RESOURCES
Case Study: Special Education
You are the assistant principal overseeing the counseling and special education departments of a large, K-8 elementary school. The counseling department documents students on 504 plans, and the special education staff monitors students with IEPs. There are 4.5 counselors, four special education resource teachers, and 79 regular education teachers assigned to the school. There are two additional educators assigned to the special education department in addition to the resource teachers.
In a school of 2,400 students, 100 students have 504 plans and 180 students have IEPs. The accommodations for both range from copies of notes to preferential seating to test taking. For test taking, the accommodations can include verbal tests, scribes, chunked questions, alternate testing site (testing center), and use of notes. Currently, both types of students are served in the classroom or the testing center. The classroom accommodations are the responsibility of the student and teacher and the testing center accommodations are the responsibility of the student and the testing center coordinator.
At the end of the last school year, staffing was cut. Special education support staff was reduced by one employee, the testing center coordinator. Special education teachers will continue to accommodate their students through their programs and with their current staff. Special education class sizes are 17 or lower.
The issue for regular classroom teachers is how to provide the testing accommodation for the 504 students. Regular classroom teachers can have 40 students in a class and total contacts that do not exceed 185. They are also responsible for English as a second language learners and their ILLPs. They can have multiple students with 504s, IEPs for inclusion, ILLPs, and gifted students. They are responsible for all levels of learning in their classroom. Many do this through differentiated learning, cooperative groups, project-based learning, and peer work. These do not address the alternate testing site for 504 students.
Teachers are upset because they feel they cannot meet everyone’s needs. They are uncomfortable with students sitting in the halls to take a test. Parents are not happy with the change in the testing center and want an employee assigned to monitor the testing center. They do not understand why the district would cut this very important position. Special education teachers feel bad they cannot continue to help. Students are frustrated because the routines they have had established for so long are changing. They feel deserted and are now worried about their success.
Respond to the case study by addressing the following:
As leaders, we want to ensure that we are meeting the needs of all students and in this case, although we are specifically focused on the special education population, it impedes the learning of all if special education students can’t receive the accommodations afforded them in a free-appropriate education. The laws of ADA and IDEA are very specific on what is required of a school district to provide a student in need of specialized services and although the school must deal with staff cuts as they come up, it is critical to address the special education services that are supposed to be given to students by law to prevent lawsuits and compliance issues with the state.
An article in Education Week mentions that leaders must be fearless but know the law as it relates to special education. (Samuels, 2018). Collaborating with staff, students and even parents will ensure that we are providing the students with the services that they need and as it relates to their learning plan or 504 plan. We want to ensure that when we make changes in the school that we are ensuring that it aligns to the school’s vision and mission, but most importantly we want to ensure that our students are meeting the expectations and obtaining the education that is supposed to be afforded to them. In this plan, it would take the collaboration of the staff to coordinate the times when testing is happening in the regular classroom so there will be a staff person in the room to assist the students when it is needed.
Since the parents are one of our stakeholders in the school building, I think it would also be beneficial to the school to mention our plan of action to the parents. Parents have more influence on district decisions than anyone at the school level. Having parents to know that we are working diligently to rectify a problem, is a step forward for everyone. While it is not the job of the parent to do so, but we might find more parents willing to come into the school to assist their child on test day if they are aware of the problem and the plan to fix it. I firmly believe in parent involvement and as a parent of a disabled child, I would have been willing to support the school in any way I could help my child and other children if it was necessary.
References
LV v. N.Y.C. Dep't of Educ., No. 03-CV-9917 (LAP) (S.D.N.Y. Feb. 18, 2021).
Retrieved on October 20, 2021, from https://casetext.com/case/lv-v-nyc-dept-of-educ
Milwaukee Public Schools (2021). Retrieved on October 20, 2021, from https://mps.milwaukee.k12.wi.us/en/Programs/Section-504.htm
Samuels, C.A. (2018) The Important Role Principals Play in Special Education. Retrieved October 20, 2021, from https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/the-important-role-principals-play-in-special-education/2018/10
Case Study: Special Education
You are the assistant principal overseeing the counseling and special education departments of a large, K-8 elementary school. The counseling department documents students on 504 plans, and the special education staff monitors students with IEPs. There are 4.5 counselors, four special education resource teachers, and 79 regular education teachers assigned to the school. There are two additional educators assigned to the special education department in addition to the resource teachers.
