abbegails report in sped 11

2.  INTRODUCTION
◦ As children with disabilities entered the public schools in the 1970s,
they were taught in separate classrooms with their own teachers.
Over the past 25 years, these students have slowly moved into the
flow of the regular classroom, thus the use of the term
"mainstreaming." However, students were mainstreamed for selected
subjects or parts of the day; they were not considered part of the
typical class. Now the philosophy is to include all students in the
same class, which has brought about teams of general education and
special education teachers working collaboratively or cooperatively
to combine their professional knowledge, perspectives, and skills.

3.  The biggest change for educators is in deciding to share
the role that has traditionally been individual: to share
the goals, decisions, classroom instruction,
responsibility for students, assessment of student
learning, problem solving, and classroom management.
The teachers must begin to think of it as "our" class.

4.  Cooperative teaching was described in the late 1980s as
"an educational approach in which general and special
educators work in co-active and coordinated fashion to
jointly teach heterogeneous groups of students in
educationally integrated settings....In cooperative
teaching both general and special educators are
simultaneously present in the general classroom,
maintaining joint responsibilities for specified
education instruction that is to occur within that setting

5. General educators bring content specialization, special
education teachers bring assessment and adaptation
specializations. Both bring training and experience in
teaching techniques and learning processes. Their
collaborative goal is that all students in their class are
provided with appropriate classroom and homework
assignments so that each is learning, is challenged, and
is participating in the classroom process.

6.  Student attitudes and behavior stand at the center of the
figure and the theory that underlies
it. As the figure indicates, it is hypothesized that student
attitudes and behavior (1) contribute
to mathematics and reading achievement among high school
students, and (2) result
from key factors in the school context: support from teachers;
clear, high, and consistent expectations;
and high-quality instruction. That is, the positive influence of
school context on improved
achievement is mediated by students’ attitudes about
themselves as learners and by behavior
that is correlated with academic success.

7. If your student needs help reading and comprehending…
 Shorten or edit student reading materials, or select a portion
for the student to read.
 Allow students to read in pairs, a weaker reader and a
stronger one.
 Highlight the main ideas that are important for the student
not to miss.
 Record the reading and allow the student to listen to it being
read to him/her.

8. If your student needs help understanding and
following directions…
 Create a short instruction sheet of routine directions.
 Give directions to the class one at a time. (Once one
task is completed, give the next step.)
 Have the student or a group of students repeat
directions back to you to check for understanding.
 Use signals or symbols to indicate kinds of directions
(a pencil for writing work, a book for reading, turning
lights on and off to indicate a role play or moving
activity).
 Show samples of what the completed work will look
like to better communicate expectations.

9. If your student needs help writing…
 Modify the writing tool to make it more comfortable, such
as pencil grips, felt tip markers, or larger pencils.
 Allow the student to compose on a word processor.
 Allow the student to audio-record his/her responses.
 Provide lined paper rather than blank paper, or draw lines
on workbook pages.
If your student needs help understanding vocabulary…
 Teach difficult or new words at the beginning of the lesson.
 Create a simple glossary of terms for the student to keep on
his/her desk.
 When you say or read a difficult word, stop and explain it
again.

10.  Whether at home, school, or in the workplace, transitions
naturally occur frequently and require individuals to stop an
activity, move from one location to another, and begin
something new.
When transition strategies are used,
individuals with ASD:
 Reduce the amount of transition time;
 Increase appropriate behavior during transitions;
 Rely less on adult prompting; and
 Participate more successfully in school and community
outings.

11.  Transition strategies are techniques used to support
individuals with ASD during changes in or disruptions
to activities, settings, or routines. The techniques can
be used before a transition occurs, during a transition,
and/or after a transition, and can be presented verbally,
auditorily or visually. The strategies attempt to increase
predictability for individuals on the autism spectrum
and to create positive routines around transitions. They
are utilized across settings to support individuals with
ASD.

12.  Cueing individuals with ASD before a transition is going to take
place is also a beneficial strategy. In many settings a simple
verbal cue is used to signal an upcoming transition (i.e. “Time for
a bath now”, “Put your math away”, or “Come to the break room
for birthday cake”). This may not be the most effective way to
signal a transition to individuals with ASD, as verbal information
may not be quickly processed or understood. In addition,
providing the cue just before the transition is to occur may not be
enough time for an individual with ASD to shift attention from
one task to the next. Allowing time for the individual with ASD
to prepare for the transitions, and providing more salient cues
that individuals can refer to as they are getting ready to transition
may be more effective. Several visual strategies used to support
individuals with ASD in preparation for a transition have been
researched and will be discussed.

13.  Instructional planning begins at the end of the prior
school year and begins anew in August of the current
school year. Long-range planning is a continuous
preparation that involves commitment and expertise
when school ends, when it begins and during the school
year. Both experienced and inexperienced teachers
must engage in long-range instructional planning

14.  instructional planning that includes the
following preparations:
 Portfolio - teachers should include curriculum
resources, lesson guides and assessments relative to the
subject content area in a planning portfolio. In long-
range planning, the school calendar year should
incorporate District expectations and subject
curriculum expectations addressing student academic
goals and grade level expectations. The portfolio
should also include the summaries of special education
student IEPs (Individualized Education Plans), student
behavioral contracts, emergency fire drill schedules and
emergency contacts (Administrative and Security).

15.  Resource materials - tucked within the portfolio of
long-range planning inclusions should be a thick copy
of lesson plans and month to month curriculum guides
and supplementary materials that supplement the
course content materials. Included in the lesson plans
would be a list containing daily agendas, expected
assignments, book resources, computer links, library
supplies and visual aids.
 Syllabus for students and parents - at the beginning
of each school year, teachers should provide a syllabus
of the expected academic outcome for students. The
syllabus lists homework assignments, course grading,
and an open invitation for parents to visit the classroom
and provide support for their students.