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Working with Parents in Special Education

“I think I treated parents like an obstacle without realizing it.”

Working in special education can be very rewarding. It can also be extremely challenging. One of the many reasons it can be challenging is working with parents.

Parents want the best for their kids – which is how it should be. Sometimes they have specific ideas about how that should look in a school setting. And sometimes those ideas turn into requests, or even demands, and conflict with what educators believe is appropriate for student support.

So, what happens then? Stressful calls. Tense IEP meetings. Strongly worded emails. Litigation.

In a recent podcast episode, three current and former administrators — two of them, parents of a student with special needs — share what they’ve learned from years of working with parents throughout the special education process.

 

Help parents understand the “lingo”

“Often times I’ve realized that the lingo that we use as educators, as administrators, is not something that people understand. We’re using all these big words about what’s wrong with their child, but not actually telling them in plain, simple English what the problem is.” – Sashi Gundala, Vice Principal

Don’t sacrifice clarity for positivity in your communication

“You say, ‘Well, this is where we are in September. Let’s continue to hold hands with the family, not just the child, and really help them to understand that the child’s struggles are not a source of shame or embarrassment. The child will make some progress, just maybe not at the rate and speed that the family had hoped, and that’s okay.’ I would say that that’s one of the most important things educators can do to work with families is to have some patience and understanding that this process is going to take a very, very long time, depending on the stage that you’re able to work with the family and intervene with the family.” – Dr. Christine Capaci, Director of Data Assessment and Accountability

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Admit when you don’t know the answer

“To say ‘I don’t know’ as a professional feels unprofessional. It feels like I should know everything, or I’m too new, but it’s an expression of vulnerability to get up in front of people with parents who you know might take what you say to a support group or the public, or might circle back and get to your boss. To say ‘I don’t know’ is an expression of vulnerability. And everybody has been there. So it’s a place for connection to say, ‘I don’t know. I’m sorry I don’t know. Let me get back to you.’” – Sam Hendrickson, former K-12 HR director

To say “I don’t know” is an expression of vulnerability. And everybody has been there. Everybody has not known something. #specialeducation

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Keep lines of communication open

“[Consider] offering workshops and meeting places for parents. Just invite them, have your CST team talk to these parents and educate them, and tell them about the process and what is going on, and even what their rights are, what they can get from the state, how the school is helping.” – Sashi Gundala

“Honestly speaking, schools do a lot … it’s just that sometimes it doesn’t reach the parents in the right manner … They don’t see everything else that is being done [for their child].”

Address fear instead of anger

“[Special education] is a difficult emotional journey for the parents. And from the point of diagnosis until the time that the appropriate program that’s making differences is in place, there’s a lot of time that goes by.”

“Parents would come and say things like, ‘I would like my child to have an augmentative device. I want my child to have a [one-on-one] aide. I want my child to have speech therapy by themselves and not in a group. I know you do it with other kids. I want it for my child, too.’ … And what was happening, I believe, was that [the parents were] coming in angry. Underneath all of that is fear.” – Sam Hendrickson

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Project Management Should Be Part of Your ERP Selection Choice

When searching for new ERP software, there are many factors to consider, like company experience, customer recommendations, desired features, and product infrastructure. One of the factors that may get overlooked but is essential to a smooth transition is project management. We all know that implementations are complex. There are so many moving parts, it can be challenging to ensure that there is consensus among the team and all tasks are completed on time.

In the Challenges and Best Practices of Managing Government Projects and Programs study of public projects and programs from diverse sectors, two of the six key recommendations were using mandated project management processes and engaging stakeholders. The research found that the application of project management practices positively affects the outcome of government projects.

You need to reduce resistance to change

People at all levels of the school district – from budget managers and warehouse supervisors to payroll technicians and school principals – need to feel like they are part of the process. The best way to keep people engaged is through purposeful communication. By communicating all aspects of the coming implementation, school business employees have the opportunity to become champions and stakeholders.

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During the initiating stage of a project, the most important task is for everyone to understand and agree upon the project. Standard project management practices ensure that communication is clear and accountable. Two common project management deliverables are the Project Charter and the Communications Plan.

