Special Education Tier 4 Levels of Support Inclusive Services Educational Support Services 2015

Inclusion A belief system that values diversity and fosters a shared responsibility to help all students reach their potential Educational Support Services 2015

Inclusive Supports A service delivery option; a way to provide students with disabilities or other special needs the special instruction to which they are entitled while ensuring that they can access the general curriculum in the least restrictive environment Educational Support Services 2015

PBMAS Each year the Texas Education Agency collects data on the effectiveness of AISD’s special education services and supports. This is known as PBMAS – Performance-Based Monitoring Analysis System. A rating of 0 for each performance indicator is the goal. Educational Support Services 2015

PBMAS – LRE Data Let’s look at our data for LRE (Least Restrictive Environment) Educational Support Services 2015 IndicatorState Standard AISD Rate Performance Level Interpretation Age: 3-5 (40/41) 16.0%8.9%2Too many students in self- contained placements Age: 6-11 >=80% of instruction in Gen Ed 70.0%60.7%1Too few students in Gen Ed for at least 80% of their day Age: >=80% of instruction in Gen Ed 70.0%51.0%2The older students get, the more we restrict their environment

PBMAS – LRE Summary Our goal is for students to receive instruction in the least restrictive environment. – Support from special education is provided in addition to the general curriculum. Educational Support Services 2015

Let’s look at some different degrees of support provided to students.

AISD Inclusive Supports - Consult Professionals deliver specialized expertise to the general education teacher and student based on the student’s IEP Educational Support Services 2015

Consult Content – Content is aligned with grade level TEKS / PK guidelines Purpose – To indirectly support the student’s IEP in the general education environment Accommodations – No accommodations or minimal accommodations Educational Support Services 2015

AISD Inclusive Supports – Situational / Interim Special education teacher, related service provider, and/or paraprofessional delivers specialized expertise based on the IEP through consultation, modeling, and job- imbedded professional development in addition to specially designed instruction Educational Support Services 2015

Situational / Interim Content – Content is aligned with grade level TEKS / PK Guidelines Purpose – To support a student in acquiring independence in new environments, activities, generalization, and/or the application of new concepts and implementation of the student’s IEP (short term support) Accommodations – Minimal or moderate Educational Support Services 2015

AISD Inclusive Supports – Medium Support Special education teacher or paraprofessional provides a variety of supports in the general education setting that meets the needs in the IEP Educational Support Services 2015

Medium Support Content – Content is aligned to grade level TEKS / PK Guidelines Purpose – To support a student who needs minimal support to maintain access to the general curriculum and implementation of the student’s IEP Accommodations – Minimal, moderate or extensive depending on students’ needs Educational Support Services 2015

AISD Inclusive Supports – High Support Special education professional provides direct instruction or provides a variety of support in the general education setting that meets the needs identified in the IEP Educational Support Services 2015

High Support Content – Content is aligned with grade level TEKS / PK guidelines but the student has an annual goal and short term objectives and/or may be working on pre- requisite skills Purpose – To support the student who could not access or progress in general education without special education teacher support to implement the IEP Accommodations – Student typically requires extensive accommodations Educational Support Services 2015

AISD Inclusive Supports – Co-Teach (Collaborative Teaching) An instructional delivery approach in which a general education teacher and a special education teacher share responsibility for planning, delivering, and evaluating instruction for a group of students, some of whom have disabilities Educational Support Services 2015

Co-Teach (Collaborative) Teaching Content – Content is aligned with grade level TEKS / PK guidelines but the student has an annual goal and short term objectives and/or may be working on pre- requisite skills Purpose – To support the student who could not access or progress in the general curriculum without special education teacher support on a daily basis Accommodations – Extensive accommodations Educational Support Services 2015

AISD Inclusive Supports – Resource (Intensive Support) A certified special education teacher provides direct instruction in the special education setting that meets the needs identified in the IEP. Educational Support Services 2015

Resource (Intensive Support) Content – Content is aligned with grade level TEKS / PK guidelines but the student has an annual goal and short term objectives and/or may be working on pre- requisite skills Purpose – To provide specially designed instruction to the student in the special education environment Accommodations – Extensive Educational Support Services 2015

Special Education Tier 4 Levels of Support Educational Support Services 2015 Co-Teach

Access to Grade Level Instruction: Special Ed Tier Four Services and Support Continuum *Levels of In-Class Support data and personnel use to be reviewed every six weeks. Educational Support Services 2015

Access to Grade Level Instruction: Special Ed Tier Four Services and Support Continuum *Levels of In-Class Support data and personnel use to be reviewed every six weeks. Educational Support Services 2015 Co-Teach An instructional delivery approach in which a general education teacher and a special education teacher share responsibility for planning, delivering, and evaluating instruction for a group of students, some of whom have disabilities.

