Co -Teaching and Inclusionary Models Leading to Successful Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)

1. Co -Teaching and Inclusionary Models Leading to Successful Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) Tracey.Lindroth@sde.ok.gov 405-521-4881

2. Free Appropriate Public Education • FAPE is defined as “the provision of regular or special education and related aids and services that are designed to meet individual needs of handicapped persons as well as the needs of non-handicapped persons are met and based on adherence to procedural safeguards outlined in the law.” 34 CFR 300.101

3. Free Appropriate Public Education • FREE: Are provided at public expense; • APPROPRIATE: Are provided in conformity with an appropriately developed individualized education program, or IEP; • PUBLIC: Are provided under public supervision and direction; and • EDUCATION: Include an appropriate preschool, elementary, and secondary education that meets the education standards, regulations, and administrative policies and procedures issued by the State Department of Education.

4. Least Restrictive Environment • To the maximum extent appropriate, children with disabilities, including children in public or private institutions or other care facilities, are educated with children who are not disabled, and special classes, separate schooling, or other removal of children with disabilities from the regular educational environment occurs only when the nature or severity of the disability of a child is such that education in regular classes with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily. 34 C.F.R. §300.114(a)].

5. Least Restrictive Environment LRE decisions are made individually for each student. • The LRE is the appropriate balance of settings and services to meet the student’s individual needs. • The district should have an array of services and a continuum of educational setting options available to meet the individual LRE needs of each student.

6. Continuum of Placement

7. What is Inclusion? • Halvorsen & Neary (2001): inclusive education, according to its most basic definition, means that students with disabilities are supported in chronologically age-appropriate general education classes in their home schools and receive the specialized instruction delineated by their individualized education programs (IEP's) within the context of the core curriculum and general class activities • Halvorsen, A.T. & Neary, T. (2001). Building inclusive schools: Tools and strategies for success. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn& Bacon.

8. Everyone Benefits • Allows students to experience and imitate the cooperative and collaborative skills that teachers demonstrate during co-teaching • Provides greater opportunity to capitalize on the unique, diverse, and specialized knowledge, skills and instructional approaches as the co-teachers • Co-teachers often find that they can structure their classes effectively using research proven strategies required of the NCLB Act • Allows for inventing solutions that traditional school structures have failed to conceptualize on • The model is viewed as a way to become more empowered and improve teaching skills

9. Including Samuelhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-Ex0vtklY0

10. Inclusion Classroom Suggestions for the Senses

11. What it might look like….. • Print rich room • Cooperative learning groups • Hands on activities and centers • All students actively engaged • Use of technology • Room arranged for easy accessibility. • Room where adaptive equipment is utilized

12. What it might sound like….. • Dual teacher instruction • Students communicating and helping each other • Team work • Assistive technology • Soothing music

13. The general feeling of the room…. • Mutual respect • A safe place to take chances and explore • Caring, friendly environment • Family like atmosphere

14. Arne Duncanhttp://youtu.be/4P0oL2QOkhs

15. All children learn differently; teach to different learning styles • Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences • Be consistent • Encourage students to take chances and step out of their comfort zone • Treat each child as you would want to be treated • Foster a nurturing environment of mutual caring, respect and peace • Accommodate and modify for maximum success for ALL students

16. The Co -Teach Model as defined by the Council for Exceptional Children • Co-teaching is a service delivery option. Students with IEPs receive some or all of their specialized instruction and related services in the context of the general education classroom.

17. Both professionals participate fully, although differently, in the instructional process. General educators maintain primary responsibility for the content of the instruction; special educators hold primary responsibility for facilitating the learning process. • Instruction employs evidence-based practices and accountable differentiation.

18. The students are heterogeneously grouped as a class, and both teachers work with all students. • Various combinations of students and group sizes are used. • Each student’s educational potential is realized. • Co-teachers are firmly committed to “our” students, not “yours” and “mine.”

