Educating Students with Disabilities in Inclusive Settings

1. 1 Educating Students with Disabilities in Inclusive Settings Dr. Alice Murphy Program Specialist Compliance, School Improvement and Director, LRE Project Georgia Department of Education Division for Exceptional Students

2. 2 Inclusive Environments Federal Mandates No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) With few exceptions, students with disabilities held to the same standards all students must reach High stakes testing required SWD must have access to same curriculum/ standards as non-disabled students Must be taught by highly qualified teachers

3. 3 Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA-04) To the maximum extent appropriate, children with disabilities� are educated with children who are not disabled, and special classes, separate schooling, or other removal of children with disabilities from the regular educational environment occurs only when the nature and severity of the disability of a child is such that education in the regular classes with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily [300.114 (a) (2)]

4. 4 The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA-04) Full Continuum of Services which includes inclusive practices and co-teaching (handout on full continuum of services) USDOE ranks states based on 90% of students with disabilities being educated in a general education classroom at least 80% of the school day In 2006, in Georgia, 54% of students with disabilities were receiving their instruction in the general education classroom at least 80% of school day

5. 5 Co-Teaching Partnership Service delivery model to meet rigorous curriculum exposure while providing individualized differentiated instruction Combines the general educator�s knowledge of the curriculum and pacing with the special service provider�s skill in individualizing to create powerful instructional options for students Provides services and supports to benefit the maximum number of students, including those not in special education Wider range of instructional alternatives with two teachers

6. 6 Co-TeachingA Partnership Shared responsibility for planning, instruction and evaluation of all students (Villa et al., 2004) Provides continuous flow of content sequenced and paced which often is not possible in fragmented pull out model Provides strong support to the learner and teacher through partnership Enhances conditions for students with disabilities to make AYP

7. 7 Co-TeachingA Partnership Increases social skills Enhances self � esteem Reduces behavior problems Higher quality of instruction Increases expectations for students with disabilities and at-risk learners Benefits �bubble� kids and diverse populations

8. 8 Models of Co-TeachingMarilyn Friend, Power of Two, 2006 One Teach/One Observe One teacher leads while other systematically observes one student, small groups, or whole class to gain important information on students Most commonly used when starting out with co-teaching. Teachers must have an instructional or behavioral focus rather than just drifting

9. 9 Co-Teaching Models One Teach/One Assist One teacher manages overall class/discipline/instruction and one teacher circulates, redirects students� attention, helps individually with students Often gives the impression that one teacher is a para or helper. Now considered a pre-teaching approach

10. 10 Co-Teaching Models Station Teaching Presented as centers or stations with each station representing a different aspect of the lesson. Both teachers work with all students with each having clear responsibilities Allows breaking down material into smaller chunks, more interaction with teacher for feedback. Works well with middle and high school classes

11. 11 Co-Teaching Models Parallel Teaching General ed and special ed teacher divide class into two heterogeneous groups and each teach the same content at the same time. Most appropriate for drill and practice, reviews and project work.

12. 12 Co-Teaching Models Alternative Teaching One teacher manages a larger instructional group and one manages a small group pulled to the side. Students are heterogeneously grouped, same students are not in group every time. Flexible grouping is used. Can be used for preview, review, enrichment and remediation

13. 13 Team Teaching General educator and special education teacher have joint responsibilities for teaching and assessing all content of all students. Capitalizes on everyone�s strengths, complex curriculum can be covered, takes advantage of individual teaching styles, students with disabilities are undistinguishable.

14. 14 Other Inclusive Practices in Georgia Supportive Instruction General education teacher has primary responsibility of planning and delivering instruction. Paraprofessional supports instruction with accommodations / modifications

15. 15 Other Inclusive Practices in Georgia Collaborative Instruction General education teacher and special education teacher share classroom teaching responsibility 50% of the time per segment.

16. 16 Success in Georgia Focused Monitoring Teams monitor systems in the lowest quartile of math and reading achievement for the students with disabilities subgroup in each size group. Results have been compared to systems monitored in 04 � 06. Increased achievement has been noted in each system monitored and attributed to increased numbers of students with disabilities receiving instruction in the general education environment. (handout on systems comparison)

17. 17 Keys to Success Administrative pedagogical support Administrative support, knowledge of LRE decision making model, scheduling, FTE and utilization of personnel Training of all staff for laying the groundwork Content knowledge involving both special education and general education teachers and paraprofessionals Compatibility between co-teachers, effective communication Planning time Clearly defined roles and responsibilities On-going support and training Coaching / forum for discussions and feedback

18. 18 Handouts LRE Frequently Asked Questions Georgia Department of Education, Exceptional Students Division Chart on Comparative Results of FM Systems 04-06, Georgia Department of Education, Exceptional Students Division CEC � Is Co-Teaching Effective? Accommodations and Modifications GADOE Testing Division Chart on Full Continuum of Services

19. 19 References Georgia Department of Education, Student Achievement in the Least Restrictive Environment (SA/LRE SIG Project) in collaboration with Georgia State University Marilyn Friend, The Power of Two, 2006 Villa et al., 2004