BSE Bulletin for Educators
June 2022
Would you like to see your school featured in an upcoming issue of BSE Bulletin?
We are looking for quick tips and tangible tools that teachers can begin using in their classrooms right away. If you are using a strategy or tool that you would like to share with others, we’d love to hear from you! Send an email to bsebulletin@pattankop.net to submit your story.
In May, Director Carole Clancy visited Hallowell Elementary School within Hatboro-Horsham School District. She received a tour of the building, spent time visiting classrooms and students, and heard the amazing story of how the principal and school welcomed a new class of students when September's tornado closed their prior school.
According to Director Clancy, "It was a wonderful visit to a school that exemplifies work around peer supports; student leadership; the PA Deaf-Blind Project; and Attract, Prepare, and Retain strategies!"
1. Obtain Student Documents
Collect progress monitoring reports and other data from each students’ previous teacher. Make sure the IEP of each student is accessible.
2. Schedule Time for Observations
Before the end of the school year, schedule time to visit each student's classroom to observe the student and talk with the teacher. Focus should be placed on the student’s behavior, social interactions, accommodations, and any specific materials the student will require.
3. Communicate with Paraeducators
Paraeducators are often assigned to the ESY program. Reach out to the paraeducators prior to the start of the program and share important information about the students, the organization of the classroom, teaching philosophies, the process for communication, and the approaches to behavior that will be used.
4. Teach Through Learning Centers
Since ESY teachers are assigned a diverse group of students regarding age, grade, ability, and physical needs, grouping students homogeneously and providing instruction in smaller groups can be helpful (Cooper et al., 2000). Teaching within a small group learning center structure gives students a higher number of opportunities to respond to the content being presented (Kern & Clemens, 2007).
5. Clarify the Roles of Paraeducators
Being that the teacher and students are new to the paraeducators, it can be helpful to review both the academic and behavioral expectations of the classroom. Discussing each paraeducator’s specific role in the classroom can be extremely beneficial to the flow of the class (Maggin et al., 2009). The roles of paraeducators can be changed throughout the course of the program, if these changes are articulated clearly to the paraeducators (Giangreco et al., 2010).
6. Ensure Lesson Plans are Goal-Based
Content within the centers and groups should be based on the student's areas of need according to their IEP goals, teacher input, previous grades, and any local assessment data. Placing a folder with the daily lesson plans and a list of the student's target skills at each center can help ensure the instruction and materials match each student's instructional level (Kern & Clemens, 2007).
7. Incorporate Clear Routines
Since the students are unfamiliar with the new classroom, it can be helpful to follow the same sequence of events each day to help reduce confusion and increase predictability (Kern & Clemens, 2007). Using consistent visuals can also help students understand
the classroom expectations and participate with more independence. Rohrer and Samson (2014) recommend offering visuals and schedules within three domains: the classroom, the individual, and the staff.
8. Provide Social Interactions and Physical Movement
Students with disabilities can greatly benefit from explicit instruction on social skills and time to practice in a variety of environments (Elliot et al., 2002). Within the program, it is
important to include some type of movement into the students’ daily routine. Movement activities both give students a break from demanding cognitive tasks and serve to encourage creative development (Skoning, 2008). Social skills training and physical movement are two ways to foster important skills, while also having fun.
9. Collect Data
Data collection is a vital part of any education program, including ESY (Gregg, 2009). Since most ESY programs are typically only 4 to 5 weeks in duration, it is important to collect baseline data during the first several days of the program to establish a consistent pattern of responding (Horner et al., 2005). This response pattern reveals where the student is currently performing, prior to the start of the ESY program. Data should then be collected weekly. End of the program data should be graphed, and a copy should be given to the school and to the students’ parents.
Excerpt from Nine Tips for Creating an Effective Extended School Year Program for Students With Disabilities by Emily Sobeck, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Special Education, Franciscan University of Steubenville. (Used with permission)
It's important for teachers to assist all students and their families in preparing for life after high school. Transition Discoveries offers a Teachers' Guide that provides information about how to integrate transition planning into a variety of general education courses.
The Teachers' Guide offers lesson plans and other resources in the following subject areas:
- English/Language Arts
- Mathematics
- Science
- History/Civics
- Financial Literacy
- Career and Tech Ed
How to Access the Teachers' Guide:
- Go to https://www.transitiondiscoveries.org/resources
- In the drop-down menu under "Select Resource Types," click "Tool Sheet" and then Search.
- In the results, select TD Teacher Resource: Lesson Plan Alignment with Academic and Transition Content.
The Transition Discoveries initiative collaborates with communities to co-design opportunities for youth, families, and stakeholders to build on their knowledge, skills, and relationships to prepare for life after high school.
Over 120 TaC (Training and Consultation) staff from 11 intermediate units attended the central region's IU TaC Retreat: Learning & Growing Together, featuring presenter Dr. Nicole Tucker-Smith, founder and CEO of Lessoncast on May 5, 2022. The retreat focused on using the Universal Design for Learning framework to create sustainable professional development for adult learners.
Tucker-Smith shared the following strategies from her book, Supercharge Your Professional Learning: 40 Concrete Strategies That Improve Adult Learning (co-authored by Kasia Derbiszewska).
- Always begin a lesson/unit of study with the "WHY" (i.e., Why are we doing this?).
- Be proactive by designing lessons that remove or reduce barriers to learning for all students. This can be accomplished by providing multiple means of engagement, multiple means of representation, and multiple means of action and expression (the three UDL principles).
- Through effective lesson design, learning goals can be achieved most easily when participants have the opportunity to interact and make connections with new content, see examples of target practices, apply new learning, and reflect on their professional growth.
- High impact learning experiences allow participants the opportunity to consolidate what is known, learn from one another, and extend their thinking.
- Continued learning is sustained by providing opportunities to apply new learning and integrate it into the lesson design.
In the past year, the Credential of Competency Checklist for credentialing paraprofessionals has been updated with new content, new signatures, and new information for sending the form to the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Make sure you have the most current form by following the link below and downloading the Credential of Competency for Special Education Paraeducators Checklist.
For more information on the BSE Credential of Competency for Special Education Instructional Paraeducators, check out PaTTAN's brochure for special education paraeducators to help them achieve "qualified" status as required by Chapter 14.
Bell Ringer, a new podcast from the Pennsylvania Department of Education, is a conversation with leaders and changemakers to shine a spotlight on the collective mission of education and its impact on our communities and the public good.
Check out the first episode with guest Dr. Al B. Quarles, II., who has worked for the School District of Philadelphia for 18 years and is currently the Philadelphia Regional Coordinator for the Education for Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness Program.
The mission of the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN) is to support the efforts and initiatives of the Bureau of Special Education, and to build the capacity of local educational agencies to serve students who receive special education services.