Failure is NOT an option! Success from the Start! Failure is NOT an option! Success from the Start! Troup County School System Preschool Exceptional Education.

Failure is NOT an option!Failure is NOT an option!Success from the Start!Success from the Start!

Troup County School SystemTroup County School SystemPreschool Exceptional EducationPreschool Exceptional Education

August 6August 6thth , 2008 , 2008

We are here to helpJill Derums, Physical TherapistCherie Fredericks, Occupational TherapistAngie Martin, Preschool Speech Language TherapistRebecca Murphy, Preschool Speech Language TherapistLaura Nichols, Coordinator of Special ProgramsOwena Spear, PsychologistBrenda Spradley, Preschool Exceptional Education TeacherAnne Tiffin, Preschool Exceptional Education TeacherKitty Crawford, Coordinator of Preschool and Elementary

Exceptional Education

Each Day in America…..

2,385 babies are born into poverty

Children’s Defense Fund 2003(National Kids Count: A Data Book)

Each Day in America…..

13,245,000 children live in poverty

Children’s Defense Fund 2003(National Kids Count: A Data Book)

Each Day in America…..

77 children die before their first birthday

Children’s Defense Fund 2003(National Kids Count: A Data Book)

Each Day in America…..

2,482 children are found to be

abused or neglected Children’s Defense Fund 2003

(National Kids Count: A Data Book)

Each Day in America…..

4 children are killed from firearms

Children’s Defense Fund 2003

(National Kids Count: A Data Book)

Each Day in America…..

4,262 children are arrested

Children’s Defense Fund 2003(National Kids Count: A Data Book)

Each Day in America…..

177 children are arrested for violent crimes

Children’s Defense Fund 2003

(National Kids Count: A Data Book)

Each Day in America…..

1,186 babies are born to teen mothers

Children’s Defense Fund 2003(National Kids Count: A Data Book)

Each Day in America…

2,756 high school students drop out of school

Children’s Defense Fund 2003(National Kids Count: A Data Book)

Each Day in America…

16,964 public school students are suspended

Children’s Defense Fund 2003(National Kids Count: A Data Book)

Each Day in America…

9,997,000school children speak

languages other than English as their first language

Children’s Defense Fund 2003(National Kids Count: A Data Book)

Each Day in America…

8,391,000children do not have

health insurance

Children’s Defense Fund 2003(National Kids Count: A Data Book)

Each Day in America…

5 children or teens commit suicide

Children’s Defense Fund 2003(National Kids Count: A Data Book)

Each Day in America…

50%-75%of incarcerated juveniles Have diagnosable mental

health disorders

Children’s Defense Fund 2003(National Kids Count: A Data Book)

In Troup County…

3,351 children living in poverty

21% (2000)

In Troup County..…

23.2% babies born to mothers with less than 12

years of education (2005)

In Troup County..…

402 young adults ages 16-19 are not in school and

not working

(2000)

In Troup County..…

56% students eligible for free or reduced meals

(2005)

In Troup County..…

1,460 students absent from school more than 15 days

(2004)

In Troup County..…

2005 infant mortality rate9.6% compared to Georgia

8% (per 1,000)

In Troup County..…

14,387 children eligible for medicaid or peach care

(2005)

In Troup County..…

1,460 students absent from school more than 15 days

(2004)

In Troup County…..

Teen pregnancies (per 1,000), ages 15-17, 47.6 compared to Georgia

36.8 (2005)

In Troup County…..

238 cases of STD for youth, ages 15-19

(2005)

In Troup County…..

521 cases of child abuse and neglect

(2005)

In Troup County…..

68.5%is the current graduation

rate

Georgia’s Challenge• Students with disabilities not

meeting standards:– SWD overall: 40.19 %– Asian SWD: 24.46 % – African-American SWD: 54.14 %– Hispanic SWD: 46.24 %– White SWD: 29.83 %

Is what we are doing helping these issues?Is there a need to change what we are

doing?Eligibility guidelines & regulations

Best for children!

We are all in this together!

How can we afford NOT to try something different?

It takes a village to raise a child.

Nigerian proverb

“Collaboration is a process to achieve goals that cannot be reached acting alone (or at least cannot be reached as well). Collaboration is a means to an end and not an end in itself. The desired goal is improved outcomes for children and families.”