Co-teaching is... two or more teachers working together to provide instruction in an inclusive setting Educational Support Services 2015 ○a powerful technique for teaching academic content AND social- emotional skills

Two (or more) teachers have different areas of expertise, while they have both have some knowledge of the content. Typically one teacher is the content teacher and one is the special education teacher who has a vast knowledge of instructional strategies for students with disabilities. These teachers plan together, instruct together and collaborate together. Educational Support Services 2015

Co-teaching is NOT... ○ Tag teaching where one teacher teaches while the other makes copies, runs errands, does lessons plans, etc. ○ Co-teaching is not one teacher running the class while the other takes care of other preparation type duties. Remember that both teachers are providing instruction at the same time. Educational Support Services 2015

Co-teaching is NOT... Two subject area teachers combining their classes temporarily When we are talking about Educational support, co-teaching is not a Science teacher and an English teacher simply combining their classes for a cross curricular lesson. Although this is a great practice, it isn’t a curricular expert and a specially designed instruction expert. Educational Support Services 2015

Co-teaching is NOT... Inclusion. The terms are not interchangeable. Inclusion is a philosophy » According to the National Inclusion Project: inclusion is the belief that all kids can belong and participate and is the act of making sure that no child sits on the sidelines. Educational Support Services 2015

Benefits of co-teaching ○ Behavior improves ○ When co-teaching is done correctly, it often leads to improved student behavior. This is due to the connection between behavior and academic needs being met. When the right amount of academic support is provided, negative behavior often recedes. Educational Support Services 2015

Benefits of co-teaching Expectation level has been raised When students are given the opportunity to remain in a general education setting with appropriate special education support, the level of expectation remains much closer to, if not at the same level as, peer expectations. Educational Support Services 2015

Benefits of co-teaching ○ Students have the benefit of a content expert providing instruction and the benefit of a learning strategies expert. ○ Students get benefit in the areas where it is most needed. Educational Support Services 2015

Co-teaching Models ○ There are six models of co-teaching. AISD is currently focusing on the use of these three models: – Parallel Teaching – Alternative Teaching – Station Teaching Educational Support Services 2015

Parallel Teaching: provides more supervision and more opportunity to respond What it is ○ Plan together for consistency ○ Divide the class in half (or close to it) ○ Same content, same lesson, same way, at the same time What it isn’t ○Students with an IEP are with the special education teacher and all the other students are with the general education teacher ○The special education teacher is given a lesson plan and has no authority to make accommodations and adaptations as necessary Educational Support Services 2015

Benefits of Parallel Teaching ○ Co-planning ○ Allows teachers to work with smaller groups ○ Comfort level of working separately to teach the same lesson ○ Students are in close proximity of teachers Educational Support Services 2015

Challenges of Parallel Teaching ○ Requires time to co-plan ○ Both teachers need to know content ○ Pacing of lesson must be the same ○ Space in classroom must be flexible ○ Noise level must be controlled Educational Support Services 2015

Alternative teaching What it is ○ Large & small group ○ Alternate lesson OR same lesson with alternate materials or approaches ○ For a specific instructional purpose ○ Small group participation varies according to needs What it isn’t ○ The students with the special education teacher are always the students with an IEP ○ A special education teacher is given a lesson plan and has no authority to make accommodations and adaptations as necessary Educational Support Services 2015

Benefits of Alternative Teaching ○ Allows the teacher to work with smaller groups ○ Groups can vary based on content and need. ○ Content expert can see immediately the students who need intervention and re-teaching strategies Educational Support Services 2015

Challenges of Alternative Teaching ○ Groups must be flexible ○ Students may view the teacher working with the large group as the one in charge ○ Noise level must be controlled ○ There must be adequate space Educational Support Services 2015

Station Teaching What it is ○ Different, but connected concepts at each station ○ 2 or 3 small groups ○ Flexible Grouping ○ Individual Instruction What it isn’t ○ All the gifted students are together, all the average students are together, and all the students with an IEP are together ○ Only special education students and gifted students do the centers ○ The classroom teacher single - handedly creates the station Educational Support Services 2015

Benefits of Station teaching ○ Maximizes the use of all adults in the room. ○ Each teacher has a clear responsibility; both have the opportunity to actively teach. ○ Students benefit from small group ○ Teachers can cover more material more quickly ○ Fewer discipline problems when students are engaged in active hands-on learning appropriate to their ability level Educational Support Services 2015

Challenges of Station Teaching ○ Flexible grouping requires ongoing co-planning and assessment ○ Noise level ○ Pacing of stations is important ○ One or more groups must work independently if there are more than 2 stations ○ Care should be taken to ensure that the groups are of mixed ability. Educational Support Services 2015

Thank You! Educational Support Services 2015