School Improvement Improving what’s happening in the classroom for students with disabilities: instruction & its impact on student learning Systems that ensure students are in the classroom -- discipline systems, social- emotional supports, family connections & support Systems that ensure that what classrooms provide is valuable & effective – PD & TA systems, observation/ evaluation, data/assessment, resource allocation

Using the Walk-Through in the School Improvement Process

What is “special” about special education? Specially Designed Instruction – Individualized – Based upon assessed needs of student – Documented in the IEP – Includes instructional supports & supplemental supports (strategies & accommodations) Explicit Instruction (teaching methodology) – Structured, systematic and effective way of teaching to promote learning of students with disabilities

A Visual Differentiated Instruction Universal Design for Learning Scaffolding Specially Designed Instruction Explicit Instruction

Explicit Instruction: Efficient & Effective Teaching, by Anita Archer & Charles Hughes Chapter 1 – Pages 2-3: Figure 1.1 Elements Think about the instruction that goes on in your school or district. Select 3 elements that, if you could develop a shared understanding and common language about them across your school/district, you could leverage really meaningful improvement in student outcomes. – Page 4: Figure 1.2 Functions Use the blue chart to identify which functions you think a visitor would see with High, Moderate and Low Frequency in your classrooms. – Pages 5-12: Figure 1.3 Principles Use the yellow chart to take notes/jot thoughts about the implications of what Archer & Hughes say about the principles for your work.

RSETASC Walk-Through

Criteria for Look-Fors Clear language—understood by all Measurable and observable Observable in the time of the observation Research-based

What Does it Look Like? Begley: White:

Hollingsworth: Jensen: Archer: Fox: Hollingsworth:

Let’s Apply Supporting Districts identified for the performance students with disabilities Developing and implementing improvement plans

Activate &Engage/ Discuss & Explore Share State data for discussion Ask school staff to predict what their data will show Share elements of school data for discussion: – Do you think what we saw in this single observation reflects actual practice in your school? – What questions do these data raise for you? – What might some next steps be?

Practice High Frequency – Working on content aligned with the content of peers Low Frequency – Use of accommodations to reading, writing, math tasks – Use of alternative modes of communication – Accommodations for participation or organizational demands of the classroom – Adapted text

Connect Does this align with teacher rubrics being used in your region? In what areas could Look-Fors from the walk-through serve as Evidence statements? – Classroom management – Instructional components

Organize & Integrate/ Measure Setting Student and System Objectives Planning & Implementing Activities

Student & System Objectives Measurable Observable Appropriate criteria and progress monitoring methods The (district / building / classrooms) will show an increase/decrease in (identify behavior or performance to be achieved) from (identify baseline level of performance, criteria or standard) to (identify desired level of performance, criteria or standard) as measured / evaluated by (identify how progress will be measured). (Identify group of) Students with Disabilities will show an increase/decrease in (identify behavior or performance to be achieved) from (identify baseline level of performance, criteria or standard) to (identify desired level of performance, criteria or standard) as measured / evaluated by (identify how progress will be measured).

1. Student Engagement a. Teacher’s ensures multiple opportunities for students with disabilities to respond, e.g.:15 i. Oral responses: (e.g., choral response, think-pair-share; partner response)15 ii. Unison responses: (e.g., choral response; white-boards; response cards)05 iii. Team responses: (e.g., numbered heads together; jigsaw)05 iv. Written responses: (e.g., response cards, white boards, think-jot-share; pair and write)05 v. Action responses: (e.g., touching/pointing; gestures; acting out; hand signals; facial expressions)05 b. Students with disabilities engage in structured activities designed to allow for processing; e.g., I-time, think-pair-share, numbered heads, elbow partners, think-jot. 15 c. Teacher explicitly teaches strategies for responding to higher-order questions; e.g., problem-solving, generalization, evaluative, inferential, application. 25 d. Students with disabilities work in groups of varying sizes; e.g., individual, pairs, small group, whole group.45 e. Staff and students are making explicit connections between lesson and post-secondary opportunities and to students’ interests or goals.35

System & Student Objectives 1.By June 2012, the cohort of 6 th, 7 th and 8 th grade teachers in Integrated Co-teaching and Transition ELA Classrooms will show an increase in the use of evidence-based practices, specifically structured activities to allow processing and strategies to ensure high levels of participation by all students with disabilities, from 20% of classrooms (1/5) to 100% (5/5) as evidenced by follow-up walk-throughs. 2.By June 2012, 100% of students with disabilities in the 6 th, 7 th and 8 th grade Integrated Co-teaching and Transition ELA Classrooms will provide at least two correct verbal or written responses during a class period, as evidenced by follow-up walk-throughs. Baseline established in November 2012 showed approximately 20% of students (6/30) with disabilities attaining this criteria.

Explicit Instruction Teaching FunctionsYesTtl Overall Summary of Teaching Functions Observed 1. Access to the Curriculum55 2. Review & Introduction of the Lesson25 3. Active Teaching -- I Do45 4. Guided Practive -- We Do35 5. Independent Practice -- You All Do/ You Do15 6. Lesson Closure05

System & Student Objectives 1.By January 2013, all 4 special education teachers for 3 rd grade students with disabilities (100%)* will include 4/5 steps of “explicit instruction” when teaching sight word recognition, new vocabulary word meanings, and/or decoding skills, as measured by Principal’s walkthrough/ observation and Principal’s monthly checks of lesson plans. * Baseline from spring 2012 assessed as 50%. 2.By January 2013, formative assessment conducted at the end of a lesson in 3 rd grade self-contained classrooms will demonstrate that 85%* of students have mastered the sight words, vocabulary word meanings, and/or decoding skills taught in that lesson, as measured by Principal’s walkthrough/ observation. * Baseline in spring 2012 showed that on average 50% of students (between 2 and 5 out of 8 in each classroom) were able to accurately complete work in the four classrooms at the end of a lesson.