Successful Inclusive Practices - When Everyone Belongsby Debra Ahrens, Education Consultant, DPI, and Jenny Bibler, Education Consultant, DPI It’s Monday in Ms. Romero’s class. In reviewing her daily schedule, she notes which students will be leaving the class throughout the day, in ones, twos, or more, for specially designed instruction provided by another educator in another part of the building. She sighs when she realizes that there is no block of time when all of her students will be present for instruction in their home class. She wonders how she can possibly ensure that all of her students are accessing the core content that will prepare for them for the next grade. When she looks at trend data, she sees that the students who are taught in segregated, pull-out settings are actually falling further behind their peers every year. With the best of intentions, students identified as needing specially designed instruction have been routinely segregated for decades. Districts and schools who take the time to create a map of all of their pull-out programs are shocked to discover the percentage of time that students consistently spend in segregated settings. If this resulted in higher achievement for learners, it might be an acceptable trade-off, but instead we see flat lines in achievement outcomes for students with IEPs, as well as other student groups that are routinely segregated for instruction intended to fix a deficit. In fact, removing students to receive instruction in segregated settings leads to lost instructional time, decreased student engagement and ultimately less likelihood that a child will ever achieve grade-level proficiency. 1 Our systems have not been designed to be inclusive and although many educators want things to change, it can feel overwhelming. To begin a shift towards a culture and practice of inclusion requires a collective belief that students belong in their learning communities, in an environment with their peers, and educators are responsible to develop both accessible curriculum and environments for each and every student within that inclusive setting. Addressing systemic barriers and challenges requires a district-wide re-assessment of current practices in which educators work in isolation from one another, teach in segregated classrooms, and rarely address the learner as a whole person. Often, each teacher is focused on specific content, or interventions, leaving the student to gather the fragments of their day and generalize their learning. This results in students, especially learners eligible for special education services, experiencing a lack of access to general curriculum, and reduced opportunities for peer relationships that help develop a supportive academic and social network. District staff must recognize that their work occurs within a wider community that includes students, families, community organizations and advocates, tribal councils, institutions of higher education and faith-based organizations. Changing existing practices - that may feel comfortable and allow success for some students- requires building strong community partnerships around shared values and support for social justice and equity for each and every child within their circle. Relationships built around meaningful work can weather the discomfort inherent in embracing new ideas, leading to increased sustainability that can withstand natural transitions of membership. Once a commitment to inclusive practices has been identified within a district vision, the resources and infrastructure of a district must be examined to determine how they support a deficit-focused model. Policies and procedures that create barriers must be reconsidered; there will likely be passionate discussions as resources and allocation of funds are reviewed, reallocated and/or modified to align with the common mission. Teachers, providers, and paraprofessionals must be provided with quality professional learning that precedes a shift in how they do their work. Inclusive classroom structures require teachers to adjust their teaching practices to support individual students, addressing unique needs for academic performance, functional behaviors, and social and emotional development. Structural changes must include adequate time and opportunities for teams of educators (content experts, special educators, related service providers, specialists, school psychologists, social workers, counselors, therapists) to plan and facilitate the learning of their shared students. When choosing inclusion there is an intentional shift in the teacher’s role—from the “transmitter of information, [giving all students the same body of information], to curator of experiences, mentor, facilitator, and cheerleader”2 When a teacher is able to transition from being solely responsible for the learning of each student—when that responsibility is shared by all staff, the students, the families, and the community, it is possible to design individualized curricula, ensuring high expectations for each child, by addressing their unique strengths and needs. When individualized curricula is normalized for all students, implementation of the IEPs developed for students who are legally entitled to special education services, are no longer considered solely the responsibility of special education staff within the school culture, but appropriately viewed as the responsibility of all. This link connects to a PDF from Ed.gov with great step-by-step recommendations for local action (beginning on page 14) The Inclusive Learning Communities Practice Profile (ILC-PP) describes the essential attributes of a learning environment which is inclusive of each and every learner. Outlining five core competencies, this practice profile document aims to provide both educators and leaders a framework to promote and support inclusive classrooms, schools, and programs For school districts working on improving inclusion at the early childhood level, please watch the video, Meaningful Inclusion in Early Childhood, to see how one school district in Wisconsin makes inclusion a reality. DPI supports an annual Inclusion Conference,that, in 2019, includes a pre-conference: Maximizing Learning for Students with Significant Support Needs. Grant Opportunity: Twelve districts - one from each CESA across Wisconsin – will be chosen to join the Research to Practice Inclusive Communities (RPIC) project. Each district will receive funding, high quality evidence-based professional development, and coaching support to establish professional learning communities (PLCs) as the framework for implementation of the research-based innovation of Inclusive Learning Communities (ILC). Applications must be submitted by March 7, 2019. If you have additional questions or would like further information about how DPI can support inclusive practices in your community we are here to help: Debra Ahrens, Education Consultant, [email protected] (608)266-7987 End Notes
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Elementary Edition - Secondary Edition - District Level Edition
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