Advantages & Disadvantages of in between class grouping

For the teacher, the advantage is that the students are assigned according to their abilities and the disadvantage is that this  could communicate low expectations for students in the low-achieving groups

For the student perspective, its more individual instruction and the disadvantage could be humiliation or loss of self esteem.

Advantages & Disadvantages of in within class grouping

The teacher and students perceptively of within class grouping are:

Advantages - High and low achievement levels seem to benefit equally.

Disadvantages - Groups work at a different point and at times without teacher's supervision.

What are some theories of motivation

Attribution - Feedback should highlight self comparison vs. competition

Learning Behavior - Systematic use of positive reinforcement and thoughtfull use of consequences

Expectancy - Focus on improving awareness of realistic competence.  Increase the value of incremental improvement.

Human Needs - Basic needs must be met in order to achieve a high level of motivation.

Implications - How the feedback is given influences student's self-perception

 What is RTI and what is its purpose

RTI stands for Response to Intervention.  Its purpose is to use the learning and performace rate over a period of time to make  important instructional decisions.

Multi-Tiered Approach Overview

Tier I - All students start in tier I, universal screening takes place, students receive corrective classroom instruction, all students receive grade level instruction

Tier II - is where the intensive intervention for at risk and struggling students takes place, its where additional instructional time on top of the regular tier I instruction and in tier II, students are monitored once a week.

Tier III - Tier III is for students who have been in tier II for a while and continues to need  more intensive intervention, tier III might include more time and even smaller groups.

What is Monitoring ?

From tier I to tier III, the frequency of progress monitor increases.

The instructional intervention increases.

The collaboration is in all 3 tiers.

What is an Intervention?

An Intervention is taught

Intervention is designed to improve student skills or performance

An intervention must lead to outcomes that can be measured.

An Intervention should be research-based

What is an Adjustment? 

An adjustment is when there is a need to change the goal of the academic task

What are the Principles of Behavioral Intervention?

IDEAL

Identify the problem and the opportunity to solve it

Design a goal to solve the problem

Explore the possibilities

Anticipate the outcome and act

Look back and learn

What does diagnostic measures?

Diagnostic measures many things infrequently (usually summative)

What is Progress Monitoring?

Is an assessment for learning (usually formative)

How are general problems need to be re-stated ?

In a Specific, Observable, Measurement

SOM

Example:  Johnny reads 13 words correctly per minute on a 2nd grade passage.

What is the difference between Apptitude test vs. Achievement test?

Aptitude - Helps predict future success (such as cognitive).  The content of this test  connects with future skills.  Tests quality vs. misuse

Achievement- Determines mastery of information learned in the past.

What is the difference bewtween a Criterion Referenced  and a Norm Referenced Tests?

THIS WILL BE ON THE TEST

A Criterion Referenced Test compares a student or group with an established criterion such as a high school graduation test.

The best use of this test is to determine degree of mastery.

A Norm Referenced Test wants to pick the best!  It evaluates how a student or group perform compared with a whole population.  This test is also used as an accountability as to how well did the institution compares with other institutions...you must get 60% to pass....must get 90% to get an A 

What is the Difference between Formative and Summative Assesments?

A Formative assessment is done during learning and measures a few elements frequently.    Provides information to immediately change teaching techniques & determines if the instructional program is effective.

A Summative assessment is done after learning, such as after a chapter test, this tests measures mastery and measures many elements infrequently.

What are some Reason for Evaluation?

It gives students a feedback.

It gives a feedback to the teacher.

It gives feedback & information to parents

It gives information, data for selection, certification

It gives information for accountability

It is an incentive for effort/increase learning

What are some Assessment Statistics

must understand the type of test to understand the meaning of the test scores

Standard scores are when the score means the same regardless of the test raw score. 

Percentage - total items correct divided by the total number of items in the test Percentile 

A percentile indicates that the score was equal to or better than X percent of his or her age peers.

Skill vs. Performance Problems

A skill problem - a student cannot accomplish the task under any conditions

EX: A learning disability is a skill problem

Performance Problem A student can accomplish the task in certain conditions or circumstances, but not others

EX: An anxiety disorder is a performance problem

What are the components of an Intervention Plan?

Target the Concerns

Intervention Procedures

Description of the learner characteristics

Grade level goals & individual student goals

 Intervention Evaluation (including post-test data)

RTI Behavior School-wide

It starts with Tier I its a school wide Behavioral Program,

its a Positive Based System, usually a universal set of rules everyone knows

 and its  "in school" suspension a Place where kids can go - NOT HOME

RTI BEHAVIOR -

Classroom Behavioral Management Program

Academics as a whole group- be organized, interested & move quickly, hands on

Academic modifications - Quantity/ time: kids get frustrated with the amount of work

Class Environment Accommodations - seating arrangements, allow students to move, give classroom responsibilities i.e., key holder, folder holder

Adjust the task difficulty - might get too hard and too long

Home/school communication - SUM specific observable, measurement

Rules - SUM: Specific Observable Measurements, i.e., keep hands and feet to self.  Be specific!

