1. Brooke Horvath Rachel Kluber Bobby Till CI 401 M

2. What is the topic? Least restricted environment for students who have special needs (special education, “gifted,” etc.) Dealing with students who have individualized education programs (IEPs) Integrating the math classroom Not separating into separate classes for math Dealing with an aide, paraprofessional, or special education teacher in your math classroom

3. What is the topic? (cont’d) Figuring out where special education needs improvement and where it is lacking Teachers becoming part of the solution Retesting is not learning Triage Testing “not needing immediate care, critically wounded, hopeless” (Chavez, 2004).

4. Why is this topic “hot?” NCLB Standards (also ISAT, Discover, etc.) “People are making decisions without really thinking about the impact” (Hoffman, 2009). Special needs students are a “subgroup” Wider spectrum and broad diagnoses Response to Intervention (RtI) Intervening with “struggling” students Differentiating in the classroom Different skill levels in the same room

5. Why is the topic “hot?” (cont’d) Push to learn math more quickly rather than deeply The “race to reach BC Calculus first is evident in the high school curricula” (Rothery, 2008). Teaching to the test Parents pushing for best for their children Not always a positive... “[Lack of understanding] of the issues of math and science, [but] solely worried about test scores” (Hoffman and Caniglia, 2009).

6. Clicker Question #1 What is the best way to handle a student with special needs in the math classroom? A. Give the student any resources or materials they want B. Let the Special Ed. Teacher deal with the student C. Treat them as an ordinary student D. Give them altered assignments E. Ignore the situation/ let them do other work

7. Challenge as a teacher is how to appeal to each individual student if they are learning at different levels. It is even more important in a mathematics classroom for three important reasons: 1) Pace 2) Depth of understanding 3) Interest Ongoing debate as to whether a teacher has the skills and knowledge to teach students with special needs.

8. Issues cont. When teaching an academically diverse classroom, we need to not ask what labels do my students have, but what are their particular interests and needs? We seek equity and excellence when we allow for the classroom to include special education students. Need to have high expectations for all students that challenge their intellectual minds.

9. What Research Shows… Principles for teaching a diverse classroom: Good curriculum comes first Challenge Learners Use flexible grouping Assessment Grade to reflect growth In Pennsylvania, there is a program in which special education students are exceeding in the regular classroom. School developed an Instructional Support Team (IST) IST helps schools create a seamless system of support for students and teachers Parent participation is important

10. What year did the law pass for inclusion of special education students? A. 1980 B. 1966 C. 1975 D. 1997

11. The Best Related Practice “The challenge for teachers lies in applying this principle [equity] to daily classroom practice.” (Brodesky, 2004) Planning is the best practice when developing good math lessons for all students in the classroom. Step 1: Focus on the mathematics Step 2: Focus on the students Step 3: Identify Barriers Step 4: Brainstorm Accessibility Strategies Step 5: Share the Accessibility Strategies Step 6: Plan follow-up actions (Brodesky, 2004)

12. The Best Related Practice (cont) The practice is not meant to separate special needs students from the class but rather make teachers more prepared to teach special needs students along with the rest The Accessibility Strategies Plan can be used when teaching with an aide or paraprofessional. Focuses on understanding rather than testing (Brodesky, 2004)

13. The Best Related Practice (cont) When working with special needs students, staff at the Education Development Center (2007) suggests the following: Help students understand tasks Help students access math in varied ways Build student independence Provide tools and handouts Promote understanding through discourse Help students manage tasks and organization Adjust tasks to student needs Create a supportive environment

14. This is important to our future teaching! Our future classrooms will be diverse. We will encounter a lot of students who learn differently, especially those students with special needs. Number of special need students in federally supported school programs has risen from about 8% in 1975 to 13% by 2009, and continues to rise. This directly affects the way our classrooms will be managed as public educators. (“Fast Facts”, 2011) We need to find a way to prepare lessons that are meaningful to all students in some way We will teach in classrooms containing students with IEPs and paraprofessionals. We need to be aware of tools to utilize all of our resources “The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), enacted in 1975, mandates that children and youth ages 3–21 with disabilities be provided a free and appropriate public school education” (“Fast Facts”, 2011) Key word: appropriate.

15. Clicker Question #3 On the first day of class, you discover that you have a couple students in your class with special needs, as well as a classroom aide to help you manage your classroom. How do you react? A. Expect the classroom aide to work separately with the special needs students on a lesson plan that you provide B. Expect the classroom aide to work separately with the special needs students on lesson plans that he/she creates C. Expect the aide to work alongside students while you perform your normal planned lesson D. Work with the classroom aide to develop an Accessibility Strategies Plan to be followed alongside the rest of the class during lessons E. None of the above

16. Bibliography Brodesky, A., Gross, F., McTigue, A., & Palmer A. Instructional Strategies to Increase Accessibility. Education Development Center, Inc. 2007. Web. 3 Dec. 2011. Brodesky, A., Gross F., McTigue, A., & Tierney C. (2004). Planning strategies for students with special needs: A professional development activity. Teaching Children Mathematics, 11(3), 146- 154. Caniglia, J., & Hoffman, E. S. (2009). In their own words: Good mathematics teachers in the era of nclb. Mathematics Teacher, 102(6), 472. Chavez, S. (2004). If at first you don't succeed.. test, test again (not!). Mathematics Teacher, 97(5), 310-312. “Fast Facts”. Digest of Educational Statistics. U.S. Department of Education, 2011. Web. 3 Dec. 2011. Johnson, D. T. (2000, April). Teaching mathematics to gifted students in a mixed-ability classroom. Retrieved from http://www.teachervision.fen.com/gifted-education/teaching- methods/3778.html Kovaleski, J., Tucker, J. & Stevens, L. (1996, February ). Bridging special education: The pennsylvania initiative Educational Leadership, 53(5), 44-47. Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/feb96/vol53/num05/Bridging- Special-and-Regular-Education@-The-Pennsylvania-Initiative.aspx Rothery, T. G. (2008). High school mathematics: Why the rush?. Mathematics Teacher, 102(5), 325. Tomlinson, C. (2003, October). Deciding to teach them all. Educational Leadership, 61(2), 6-11. Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational- leadership/oct03/vol61/num02/Deciding-to-Teach-Them-All.aspx