“We must move forward toward

empowering parents to be leaders and problem-solvers-agents of change in their own lives, the lives of their children, and their communities.”

Heatherly W. Conway“Collaboration for Kids”

Early Intervention Tools for Schools and Communities

Response to Response to InterventionIntervention

Recognition and Recognition and ResponseResponse

In the past….

Delays or difficulty learning

Referral to Special Education

Recognition & Response is an

emerging practice in early childhood

education.

Why Recognition and Response?

• Recognition and Response ≠ wait to fail

• Recognition and Response = less children in special education and more children in regular education

• Recognition and Response = no special education label

Don’t wait for failure

More children in general education curriculum

Fewer children with a special education label

Diagnosis, or a label, leads to treatment: it opens doors for resources.

Pro:

Many children must wait for that label in order to get services.

Con:

Labeling leads to awareness raising and promotesunderstanding of particular difficulties.

Pro:

Labeling leads to stigmatization.

Con:

Labels reduce ambiguities and provide clear communication devices for professional exchanges of information.

Pro:

There is no clear agreementamongst professionals about how labels are decided.

Moreover, labels lead to generalization of children’sdifficulties, neglecting specific individualized issues.

Con:

Labels provide comfort to children and families by“explaining” their difficulties.

Pro:

Labeling leads to a focus onwithin-child deficits and possibly lowered expectations

Con:

Labeling can lead to teasing from peers, and the use ofderogatory terms to describe children who have beenlabeled tends to reflect negative aspects about them.

Con:

Accurate identification of

children requiring the specialized

instruction of special education.

The goal =

Failure to label does not necessarily mean

failure to address

Remember -

Research supports the

use of Response and Recognition

If you give a person a fish they will eat for one day-Teach them

how to fish they will eat for a lifetime.”

Framework for Recognition & Response

SystemTier 3

IndividualizedInterventions

5%-10%

Tier 2Group

Interventions

15%-25%Tier 1

High Quality Environment &Intentional teaching &Universal screening

70%-80%

Recognition

Screening Assessment & Progress Monitoring

Response

Research-basedCurriculum, Instruction &

Interventions

Recognition:Screening & Progress

Monitoring

• Universal screening within first 2 months (NAEYC, 2005) and on a set schedule after that (fall, winter, spring)

Tier 1• Do most children (70-80%) meet screening criteria?

• Identify areas of concern • Importance of talking to the parent• Importance of vision and hearing screening• Has the child been exposed to high quality teaching?• Is it a delay or “late birthday”

• Core curriculum and intentional teaching for all children– Core curriculum is research-based & comprehensive across all domains

• May also include content-specific curricula (e.g., early literacy & math)

• Intentional teaching of key content areas, including planning and evaluating instruction

Tier 2• Some children (15-25%) may need targeted

interventions, along with progress monitoring• Small group interventions• RTI conference forms• Facilitating meetings• Maintaining folders• Collecting data

• Explicit small group interventions augmented with embedded interventions– Explicit: structured, teacher-directed, content specific

interventions– Embedded: occur within daily activities, build on children’s

strengths & interests, complement explicit interventions

Tier 3• A few children (5%) will need more

individualized interventions & get more frequent progress monitoring

• Intensive & individualized interventions– Research-based methods for scaffolding—

prompting, modeling, giving a directive & waiting for a response

– Within the context of explicit approaches under Tier 2

– Continue use of embedded interventions

Obvious Concerns• Children with identified disabilities

are not required to go through RTI process; RTI should not delay referral of children with suspected disabilities (CEC, 2007)

As a daycare director or teacher, what does this

mean to me?• Team Leader

– Facilitate meetings– Open communication– Implement interventions– Document interventions– Collect data– Manage the folder– Collaboration

Success Stories

• Angie Martin: Preschool Speech Therapist

• Brandy Barnes: Pre K Ethel Kight• Jill Derums: Physical Therapist

What do you need from us?

– Question/Answer sessions with your center– In service/training– Consultation – Intervention ideas– Email– Manuals– Modeling– Partnership

Inspirational Quotations

We cannot solve a problem with the same mindset that caused it.

Education is all a matter of building bridges.

Don’t be afraid to go out on a limb, for that is where the fruit is.

The future depends on what we do in the present.

Life’s important challenges all come down to the decision to get on with it, the courage to hold on, and the willingness to pedal like crazy.