Positive Based Class - school wide system

Group Contingencies - whole class earns an incentive or teams earn incentive, i.e., pizza party.

Reprimands/Precision Commands - Turn to page 60, and not can you turn to page 60?

Appropriate use of consequences

Classroom social skills training - how to listen, how to be polite

Use of Praise/Proximity -A selective Attention Program is a systematic purposeful way of praise & proximity

Design and Components of an Individualized Behavior Plan of Tier II

A written comprehensive plan and its components 

The other ABC's

Individualized Positive-Based Behavior Plan

Systematic Consequences/Progressive Discipline

Mobilize Resources such as Request for Assistance, a Collaborative Consultation, Analyze the Problem

Develop an Intervention Plan (cannot develop an intervention plan if don't know what the problem is)

Implement the Intervention and Evaluate the Outcome

Tell me something about Tier III?

It's the Law !

Congress passed the Revised Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) in 2004

Provides with the guidelines that schools must follow when identifying children for special education.

Schools should have data that demonstrates that prior to, or as part of, the referral process, the child was provided appropriate instruction in regular education settings, delivered by qualified personnel.

Data-based documentation of repeated progress monitoring assessments and additional interventions beyond core instruction is required and must be documented with an individualized intervention plan (IEP) that it is provided to the student's parents

What are the components of Tier III

The teacher to student ratio would be reduced i.e., 1:3

Direct & explicit individual problem solving methods and not the standard protocol

Revised Intervention Plan is required

Continue with the Intervention Logs

What is the Decision Point for Tier III ?

The student is at or below 10th percentile and growth rate is less than average = proceed to potential special education consideration

Students making progress but above 10th percentile = continue in Tier III or return to Tier II

If a student achieves 25th percentile = exit the student to tier III and return to Tier I

What interventions in Tier III are used during the special ed evaluation process ? 

The RTI concepts are reviewed

The need for Special Education Services is determined by response or resistance to the intervention.

What is Selective Attention (SA) - Its Purpose & Essential Elements ?

The purpose of Selective Attention is to increase the amount of time students pay attention.

The Essential Elements are: 

The natural instinct is to address the students who  are off task...DONT DO IT!

Praise Cues - Praise the student that is around the student that is off task, then praise the student if he or she gets the student on track.

The rule is...Close & Quiet - Tell students what they need to do

Close the Loop - Praise him or her for doing the right action.

What are the effective learning environments?

A.  Selective Attention Process - to increase the amount of time students pay attention

B.  RTI Tier I Behavioral Interventions - done school-wide and in the classroom

C.  RTI Tier 2 & 3 Interventions - Individual Behavioral Interventions

"Starting from a point of order.....?" describe the steps.

A. Start of day/period or after lunch...

B.Teach the procedures

C. Praise two students doing the right things

D. Use urgency in your tone of voice

E. If the "usual" students are off task..... Start from A point of Order and...

F.Who do you choose to praise? if a student is doing the right thing..praise the student who is usually off task, but don't do it at the moment just before the praise cue.

G.  Use techniques to establish the return to order point i.e., 123-eyes on me, clapping, turning lights on/off, a bell

H. Most Important - Get 100% Compliance

A "hidden Curriculum" - Reminds you that you need to remind , the rules that they should know.

How would you use the Praise and Proximity technique?

Proximity:

1.  Moving into a student's physical space is using proximity.  The teacher must remain in the space for at least one second

2.  Selective Attention (SA) make a decision about where you should be standing

3.  Rule for proximity - The desired interval when using proximity is 3 seconds.

NOTE:  Two good things occur when the 3 second rule is applied: a) is reinforcing to the student and b) it creates a mild anxiety in the student.  Mild anxiety is a desired emotional state in the learning process

4.  Non-verbal Cues - a gesture is a nonverbal cue, its a mean of communication to a student that has behaved in an appropriate manner.  It might include: a smile, a wink, a nod, or thumbs up signal

NOTE:  It is important to smile at students, especially those students who struggle behaviorally.

Describe "Praise":

1.  The rule for praise - name and behavior.  Words such as "I like the way you..." or "thank you for..." are counterproductive

2.  If a student answers a question correctly and the teacher attends to that response, it is a praise academic

3.  Praise Proximity - This response is simply a combo of proximity and praise.

4.  Praise Physical - this response is a combination of praises and touching 

5.  Empathy - An empathy response occurs when a teacher praises a behavior and the effort it took to achieve it.  EX: "Thanks for getting your homework completed, I know who hard that is for you."