19. Clarification: • It is NOT a pullout special education program that has been relocated to the corner of a general education classroom. • It is NOT a general education classroom with one “real” teacher and one who serves as “the help” or “an extra set of hands.”

20. Important! • Two or more professionals with equivalent licensureare co-teachers: • One general educator • One special educator or specialist • Paraprofessionals are NOT considered a co-teacher

21. Types of Co –Teachinghttp://www.teachhub.com/effective-co-teaching-strategies Supportive Co-teaching – One member of the team takes the lead role and the other member rotates among students to provide support. Parallel Co-teaching - Both teachers instruct different heterogeneous groups of students.

22. Complementary Co-teaching – A member of the co-teaching team does something to supplement or complement the instruction provided by the other member of the team (e.g., models note taking on a transparency, paraphrases the other co-teacher’s statements). Team Teaching - The members of the team co-teach along side one another and share responsibility for planning, teaching, and assessing the progress of all students in the class.

23. Planning Time • Shared: daily or weekly mutual time • Macro: period high quality meetings to plan 2-3 weeks at a time • Comp time: after hours • Use of substitute teachers • Collaboration: working as a staff to build common time • Schedules: example may be common specials schedules

24. Responsibilities General Education teacher comes prepared with themes, projects, student expectations and ideas about division of duties and co-teaching approaches Special Education teacher is responsible for collaborating about teaching responsibilities, completing significant adaptationsand/oraccommodations to the assignments for student success and discussing student expectations and desired outcomes

25. To Be More Specific General Education * Begins with instruction then assess * Learning strategist * Content knowledge * Curriculum alignment * Content development Special Education * Begin with assessment than instruction * Learning strategist * Has the techniques to motivate the exceptional child * Curriculum adaptation for diverse learners * Knowledge of disabilities

26. Accommodations vs. Modifications Accommodations– Changes in materials or procedures that enable students to meaningfully access instruction and assessment. Assessment accommodations do not change the construct that is being measured. •Accommodations mediate the effects of a student’s disability and do not reduce learning expectations. Modifications – Changes in materials or procedures that enable students to access instruction and assessment. Assessment modifications do change the construct that is being measured. •Modifications create challenges for assessment validity.

27. Differentiation This is NOT a part of the IDEA, but the concept is. It is a term used to capture the innumerable tools and strategies teachers proactively use to ensure that ALL students – regardless of their unique needs – learn the curriculum • Friend, M. (2008). Co-Teach! A Handbook for Creating and Sustaining Effective Classroom Partnerships in Inclusive Schools. Marilyn Friend: North Carolina

28. Differentiation • What is it? • Consistently using a variety of instructional approaches to modify content, process, and/or products in response to learning readiness and interest of academically diverse students • Tomlinson, C. (2009). The goals of differentiation. In M. Scheerer, Ed. Supporting the wholechild: Reflections on best practices in teaching, learning, and leadership. Alexandria, VA: ASCD, pp3-11. • Why is it important? • Regardless of ability level, the majority of students are spending more and more time within a general education setting. With this trend comes a vast level of student interests, readiness and learning styles and therefore teachers need to accommodate their curriculum to meet the needs of ALL students.

29. Did he show differentiation?http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kn8faeuQjE0

30. Importance and Achievement Through Differentiation • Differentiation matches student performance and what they need to learn: scaffolding, challenge levels, autonomy, optimal learning opportunities. • Every child can learn, sometimes we need to be creative with the curriculum and presentation to reach the variety of learning styles and academic levels within our class setting. Differentiation can increase: • Academics outcomes • Student confidence • Intrinsic motivation

31. Strategies to Differentiate • Tiered assignments • Learning centers • Interactive journals and learning logs • Graphic organizers • Flexible grouping • Use pre-assessment tools to establish baseline data • Establish connection between assessment & curriculum