In a school of 2,400 students, 100 students have 504 plans and 180 students have IEPs. The accommodations for both range from copies of notes to preferential seating to test taking. For test taking, the accommodations can include verbal tests, scribes, chunked questions, alternate testing site (testing center), and use of notes. Currently, both types of students are served in the classroom or the testing center. The classroom accommodations are the responsibility of the student and teacher and the testing center accommodations are the responsibility of the student and the testing center coordinator.
At the end of the last school year, staffing was cut. Special education support staff was reduced by one employee, the testing center coordinator. Special education teachers will continue to accommodate their students through their programs and with their current staff. Special education class sizes are 17 or lower.
The issue for regular classroom teachers is how to provide the testing accommodation for the 504 students. Regular classroom teachers can have 40 students in a class and total contacts that do not exceed 185. They are also responsible for English as a second language learners and their ILLPs. They can have multiple students with 504s, IEPs for inclusion, ILLPs, and gifted students. They are responsible for all levels of learning in their classroom. Many do this through differentiated learning, cooperative groups, project-based learning, and peer work. These do not address the alternate testing site for 504 students.
Teachers are upset because they feel they cannot meet everyone’s needs. They are uncomfortable with students sitting in the halls to take a test. Parents are not happy with the change in the testing center and want an employee assigned to monitor the testing center. They do not understand why the district would cut this very important position. Special education teachers feel bad they cannot continue to help. Students are frustrated because the routines they have had established for so long are changing. They feel deserted and are now worried about their success.
Respond to the case study by addressing the following:
- Summary of the case: We have the 4.5 counselors overseeing the 504 plans, 5 SPED teachers managing IEP’s and 79 regular education staff for classroom instruction. Our total student population is 2400 students with 100 of them with 504 plans, and another 180 with IEP’s. Due to budgeting, we had to cut the test coordinator position, which is why we only have 5 SPED teachers at this time. The average class size for SPED is 17 students or less.
- Identify the issues to be resolved: With the recent cut to the testing coordinator position, we are left with many students not receiving their services according to their plans. The regular education staff is overwhelmed with having to provide the testing accommodations to the students in their classrooms versus the testing center. They have students out in the hallway taking tests unsupervised and this is also a safety issue for the staff.
- Stakeholders involved in the issues: The assistant principal (myself), the 2400 students that we serve, the teachers both SPED and RegEd.
- One or two existing laws or court rulings that relate to the issues:
- L.V. v. New York City Department of Education, 77IDELR 13 (S.D.N.Y. 2020)
- Chicago Teachers Union v. DeVos, 76 IDELR 237 (N.D. III. 2020)
- District policies that relate to the issues: Section 504 ADA regulations are enforced by the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights and require Milwaukee Public Schools to provide a free, appropriate public education (FAPE) to each qualified person with a disability who is within its jurisdiction, regardless of the nature or severity of the disability. They must annually notify and hold a meeting to notify the student, parents, district employees, and the community of the districts responsibility to provide services for its students under the 504 and ADA act.
- Possible solutions to the issues: 1. Have a meeting with the special education department about possible ways that we can still staff the testing center on testing days to provide proper accommodations. 2. Ask for volunteers from all staff to commit to a class period in the testing center so that it is staffed throughout the day. 3. The counselors could set-up a testing location where the students could receive their accommodations in their area.
- The solutions chosen to resolve the issues: I am going to go with the special education staff suggestions and encourage each of them to set-up times with the regular education teachers for the testing room so they will know when it is needed for them to be there to support the students. It will take some scheduling on my part and maybe the special education supervisor, but with the staff buy-in, I think it should work out well.
