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I’m new to covering as a Teacher in Sped in Washington State.I just started online College to get a BA in Elementary Education.I have been a Para in Sped for 7yrs & 7 months now.My Teaching will start on August 24,2022.I know nothing about the paperwork or to set up curriculum for the kids.We deal with Preschool to 8th grade.Some Head Start kids which are 3yrs old to 4yrs old.I am kinda on my own for curriculum. Our kids do a lot on laptops for Reading,Math,and some writing.They use to journals.
Are there any ARD Facilitators in this group?
Te a ching RSP/SAI. Any help on how
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You are absolutely correct. The kids should not be grouped together for convenience, and the class should not know who is and isn’t in the inclusion program. If there is a co-teacher, the students should be oblivious to whom they are there to help, if possible, because they should be willing to help anybody who asks for assistance.
While I agree about placement in the classroom, how do you handle testing mods? Some students get tests read, or need a sep. location, per their IEPs. When I worked as a para, the Gen Ed teachers would admin. the test to the majority, and the Spec Ed. teachers and paras would take kids out to meet testing mods (which is necessar but also "obvious.")
Don't allow this/her/his class to become isolated in a GE setting. The observer needs to have a lesson regarding inclusive environments. Thank you for supporting your colleague and all students.
Coach
My first reaction was that this admin did not know the staff. Confusing a co-teacher for a para's actions negates any trust. If this admin did not agree with moving around the room, then where is the research? We all know that inclusion is the direction we should all aim for and not just in the corner of the classroom.
Side note...a few years ago, IAs/Paras were invited to attend a staff mtg. When they arrived, they were directed to the SE corner of the room. No agenda, no directions, and there they sat until they were brave enough to ask. They were soon directed to leave as there were no plans for them to be included! Yep, we have inclusion!!!!!! NOPE!
I totally agree with you. That is the whole purpose of inclusion, “is to include not separate “.
So…..a teacher got points off because she was working too hard? 😅
Lol yeah basically! SMH 🤦🏻♀️
This is so counterintuitive! Why on earth would they advocate for special needs students to be willfully and openly segregated???
My thoughts exactly! I gave my colleague some ideas, maybe they will help. The larger problem is that my district hires “sped” teachers that have gen Ed degrees ( with no desire to teach sped but do it to get their “foot in the door”) with no training in sped and then they offer no PD to help 🤦🏻♀️
Even Gen Ed teachers are taught the value of heterogeneous groupings of students. I know that you're not strictly talking about group work, but the same applies to inclusion classrooms. Otherwise, what's the point of inclusion? Admin should know this.
I agree with you in principle. Paying devils advocate I would say maybe the colleague was too scattered around room and the admin was looking for a rhyme and reason for locations. You can have students not necessarily grouped in a cluster but seated where they aren’t all over the classroom. It may also be that the admin has issues with other things with the colleague and was overzealous in critiquing that issue. We never know what s really going on inside another classroom on a day by day basis and he/she may have come into the observation believing the teacher doesn’t have a system to reach all students. That said I think your colleague should have been commended for running around room to service his/her students and the closer proximity should have been a recommendation not a situation to remove points from their observation.
Good food for thought, thank you! That’s why I wanted to hear everyone’s opinions ☺️
Grouping them goes against the "Least Restricted Environment" clause. Convivence is not an option!!!