Special Education and Section 504

At the start of the school year, the WCHS Special Education Department shared a plan to make adjustments to processes and practices in three main areas of focus. Please see below about some of the updates we have put into place over quarter 1.

• ACADEMIC AND INSTRUCTION - improvements in our planning for intentional instructional supports and instructional practices
• case managers engaging in planning process with content departments
• MAP testing for students in resource classes for fall administration
• resource classes delivering weekly content focus lessons on topics to address executive functioning needs
• grading and reporting clarification for teachers surrounding best practices for extended time
• MEETINGS AND FAMILY ENGAGEMENT - the conduct and scheduling of meetings, along with improvements in overall family communication
• in person meetings
• use of agendas and norms for each meeting
• centralized scheduling
• LEGAL COMPLIANCE AND PAPERWORK - meeting legally required timelines and improving and standardizing our paperwork
• collaboratively developed goal writing resources
• professional development for case managers on quarterly progress reports
• standardized process for case managers to receive feedback on paperwork from resource teacher (department head)
• templates developed for writing present levels in IEPs
• professional development for general education staff about their role during IEP meetings
• use of google invitations to schedule meetings and share documents

As you may know, Maryland is faced with five recent drownings of nonverbal autistic children who eloped from home and/or under the supervision of an adult. In response, the Maryland Autism Coalition, Pathfinders for Autism, and Dr. Antoine L. Hickman, Assistant State Superintendent for the Division of Early Intervention and Special Education Services, have developed the attached resources to support parents, family members, school staff, support staff, and community members who engage with children and students with disabilities.

Safety Kits postcard flyer

Call 911 - MD Autism Coalition - Amharic

Call 911 - MD Autism Coalition - English

Call 911 - MD Autism Coalition - Korean

Call 911 - MD Autism Coalition - Mandarin Chinese

Call 911 - MD Autism Coalition - Spanish

With quarter 2 underway, it is a great time to remind you about the resources available for this school year. Take a moment to check out the MCPS Family Mathematics Support Center. This MCPS site allows families to learn more information about the district mathematics program. Each course link takes families to a page that gives a course outline broken down by unit. Short summary videos and resources give a brief overview of the lessons that students participate in during class and help families understand how the concepts are taught. The video Lesson summaries highlight key points and vocabulary that students learn across several lessons. This supports students for checking their understanding and reviewing important concepts and vocabulary. Videos can also be viewed with students as a review of concepts covered in class.

The fall sports season closed out with Churchill's new pickleball team bringing home the division champions title! Winter sports practices are underway, with the co-ed bocce team gearing up with a new coach, Diana Carter. Ms. Carter is a familiar face to many Bulldogs, having served as one of the speech and language pathologists who supports Churchill.

For new students or students who missed the opportunity to join a club for first semester, a second Club Sign Up Day (Club-apalooza) will be hosted in January for the start of the spring semester. Watch the Sunday Bulletin for more information after we return from winter break.

Cognitive Distortions

Sometimes we struggle to see a situation the way it occurred. Once a situation happens, we might jump to the worst possible outcome. This is called catastrophic thinking. This type of thinking causes people to think the worst without supporting evidence. People who catastrophize tend to ruminate about the worst possible situations. ”If I act this way, then no one will like me.” “I can’t believe so-and-so said that! Everyone will think I am stupid.”

How do we support someone who tends to jump to the worst outcome for a scenario?

1. Ask them the facts of the situation.

2. Label the thought “I am having a thought about failure.”

3. Remind them that at times unpleasant experiences happen. Normalize that ‘everything’ in life will not be all good or all bad.

Catastrophizing, Psychology Today

Black and White Thinking

Black-and-white thinking causes people to see things in extremes with no middle ground. They use words like always and never. Examples would be: “I’ll never pass this class.” “I always say the wrong thing.”

How can we support someone who tends to see a situation as good or bad?

1. Begin by asking them to pay attention to what they feel when they use ‘always’ and ‘never’ statements.

2. Guide them in making a list (or other way to become aware) of how certain scenarios trigger all-or-nothing thinking.

3. Help them come up with alternatives to their negative thinking. Is it really true that this “always” or “never” happens”?

4. Challenge their assumptions. Can they think of a time when this did or didn’t happen? Offer a time when this did or didn’t happen (if you know of one).

Ultimately, we can support our students in their thinking by guiding them to come up with alternate ways of looking at experiences and people. If a student is resistant to change, this is normal. Modeling these alternative ways of looking at our own experiences and interactions with people can also be a way to address both of these cognitive distortions.

All or Nothing Thinking: The Impact of Black-and-White Mentality, Embark Behavioral Health

Email: monica_taliani@mcpsmd.org
Website: https://www2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/churchillhs/
Location: 11300 Gainsborough Road, Potomac, MD, USA
Phone: 240-740-5400
Twitter: @wchsbulldog