DATA and Interventions

Yep.  It has been way over a year since my last blog post.  I actually don't think anyone (but me) even looks at my blog.  That is okay though.  It is nice to get my ideas out, and if I help another teacher along the way.....then that is a bonus.  

Since I started teaching life skills 5 years ago a lot has changed.  Utah started using The Common Core.  That changes everything for me as a teacher too.  I have to expose my students to and give them access to the core curriculum at a level that will benefit each of them.  When I first started learning about the rigor in the common core I panicked.  How am I supposed to know 4 different grade levels of common core curriculum, and on top of that I have to adapt it to fit the needs and levels of each of my students?!?!  A year later I am feeling really good about the common core, and I am feeling confident in my ability to provide an appropriate education for each of my students.  My students use something called The Essential Elements of the Common Core.  The Essential Elements are amazing at breaking down the standards to levels that are achievable for students with severe disabilities.

In researching and learning about the Common Core and The Essential Elements of the Common Core I have also upped my knowledge of RTI.  Now every educator has heard of Response to Intervention, but still some lack the knowledge of what it all means.  This year I was asked to join our schools TAT Team.  I am super excited to provide some insight into quality Tier 1 teaching, what a Tier 2 student is, and providing quality interventions that will help Tier 2 students, and ultimately decide if the interventions are sufficient or if steps need to be taken to decide if special education is the appropriate intervention for these students.

This is a lot of information!  I swear I have a point.  DATA.  Being in special education has made me something of a DATA guru (well that is what I like to think).  I use data from assessments like the Direct Reading Assessment, State Tests, and the likes, but what I have found most informative is the DATA from Curriculum Based Assessments that I have come up with on my own.  Each of my students has an Individualized Education Plan so I have data on all of their goals that way.  But I also have come up with a few checklists/curriculum based assessments to use specifically for students with severe disabilities.  I am constantly changing and adjusting the DATA sheets to give me the best information for the teaching and learning that each student in my classroom needs.  

As summer winds down think about what is most important for your students (especially if you have students with special needs) to know.  My most recent CBA is a Reading Inventory.  I give it to students 3 times a year.  It includes % of lower and uppercase letters known, % of letter sounds known, various phonics skills mastered (blends, digraphs, silent e, etc.), sight words mastered, and then a checklist that includes pre-conventional skills, emerging skills, developing skills, beginning skills, and expanding skills.  The checklist is a compilation of many different continuums, checklists, and reading research.  I chose to include reading skills that are crucial to increasing independence, comprehension, and fluency with my students.  What do you think is most important for your students?

Happy Teaching~
Lindsey

Today I am going to talk about the rules I have in my classroom.  Every teacher sets up rules differently and each classroom has different expectations.  As students in regular education grow into more abstract thinkers the rules change.  A sixth grade teacher would not have the same rules as a first grade teacher.  Going by this logic a special education teacher would not have the same rules as a regular education teacher.  As I was setting up my first classroom I thought long and hard about the rules, consequences, and expectations that I would have in my classroom.  I came up with 5 very concrete rules that form the basis of my classroom management plan.  

Rule #1:  Eyes on Teacher

This rule is very important for my students.  A lot of time students with severe disabilities don't attend to instruction.  We practice keeping "eyes on teacher" all the time.  I know this is just a basic thing most teachers expect, but in my classroom it is taught explicitly to ensure students are engaged.  I also encourage my students to look at my eyes when we speak.  This social skill is valuable and most students pick up on it naturally.  It can be uncomfortable for students with disabilities to make eye contact, but since we practice all the time my students are making great strides.

Rule #2:  Quiet Mouth

Basic rule.  I know most teachers have this rule in one form or another.  At the beginning of the year we practice having a quiet mouth.  We also talk about when it is okay to talk and when it is not okay to talk.  Along with this rule we learn about the volume of our voice and when we can be loud, and when we need to be quiet.

Rule #3:  Listening Ears

This is another rule about attending to instruction.  My students learn that having listening ears is important because it helps us learn and it keeps us safe.

