necessary help that many of our students need in the inclusion setting. My students are much more severely disabled, but I am trying to get them out into other classes, too. They would benefit from the social and academic setting. However, with the stress that gen ed teachers have for ensuring that all of their students pass the standardized tests, they rarely focus their energy or attention on kids with special needs.
Using the resource time to prepare the students for upcoming lessons is another great way to help them succeed. I’m glad that you have the time and support to make it happen.

Hope

By: Elizabeth Stein

Elizabeth Stein — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 03:41:52 +0000

Shelly, clearly technology is a key asset as schools strive to gather the tools needed to empower students through the learning process.
There are also many low and no tech tools that also must be embraced. I would hate to think that schools that do not have a wide variety of tech access would miss out on the value of UDL. The mindset of UDL alone can break down any barriers in the learning environment. Instructional accommodations that make appropriate changes to materials, while staying true to the same high standards also must be embraced. What do you think?
Thanks for your post.

By: Elizabeth Stein

Elizabeth Stein — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 03:27:27 +0000

Eric, thanks for your interest! Be sure to sign up for the MiddleWeb SmartBrief where you will receive countless resources of great value!

Rashmi, Thanks for adding your voice here. We need to heighten this kind of awareness– that all students are capable in individual ways.
One way I align the IEP goals with the Common Core is by creating an at-a-glance list of the IEP goals for each student. As I lesson plan, it is easy to align the goals with the appropriate standards. The goals also become second nature to me as I refer to them on a daily basis. What do you think?
What else is working for other teachers out there?

By: Elizabeth Stein

Elizabeth Stein — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 03:10:33 +0000

Brenda, Thanks for sharing! Your Passport program sounds like the experience I had when I was a resource teacher at the elementary level. It is exactly the mindset we need at all levels to guide our students to be successful. Using study skills or resource room for homework becomes more like a study hall, and that certainly defeats the purpose. Please share any additional details that may help folks get something like this started at their schools.

By: Shelly Weingarten

Shelly Weingarten — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 01:26:59 +0000

I would like to comment on the statement from Elizabeth Stein, that ” bypass strategies you mention are good–but tend to be a temporary fix to get the students through for short-term learning experiences. So these students get through some grade level activities–but the gap remains.” These temporary fixes of bypass strategies are known as Assistive Technology. Using Assistive Technology is in the discussion of Common Core Standards as a way to bridge the Achievement Gap not fix it temporarily. Assistive Technology is at the very heart of the discussion of Universal Design for Learning which embraces ” fostering student engagement by presenting information in multiple ways and allowing for diverse avenues of action and expression. Please read Application*to*Students*with*Disabilities at the following address http://www.corestandards.org/assets/application-to-students-with-disabilities.pdf . We must embrace the technology if we are going to help students with disabilities to close the Achievement Gap.