CTE Teachers and Special Populations

CTE Teachers and Special Populations Rick Peterson, Ph.D., LMFT, CFLE LakshmiMahadevan, Ph.D. Reviewed May 2008

Learning Objectives • Acquaint participants with services of the CTSP Center • Introduce educational instructional modules based on needs assessments • Content overview of the modules

CTSP Center • Educational library • Resources related to CTE, special education, career assessment • Instructional videos • Interactive website

Issue • According to the TEA website, over one million Texas high school students are enrolled in career and technology education (CTE) classes as of the year 2005. • TEA data also confirm that over 25% of the more than 500,000 special education students in Texas go through career and technology classes every year.

Serving Students with Special Needs • The purpose of CTE programs is to enable students to gain entry-level employment in a high-skill, high-wage job and/or to continue their education. • Given this, students with special needs are often placed in CTE classes to give them the best chance of gainful employment or moving on to higher education. • While CTE programs have demonstrated a great deal of success in achieving post-secondary goals for their students, teachers continue to face difficulties in adequately serving students with special needs due to inexperience and training in the area of special education.

CTE Special Population Needs Assessment • CTE teachers and subject matter experts were asked what their educational needs were in working with special populations. Four modules were created based on responses. As a sequel three new modules were developed with practical applications and teacher examples. • Topics: • Accommodations and Modifications in CTE Classroom Instruction • Career Guidance – Tools for Practical Applications • Building Successful Partnerships

Educational Product Development • Designed instructional modules surrounding identified best-practices • Modules include • DVD • Instructional manual • FAQs answered • Modules available through workshops and via CTSP Center website. • Next step is to make them available through online learning courses.

Legal Issues • Objective: Acquaint CTE teachers with six laws affecting all those serving students with special needs. • Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) • Carl D Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act • Vocational Rehabilitation Act (consists of Section 504) • Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) • Family Educational and Privacy Rights Act (FERPA) • Elementary and Secondary Education Act (Now No Child left Behind)

Attend the ARD meetings. • Ask the committee members key questions. • Be aware that such issues as instructional aide can be provided for at the meeting. • Consider signing the IEP document on the back if you are not satisfied about the program or are concerned with your lack of acquaintance with the child.

Transition statement under IDEA • Importance of accommodations and modifications • Only 20% of the 40% funding allocated to CTE has reached us.

Accommodations and Modifications • Objective: Make CTE Teachers familiar with accommodations, modifications and adaptations required to ensure that students with special needs have continued access to academic curriculum.

Definitions • Accommodations are simply supports. You have the same success criteria, you have the same expectations of all students, but it is a support to help them get to the same point. • Modifications are techniques used to allow students to get to get to the same success levels, but you may have to change the curriculum or the content.

Laws and Trends • Relevant laws – IDEA, Section 504, ADA and Perkins. • ARD meeting generates the IEP with listed diagnosis, services, accommodations and modifications. • Your classroom composition: • 47 to 49% of students would be students with learning disabilities. • 27% would be students with speech and language impairment. • 80% of these students’ day will be spent in your classroom.

Classroom Management • Consider allocating specific space in the classroom for submitting assignments. • Create clutter-free aisles. • Use visual reminders (bulletins). • Post weekly schedules, lesson plans, posters, graphic organizers, and use hands-on displays.

Vary Strategies • Based on: • content • process • products • learning environment

Curricular Adaptations • Four broad categories • instructional strategy; • materials or actual curriculum content; • instructional means; and • assessment techniques

Adaptations • Size • Time • Level of participation • Alternate or substitute curriculum based on academic level • Using • student interest, • student choice, and • graphic organizers.

Common Modifications • using a timer with students • enlarging text • providing a pair of headphones to help the student minimize the distractions of a noisy classroom • changing the amount of work required

Building Successful Partnerships • Objective: Acquaint CTE teachers with techniques for developing and maintaining internal and external partnerships that contribute to the success of students with special needs.

Important Partners • Collaborative partnerships are critical to the success of CTE. • Partnerships should be established between CTE programs and: • Special education • business and industry leaders • community associates • parents • students

Laws and Techniques • Laws that encourage – Perkins and Commissioners’ rules in TX • Partnerships through • ARD Committees (internal) • Advisory Committees (external)

ARD Committee • An ARD committee should be comprised of: • an administrator from the school district • a general education teacher • a special education teacher • a CTE teacher • evaluation personnel • counselors • The members of the ARD need to understand the level of expectation that is held for the student who will be placed in the CTE program through the ARD.

Advisory Committee • The advisory committee meets with CTE program staff to assist in the development, evaluation and assessment of the programs. The membership of an advisory committee should include: • members of local businesses and industries • educators • a school board member (to keep the board informed on what is going on in current CTE programs) • parents of students who are members of special populations • Membership should be as demographically diverse as the community it serves • Should meet a minimum of twice a year; once in the fall and once in the spring

Career Guidance – Tools for Practical Applications • Objective: Provide an overview of career assessment tools and techniques that CTE teachers can use to match students to career clusters and enable smooth transition.

Employability Skills • Teach students skills that employers want today. • Ensure that students possess appropriate skill sets and interests for career clusters as well as transition after high school.

Types of Instruments • Interest inventories • Personality scales • Career development inventories • Aptitude tests • Value scales

Sources of Information • Books • Assessment Packets • Publishers’ Websites • Internet-based Tools • Searchable Databases • Computer-Based Guidance Packages • Regional and National resources

Techniques for Special Needs • Card-sort technique • Customizable Career Aspirations and Career Expectations Survey • Infusing Employability Skills into the classroom

Website • For more information please go to: http://ctsp.tamu.edu/videos/videos07

CTE Teachers and Special Populations