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. Where have we been?How do we gain momentum?What new commitments can we/will we make today?

4. Where have we been?

5. Next year? In five years? In ten years?

6. How do we gain (new) momentum?Create change?

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

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

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

10. 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?

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

12. …three years into a similar intervention implemented by a Wisconsin elementary school, the percent of students eligible for special education who were classified as "at or above" grade level on the state's performance measure had shot from 18 to 60. Black students' performance on the same measure went from 33 percent to 78 percent "at or above," and 100 percent of English language learners achieved this level of performance, up from 17 percent. (Theoharis, 2007)

13. 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?

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

15. self-determination deinstitutionalization Sometimes being realistic isn’t being realistic. • Norm Kunc access to academics inclusive schooling ??????

16. Jaime Escalante • I cannot accept "gifted." You're going to measure IQ -- and I say no. Any student, any [person] to me is gifted. They have something they can do… • You have to understand human relations. You have to look at the kid as a person, and you respect the kid. In 1982, 18 of his students passed the AP calculus exam. The ETS found the scores suspect and asked the students to test again; all did well enough to have their scores reinstated. By 1990, the math enrichment program involved over 400 students in classes ranging from beginning algebra to advanced calculus.

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

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

19. 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

20. 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

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

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

23. “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?

24. 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?

25. 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?

26. Station Teaching in Reese’s Classroom 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.

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