NOTE:  Empathy is the most powerful reinforcer and is the most difficult to use.  

Succeeding with Difficult Students

Proactive vs. Reactive Teachers

A proactive teacher:  

Plans for misbehavior

Individualizes and provides structure

Recognizes they have a choice about how they respond to misbehavior

Builds relationships - the only power we have as teachers is to build a relationship with our students.

A reactive Teacher:

Does not plan for difficult students

Takes students behaviors personally

Gives up on students

What are some of the General Principles of Succeeding with Difficult Students..?

Building relationships - introduce yourself, find out the student's interest, hobbies, and talents, have lunch with the student, use reflective listening.

Find out what the student needs - does the student need attention, motivation..?

Difficult students need more - more time, they need more planning, and they need more effort to complete an assignment

Problem analysis; Intervention Development, Positive Cubed.

Exceptional Learners - What are the Special Education Laws & Concepts

Its the Law

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA; 2004) - the modern law

EXCEPTIONAL LEARNERS - SPECIAL ED CONCEPTS

What is full & Partial Inclusion?

Full inclusion is when the special ed students are in a regular classroom setting

Partial Inclusion is when the special ed student(s) is in and out of a regular classroom setting i.e., resource

Mainstreaming is the attempt to eventually have a full inclusion and this is more general

What is the legal term for LRE Least Restrictive Environment ?

The IEP purpose is to provide with an education as close to the general ed as much as possible while meeting their needs according to their IEPs

Is it possible or fair to any student if the student with special needs is placed in a least restrictive environment?

NO

What MDT Stands for?

Multidiciplinary Team

Who is part of an MDT Team?

Almost everyone can be part of the MDT Team

(teachers and administrators)

so be prepared and know what you are doing!

Who should be the most prominent in the team ?

The general education teacher, specially when its an initial

Who decides if the student needs to be evaluated?

The MDT team decides if a student should or should not be evaluated for possible special ed services. 

This is done in an informal meeting

What decision does the MDT team makes in a formal meeting?

The MDT team meets in a formal meeting to decide if the student is eligible for special education services or not.

Who are the members of a Multidisciplinary Team?

The general education teacher

The special education teacher

The school psychologist

The school nurse (at times)

The parent is a required member

Does the parent has any say-so in the eligibility of the child?

NO

Are Eligibility and Placement the same?

No

How many members are a MDT Team if the child is mentally retarded? 

Who are they?

There are four members of an MDT team if a child is mentally retarded.

They are:

The general education teacher

The special education teacher

The school nurse

The school Psychologist

If there is an even disagreement, the school administrator breaks the tie.

EXCEPTIONAL LEARNERS - SPECIAL EDUCATION

How many categories  are there?

What are they?

There are 13 disabilities and they are:

Autism - identified because of a typical behavior

Deaf/Blind

Developmental Delay - Only from the ages 3 to 6.  At age 6, child must be tested for other eligibility. 

Emotional Disturbance

Health Impairment - This is the #1 category

Hearing Impairment (Deaf; hard of hearing)

Mental Retardation - Cognitive, oral/receptive, adaptive behavioral, must be at the 2% of either Mild, Moderate, Severe and Profound

Multiple Impairments

Specific Learning Disability - Other than speech and language

Speech Language Impariment - a speech problem is an articulation problem & a language problem is an expressive and receptive problem

Visual Impairment/Blind - must be blind in both eyes

Orthopedic Impairments - Polio

What are the important components of an IEP?

Present Levels

Goals and Objectives

Accommodations

SDI - or place of delivery

Placement

Is special education a place?

What are some of the things Mr. Kenney wants you to remember?

That...

 All children feel like adults but do not think like adults

The meaning of distributed learning vs. mass learning

Distributed learning - study over a period of time to retain better.

Mass learning - its the night before an exam and the retention level is not good.

That adults should under-react to misbehavior & over-react to good behavior.

DESIGN AND CONCEPTS OF A BEHAVIORAL PLAN

Select 2 or 4 behaviors to reinforce

Establish a baseline for the behaviors such as.. recording on a sheet of paper the behavior can be monitored by activity or time

After the baseline is established, reasonable goals for the behaviors are set.

A Reward Program for obtaining a predetermined goal should be established

The more frequent the recognition, the more successful the behavior plan

The behavior plan should be implemented for at least 2 months of academic time before the plan is considered unsuccessful

The report should go home to the parent and returned to the school each day.  If it is not returned, the parent should be called

Other behaviors not addressed in the behavior plan may be con-sequenced when necessary but should not impact the outcome of the established plan. 

If another behavior becomes significant, change the behavior plan

Often behavior gets worse before it gets better

Student behavior is inconsistent.

Positivism and Consistency at school as well as meaningful follow through at home is vital for the success of this type of program.