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Using a Project Charter – which outlines the scope of the project – stakeholders can see the entire plan in a single document, detailing the project goals, scope, assumptions, and constraints. A companion of the Project Charter is the Communications Plan – which defines how communication in the project will be handled, including regularly scheduled meetings and milestone reviews. During the planning stage, the Communications Plan provides a stable set of expectations, resulting in a smoother transition and more cooperation from all of the players in a school district.

If people don’t know what changes are coming, they may resist. Clear communication is an agent for encouraging acceptance and cooperation.

If people don’t know what changes are coming, they may resist. Clear communication is an agent for encouraging acceptance and cooperation.

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You need to keep everyone on track

Now that you have the buy-in, you need to execute and control the implementation process. Of course, you haven’t stopped communicating. At the beginning of the project, industry-standard project management protocols call for a Kick-off Meeting where an overview of the project is presented to all stakeholders. The Kick-off Meeting and the presentation of the project plan gives everyone the opportunity to ask questions about the project, anticipate how it will affect them, and understand how the project will be managed.

At the meeting, the Project Management team, which has representatives from the software vendor and the school district, can present the timeline and incremental milestones to the entire district. Gantt charts are a common project management tool for managing the timeline. Yes, they can be intimidating, but they are a great visual tool to ensure that overlapping priorities can be achieved in a timely manner. Using Gantt charts (or any other illustrative project scheduling tool) and project plans, everyone can visualize the tasks and dependencies required to achieve the goal of the project.

When people have assigned tasks with reasonable deadlines and accountability, they are more likely to meet the challenges of the project with a positive and productive attitude.

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You need a company that has a proven record

The beauty of project management is that it is repeatable and effective. Research shows that it works. Companies that use industry-standard project management practices are going to have the processes in place that are more likely to result in an implementation that is on schedule and positively received. When looking for new software, especially for projects as large as ERP replacement, confirming that project management is in place – with all six stages: Project Launch, Requirements & Data Gathering, Configuration, Rollout, Go Live and Project Close Out – safeguards your project timelines and increases the likelihood of smooth transition.

Young Hoon Kwak, P. M. L. (2014). Challenges and Best Practices of Managing Government Projects and Programs to the Theory and Practices. https://www.pmi.org/-/media/pmi/documents/public/pdf/research/research-summaries/kwak_challenges-and-best-practices-of-govt-projects.pdf

Teacher Recruitment Strategies: Tried-and-True Ways to Build Your Applicant Pool

 

 
The next generation of teachers will be entering the teaching workforce before we know it. For those with a classroom waiting for them after graduation, the fun is only just beginning. Others might be spending an entire summer still searching for job postings — are they finding yours?

Read on to see if your teacher recruiting strategies make your postings visible to job-seekers in the right places.

Table of Contents

Recruit Where the Candidates Are

Teachers look for jobs on the internet first.

One thing is for sure: job-seekers are turning to the internet first. Teachers report checking job boards daily for new postings and combing through district websites to find openings.

What teachers say:

  • “To find openings, I checked my state’s job service website multiple times a week (every 1-2 days!).”
  • “K12JobSpot is a site I visit daily. I also made a spreadsheet with all the districts I’m willing to drive out to, and found direct links to their employment page. I check those every day and apply if anything is up!”
  • Of course, teachers have to find your school district before they can look through your employment pages. One teacher wrote, “I live in a somewhat rural area and have done teacher recruitment days, as well as an ole’ fashioned google search of ‘schools in my county, my state.’”

What this means for you:

  • It’s more important than ever that your district can easily be found online, so invest in developing your district’s brand as an employer.

Teacher job fairs are still a good bet.

The Internet might be beloved by job-seekers for sheer convenience and accessibility, but that doesn’t mean that job hunting has gone exclusively digital. In-person job fairs are still popular with new and veteran teachers alike.

What teachers say:

  • “I applied in probably 10-15 districts and went to 2 different job fairs.”
  • “Your best bet is to look at job fairs. Districts will go to them out of state if they need to fill lots of spots.”

What this means for you:

  • Recruiting teachers at career fairs is still a viable way to find candidates. You’re able to market your district exactly the way you want to a wide pool of motivated job-seekers, show off why your district is a fantastic place to work and meet with interested candidates face-to-face.

Networking is still a reliable teacher recruitment technique.

