Tag: continuous improvement

Student Led IEPS

As a previous special education teacher, I found a lot of value in developing learners that were engaged, empowered, and their own best advocates. A key strategy for developing students that had those characteristics was the deployment of student led IEPS. Since becoming a principal, it’s been a joy to watch students review their own goals, develop ownership of their own Individualized Education Plan (IEP), and defend their need for particular accommodations. During this process, students develop critical communication skills and sense of pride.

I recently received an email from a local teacher that found some of my resources that were published on a wiki I maintained as a teacher. I felt it would be beneficial to compile these resources as they are still relevant and beneficial in setting up a structure for student led IEPS.

Developing a structure for deploying IEPs starts with understand the rationale for it. I wrote and published an article on this very topic that you can read at:

empowerment-through-engagement-implementing-student-led-ieps

Shortly after publishing the article, I presented at the National Quality in Education Conference on the topic. This presentation offers a step-by-step framework and timeline for engaging in this process. You can view it at:

NQEC Presentation

The first step in developing students that are self-advocates is for them to understand their individualized needs and the IEP document. I initially discussed this by reviewing a powerpoint that introduced students to their IEPS.

An Introduction to your IEP

I need to reinforce that I believe that students at all grade levels and with all levels of needs are capable of being involved in their IEP in some capacity. Whereas these materials were developed for 3-5th graders in a cross-categorical resource setting, I’ve also seen student led or student involved IEPs done at lower grade levels and with various abilities and/or behaviors. Ideas for replication and accommodation may include video recording, creation of an iMovie, or picture presentation developed prior to the IEP meeting.

Following the introduction presentation, I developed a scavenger hunt that students can use in conjunction with their IEP to locate components of the IEP and their needs. Over time, I had to modify it and have included a version both in word and in board maker depending on students’ needs. Students may also use the IEP Components IEP to review the various parts of their IEP as well as use it as a communication map or checklist when preparing for their Annual Review.

IEP+Scavenger+Hunt 

IEP Scavenger Hunt_Board Maker

IEP_Components_Lotus

Students in a classroom focused on student ownership and accountability provide multiple ways for students to track their goals and data. There are various resources to develop charts, graphs, and goal setting forms for students to maintain in a student data binder. These can be maintained digitally or on paper in a binder. Evernote and See Saw are just two apps that can be used to maintain student data binders on tablets. Below are various charts/graphs templates that can be edited and used for students to track their data.

IEP Goal Tracking

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Radar_Chart-Behavior

Radar_Chart-Generic

Radar Chart-Reading

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MAZE Scattergram

MCAP Scattergram

scattergram 2

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As students prepare for their Annual Review, a template is provided to ensure they review each vital and required part of the IEP. This includes collecting feedback from IEP team members (their parents, related services staff, and their general education teachers).

IEP_Presentation_Template

Accommodations-Think-Sheet

IEP Lotus_Parent Feedback

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To reflect on the IEP process, students can be involved in collecting and interpreting data related to the success of the IEP. Asking for feedback from parents and from the students also allows the case manager/special education teacher to determine areas of improvement for future annual reviews.

Post-IEP feedback form

Student Led IEP Survey

The student-led IEP process is on-going. It is designed for students to be engaged in throughout the year as they interact and monitor their goals, advocate for their needs, and share their growth with their IEP team. Once a new Annual Review is held, the process replicates itself as students begin tracking new and/or ongoing goals and sharing their progress. This process is also part of  a larger school wide focus on continuous improvement and the development of a classroom learning community for all students that includes development of mission statements, goals, and classroom meetings.