- Action steps (2-5) for implementing each solution, including a timeline for each step:
- (First 7 days)- meet with the staff to speak about possible shifts they would be available for. Allow the staff to lead the meeting since I need their support and we all need the students to receive their services.
- (14 days after initial meeting)- Create a plan that allows for all staff to be involved in the planning process. Allow staff to write their own schedules and support them in doing that.
- (Within those 14 days)- Implement a temporary plan to see how it works and allow staff to make changes as they see fit.
- (3 weeks and on-going) Meet with staff weekly to see what is going well and what changes we need to make.
- Potential moral and legal consequences of each solution: The biggest legal consequence is not putting any plan in place and being out of compliance with students’ minutes that are required for them in special education. We end up with lawsuits from parents and case-managers that represent each student.
As leaders, we want to ensure that we are meeting the needs of all students and in this case, although we are specifically focused on the special education population, it impedes the learning of all if special education students can’t receive the accommodations afforded them in a free-appropriate education. The laws of ADA and IDEA are very specific on what is required of a school district to provide a student in need of specialized services and although the school must deal with staff cuts as they come up, it is critical to address the special education services that are supposed to be given to students by law to prevent lawsuits and compliance issues with the state.
An article in Education Week mentions that leaders must be fearless but know the law as it relates to special education. (Samuels, 2018). Collaborating with staff, students and even parents will ensure that we are providing the students with the services that they need and as it relates to their learning plan or 504 plan. We want to ensure that when we make changes in the school that we are ensuring that it aligns to the school’s vision and mission, but most importantly we want to ensure that our students are meeting the expectations and obtaining the education that is supposed to be afforded to them. In this plan, it would take the collaboration of the staff to coordinate the times when testing is happening in the regular classroom so there will be a staff person in the room to assist the students when it is needed.
Since the parents are one of our stakeholders in the school building, I think it would also be beneficial to the school to mention our plan of action to the parents. Parents have more influence on district decisions than anyone at the school level. Having parents to know that we are working diligently to rectify a problem, is a step forward for everyone. While it is not the job of the parent to do so, but we might find more parents willing to come into the school to assist their child on test day if they are aware of the problem and the plan to fix it. I firmly believe in parent involvement and as a parent of a disabled child, I would have been willing to support the school in any way I could help my child and other children if it was necessary.
References
LV v. N.Y.C. Dep't of Educ., No. 03-CV-9917 (LAP) (S.D.N.Y. Feb. 18, 2021).
Retrieved on October 20, 2021, from https://casetext.com/case/lv-v-nyc-dept-of-educ
Milwaukee Public Schools (2021). Retrieved on October 20, 2021, from https://mps.milwaukee.k12.wi.us/en/Programs/Section-504.htm
Samuels, C.A. (2018) The Important Role Principals Play in Special Education. Retrieved October 20, 2021, from https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/the-important-role-principals-play-in-special-education/2018/10
Hours Log
Shadowing of Classified Staff
1.0
Observation of classroom during 3rd hour Hospitality Marketing class. Support staff is currently supporting the classroom by ensuring that the students can follow along with the assignments posted in google classroom by an in-house teacher and the classified staff has access to grade those assignments and provide the students with feedback. The staff member mentions that he only must read the assignment for understanding and then apply his understanding to the lesson enough to explain it to the students for their understanding.
1.0
Staff appears to be struggling with connecting with the students but is encouraged by the primary teacher on ways to overcome this. He is reminded of his role as a support person to the students in the classroom that need him.
As a support person, having your own strategies to provide that support is key in the classroom environment especially when the teacher is not physically in the classroom.
1.0
Staff person expresses his concerns of disconnect with the students due to their lack of interest in the subject matter. He states, “they aren’t listening when I speak to them so what is the point.” I try to offer support and remind him of the importance of his role but decide that this matter is best handled by the principal.
2.0
The support staff is brought in for a meeting with me and the principal and asked what ways can we support you? After hearing his concerns, it is recommended that he switch roles with me for two days and do an observation of what he sees for two days while I am doing the job of a support staff.
