Determining educational success Ralph Leverett and Kris Wolfe an expansion of the S.I.F.T.E.R.

INTRODUCTION  THESE GUIDELINES HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED TO ASSIST TEACHERS AND ADMINISTRATORS IN DETERMINING THE BEST PLACEMENT FOR STUDENTS WITH HEARING LOSS.

Communication Skills  Can she: Respond to questions Participate in discussions Understand assignments Be understood by the teacher and students Gather incidental information during the day Express need and wants effectively

Attending Skills  Can she: Focus effectively during group instruction Understand the materials, directions related to shifting activities Remain on task in small group settings Comprehend instructions … at a level similar to other students

Academic and Related Skills  Does she Get primary information through speechreading, listening, or observing other students Have vocabulary and related skills comparable to other students Utilize your modifications effectively Work at or near grade level

Academic ….  Has she Been socially promoted or retained  Does she Have achievement test scores near grade level Have reading skills similar to her peers Have effective written language skills Volunteer information related to school

Social Behaviors  Does she have friends  Is she automatically included in games and other group activities  Does she play alone … eat alone  How does she get the attention of others … is she easily frustrated  Is she obviously excluded from activities

Does she …  Appear to listen … but work suggests that she doesn’t understand  Have difficulty with multistage commands  Do better work when the activity is directed …. unstructured  Indicate when she doesn’t understand

Does she ….  Fake understanding …  Advocate for herself  Seem aware of her difficulty in Communicating with others Completing tasks correctly Following directions Different listening situations

Can she …  Repeat directions for homework … an assignment [verbatim]  Summarize directions for homework … an assignment … [higher level abilities]  Hold her own academically and socially

DISCUSSION  THESE QUESTIONS ARE INTENDED TO GUIDE EDUCATORS IN ISSUES OF PLACEMENT.  STUDENTS WITH HEARING LOSS ARE SOMETIMES MISPLACED IN REGULAR EDUCATION OR SPECIAL EDUCATION CLASSROOMS WHICH MAY BE INAPPROPRIATE FOR THEIR NEEDS.

DISCUSSION …  STUDENTS WHO CANNOT GAIN PRIMARY INFORMATION THROUGH LISTENING, SPEECHREADING, OR THROUGH THE USE OF AN INTERPRETER ARE GENERALLY UNSUCCESSFUL IN A REGULAR OR TYPICAL SPECIAL EDUCATION CLASSROOM.  EDUCATORS SHOULD CONSIDER PLACEMENT IN A DEAF EDUCATION CLASSROOM OR A STATE SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF FOR THESE STUDENTS.

DISCUSSION …  STUDENTS WHO CANNOT RESPOND APPROPRIATELY TO QUESTIONS, WHO CANNOT PARTICIPATE IN DISCUSSIONS, OR WHO LACK BASIC VOCABULARY AND CONCEPTS RELATED TO SUBJECT MATTER ARE EXCLUDED FROM BASIC ACADEMIC SUCCESS.  STUDENTS WHOSE INABILITY TO LISTEN EFFECTIVELY OR EXPRESS THEIR NEEDS AND WANTS DUE TO HEARING LOSS HAVE LIMITED OPPORTUNITIES FOR SUCCESS IN A REGULAR CLASSROOM.

DISCUSSION …  SPECIAL EDUCATION CLASSROOMS THAT CANNOT PROVIDE NECESSARY MONITORING OF HEARING AIDS AND RELATED EQUIPMENT OR CANNOT PROVIDE INTEGRATED AUDITORY, SPEECH, AND LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT THROUGHOUT THE DAY DO NOT PROVIDE OPTIMAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE ACADEMIC OR SOCIAL SUCCESS OF STUDENTS WITH HEARING LOSS. IT IS CRUCIAL THAT STUDENTS HAVE THE ABILITY TO UNDERSTAND INSTRUCTION AND THE MATERIALS NECESSARY FOR ACADEMIC GROWTH.

DISCUSSION … ALL STUDENTS WITH HEARING LOSS SHOULD HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY FOR:  APPROPRIATE AUDITORY EQUIPMENT  APPROPRIATE INSTRUCTION AND MATERIALS  ON-GOING DEVELOPMENT OF LISTENING AND ORAL AND/OR MANUAL LANGUAGE SKILLS  COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS WHICH ALLOW SATISFYING SOCIAL INTERACTION IN THE SCHOOL SETTING  GENUINE INCLUSION IN THEIR WORLD