Inclusive Education

Wednesday, 5 December 2012

I'm still on a quest for making inclusive education successfully happen for Kayla. We changed schools this year and have her at her neighborhood school; and I still feel confident that was the right decision to make. She should be at her neighborhood school riding the same bus as the other kids on our street.

However, just switching schools and getting the school to agree with her placement in the general education 3rd grade classroom doesn't mean things are going as well as I'd like them to be, or that I hoped they would be.

It's hard to be the first one to ask for something of this magnitude to be done differently. It's hard asking not just a school, but the school district, to do things differently. It's hard when the mindset has been one way for so long. It's hard when it's just you (and your spouse) who are the only ones on your child's team who feel like this can work.

There is a difference between inclusion and mainstream. Mainstream is when the child with a disability is in a special education as their placement; that is their main classroom ... and they get to be with their non-disabled peers in the regular classroom during certain times. Usually those times are fine arts, lunch, recess, and in most (I think) cases, history (or social studies) and science. The bulk of the time spent on the core courses happens with math and language arts; so the bulk of the time is in the spec ed room with the student visiting the general ed classroom.

We tried that in the last school. She was in the special ed classroom for the bulk of instruction in math and English Language Arts. We don't feel like she made much progress in that setting. For us, the biggest issue with that setting is she wasn't on the same general education curriculum as the students in the general ed classroom.

I'm not delusional about Kayla's present levels; I know she isn't on a third grade level - I know there are many obstacles she faces in the 3rd grade class. But I also know it's a misconception that students with disabilities need to be at or near grade level to be in the general ed class. With the proper supports and modifications she can be in the classroom engaging in, participating in, and making progress in the general education curriculum.

The Maryland Coalition for Inclusive Education has several great resources on their site including this one on Inclusive Education Research and Practice: Inclusion Works! In 2004 research showed “No studies conducted since the late 1970’s have shown an academic advantage for students with intellectual and other developmental disabilities educated in separate settings.” 

If no studies having shown an academic advantage for students with intellectual disabilities educated in separate settings then why are the vast majority of schools still educating students with disabilities this way? I know IDEA states there has to be a continuum of services offered; however these separate settings should not be where the majority of students with disabilities are educated.

It's not enough for Kayla's placement to be in the general ed classroom with no real change to how things are done in this district. I'd like to see a true willingness to think outside the box; I'd like to see the schools here make changes to move towards a more inclusive educational platform instead of automatically placing students with disabilities in 1 of 3 types of special ed classroom - Mild, Moderate, and Severe (but more commonly referred to as they have been for years here before the classification was changed - Educable, Trainable, and Profound.); I'd like to see the district bring in inclusion experts and have trainings for the general education teachers because its not entirely fair to them to have a child with an intellectual disability in their class and they haven't received any special education training. I'd like to see collaborative planning between special education teachers and general education teachers on how to make the general education curriculum accessible for those with disabilities.

I'm not asking for too much, am I? Ha! Seriously, I wish I knew how to get some true changes to how students with disabilities are educated here, but I don't know how to make those changes come about.

In the meantime we prepare for yet another IEP where I leave feeling defeated and wondering if I really know what is in the best interest for Kayla. I know what I want for her, but so far I feel like I've failed in her educational experience. It just shouldn't be this hard; parents shouldn't still have to be advocating for the least restrictive environment to be the general education setting when study after study after study, for years and years, show more positive gains and academic progress for students with disabilities educated in the general education classroom.

 

comments | | Read More...

The School Decision

Monday, 20 August 2012

My big 3rd grader ... looking so grown up!

 I just realized I never followed up with what we decided for Kayla's school placement.

We agreed she would be going to the 3rd grade.
We agreed her placement is the GE classroom with resource room support.
We made the decision to transfer her to her neighborhood school.

It wasn't easy making the decision to transfer schools. She's had some continuity being at the other school for 2 years and knowing the layout, administrators, and students. However, I feel strongly that she should be at her neighborhood school because that is the school she would go to if she didn't have a disability.

