Dear Parents of Pre-Kindergarten Inclusion Program,

My name is Amanda A. and I am the early childhood education (ECE) special educator for our new pre-k
inclusion program.
First and foremost, I want to thank you immensely for taking time out of your busy schedules to join us for
tonight's informational session. My colleagues and I hope to address all of your questions, concerns and
priorities during tonight's presentation, as well as provide you with some information on the benefits of inclusion
for all students.
My portion of the presentation will describe my role as the special educator and how it affects your children on
a daily basis in the classroom. Additionally, I will also focus on the impact of inclusion on students without
disabilities, addressing specific concerns about academic achievement and social behaviors.
As the special educator in an inclusion classroom, I am licensed and certified in early childhood special
education. As the special educator, I also greatly collaborate with the general educator to fulfill the following
responsibilities:

Develop knowledge about ALL STUDENTS strengths and weaknesses.

Adapt assessments, tasks, lessons and units to match the learning needs of ALL STUDENTS
Differentiate instruction to address ALL STUDENTS' levels, and individual interests.
Check for ALL STUDENTS understanding. Be prepared to clarify and re-teach.
Maintain close contact with parents.
Meet and communicate as co-teaching partners to plan and organize instruction, assess student work
and participate in grading.

During tonight's session, I will also address the impact of inclusion on students without disabilities. This should
address some of the concerns about inclusion affecting academics and leading to negative social behaviors.
Many evidence-based research studies have found that inclusion has no affect on the academic achievement
of students without disabilities. Additionally, students with disabilities tend to copy the social behaviors of
students without disabilities, rather than the other way around, which leads to positive social interactions. This
will be addressed further during tonight's session; however, for further reading on these studies, please see the
following references:
Afroditi Kalambouka , Peter Farrell , Alan Dyson & Ian Kaplan (2007) The impact of placing pupils with special
educational needs in mainstream schools on the achievement of their peers, Educational Research,
49:4, 365-382, DOI: 10.1080/00131880701717222
Sermier Dessemontet, R., & Bless, G. (2013). The impact of including children with intellectual disability in
general education classrooms on the academic achievement of their low-, average-, and highachieving peers. Journal of Intellectual and Developmental Disability, 38(1), 23-30.
Additionally, if you would like more information on inclusion, please see the following resources:
American Psychological Association
DEC/NAEYC Joint Position Statement
United Federation of Teaching Integrated Co-Teaching uft.org
U.S. Department of Education
Thank you again to all for coming to tonight's information session on our new Inclusion program. If you have
any other questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me:
Amanda Anselme
Early Childhood Special Educator
Amanda.Anselme42@myhunter.cuny.edu
718-507-5936