Inclusion: What does that mean?

Special Education Department

Current Research
Hwang, Yoon-Suk & Evans (2011)
-Attitudes towards inclusion
-Collaboration is necessary
-Generally in favor of the concept of inclusion, and were aware of their
limited skills and knowledge about inclusive teaching strategies, not
comfortable about receiving support from others.
Keeping Confidentiality in Mind
Inclusion of Students with Special Needs
Perceptions of inclusionary practices are multi-faceted
-Special-needs student
-Parents
-Peers
-Teachers, Staff, Administrators
-Society
Special Needs Student
Yearning to be understood & accepted
-By teachers, peers, etc.
-Trying to fit-in
-All students on the spectrum
Parents
May feel like an outsider or unimportant
-Educate & Support
-Advocate
Peers
Sensitive to varying abilities
-Supportive vs. Complete isolation
-Modeling expected behaviors
-Need guidance in becoming aware of inclusionary expectations
-Social/Emotional Behavior via Role Playing
Society
-Awareness
-Perceptions
-Positive
-Negative
-No Perception
-Uninformed

-Law requires that students are included- General ed parents may not
understand why
Perceptions interconnected
Legal Responsibilities
IDEAS LRE Provision
To the maximum extent appropriate, children with disabilities, including
children in public or private institutions or other care facilities, are
educated with children who are not disabled, and special classes, separate
schooling, or other removal of children with disabilities from the regular
educational environment occurs only when the nature or severity of the
disability of a child is such that education in regular classes with the use
of supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily.
Section 612 (a)(5) (A) (IDEA 04)
US Department of Education
Legal Responsibilities
Supplementary Aids and Services

The term `supplementary aids and services' means aids, services, and other
supports that are provided in regular education classes or other educationrelated settings to enable children with disabilities to be educated with
nondisabled children to the maximum extent appropriate in accordance with
section 612(a)(5). Section 602 (33) (IDEA 04)
US Department of Education
Legal Responsibilities
Access to the General Curriculum

The 1997 reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

(IDEA) introduced important changes in the provision of special education
services for students with disabilities. One of the most significant changes
concerns the requirement that students with disabilities receive access to the
general curriculum.
US Department of Education

What does Inclusive Practices mean?

-Standards-Based Instruction
-Student need
-Decisions are made solely on the needs of the student
-Labels and available space are not relevant to decisions regarding a students
appropriate educational setting

Inclusive Practices

For inclusive practices to be effective, both general education and special

education staff must work together to create powerful learning environment
for All students.
Specially Designed Instruction (SDI)

Instruction in a co-taught class should meet all the standards set for todays
classroom:

It should be rigorous
Grounded in the TEKS and
Based on the student assessment data
Evidenced based approaches
Differentiated
Co-teaching arrangements are one promising option for meeting the
learning needs of the many students who once spent a large part of
the school day with special educators in separate classrooms.
Friend (2007)
Co-Teaching is
-Simultaneous instruction, with a heterogeneous group of students
-Done with two or more teachers
-Instruction within the same physical space
-Done in a coordinated fashion
-needs to be pre-planned
-involved collaboration
-not just showing up, in-class support

COLLABORATIVE TEACHING
It is
Both teachers:
-Are present in class every day
-Teach all students
-Strategically plan lessons together while focusing on accommodations
and modification necessary to meet the needs of all learners.
-Accept responsibility for ALL students.
-The general education teacher and the special education teacher jointly
monitor, assess, and evaluate progress of all students.
It is not

-Special Education teacher comes to class only when available.

-General Education teacher teaches while the Special Education teacher
serves as an assistant with students of special needs.
-General education teacher serves as an assistant with students of special
needs.
-One teacher leads instruction while the other teacher serves as an
assistant in the class or outside the class, carrying out instructional
support activities
-The special education teacher separates students with disabilities from
the rest of the class to work with them on a regular basis.
-Special educator works with only students of special needs.
-

Barriers/Disadvantages to Success
Lack of administrative support
Lack of shared planning time
Need for in-service training
Personality matches the relationship between co-teachers is critical
to success.
Misguided perceptions and / or lack of communication
Poorly defined roles / unclear expectations
Dividing the class based on SPED and non-SPED students
How many co-teaching models do you think there are?

Co-Teaching Models
1 Teach, 1 Observe
Use in new co-teaching situations (only for a very limited amount of
time).
When questions arise about students
To check student progress
To compare target students to others in class

Station Teaching
- Teachers repeat instruction to each group that comes through the
station, though content or delivery can vary based on differentiated
needs.
- In lessons in which part of planned instruction is review.
- Break stations down in such a way that no matter which station comes
first the student still have the required and necessary information to
complete the tasks required of them and make sense of the lesson.
Parallel Teaching
- Use when a lower adult student ratio is needed to improve
instructional efficiency.

To foster student participation in discussions

For activities such as drill and practice, re-teaching, and test review
Joint planning
Diversity in both groups
Alternative Teaching
Use in situations where students mastery of concepts taught or about
to be taught varies
When extremely high levels of mastery are expected for all students
When some students are working in a parallel curriculum
For activities such as giving extra help, catching students up to their
classmates, or going in further depth about a topic a students may
find hard to find.
Just remember to change up the groups!
Team Teaching
Both teachers are responsible for planning and share in the instruction
of all students.
During a lesson which instructional conversation is appropriate
In situations in which the teachers have considerable experience and a
high sense of comfort
When a goal of instruction is to demonstrate some type of interaction
to students
One Teaching, One Assisting
When the lesson lends itself to delivery by one teacher
When one teacher has particular expertise for the lesson
In new co-teaching situations to get to know each other
In lessons stressing a process in which student work needs close
monitoring
One teacher teaches while the other supports in instructional process
The Key:
Alternate between models
Contact Information

Bernice A. Garcia, M.Ed.

Project Manager
Progress in the General Curriculum
Education Service Center - Region 19
Office: (915)780-5359
Fax: (915)780-6534
bgarcia@esc19.net

Angela Owens, M.Ed.

Project Manager
Progress in the General Curriculum
& Parent Network
Education Service Center - Region 19
Office: (915)780-5091
Fax: (915)780-6534
avowens@esc19.net