There are still a few details to work out in her IEP. I thought we finalized it at that last marathon third meeting at the end of the school year, but an IEP is never really finalized, is it? It's reviewed annually but a meeting can always be called at any time to make adjustments to it.

Over the summer I've thought of some things we should add to her IEP and feel that we need to have a meeting shortly after the school year starts with her new team anyway. No one from this new school was at her previous IEP meeting so they don't know quite where we are coming from as her parents. I think it'll be good for us all to sit down and go over things as a new team.

The other big decision that came along with changing schools is transportation. Her bus pick up time is about 1/2 hr earlier than it was last year -which is nice! (6:18 was so early!) This also means that she will now be riding the 'regular' bus. I have mixed feelings about that, but hopefully it goes well! The school is literally only 5 minutes away, of course it's a little longer when on the bus (I don't know if there are any more stops after ours) but she won't be on the bus for very long, so I think it'll be doable. 

Last week was "Meet the Teacher" night and it went well. The teacher was very welcoming and opened to having Kayla in her classroom. She didn't seem unsure or concerned even though she's never had a child with Down syndrome (or with the same types of challenges Kayla will bring to her classroom) before ... this is only her 2nd year of teaching. She reassured me it was all ok and will work out. So excited for this year but also a bit nervous. I don't want Kayla to get lost in the system, because this is not how this district typically does things and I'm worried that they just won't know how to successfully include Kayla, but I'm hoping we can all work together and make it happen.

Today was the first day of school and Kayla was ready and excited to be going back to school. On Sunday I said to her, "Do you know what tomorrow is?" and without missing a beat and with a big smile on her face she said, "My new school!" I'm so glad she seems to handle these transitions with a grain of salt!

comments | | Read More...

School Decisions

Monday, 28 May 2012

If you have a school-age child with special needs then you know what this time of year typically represents - the IEP (Individualized Education Plan) meeting. I have to say, these meetings can be down right exhausting.




We are getting ready to have our 3rd meeting regarding Kayla's placement for the next school year.



A brief background on how school has looked for Kayla the past 2 years. She is zoned for school A. When we attended our first meeting there we were told that "School B is the school kids with mild mental disabilities attend when School A is their home school, because not all schools in the district have the program for students with mild mental disabilities."

That shouldn't be how students are placed; they shouldn't be grouped together based on their disability level and then have it pre-determined where they will attend school because of the 'program' they are being placed in. IDEA states that students with disabilities should be placed in a general education classroom in the school they would attend if they didn't have a disability, with supports, accommodations, and modifications to the maximum extent possible.

We voiced our desires for having Kayla attend School A, but for reasons I'm not getting in to for this post (long story) she goes to School B.


In 1st grade she went to the general ed (GE) classroom for most of her subjects except for language arts (special ed/self-contained room) - which is a pretty good chunk of time. Her time being included in GE classes was a little more than half her day. For her IEP last year (2nd grade) it was recommended that she have language arts and math in the sped room. I wasn't totally on board with that, but by the end of the meeting relented while stating my goal was to have her gradually be in the GE class for more and more time.

Based on the change to having math in the sped room this made her time in GE classrooms less than 40% of her day, something that bothered me, but, yes I agreed to, because maybe it was best for Kayla. You don't know what works until you try it.


For the last 2 months it was agreed to have Kayla go to the GE classroom for 30 min during their phonic/spelling time (she's had no spelling in the 1st/2nd grade sped room - they don't work on that until they go to the 3rd-5th sped room). Since going to the GE room she's now been exposed to, and working on the STEPS program like her typical peers are doing. She learned to identify 14 of 24 sounds from the 'green' set. Spelling has been a bit of a struggle, but she has learned to spell a few words (palace, penny, button as an example) but she's able to differentiate between the correct and incorrect spelling of the words on her list. She's also able to read the words on her spelling list now - words she wasn't exposed to, or learning to read, in the sped room.