32. Developing a Co -Teaching Program(The Framework) 1) Establish the program and goals 2) Plan for Implementation 3) Prepare for the Implementation 4) Actual Implementation 5) Maintain

33. Establish the Program and Goals • Clarify intent: Why are we doing this? What will it look like and who will this affect? • Establish a planning structure: Identify the team members and their responsibilities • Assess: Account for needs to be addressed and set goals and expectations for the team and the students

34. Plan for Implementation • Describe ideal outcome: What is the ultimate goal? • Specify components: Subject areas, curriculum, planning time, professional development • Match context and resources: Balance between what is ideal and what can be done and supported now • Establish Timelines: Start small and build timelines that are reasonable and attainable

35. Preparing for Implementation • Awareness: Discuss students needs, expectations for both teachers and students, types of support • Select co-teachers: Effective teams need to have mutual respect for each other personally and professionally • Preparation of personnel: Professional Development opportunities • Program effectiveness: An instrument of evaluation to measure checks and balances of whether intended goals are being reached and if not, what needs to be done to make this happen

36. Implementation Period • Continue with professional development • Share information with all staff so the program can grow • Keep calm and carry on. This is a learning experience so be sure to keep communicating, accommodating and modifying • Evaluate: How are you doing? What can we do better? What can we do more of? Less of?

37. Successful Co-Teaching http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCn4qDyuZVE

38. Potential Roadblocks to Successful Co-Teaching (CEC.org) • Ages or grade levels of the student • Content being taught • Instructional strategies • Teachers’ knowledge and skills as professional educators • Teachers’ commitment to co-teaching and “chemistry” as a partnership • Amount of shared teaching time each day • Length of time the partnership has existed • How students are scheduled into classes • Extent of administrative support

39. Difficulties with Co –Teaching http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gY9GeuCwWc4

40. Determination is the Key *Teamwork between the teachers, administrators and parents * Willingness to move beyond your comfort zone and try new methods of instruction and delivery models * Requires creativity, determination and enthusiasm

41. Secondary Examplehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hPTCDt3iu8

42. Some Resources: • CEC.SPED.org • Teachhub.com/effective-co-teaching • NCLD.org • NICHCY.org • http://ok.gov/sde/ • Co-Teach by Marilyn Friend (2007) • Leading for Inclusion by Jones, Fauske & Carr (2011) • Creating Successful Inclusion Programs, Henley (2004)

43. Additional Resources • Friend, M. (2008). Co-Teach! A Handbook for Creating and Sustaining Effective Classroom Partnerships in Inclusive Schools. Marilyn Friend: North Carolina • Gardner, H. (1983). Frames of Mind. Basic Books: New York, New Yok. • Tomlinson, C. (2009). The goals of differentiation. Supporting the whole child: Reflections on best practices in teaching, learning, and leadership. Alexandria, VA: ASCD, pp3-11. • Thousand, J., & Villa, R., & Nevin, A. (2007). 
Differentiated Instruction: A Multimedia Kit for Differentiated Instruction. California: Corwin Press (800) 818- 7423 • Thousand, J., & Villa, R., & Nevin, A. (2007). 
Differentiated Instruction: Collaborative Planning & Teaching for Universally Designed 
Lessons. California: Corwin Press (800) 818- 7423 • Villa R., & Thousand. J., (Eds). (2005). Creating an Inclusive School. 
Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. (800) 933- 2723.

44. Villa, R. Thousand, J., & Nevin, A. (2008). A Guide to Co-Teaching: Practical Tips for Facilitating Student Learning (2nd. Ed.). Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin Pres. (800) 818- 7243 • Villa, R. Thousand, J., & Nevin, A. (2008). Co-Teaching: A Multimedia Kit For Professional Development.
 Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin Pres. (800) 818- 7243 • Villa, R., Thousand, J., & Nevin, A. (2008). Co-Teaching at a Glance. A laminated Tri-Fold Reference Guide. Port Chester, NY: National Professional Resources. (800) 453- 746