Rule #4:  Calm Body

As I talk about my rules I realize that they are all about attending to instruction.  We practice having a calm body with either arms folded or in our lap.  We also have a calm body by keeping our feet still.

Rule #5:  Follow Directions

Most of my students have a difficult time following directions.  We learn how to follow directions by saying "okay" and doing it immediately.  My students know that it is not okay to tell a teacher "no" when given a direction, because the directions I give help us learn or keep us all safe.

I spend 3-4 weeks at the beginning of the year teaching my students the rules in my classroom.  We create a social story using pictures of the students following the rules and read it every morning.  We play the "Rule Game".  I have small visuals that correlate to the rules and we silently (except for saying okay with rule #5) do whatever rule is on the card.  Please use these rules as they would work in your classroom.  Adapt what you need and leave out what doesn't work for you.  I have found these rules are concrete enough and visual enough to work with even my most severe students.

Happy Teaching

~Lindsey

So even though I have no followers to my blog I am still going to post some.  In a severe/profound classroom the schedule can get tricky.  Most students with severe disabilities need structure and routine in order to feel comfortable.  I have a rigid schedule that is stuck to daily (yep, even those last few days of school).  Don't get me wrong our class does attend school assemblies and we go on field trips, but those days are always hard on my students and can throw the whole day into chaos.  Even though you think I am being dramatic I am being completely honest!  My theory is that students who know what is going to happen feel secure and safe.  

Our schedule looks like this:
Bus/Backpacks
Morning Meeting
Bathroom Break
Reading (Silent Reading, Buddy Reading, 1:1 Reading with Teacher)
Letter Review (SmartBoard)
Lunch *Some Students go to regular education classes for Inclusion
Cooperative Play
Bathroom Break
Read Aloud
Super Sentences
Small Group Centers (Writing, Literacy, & Mathematics)
Bathroom Break
Recess
Snack
Individual Work
SmartBoard Lesson
Backpacks/Bus

The afternoon varies.  We have Adaptive Physical Education on Monday and Wednesday.  On Thursday we doing a cooking lesson and an art project.  Fridays are also a bit different.  I am part of a Child Study Team at my school.  We meet from 11:30-1:30 every Friday.  So in the afternoons on Friday after the Read Aloud students participate in Show'n'Tell and watch a movie in place of center time.  

I mentioned that my students really like structure.  Even though most of my students know exactly what happens each day, I provide a picture schedule that students (even non-readers) can reference the schedule.  I also love to encourage independence by referring students to look at the schedule if they are unsure what we are doing or where they should be.

Here are some pictures of our classroom schedule.

All teachers love Velcro, and I am no exception.  I used Velcro on the classroom schedule since things change and I may need to rearrange.  The first year I did the schedule I had times with the activities, but for my students forgoing the times made more sense.


Thanks for taking the time to check this out.  I will be posting what each part of the schedule entails in the coming weeks.

Happy Teaching

~Lindsey
 

Something New

I am new to the whole teacher blog world.  After discovering Pinterest over Christmas Break, and checking out many, many teacher blogs, I decided to give it a try.  Take it easy on me and remember I am a newbie.  

In my "about me" section I give a brief overview of what I do.  I teach a Life Skills Small Group Inclusion Class.  Hhhmmmm.....what is that?  I am so glad you asked.  I teach students with severe disabilities.  I have the students for the entire school day and during the course of that day we do so many things it is hard to keep it all straight.  Luckily I am borderline obsessed with organization (pictures to come).  I have anywhere from 7-14 students in my class with varying abilities.  Which means that the curriculum is up to me and my imagination and of course other teachers.  I have paraprofessionals working with me and together we do all that we can for each of our students.

When most people think of Life Skills classes they are thinking that the focus is taken off of academics, but that isn't so in my classroom.  We do all the usual mathematics, reading, writing, and science.  We just like to throw in the occasional potty training, social skills, and independence enrichment.

I have my B.A. in Elementary Education and my M.Ed in Special Education.  I taught 3rd and 5th grade prior to what I do now.  I love teaching regular education too!  Right now my heart seems to be in Special Education.

Happy Teaching

~Lindsey