I've tried it this way for 2 years and now I would like some change. We're requesting her LRE (Least Restrictive Placement) be the GE classrooms. I read studies (like the one I posted about here) showing that kids with disabilities who are taught with their typically-developing peers in the GE classroom do better overall on math and reading tests. I hear examples from so many other families across the country who have their child in GE classroom with accommodations and modifications and it's working successfully.


I'm not denying special education services because that's exactly what special education is - a service, not a place. I'm just asking for those services to take place in the GE classroom with collaboration between sped/GE teachers and therapists. I'm not opposed to ANY pull out services at all, I would agree to having some extra help in math and reading in a resource room like the rest of the student body has access to. 


It was suggested if we want to put her in GE classes full-time, as her LRE, that it might be better to repeat 2nd grade and do it that way. I can understand, to a certain point, the pros of doing it that way ... but I'm not convinced that's the best thing to do at this time. Kayla is probably not going to 'catch up' to typical peers on grade level, but that isn't the point to having her in GE classes. The point is to have access to the general education curriculum alongside her peers ... something she didn't have access to in the sped room.


It's all so overwhelming to think about. These seem to be the choices/decisions we have to make:

- Repeat 2nd grade with LRE being GE classrooms
- Continue to 3rd grade with going to a 2nd grade math class
- Continue to 3rd grade with getting some resource help for math and language arts (how much time is TBD)
- Then there is the possible discussion of transferring schools and having her at her home school

My other issue with her not being at her home school is if she continues at School B for 1st-5th grades she will not be at the same middle school as those kids will go to - because they will be zoned for a completely different middle school than the one she would be zoned for. So she would go to a middle school where she doesn't know any of the kids.

It's a common refrain to hear "You're the parent, you know what's best for your child." and "You'll make the best/right decision for your child because you know her best." But I'm finding that difficult to believe. I don't feel like I've made the best decisions over the last two years and in fact feel like I've failed her in my lack of adequate advocating skills.

And how can you truly know what the right decision is to make, especially when there are more than one paths to chose from? You can't know what is the right decision because you can't go back and see what it would be like if you had chosen something else. I thought I did right by her on last year's IEP, but at the end of this school year I don't feel like I did make the right choices.


And what I want for this school year might not end up being the right choice either, but Kayla deserves to be given a chance at an education in the GE classroom. She deserves a chance to have the right supports and services to make it successful. Maybe it won't work out for her. Maybe she really does need a self-contained room for the core subjects, but it's successful for so many other students, and we won't know until we give it a try.

So many colleges are now offering students with disabilities a chance and those colleges are fully inclusive. From what I've read about most programs to date - none offer a chance at going to college with the understanding that the students with disabilities will be educated in a self-contained room in college. So how can we be expected to prepare our children with disabilities for the possibility of going to college - and expect them to succeed there - if they aren't being prepared for it during the elementary, middle, and high school years? How can I expect her to make the jump from self-contained rooms throughout her school years, to a fully inclusive college experience?

I'm not saying it's going to be easy, change usually isn't, especially in a district that doesn't typically do things this way, but change can be a good thing too.

comments | | Read More...

Engaging Students With Learning Differences Early On

Saturday, 14 April 2012

PBS produced an excellent news piece on Engaging Students With Learning Differences Early On (you can read the full text of the story at that link). The story is about the William Henderson Inclusion Elementary School.

Watch Engaging Students With Learning Disabilities Early On on PBS. See more from PBS NewsHour.

Studies have shown that students with learning disabilities drop out at more than twice the rate of their classmates.

This school practices early intervention by engaging students with technology and art to improve their chances of earning a diploma. All while being a fully inclusive school.

