EFFECTIVE SCHEDULING FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES Planning for Special Education Service Delivery in the Least Restrictive Environment.

EFFECTIVE SCHEDULING FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

Click icon to add picturePlanning for Special Education Service Delivery in the Least Restrictive Environment

Essential Questions

Why change? What is wrong with current schedules and the way services are provided?

How does scheduling affect delivery of service to SWD?

What are the benefits of school wide scheduling?

How can we provide access to the general curriculum for SWDs while still providing specialized instruction in deficit areas? What is meant by “double dipping? How can this be done? How can IEP teams better determine necessary services?

How do we begin this process?

What are the challenges?

Why Change Now?

Student Achievemen

t

Maximize use of staff

LRECCRPI

Transition to next level

College and Career Ready Performance

Index

Elementary Draft Proposals % of SWD served in the general

education environments greater than 80% of the day

% of students scoring at meets or exceeds in ELA, reading, math, social studies, science and on the Grade Five Writing Assessment

% of students in grades three achieving a Lexile Measure of greater than 650

% of students in grade five achieving a Lexile measure greater than 850

We are striving to prepare all students to meet grade level expectations , we must focus on environments and schedules that maximize instruction and utilize all available staff for student success.

Service Delivery Models

Special Education Classroom

Separate Class

General Education Classroom –

Collaborative Instruction Co-teaching

General Education Classroom –

Consultation Support Services

HOW DOES SCHEDULING AFFECT DELIVERY OF

SERVICES TO SWD?

Special Education is a Service Not a Place

Students should receive their education with their non-disabled peers, in a regular classroom to the maximum extent appropriate. (from IDEA and the Policy of the State Board of Georgia)

Think “in addition to” instead of “in place of” for services.

Without alternate times in the schedule, there is not an opportunity to provide “in addition to” services.

Benefits of School-wide Scheduling to Accommodate SWD

Students Provides more

opportunities for practice and feedback

Ensures standards based instruction at all grade levels

Provides targeted, small group instruction for all learners (SWD, EIP, ELL, REACH, RTI, etc)

Staff Maximizes the

personnel available to support students

Maximizes instructional time

Allows staff to target individual needs and deliver “specially designed instruction”

How can we provide access to the general curriculum for SWDs while still providing specialized instruction in

deficit areas?

Strategic Scheduling

Provide an alternate skills/flex time in the schedule that is scattered throughout the day to allow for delivery of resource services by grade level

Grade levels should follow the same academic schedule

Group students based on needs – be careful not to add special ed and too many other “needy” students or SST students in one class

Split large groups of SWDs between two classes and para/teacher serve between both classes

Determining Services

IEP Teams Services should not be determined based on what has

“always been done”

IEP teams may reconvene at any time to reconsider the best way to provide services for a student.

IEP teams should strongly consider “double-dip” services in the student’s deficit area rather than “in place of” services.

Managing the “Double-Dip”

Finding time throughout the day to accelerate and remediate students with disabilities without removing them from valuable grade level instruction in the regular education classroom……

This requires effective scheduling and may require IEP teams to reconsider service delivery options.

IEP teams should focus on needs and how services needed to meet those needs are provided, NOT places.

How do we begin this process?

Step 1

Special Education Staff completes planning and projection sheets for all special education students in the building.

Needs are evaluated and compiled by grade level Group by grade level, type of service and area of need

Consider the continuum of services for ALL students

If a student doesn’t “fit” the IEP team may reconsider the level of service projected – “could the student be successful with services delivered in a different way?”

Special Ed Projections

Pre K K 1 2 3 4 5

Speech/language

Secondary Speech

Step 2

Master Schedule

Schedule lunch first.

Schedule specials classes to ensure common planning among grade levels.

Indicated subject area teaching blocks for each grade level with skill development time designated. Certain teaching blocks will have to be designated to maximize the use of special education support available.

Create a school wide scheduleChange each block to academic times (reading, ELA, math, etc).

Adding specific academic times will help ensure each grade level is working on reading, math, etc at the same time.

Stagger reading times across grade levels.

Use an integrated curriculum approach for science and social studies.

Sample Elementary School

Time K 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th

8:00-8:10 Math8:00-9:00

Science/SS8:00-8:45

Reading/ELA8:00-9:50

Math8:00-9:40

Specials8:05-8:45

Skills8:00-8:40

8:10-8:20

8:20-8:30

8:30-8:40

8:40-8:50 Skills8:45-9:25

Science/SS8:40-9:40

8:50-9:00 Reading/ELA8:50-10:30

9:00-9:10 Specials9:00-9:40

9:10-9:20

9:20-9:30

9:30-9:40 Reading/ELA9:25-10:30

9:40-9:50 Skills9:40-10:20

Science/SS9:40-10:40

Math 9:40 – 10:50

9:50-10:00 Math9:50-11:10

10:00-10:10

10:10-10:20 Reading10:20-11:20

10:20-10:30

10:30-10:40 Recess10:30-10:50

Math10:30-11:45

10:40-10:50 Skills10:40-11:20

10:50-11:00 Lunch10:50 – 11:25

Specials10:50-11:30

11:00-11:10

11:10-11:20 Lunch 11:10-11:40

11:20-11:30 Lunch11:20-11:55

Recess 11:20-11:40

11:30-11:40 Math11:30-12:50

Lunch11:30-12:00

11:40-11:50 Recess11:40-12:00

Lunch11:40-12:10

11:50-12:00 Science/Social Studies11:55-12:55

Lunch11:50-12:20

12:00-12:10 Skills12:00-12:40

Recess12:00-12:20

12:10-12:20 Specials12:10-12:50

12:20-12:30 Recess12:20-12:40 Reading/ELA

12:20-2:00

12:30-12:40

12:40-12:50 Specials12:55-1:35

Skills12:40-1:20

12:50-1:00 Recess12:55-1:15

Reading/ELA12:50-1:40

Reading/ELA12:40 – 2:30

1:00-1:10

1:10-1:20 ELA/Literacy Centers1:20-2:30

1:20-1:30 Science/Social Studies

1:25-2:30

Science/SS1:20-2:30

1:30-1:40

1:40-1:50 Specials1:40-2:20

1:50-2:00

2:00-2:10 Math

2:10-2:20 2:00 – 2:20

2:20-2:30

Step 3

Special Education Schedule

Schedule Separate Class time during “skill development time” – this would necessitate one special education teacher designated for separate class instruction at all times during the day.

Assign remaining special education staff to cover other separate classes, support, collaborative and co-teaching segments as needed.

Grade level academic schedules (reading, math, etc) should be set collaboratively among levels so special education staff is available for support during critical times.

Grade level schedules should NOT change randomly throughout the year.

Considerations

For staff:

Consider Collaborative Instruction to maximize staff time – One teacher covers

two classes within the same time period, this could be divided hourly, daily or weekly

For students:

Consider priorities -Services should be provided for deficit areas; Do not forget that

accommodations can (and should) be provided by regular education teachers.

Challenges

There is not one way or schedule that will work for every school due to differences among schools’ staff, students, populations, needs, etc.

Limited number of teachers and/or parapros.

Not all students will “fit” the mold.

Requires a change of mindset regarding what students really need and how and when to provide for these needs.

Resistance to change

How can we help?

If you would like help in reviewing your current schedule, sped staff, sped students, needs, etc., please email Denise Milam or Chrissy Dement

Questions/Comments?

Thank you for attending!