1. Successful Inclusive Practices Middle & Secondary Schools Presented by Michael King

2. AUTHORS
Richard Villa—President, Bay Ridge Consortium Inc., San Marcos, CA
Jacqueline S. Thousand—Professor, College of Education, California State
Ann Nevin—Professor, Arizona State University
Andrea Liston—Student, Argosy University, CA

3. Abstract
I) Methods in which middle and secondary school educators have improved curricula, instruction, and assessment practices and reorganized to achieve increased collaboration and responsiveness for all students’ needs.
II) Six “best practices” that emerged from interviews with inclusive educators

4. Leading into Student Inclusion
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004
Requirement that students with disabilities access the general education curriculum in the least restrictive environment.
No Child Left Behind Act of 2001
Requirement that all students have access to highly qualified teachers to create a context for general and special educators to collaborate to provide students access to core content in General Education.

5. Curriculum, Instruction, Assessment Improvements

6. Differentiated Instruction Moving toward a Universal Design Framework
Provides advantages for students with and without disabilities by assisting them to see patterns across the chaos of diverse bodies of content (Wineburg & Grossman, 2000)
In other words……
Subjects are usually combined when solving problems in our society.
Why not teach an interdisciplinary curriculum?

7. Use of Technology National Education Technology Standards
Requires Teachers to:
Promote safe and healthy use of technology
Model and teach legal and ethical use
Empower learners with diverse background
Facilitate equitable access for all students

8. Student Collaboration
Giving students the opportunity to support, advocate, and plan as it pertains to peer relations, future choices, and present situations.
Cooperative group learning
(Individual accountability, Learning in teams)
Partner Learning
(Peer tutoring)

9. Supports and Accommodations
Same activity with different expectations for mastery outside the content area
Social
Communicative
Life skill
Example:
A Student with a significant disability is not expected to demonstrate an understanding of the periodic table, but instead must handle materials and follow three step directions during lab situations.

10. Teaching Responsibility, Peacemaking and Self Determination
Adversity at home and in the community negatively affects a youth’s ability and motivation to learn.
Responsibility
Validating effort and achievement
Setting and enforcing rules (school-wide discipline system)
Peacemaking
Data suggests peer mediation programs are successful in decreasing discipline referrals, fights, suspensions, and vandalism while improving attendance (Schrumpf & Jansen)
Self Determination
Choice making, decision making, problem solving, self advocacy, self observation and evaluation.

11. ASSESSMENT of STUDENT PERFORMANCE
Traditional vs. Authentic
Traditional
A focus away from an absorption of knowledge without a relevant application of it.
Authentic
Expectations are to demonstrate skills representing real-life learning demands. Accomplishing personal goals and self evaluation.

12. Implementing Inclusive Practices
The Voices of Secondary Educators
Liston (2004) conducted individualized interviews over a three week period with 10 general educators and 10 special educators. All worked in a co-teaching relationship in a large, urban multi-cultural & multi-lingual comprehensive HS (Liston & Thousand).
SIX “best practice” themes emerged in regards to successes in inclusive practices, teacher-student outcomes, and needs for improvement.

14. Administrative Support & Professional Development
Acceptance of a diverse school community.
Distribution of special-education students among core and elective classes.
Firm stance with faculty
Professional Development
Problem:
Some educators still do not practice inclusion damaging consistency
“Fellow Colleagues need to get on the bandwagon”
--Interviewee

15. Collaboration & Communication
Every interviewee reported collaboration among staff members as the key to student success.
Redefining the roles of teachers and special educators.
Communication
Among teaching staff built trust and success in teacher partnerships.
“General Educators will have the content and special educators will have knowledge of instructional strategies, accommodations, and modifications”
--interviewee

16. Instructional Responsiveness & Authentic Assessments
Instructional Response
Individual learning needs & student engagement through “hands on” and other approaches.
As an inclusive educator…..
A need to “think more deeply about how to engage all students”
Authentic Assessment
“The general educators are looking at the whole child rather than one set of test results. They seem to see the big picture”

17. Summary
As our society’s social dynamics change, so does our response to education. Methods once thought of as effective are now outdated and need to be transformed to meet the problems of today.
“I once had a negative attitude about having students with disabilities in my class and saw it as a burden. Now working with a special educator, I see the changes, and look forward to making education work to ensure the success of all students.”