Interesting piece of information - Under federal law, a child identified with learning disabilities must receive a free and appropriate public education. Generally, the more the disabled a child is, the more money is allocated for his or her education. There are many places in the country that don't spend that money wisely by segregating L.D. kids in special education classrooms, which costs more than spreading it around in inclusive settings.


My favorite quote from the article is from Dr Bill Henderson: "If we want kids to graduate from high school, then having a strong foundation at the elementary level is critical. And for kids with significant learning disabilities and significant attention-deficit disorders, having technologies, providing accommodations for reading and writing are critical."

This school is held up as a national model for what early intervention can do for children with learning difficulties.

My thought is the same as this commenter, "How is it that in an urban district like Boston, one school can shine for so many students....and it does not seem to be able to be replicated across the system or the state or the nation?"

Exactly.


Kayla's school is already an arts-infused school, now they just need someone from the William Henderson Inclusion Elementary School to come here and transition the school to a fully inclusive school.

comments | | Read More...

More On Inclusion

Thursday, 26 January 2012

A follow up to my post Inclusion vs Segregation.

The following video A Vision For Abby is from the Possibilities video series. The videos "focus on the lives and accomplishments of individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities. ...Each video shows the myriad possibilities and options that all people have as they grow up, become independent, and pursue their life's dreams and goals." There are 4 videos, including one with a young girl with Down syndrome just starting out in school.

Meet Abby, a 21-yr old adult with Down syndrome and is an assistant in a preschool classroom. She was never placed in a special-education curriculum, and graduated in 2009.



Then there is this article, Inclusion: The Right Thing For All Students. It is written by Cheryl M. Jorgensen, Ph.D., a member of the affiliate faculty with the National Center on Inclusive Education at the Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire.

(Words in bold are my own highlights) "The largest study of educational outcomes of 11,000 students with disabilities, the National Longitudinal Transition Study, showed that when students with disabilities spent more time in a general education classroom they were more likely to score higher on standardized tests of reading and math; have fewer absences from school; experience fewer referrals for disruptive behavior; and achieve more positive post-school outcomes such as a paying job, not living in segregated housing, and with having a broad and supportive social network. These results were true regardless of students’ disability, severity of disability, gender or socioeconomic status.

Furthermore, as the recent WNYC story states, the achievement of students without disabilities is not compromised by the presence of students with disabilities in their classrooms. Some studies even show that implementing inclusion on a school wide basis improves achievement for all students.

And just as important as academic outcomes are the attitudes and values that all students learn when they are educated together."

comments | | Read More...

Inclusion vs Segregation

Tuesday, 24 January 2012

Last week NBC Nightly news aired a story on Ryan, a 6 yr old with Down syndrome who was recently in an ad for Target. (story and video clip at that link).

According to a Target rep they have been including people with disabilities in their ads since the early 1990s. I shared a picture (on Twitter) of an ad they had last summer that included an adorable little girl with Down syndrome. Ryan has been modeling since he was 3. He has also been in Nordstrom catalogs (and Nordstrom has been using child models with Down syndrome since 1997).

In the above article it is mentioned that Ryan goes to school (and as the video clip puts it, "a school for Down syndrome children...") at The Arc of Essex County Stepping Stones School.

In this extended edition of the news piece (this part I don't believe was aired on TV) his parents discuss a little bit about sending him to this particular school.



The description on their website is that the school "provides education supports to children ages three to ten who have Down syndrome or other cognitive impairments." It says children with other cognitive impairments, but from the glimpses on the video it looks like all the kids in his classroom have Down syndrome.

Reading about this school I have to admit that for a few minutes I thought ... 'Huh. Interesting. What if a school like this was available for us to send Kayla to. Would we?"

Initially I thought there sure are some positive aspects to sending my child to a school like this.

- I imagine IEP meetings would be a piece of cake. I mean, there would be no discussion about how much time out of the school day your child would be 'included' in the general education classroom vs the special ed classroom.

