STEP BY STEP - WORKING IN AN INCLUSION CLASSROOM Chances are that in the field of special education you will probably be hired as a teacher in one of three possible settings: resource room, self contained special class or an inclusion setting.

INCLUSION Step I-learn as much about the students as possible before school begins The very first step in setting up the room involves your potential students. What we want to do is find out as much information about each student as possible. Schools have a wealth of available materials on each child if you know where to look. When dealing with students with disabilities, information on the child can be found in the following possible places:

INCLUSION Permanent record folder: this folder which contains all the basic information on the child is usually stored in the main office. Past teacher’s reports: these items may be among those found in the permanent record folder or may be part of the child’s report card forms. Past report cards: these items will offer a pattern of performance including strength and weakness areas. These should also be contained in the permanent record folder.

INCLUSION Group achievement scores: These materials, if accurate, can also provide a pattern of strengths and weaknesses. However, be very careful about drawing any conclusions from low scores unless other information backs up your impressions i.e. classroom performance, teacher’s reports. Sometimes children who are experiencing academic problems may not try as hard as possible for fear of failure. Consequently, the resulting scores may not reflect true achievement levels.

INCLUSION Number and types of schools attended: you should be able to ascertain this information by the school names on the report cards found in the permanent folder. For some children with disabilities this may be their first year in a mainstreamed school. They may require added attention and support in the transition.

INCLUSION Medical records: this information can be gathered from the school nurse’s office. Pay close attention to vision and hearing levels, medications, allergies, and any other medical issues that might need attention in the classroom.

INCLUSION IEP: a very crucial piece of information is the child’s most recent Individual Educational Plan. This piece of information is usually not found in the permanent record folder. It can be obtained from several sources including: a-the office of Pupil Personnel Services b-the psychologist’s file on the child c-the special education folder on the child. This file is normally passed from teacher to teacher. However this folder may be in a main file in the office of the special education coordinator for your building.

INCLUSION Health alerts: this piece of medical information may be found on the front page of the child’s IEP. If something is noted then find out as much as possible on that condition. You want to sound knowledgeable when speaking with parents about their child’s special health issues.

INCLUSION Classification: find out as much as possible about the child’s specific disability classification as you can. You may already be knowledgeable about the disability but it never hurts to learn more. This knowledge base can only gain you respect from staff and parents. A very good source for learning about all kinds of classification disabilities is NICHCY.org.

INCLUSION Modifications: look for the classroom and test modifications that the child is entitled to have. These are listed somewhere in the IEP. Investigate each modification thoroughly and fully understand what is involved and the possible reasons as to why the child was granted this in the first place. You will need to fully understand these modifications since you will be communicating and explaining them to all the child’s teachers.

INCLUSION Accommodations: there may be times when a child is entitled to some classroom accommodation. Examples of these might be special furniture, filters for lighting, acoustic enhancements etc. Again investigate and become knowledgeable of each accommodation.

INCLUSION Related services: the IEP will also contain a section on the related services that the child is entitled to have while in school.

INCLUSION Assistive technology: some children may be entitled to assistive technology i.e. word processor. This should appear on the child’s IEP. If there is some required technology find out everything you can. There are numerous sites that you can visit on the Internet.

INCLUSION Ability levels: It is important to determine, if possible, the child’s ability levels. These levels which are measured by many sources can usually be found in several areas: a-the permanent record folder: look for a group IQ test, or a test that offers a score labeled “School Abilities Index.” These group measures may offer some insight. Again, be careful of using low scores to determine ability for the same reasons as mentioned previously. b-the psychologist’s office: look up the last triennial report which should have some measure of ability noted. c-The child’s IEP: the IEP may contain an ability level. These may be listed under the Wechsler Scales of Intelligence or the Stanford Binet Test of Intelligence. d-Past teacher’s comments about the child’s ability levels.

INCLUSION Step II- Meet with your team teacher before school begins.

INCLUSION A major component to the success of an inclusion classroom is the nature of the relationship between the special education teacher and the regular education teacher. There are many questions and issues that need to be discussed to prevent misconceptions, frustration or dissension from occurring. Some of these issues are as follows:

INCLUSION -talk about roles and clearly define the professional responsibilities so that there is no confusion

INCLUSION -talk about similarities and differences in teaching styles and how that might affect the students and the presentation of information. Even though teaching styles may be different, they can compliment each other.

INCLUSION -talk about the delivery systems to be used in the classroom: There are several different methods for instruction and assistance to the children in an inclusion setting. Alternative delivery systems are management systems that provide support for students and maximize learning while being presented with the core curriculum in an inclusion setting. Alternative delivery systems are management systems that provide support for students and maximize learning while being presented with the core curriculum in an inclusion setting.

The goal of alternative delivery systems is to develop many creative ways of working together for the benefit of all students. There are many different approaches and it is best to find one on which you and your team teacher agree. Some examples which you my want to suggest if the regular education teacher is not aware are: INCLUSION

Inclusion Team Teaching Cooperative teaching is an educational approach in which general and special educators, as well as specialists from other categorical programs, are simultaneously present in the general education classroom, sharing responsibility for some specific classroom instruction. This approach allows the integration of the teaching to be successful since the classroom teacher is teamed with the specialist.

INCLUSION General and special educators jointly plan to teach academic subject content to all students. The general education teacher remains responsible for the entire class while the special educator is responsible for implementing the IEP goals for special education students.

INCLUSION Complementary Instruction In this approach the general education teacher assumes primary responsibility for teaching specific subject matter. The specialist has responsibility for teaching academic survival skills necessary for the student to access and master the core curriculum

INCLUSION The content may be delivered in the classroom and complemented when the special education student is pulled out of the classroom to another setting. The critical difference between complementary instruction and the traditional pullout program is that two professionals prepare instruction together and it is delivered in the general classroom.

INCLUSION Supportive Learning Activities The general educator introduces academic content and the specialist develops and implements learning activities designed to reinforce the specific content. The educators work together to develop and deliver the instructional content in the regular classroom even though each is responsible for a particular phase of development.

INCLUSION One Teach/One Support In this type of delivery system the regular education teacher is responsible for teaching the curriculum. The role of the special education teacher is to move from each child with a disability to the next and assist in answering questions, monitoring class notes, explaining the material and assignments, and working closely with the students to help level the playing field.

INCLUSION Step III-Setting up your classroom (Inclusion class): in this instance there is really very little to do. If you are hired for an elementary inclusion class the regular education teacher will set up the room. In this case assist the teacher, making suggestions if you feel they will better serve the population of children with disabilities i.e. quiet corner or study carrel to avoid distractions

INCLUSION If you are hired as an inclusion teacher at the high school, then there may be less to do with setting up the room since many various teachers will be using that setting. However, again assist the teacher and suggest anything that you feel might help.