EBR Literacy and Numeracy Celebration

1. EBR Literacy and Numeracy Celebration

3. We’ve come a long way! • Academic opportunities aligned to general education • Functional at the exclusion of broader curriculum • Segregated/separate • Dead-end curriculum • Exclusion

4. Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek. Obama

5. EBR Rocks! • Leadership • Vision • Planning • Risk • Support • Persistence • Recognition

6. Least Dangerous Assumption(Anne Donnellan, 1984) “The criterion of LDA holds that in the absence of conclusive data, educational decisions ought to be based on assumptions which, if incorrect, will have the least dangerous effect on the likelihood that students will be able to function independently as adults.” Furthermore, “we should assume that poor performance is due to instructional inadequacy rather than to student deficits.”

7. The Least Dangerous Assumption • How do our beliefs • shape our actions on behalf of students? • limit or enhance opportunities for students? • impact outcomes for students?

8. Literacy& Numeracy: Where to begin? • An expectation that all students will benefit from access to ongoing literacy and numeracy programs • A student should not be denied rich literacy & numeracy opportunities because he/she is not able to tie his shoes or make a bed. • There are no prerequisites for participation in literacy/numeracy activities.

9. The Challenge! • Ensure that all students • have meaningful literacy and numeracy opportunities every day • have the opportunity to write every day for multiple purposes • are included in district & classroom literacy assessments

10. Ensure that all students: • have literacy/numeracy targets on the IEP • are provided (age-appropriate) core and supplemental materials in an accessible format • have a literacy folder which includes key assessment results/artifacts related to their literacy

11. Literacy Support for Students with Significant Disabilities • Action Step Recommendations from the Louisiana Department of Education for School Year 2009-2010 • Target audience: reading specialists, literacy coaches, special education teachers, principals • For information, contact: nanette.olivier@la.gov

12. Are your systems in place to support these outcomes?

13. State District Policies Procedures Practices School Classroom

14. Who is assigned the “What about…?” role across all of these levels?

15. Who are our stakeholders and what are their roles? • State • Special education administrative personnel • Literacy and numeracy personnel • Text Book Adoption/AIM initiative • Assessment personnel • Universities • Family agencies

16. District • Special education supervisors • Assessment supervisor • General education curriculum specialists • Text book coordinator • School board • Literacy/numeracy specialists

17. School Building Level • Principal • School assessment coordinator • Reading/numeracy coaches • School Improvement Team • Text book coordinator • Librarians

18. Classroom • General education teachers • Special education teachers • Paraprofessionals • Support/related service personnel • IEP team members • Parents

20. Quality Indicators for Literacy Access (Significant Disabilities) Assessment IEP Instruction Evaluation Administrative Support PD Resources (Literacy Tool Bar: Quality Indicators for Literacy Access)

22. Quality Indicator: Assessment Requirement: All students with significant disabilities must be assessed using appropriate literacy assessment tools on the same schedule as other students. (Literacy Tool Bar: Literacy Overview)

23. Quality Indicator: IEP Requirements: • Include literacy assessment information on IEP (e.g., general student information, current level of performance, “pencil type”). • Embed literacy within goals and objectives. • Document need for accessible instructional materials and assistive technology. NOTE: Refer to fall 2009 IEP workshop materials, including sample goals and objectives, on the Access Guide. (IEP Portal: IEP Professional Development Materials)

24. Quality Indicator: Instruction Tool to guide practices: Everyday/Every Student Chart • Choose Books and Read /Listen Independently • Opportunity to Write Using Accessible Tools • Interact with Group Leader Around a Text • Access Personal Communication System • Engage in Meaningful Word Study Instruction (Literacy Tool Bar: Everyday/Every Student Chart)

25. Alternate Pencils • Provide every student an opportunity to write every day. • If necessary, use an “alternate pencil” for those students who cannot access the entire alphabet in a traditional manner. Note: There are multiple webinars and links to video clips on the Access Guide related to alternate pencils. (Literacy Tool Bar: Alternate Pencils)

26. Accessible Instructional Materials • Tarheelreader.org (Useful websites) • Electronic Book Sites list (IEP Professional Development Materials) • Links to information related to accessible instructional materials (Writing the IEP portal: Alternate Format)

27. Quality Indicator: Evaluation • Literacy Folder • One-minute Writing Checklist (Literacy Tool Bar)

28. Quality Indicators:PD and Resources District School Support within class EBR’s work group!!!