- My child would have access to "Expertly trained staff utilizing the most up to date and effective techniques and strategies for children with Down syndrome." So the teachers and therapists and assistants would have training, and probably attend workshops/conferences, (maybe through Down Syndrome Education International) and read books (like Classroom Language Skills for Children With Down Syndrome, Teaching Math to People With Down Syndrome, and Teaching Reading to Children With Down Syndrome) geared especially for teaching children with Down syndrome. My child wouldn't be the first child with Down syndrome to be in their classroom.

- My child would be surrounded with other children just like her. She would walk through the halls and not be the only one, or handful, of students with Down syndrome.

- Everything would be tailored and designed to educating a child with Down syndrome.

Ryan's parents made this school decision with what they believe is the best choice for Ryan. And it looks like he's happy there and thriving and that's wonderful.

But yet, even though in some ways it seems ideal, that's not where I would ultimately want to send my child. I'm not judging Ryan's parents for making a different choice either - it's their choice and it's working for them. And this is only my opinion of why I wouldn't send Kayla to a school that was just for kids with Down syndrome.

- Where is the diversity? Where are the peer models?

- Aside from speech therapy, (and the adults in the school) where would she hear and receive and pick up on appropriate speech patterns and language from her peers?

- She wouldn't have the experience of a typical classmate teaching her things like swinging.  (Ok I'm well aware that being in a school with all students who have Ds that she could very well have picked this up from another student w/Ds .. this was just one example of her experience at a typical school.)

- The Stepping Stones school only goes up to age 10. So then what happens after that? All of a sudden you're in a regular public school; would it be an easy transition?

- I want Kayla and Lucas to go to the same school (and I'm still frustrated that she's not at her neighborhood school as it is.)

- Meanwhile typical students and teachers at the public schools are missing out on an opportunity to know and educate a child with Down syndrome. How will perceptions change?

- Research shows that inclusive classrooms have just as much benefit for the typical students as it does for those with disabilities.

- This is actually the complete opposite of what I want for Kayla. I want inclusion, not segregation. While I'm sure it would be nice for her to be surrounded by all peers with Down syndrome that simply is not the way society works. My vision is for Kayla to be fully included through her schools years, and admittedly we're not there yet. It's just ideally that is what I would like for Kayla. But I realize not every school is fully on board with full inclusion. For full inclusion to work the attitude has to be there from administration to teachers to have it implemented in a way to benefit all students.

From Down Syndrome Education: Training for inclusion needs to be a priority in the training of all teachers. Training teachers in inclusion leads to better teachers, who are more skilled at meeting the diversity of learning needs that will be found in any group of typically developing children, as well as being able to include children with disabilities in their classes, schools and communities.

Last weekend I attended a workshop on preparing for inclusion in life. This covered elementary school through college and beyond. The presenter said a number of things that made an impact on me. One of which was about changing the world.

She said, "The world isn't ready for inclusion because society doesn't have experience with people with disabilities. We have the power to change that. The more familiar people get with people with disabilities in society the more accepting society will be. It is not enough to enable students with disabilities to reach their full potential. We must re-educate future employers, neighbors, friends, and parents."

Students who grow up having other students with disabilities in their classrooms are more likely to hire those with disabilities.

We have to start changing the mindset of future teachers, employers, doctors ... society in general ... that there is a place for those with Down syndrome/disabilities and that place is belonging right in with the rest of society. They don't need to 'earn' their place in society. People with disabilities should be included in all aspects because disability is natural.

I think this sums up inclusive education nicely: If we wish to make a difference to the life experience of children and adults with disabilities, all children need to grow and learn together, so that the neighbours, friends and workmates of adults with disabilities have the opportunity to value the person first, to realise that everyone has strengths and weaknesses and that everyone has a contribution to make to a caring society. Anyone can become disabled through illness or accident and everyone will become less able with age. Developing caring, inclusive, communities improves the quality of life of all members of the community. From DSE's Education for Children With Down Syndrome: An Overview

What are your thoughts?

comments | | Read More...