Making Special Education Work

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Making Special Education Work

• Sylvia Morrison, Principal
• Jacqueline Orrence, Assistant Principal
• Robert Waechter, Resource Teacher, Special
  Education-LAD
• Lynn Wiegand, Staff Development Teacher

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What Was Not Working?

• Academics At its highest point, our special
  education population reached 57 eligibility. Our
  general education population reached over 83
• Case management was unsystematic (data
  collection, record keeping, etc.)
• Organization and consistency among student
  management was lacking

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Our Solution Complete Re-organization of Special
Education Department and Procedures

• Reorganization of Teams
• Restructuring of Resource Program
• Overhaul of Case Management

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Solution Formal, Documented Direction for All
Aspects of the Special Education Program

• Vision Statement
• The staff at Northwest High School is committed
  to providing a special education program that
  supports effective learning communities, academic
  achievement, and self advocacy.

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Solution Reorganization of Teams

• NWHS restructured the Special Education
  Department into teams by grade level
• Each team member would continue with his or her
  caseload throughout each students time at NWHS
• Para educators would also be assigned a team to
  work with

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Grade 09 Team

• Students 60 total
• Resource Program/Transition
• Mooney
• Johnson (Paraeducator)
• Teachers/Casemanagers
• Horbatuk Rossiter Resnick
• Paraeducators
• Banks Newman

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Grade 10 Team

• Students 66 total
• Resource Program/Transition
• Konieczny
• Kolick (Paraeducator)
• Teachers/Casemanagers
• Esposito Haste Wier
• Paraeducators
• DeMessiere Kruglak

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Grade 11 Team

• Students 62 total
• Resource Program/Transition
• Finlay
• Dowtin (Paraeducator)
• Teachers/Casemanagers
• Brodsky Roda Varesco
• Paraeducators
• Jones Morton

9
Grade 12 Team

• Students 52 total
• Resource Program/Transition
• Finlay
• Dowtin (Paraeducator)
• Teachers/Casemanagers
• Kunselman Peller
• Paraeducators
• Mock Chukwurah

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Team Information

• Common Planning Time-per team
• Staffings
• Strategies for success
• Eligibility
• Behavior
• Communication
• Parent/school involvement
• IEP Management
• Inclusion/data discussion

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As a Result of Reorganizing Teams

• Improved communication occurred among grade level
  Case Managers
• Documented Staffings occurred a team approach to
  solutions was utilized
• Relationships will be maintained between Case
  Managers, students and parents

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Solution Restructuring of Resource Program

• Vision Statement
• The staff at Northwest High School is committed
  to providing a resource program that supports
  effective learning communities, academic
  achievement, and self advocacy.

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Solution Restructuring of Resource Program

• NWHS restructured the Resource Program by grade
  level
• Each resource teacher would work with the
  resource students teachers to ensure class
  assignments and assessments are completed
• There would be regular communication among
  resource teachers, classroom teachers, and
  parents.
• Progress would be monitored

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Resource Program Mandates

• Monitor Edline weekly
• Monitor Progress Reports bi-weekly
• Weekly Parent Contact
• Weekly Teacher Contact
• Complete Transition requirements
• Update student binders
• Analyze data
• Attendance (weekly)
• Interim grades
• Report card grades

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As a Result of Restructuring the Resource Program

• Over 2,311 assignments and assessments were
  completed and submitted for grading during Grade
  9 resource class
• Over 2,354 assignments and assessments were
  completed and submitted for grading during Grade
  10 resource class
• Students had a secure place to go before school,
  during lunch and after school.

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As a Result of Restructuring the Resource Program
At the semester change, we removed those
students in Grade 9 resource who showed that they
could perform well without the additional
support. We also added those Grade 9 students who
previously were not in resource, but showed that
they would likely benefit from being in the
program.
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As a Result of Restructuring the Resource Program
At the semester change, we removed those
students in Grade 10 resource who showed that
they could perform well without the additional
support. We also added those Grade 10 students
who previously were not in resource, but showed
that they would likely benefit from being in the
program. Additionally, 100 of students who did
not attain eligibility were staffed by the Grade
10 teamthe common denominator for those not
attaining eligibility was poor attendance.
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Solution Overhaul Case Management

• Vision Statement
• Case management at Northwest High School
  provides a relationship of trust, commitment and
  communication among students, parents/guardians,
  case managers and staff.

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Solution Overhaul Case Management

• Incorporate relationship-building among case
  managers and students on their case load
• Create valuable data collection and organization
  protocols
• Develop essential communication requirements to
  include teachers, parents, counselors, and
  resource teacher

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Solution Improve Relationships

• Case Managers will meet regularly with the
  students on their case load
• Students will be provided with their case
  managers contact information
• Case Managers will work to build a relationship
  of trust with each student on his/her caseload

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Solution Improve Data Collection and Organization

• Review all case files
• Update student snapshots as necessary
• Provide copy of student snapshots to teachers
• Place copy of snapshot in each student binder
• Provide goals and objectives, accommodations and
  supplementary aids and services to teachers

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Solution Improve Data Collection and Organization

• Create a binder for each student on caseload
  containing
• IEP
• Snapshot with accommodations
• Parent contact/ follow-up data
• Teacher contact/ follow-up data
• Student contact/ follow-up data

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Solution Improve Communication

• Communication
• Teacher
• Case manager introduction
• Bi-monthly contact throughout school year
• Parent
• Case manager introduction
• Bi-monthly contact throughout school year
• Student
• Case manager introduction
• Regular contact (daily, weekly, bi-monthly ) as
  needed

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As a Result of Overhauling Case Management

• Students developed better relationships with
  their case managers
• Students will know their case manager next year
• There is documentation if needed to support IEP
  or other meetings

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Questions
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Recap and Closure

• NWHS special education uses grade level teams
  with common planning time
• NWHS special education has a structured resource
  program designed to support special education
  students
• NWHS special education will have established
  regulations so that every special education
  student receives equal opportunity from case
  manager, general education teacher, and all
  school personnel