A Bigger Vision…

1. A Bigger Vision… Paula Kluth, Ph.D.paula.kluth@gmail.com www.paulakluth.com “Paula Kluth” & HCPSS 2010

2. “The most visionary man I ever met…” Even my vision should have been bigger than my vision!

3. The “7 Tenets of Successful Inclusive Schools” [jointly created by Paula Kluth & Howard County staff and administrators]

4. 1. See Inclusion as a PROCESS (Placement is the most extreme “adaptation”!) • Over, under, around or through • Find a way– or make a way!

5. We tried inclusion & “it” didn’t workSpencer’s Story

6. Percentage of Students With IntellectualDisabilities Included in Regular Education Classrooms More Than 79% of the Time Smith, P. 2007 1. Vermont 60.34 2. New Hampshire 42.02 3. Iowa 34.28 4. Colorado 31.20 5. North Dakota 26.64 11. Indiana 15.90 24. Delaware 9.56 25. West Virginia 8.82 28. New York 8.35 29. Maryland 8.30 30. Washington 8.23 31. California 8.14 32. Georgia 7.52 33. Wisconsin 7.26 39. Texas 4.20 47. Illinois 3.96 48. Rhode Island 3.29 49. Virginia 3.28 50. Utah 2.22 magic maple syrup? If LRE is about a student’s profile (abilities, needs, “levels”), how can the discrepancies between the states be explained?

7. Two years later… Math Achievement of River View Students (Theoharis & Theoharis, 2010)

8. 2. Presume Competence (Act As If) & Make the Least Dangerous Assumption Belief causes the actual fact. William James What do you believe about students? parents? colleagues? administrators? peers? employers? How do your beliefs impact practice?

9. She was unaware of my limitations. ~Helen Keller What is possible? • poet • author • scholar • feminist • political activist • advocate • lecturer • teacher

10. Kacie in French? “Oui!” The special education director said: "She'll be so bored!” "She can have hot chocolate in the life skills classroom!" "French class ?” French II? I argued that I did not expect Kacie to be fluent in French; I would be happy if she learned ten to twelve words in the semester. “Kacieattended 8 classes. Half an hour ago I sat down with her and showed her the flash cards: • She could  read, interpret and pronounce 36 words • She knew what 8 of them meant & • Attempted pronunciation but did not know the translation for 26 of the words Kacie is learning French, and loving every minute of it.  In spite of her concerns, Mrs. Lueck must be doing a great job.  Kacie has already achieved more than triple my expectations."

11. 3. Burn the Chair!:Encourage Independence &Avoid Toxic Support • Natural supports • Support the classroom & student success

12. How do you disable a student? - Lou Brown

13. ????????????????????????????????????????? What is the primary challenge in this scenario? What needs to change (if anything) and who needs to take steps toward creating that change? It felt like a lot of pressure (being in the inclusive setting) because I . . . didn’t want her (the inclusion student) to disrupt the others and I didn’t want her to disturb the teacher. So I felt responsible for every single little sound she made.” (Marks, Schrader & Levine, 1999)

14. Other Reasons to “Burn the Chair”: More Problems Related to Instructional Assistant Proximity Giangreco, M., Edelman, S. Luiselli, & MacFarland, (1997) • Separation from Classmates • Dependence on Adults • Impact on Peer Interactions • Loss of Personal Control • Loss of Gender Identity • Interference with Instruction of Other Students

15. Ideas for Fading Support • Talk to the general education teacher about the plan to fade and ask him/her for ideas and support • When supporting a student in the general education classroom or elsewhere, provide only the support necessary. Allow students to be independent when possible. • If you need to sit next to a student with a disability to get him/her started on work, be sure to immediately stand up and move your chair away after the student is engaged in that work. • Encourage student to get help from peers. • Provide adapted materials, or simply allow student to work at a slower pace without any support. • Support ALL students in the class– SHARE YOUR GIFTS! • Seek opportunities during transitions to increase distance from student. • Do not underestimate what a student can do; observe, observe, observe before jumping in!

16. 4. Remember: “Only as Special as Necessary!” • Remember the “3 Bears Rule” (not too much…not too little…just right) • Resist the urge to act (observe…wait) • Resist the urge to add

17. 5. Question EVERYTHING! • Question language, structures, routines, activities, norms, environment, materials • Even things that are going well!

18. Do kids with disabilities eat a table mostly with kids with disabilities? • Is our transportation integrated? • How do transitions look? Do kids have more support than they need? • Do kids have all of the same opportunities as others (voting for Prom Court?; attending extra-curriculars)? • Do we actively and relentlessly try to fade our support & replace with peer support or natural supports? • Do paraprofessionals make placement decisions?

19. 6. Practice Radical & Relentless Role Sharing • How do we contribute • to the teaching & • learning of all? • Staff without borders

20. “In my school, you can’t tell which students have disabilities and which ones don’t!”Is this a goal we should target?Is there a better one?

21. Do special education teachers assess students without disabilities? Develop lessons? • Do general education teachers ever develop adaptations for learners with disabilities? Support students with significant disabilities one-on-one? Observe while colleagues teach? • Do speech therapists ever teach whole-class lessons? Help to plan the literacy block? • Do “special ed.” paraprofessionals ever provide enrichment support? • Do occupational therapists advise all teachers on making the safe comfortable for all?

22. 7. Provide Academic Challenge to All • What do we expect any of our students to get from an academic education (e.g., form interests, get career ideas, have fun, make friends)? • What do we expect students with disabilities to get?

23. Station Teaching: Reese Station #1: Internet: Geology Websites Station #2: Fossils Station #3: Textbook Questions Station #4: Discussion with Teacher Station #5: Sandwich Demonstration (bread, chunky peanut butter, jelly, and raisins). The various sandwich layers represent sedimentary rock, aggregate, magma, and sandstone.

25. If you MUST teach color I.D. Pluto by Ashley Did you know that Pluto has one moon? Pluto is the last planet of the solar system. Pluto is 3.7 billion miles away from the sun, and Pluto is so far away from the sun that light almost takes 17 years to reach it! Plus Pluto is the smallest planet in the solar system. During 20 years, Pluto is closer to the sun than Neptune is. Then Neptune will be closer. Pluto is the last planet, which would be the ninth planet. I like Pluto. Do you like Pluto? Pluto is blue.

26. If you MUST teach sequencing Rosa Parks sits in the front of the bus, 1955 Bus Boycott, 1955 March on Washington, 1963

27. “They learned to calculate algebraic expressions, step by step, following the same path as their typical classmates, but at a slower rate, with some more steps and with individual teaching.” • “The girl was able to do some mental arithmetic. Often she was more consistent and careful than her typical classmates.” - Martinez, E. (2004). Teenagers with Down syndrome study algebra in high school. Down Syndrome Information Network

28. The most dangerous words: “She won’t get anything out of it.” -Cheryl Jorgensen

29. Where do you want to go? What do you see for your students?

30. No pessimist ever discovered the secret of the stars or sailed an unchartered land, • or opened a new doorway for the human spirit. • Helen KellerUS blind & deaf educator (1880 - 1968)