Reflection:
After shadowing the support staff, I realize the importance of this position on my staff. The people who are hired in this role play an important part in providing my students with resources and tools to be successful in the classroom and just like my teaching staff, they must also be given the proper tools to be successful at their jobs. Considering the set-up of this classroom, this support person was actually working in the capacity of a primary teacher in the classroom because the actual teacher could not see all that he could see, so when disruptions occurred, he had to be equipped with the knowledge on how to handle these situations when normally this would be the role of the primary teacher in the classroom.
While our world may have become a virtual option in many capacities, it does not relieve us of our responsibility to educate and train our staff who must stand in front of our students to implement classroom management, disciplinary procedures and instruction all at the same time, so even when this is given by support staff and a primary teacher is conducting the instructional component virtually (telepresence), we must be mindful of the fact that this is not typical and support staff will need to be trained on what that support now looks like both for themselves and for the students that they serve.
Shadowing of Classified Staff
1.0
Observation of classroom during 3rd hour Hospitality Marketing class. Support staff is currently supporting the classroom by ensuring that the students can follow along with the assignments posted in google classroom by an in-house teacher and the classified staff has access to grade those assignments and provide the students with feedback. The staff member mentions that he only must read the assignment for understanding and then apply his understanding to the lesson enough to explain it to the students for their understanding.
1.0
Staff appears to be struggling with connecting with the students but is encouraged by the primary teacher on ways to overcome this. He is reminded of his role as a support person to the students in the classroom that need him.
As a support person, having your own strategies to provide that support is key in the classroom environment especially when the teacher is not physically in the classroom.
1.0
Staff person expresses his concerns of disconnect with the students due to their lack of interest in the subject matter. He states, “they aren’t listening when I speak to them so what is the point.” I try to offer support and remind him of the importance of his role but decide that this matter is best handled by the principal.
2.0
The support staff is brought in for a meeting with me and the principal and asked what ways can we support you? After hearing his concerns, it is recommended that he switch roles with me for two days and do an observation of what he sees for two days while I am doing the job of a support staff.
Reflection:
After shadowing the support staff, I realize the importance of this position on my staff. The people who are hired in this role play an important part in providing my students with resources and tools to be successful in the classroom and just like my teaching staff, they must also be given the proper tools to be successful at their jobs. Considering the set-up of this classroom, this support person was actually working in the capacity of a primary teacher in the classroom because the actual teacher could not see all that he could see, so when disruptions occurred, he had to be equipped with the knowledge on how to handle these situations when normally this would be the role of the primary teacher in the classroom.
While our world may have become a virtual option in many capacities, it does not relieve us of our responsibility to educate and train our staff who must stand in front of our students to implement classroom management, disciplinary procedures and instruction all at the same time, so even when this is given by support staff and a primary teacher is conducting the instructional component virtually (telepresence), we must be mindful of the fact that this is not typical and support staff will need to be trained on what that support now looks like both for themselves and for the students that they serve.
Case Study: Mr. Roth
Sabrina L. Manuel
College of Education, Grand Canyon University
EAD 530: Improving Teacher Performance and Self-Efficacy
Mr. Scot Beckerman
May 25, 2022
Observation Reflection Questions
- Which overt activities by Mr. Roth established a positive rapport with his students?
- Standing at the door to greet them
- Engaging in conversation about the latest thing happening at the school and the interest of his students
- Discussing upcoming plans with the students
- Reminders about classroom expectations to get them back on track
- Giving support to students who missed information after being absent
- Checking for understanding in many ways (differentiation)
- How would you describe the classroom environment and climate?
- Warm, inviting, safe and engaging
- Instructional with variations in the lesson for diverse learners who need variations and various styles of learning the content
- What instructional strategies were utilized during this lesson?
- Whole group/small group/whole group
- Warm-up question/exit slip question
- Question re-state
- Check for understanding
- Student engagement strategies utilized by Mr. Roth.
