Meeting Arizona College and Career Ready Standards for Special Education Specialists Day 2 Presenters: Sharen Bertrando Kevin Schaefer WestEd’s Center for Prevention & Early Intervention

Objectives for Day 2 – Participants will be able to... Practice developing and writing AZCCRS IEP goals and benchmarks aligned to the student’s PLAAFP Become familiar with readily available resources, instructional strategies, and evidenced-based strategies to support students with disabilities Develop an action plan to build capacity within your school/district Address participant questions and comments to State department and WestEd consultants

Review Day Two K-W-L review and update for “What you have learned Review Agenda

Why the Core? Read – Fewer, Clearer, Higher Common Core State Standards (McNulty & Gloecker, 2011) Jigsaw: Read assigned sections and report out: “I learned _____________” or “I wonder ____________.” Reflect: Final Reading – Why is it important for individuals with exceptional needs to have access to the general education curriculum? How might these individuals better access these standards?

Why the Core? Group 1: Common Core State Standards p.3 Common Core and Special Education p.4 Group 2: Improving the Performance of Students Receiving Special Education Services p.7 Ownership and High Expectations for All p.8 Intervention Systems p.9 Group 3: Inclusion/Collaborative Teaching p.11 Organization/PD p.13

IDEA – Eligibility Categories

Activity Exercise: How many of the categories include intellectual impairment?

If only one percent of the population has significant intellectual impairments… Cognitive abilities will not preclude the majority of students with disabilities from learning grade level content.

“Students with disabilities…must be challenged to excel within the general curriculum and be prepared for success in their post-school lives, including college and/or careers….Therefore, how these high standards are taught and assessed is of the utmost importance in reaching this diverse group of students.” Application to Students with Disabilities ELA Standards, in section titled “What is not covered”

“For example, for students with disabilities reading should allow for the use of Braille, screen-reader technology, or other assistive devices, while writing should include the use of a scribe, computer, or speech to text technology. In a similar vein, speaking and listening should be interpreted broadly to include sign language.” Commitment to Students with Disabilities Evident in Standards ELA Standards, in section titled “What is not covered”

Legal Basis for Providing Access to General Education I DEA 2004: states must “… ensure access of the child to the general curriculum, so that the child can meet the educational standards… that apply to all children.” [(34 CFR §300.39(b)(3)(i)(ii)]

The Law A statement of the child’s present levels of academic achievement and functional performance, including… A statement of measurable annual goals including academic and functional goals designed to: Meet the child’s needs that result from the child’s disability to enable the child to be involved in and make progress in the general education curriculum.

National Statistics Nationwide 40% of all students in special education have reading as their core challenge. Over 80% of students with a specific learning disability (SLD) struggle with reading. Approximately four out of five students with a SLD perform significantly below grade level in reading. Typically, student below reading level will be below grade level in written expression Rosenberg, Westling, & McLeskey, 2008

Complex Text

Qualitative Examine the text to see how much of the language is conversational and how much is academic. Examine the language to see how much is literal and how much is figurative. When looking at literary texts specifically, you examine whether the text demands singular to multiple themes or themes that are complex. Examine the text for singular to multiple perspectives. Consider if the text requires everyday or familiar knowledge and/or cultural knowledge outside of the familiar.

Quantitative No perfect method for examination, rather there are many effective methods. Methods such as the Flesch-Kincaid and Dale Chall are mentioned as possible measurement standards.Flesch-KincaidDale Chall No specific way for teachers to "score" a text independently. Teachers should consider how these factors mentioned next might create challenge for readers. Examine the text for syntactic complexity, sentence structure and word length, level of vocabulary and Lexile level. Lexile

Text Complexity by Grade Band Text Complexity by Grade Bands OLD Lexile LevelLexile Level aligned to the Core K-1N/A Common Core State Standards Initiative

Quantitative Measures of Text Complexity The terms quantitative dimensions and quantitative factors refer to those aspects of text complexity, such as word length or frequency, sentence length, and text cohesion, that are difficult if not impossible for a human reader to evaluate efficiently, especially in long texts, and are thus today typically measured by computer software. NGA & CCSSO, 2010, p. 4

Flesch-Kincaid Grade-Level Score An Example After the anthem, the tributes file back into the Training Center lobby and onto the elevators. I make sure to veer a car that does not contain Peeta. The crowd slows out entourages of stylists and mentors and chaperones, so we have only each other for company. No one speaks. My elevator stops to deposit four tributes before I am alone and then find the doors opening on the twelfth floor. Peeta has only just stepped from his car when I slam my palms into his chest. He loses his balance and crashes into an ugly urn filled with fake flowers. Collins, S. (2008) The Hunger Games

Reader - Text and Task Instructional design Create tasks that are appropriate for the learning objectives. Scaffold the learning and reading skills needed Demand high quality, authentic tasks When appropriate, remove the scaffolding so students can read and perform independently

Strategies to Support Learner’s Engagement with Complex Text AreaSupporting Learners’ Engagement with Complex Text Background Knowledge Leverage students existing knowledge Comprehension Strategies Teaching and Modeling – questioning, visualizing VocabularyExplicitly teaching – context clues & morphological knowledge Text Organization & Linguistic Features Explicitly teaching – discussing text features, organizations, language resources DiscussionsEngaging in peer discussions SequencingSequencing text & tasks to build on each other; Teacher read alouds RereadingRereading text or selected passages to look for answers ToolsTeaching to develop outlines, charts, organizers WritingModeling returning to the text as writing

AZCCRS & Evidence-based Practices & Supports for Specialized Populations Autism Spectrum Disorders Intellectual Disabilities Technology Tools

National Professional Development Center on ASD Take a look at the evidence-based practices for students with ASD

EBPs for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) The teaching practice has been tested and found to be effective in the areas of: Academics and cognition Behavior Communication Play Social Transition

Choosing an EBP What is our goal/objective targeting? What are our options? What domain does the goal relate to? What is the age of the student?

Make a decision based on: The IEP teams professional wisdom The student’s learning style The supports that are already in place The history of what has or hasn’t work in the past

Activity 1.Work individually to review one of your student’s assessment information, PLAAFP, and previous IEP 2.Select an AZCCRS ELA/Literacy strand/standard in area of identified need 3.Use the template and strategies for individualizing goal/objectives 4.Share completed written goal/objectives with partner noting feedback (constructive criticism) 5.Revise 6.Be prepared to share out

Activity 1.Work individually to review one of your student’s assessment information, PLAAFP, and previous IEP 2.Select an AZCCRS Mathematical Standards in the area of identified need 3.Use the template and strategies for individualizing goal/objectives 4.Share completed written goal/objectives with partner noting feedback (constructive criticism) 5.Revise 6.Be prepared to share out

Action Plan At your table 1.Individually complete the action plan. 2.Share with your tabletop. 3.Write down at least one response from a colleague. 4.Be prepared to share out whole group.

Action Plan – As a result of this training... Questions: Notes/ Future Plans What is the most important thing that you learned? What will you do differently in the future? How would you share this information with colleagues? What is the logical next step?

Shared Responsibility Take ownership of all students Provide opportunities for professional development – general and special education together Create a culture where all students are general education students first... is the first hurdle to meeting the challenge

Thank you! Sharen Bertrando Kevin Schaefer