Classroom Meetings

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A component of the Dunlap School District’s Vision is to create students that are effective communicators and skilled collaborators. A key strategy in ensuring that vision comes to fruition is the development and implementation of classroom meetings.
Classroom Meetings are a vital part of any classroom learning community. It is the time of the day when the class comes together to set goals, problem solve, engage in critical thinking and hone their communication skills. Classroom Meetings can take many forms, but have key components.
In classroom meetings, students review their classroom mission and ground rules. They will reference their classroom data center and review any data that has been collected regarding classroom goals. In addition, students may review classroom feedback from a quality tool that has been placed in the classroom data center.
Key in any classroom meeting is student ownership, accountability and participation. Classroom meetings are best implemented when control is gradually released to students and then facilitated by students. The process may take teaching modeling as the class learns the process. Using the Optimal Learning Model of “I do, we do, you do” can aid in relinquishing control and ownership to students.
Once implemented completely, classroom meetings have several benefits. Students that participate in classroom meetings cite a more positive classroom learning environment, improved abilities to problem-solve and communicate, and analyze performance and growth on key goals.

 

Harris Poll Coming Soon

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Student, Parent and Staff Surveys Coming Soon!
As our school plans for the future, it is very important that we understand the experiences and opinions of our students, parents and staff. The Harris survey, a nationally recognized tool used to generate and measure educational improvements, will be administered for the second time in our district. This survey will be an opportunity for everyone to weigh in on a variety of factors that affect our children’s daily lives. The survey covers everything from the taste of the cafeteria food, to quality of education, to where we should put our resources in the future such as enhanced language and technology programming or perhaps something else you suggest.
Teachers will take the survey on April 17th while students will participate in the survey during the weeks of April 22nd and May 3rd. During the week of April 22nd, each family will receive a survey via US mail. The comments parents and guardians provide will help us understand what really matters most to you. Parent experiences with our school system (combined with student and staff survey input) will play a critical role in evaluating the quality of education and student experiences at our school. Our school will then prioritize issues and work on what you, your student and your student’s teachers have identified as most important via the survey. With that in mind, we ask that you complete and return the survey in the self-addressed, postage‐paid envelope no later than May 6th. Thanks for your involvement in improving your child’s future school experience!

DGS Hosts Visitors from California

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District Strategic Goal #4:

Create a satisfying and productive partnership with families and the community.

Dunlap Grade School hosted a team of 9 teachers and administrators from California on Friday afternoon. The team of teachers was seeking examples of the implementation of the continuous improvement classroom. As part of their tour, they observed a classroom meeting in 2P. The classroom meeting was facilitated by Mrs. Pitzer. She led students though a review of their classroom mission statement, ground rules, data, and Plus/Deltas. Students in 2P were fantastic examples of quality kids and the effective communication and skilled collaboration that occurs in our classroom learning communities at Dunlap Grade School.
Following the classroom meeting, the team toured DGS classrooms to view classroom data centers and data binders. We discussed the DGS building data center and the alignment of our building goals to the district strategic plan through the plan-on-a-page document. We then engaged the visitors with a presentation about driving our continuous improvement efforts through the alignment of the Building Leadership Teams, Professional Learning Communities, and Classroom Learning Communities.
We are proud to be able to show off all the wonderful and dynamic things going on at DGS with other teams. We are on our way to Greatness!

School Goals Update

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District Strategic Goal #1 is:

To continuously improve student growth and achievement.

 

The Building Leadership Team has created and monitored School Goals for the first semester.These goals are also located and tracked on our school data center just outside the office. You can now view our goals in real time athttp://www.dunlapcusd.net/dgs/SI/Pages/default.aspx

 

Our goals focus on school-wide behavior and reading comprehension. We have decreased the number of conduct tickets since the start of the school year. We are proud of our students for “Living the Norms” and following expectations. New visual reminders have been displayed through the school hallways and in bathrooms to encourage students to follow the ground rules and expectations.

 

Our reading comprehension goal is monitored using biweekly theme tests. The theme tests provide teachers information to adjust their instruction, differentiate for the needs of their students and gauge student learning and understanding of concepts. We are all trying to continuously improve student growth and achievement.

In his quote, Nivedita states,

“Assessment should be used not simply to judge how much kids know but to illuminate the nature of their knowledge and understandings in order to help kids learn…. Common sense tells us that on-going, classroom-based assessment can serve this purpose. Teachers interacting with students will observe the nuances of their cognitive growth and development over time, their individual strengths and weaknesses in ways that would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to capture through standardized or conventional testing alone.”

Niyogi, Nivedita S. 1995. The Intersection of Instruction and Assessment: The Classroom.