- He was very effective in engaging students in discussion by posing questions to the whole group and then redirecting them to more questions in their small groups and when brought back to the whole group, he assigned individual questions and then asked the whole group for agreement, which encouraged dialect about the subject matter.
- Strategies used to differentiate instruction during this lesson
- He provided several ways for the students to learn, individually, small group, with the teacher as a whole group and expressing their understanding through the entrance/exit slips.
- Elements of this lesson that required students to use higher-order thinking skills.
- The bell ringer question made them rethink their entrance question and what they now knew about the subject matter
- The questions asked of them as a small group could be challenged by the whole group and therefore require them to think of their answer in other ways.
- How did Mr. Roth use technology? Was it effective?
- I didn’t really notice any mentioning of technology in this case.
Observation Reflection: Differentiation Strategies, Higher Order Thinking, Technology
The lesson observed in Mr. Roth’s classroom appeared to be well organized and planned out. Mr. Roth was prepared for classroom disruptions and has classroom management under control from the start of the observation until the end of it. Mr. Roth provided the students several opportunities for differentiation within the lesson by doing whole group, small group, whole group, allowing individual answers, allowing them to partner with just two people and choosing who that person would be. Mr. Roth encouraged them to do higher order thinking through the questions that he asked and how he restated them in the entrance/exit ticket. He also challenged the students within the whole group by asking the other groups to agree or disagree with the answers given by the other groups. Although he did not use any technology in this lesson, it would have worked just as well if the students’ used computers and entered the information into a shared google doc.
Post-Conference Preparation: Questions and Providing Feedback
- The first thing I would ask Mr. Roth is what was the best thing about the lesson?
- Second, what didn’t go well that you expected to go well?
- Third, what would you change about the lesson if you could reteach this lesson?
- Positive Feedback
- I admire your rapport with your students. Observing you at the door engaging with the students is exactly what I would like to see the staff doing. It shows the students that you are interested in their day and what their life is all about beyond the classroom and that builds strong relationships. I would give this feedback, because I want to encourage my staff to build relationships with their students and I see that Mr. Roth is onto something with the way that he does it in his classroom.
- Constructive feedback
- I would ask him how he could incorporate technology into this lesson and then introduce him to the fact that he can use a google doc to showcase the students’ responses to the questions and that would also engage them in a conversation about why they agree/disagree. I think it would be beneficial to a teacher like Mr. Roth because he provides so many styles of differentiation in his lesson and this would be one more tool for him to utilize if he didn’t already know how to use it.
- Additional questions or comments
- After teaching this lesson, what suggestions would you give yourself to make it better?
- How effective do you think this lesson would be if you handed the lesson plan to me right now to teach it? Do you think it would have the same effect?
Many articles suggest providing good feedback to teachers will result in better student performance and I have often wondered this same thing, why would someone spend time in my classroom observing what I am doing and then say nothing to me about it afterwards? As a leader, I figure, it is the least you could do after showing up because it is very intimidating for the boss to be in the room watching while you perform your job, but it is more annoying if you don’t know how well you performed.
As a leader, I fully intend to spend time in the classroom with my staff, but I will have post conferences with them and that will be followed by support in the classroom and with PD sessions surrounding the needs of my staff. It’s one thing to meet the agenda of the district but it is another thing to meet the needs of your staff while they are meeting both the agenda of the district and the needs of their students. I would like to ensure that my staff are equipped with what they need to perform well so they can ensure that my students are well prepared when they exit our school building and enter the community as citizens of our world.
References
Brookhart, S. & Moss, C. (2015). How to Give Professional Feedback. https://web-s-ebscohost-com.lopes.idm.oclc.org/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=e5b4caa3-245a-4299-89c8-354a0d314142%40redis
Childress, M. (2014). Building Teacher Capacity. https://web-s-ebscohost-com.lopes.idm.oclc.org/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=f7005a49-37ef-4386-b1b6-0e62ad464eb3%40redis
Gates, Bill. (2013, May). Teachers Need Real Feedback. [Video].TED. https://www.ted.com/talks/bill_gates_teachers_need_real_feedback/transcript