Any post about where educators find their first teaching job would be incomplete without the time-honored tradition of finding careers through student or substitute teaching. It’s a good way for new teachers to get their foot in the door through networking, while gaining valuable experience in the classroom.

What teachers say:

  • “Your best bet is to substitute if you haven’t already been. That’s how quite a few people I know got jobs in areas without large demand.”
  • “Even if you don’t get hired right away, subbing gives you a lot of good experience as a teacher, especially if you place effort to actually teach the kids instead of sitting back and watching them chat. You’ll not only network but you’ll get experience in the actual classroom, which will make it less daunting for your first year teaching.”

What this means for you:

  • Keep building those existing relationships with your student teachers and substitutes — they could be wonderful full-time teachers in the future. When it comes to your substitute pool in particular, you can help grow their classroom skills with professional development opportunities and encourage full-time teachers to leave substitutes constructive feedback after an absence. Not only does this help them become better educators, but shows that your district invests in its people and their growth.

Make sure to remove obstacles in the application process.

No matter how an applicant finds your district, you can be sure that you’re not the only one receiving their resume. Many teachers said they sent out resumes and applications to dozens of districts (or more), as if they were taking a page out of Oprah’s playbook — “You get an application, and you get an application, everyone gets an application!”

What teachers say:

  • “I sent out to over 100 districts.”
  • “I sent a cover letter and resume to every one of the 125 school districts on Long Island. Then I sent one to the Archdiocese of NYC and to every Catholic high school on Long Island.”
  • “I sent out about 40 resumes (and this is for music = not many jobs)”
  • “My suggestion is to apply to anything and everything. You don’t have the room to be picky. I did that, and am sure I applied to 60+ jobs.”
  • “Here’s my advice. Apply everywhere.”

What this means for you:

  • When job applications are pouring in, make sure you have a system to help you stay afloat. You need to be able to easily collect and store the resumes coming in (without them cluttering up your desk), sort through them, painlessly find candidates with the most potential and keep all of their materials together. Find a way to make the entire process work for you with online applicant tracking software — otherwise, hiring is going to take over your every waking moment.

 

Innovative Teacher Recruitment Strategies Every School Can Use

The news is full of districts coming up with innovative ways to attract new educators. Some build housing, offer sizeable signing bonuses or help new teachers pay off student loans.

Some of these strategies take a while to take full effect — like “Grow Your Own” programs, which focus on supporting current non-teaching staff in a journey to becoming credentialed teachers. Other districts focus on co-curricular career pathways (like Educators Rising) to help secondary school students prepare for a future in teaching. This goes beyond teacher recruiting — districts will need to also take a more holistic approach to developing and retaining their current employees to keep the best teachers in their classrooms.

But not every district has the resources for those kinds of incentives. Luckily, there are ways to ensure deeper applicant pools for every position.

Start recruiting and hiring teachers early.

When is the best time to start recruiting teachers?

Trick question — it’s always a good time to build your applicant pool.

Instead of waiting for candidates to come to you, consider proactively recruiting applicants. Keep in mind that the best teachers do tend to be hired early in the spring, so it’s a good idea to move your hiring timeline up as much as possible. You’ll be the early bird who gets the worm, plus you’ll have less end-of-summer stress caused by unfilled positions as the school year approaches.

Create compelling recruitment materials.

What makes great teachers want to work in your school? Invest in a well-designed district website to attract new applicants and show off the many reasons why teachers should want to work with you. Recruitment is all about marketing your district, so make sure you have a compelling message to reach potential candidates.

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Modernize (and customize) your teacher recruiting practices.

Still using newspaper classifieds? Today’s job-seekers look for positions online, so consider advertising jobs on high-volume websites like K12Jobspot.

Recruiting online lets you reach more teachers, even those out of state. And although it’s often said that about 60 percent of teachers work within 20 miles of where they went to high school, this may be changing. Millennials — the youngest generation of teachers —are far more likely to relocate for a job, with 85 percent saying they are willing to move to a new city for work.

They’re also the most likely to seek out new jobs online, making online teacher recruiting a sound strategy for any district. So, focus your recruitment efforts online, and make an effort to proactively reach out to the most qualified educators. Having the right tools can save you time by automating recruitment campaigns — there’s no need to spend hours individually writing and sending messages to each potential candidate.

Building a strong applicant pool is like making a masterpiece out of LEGO: it will take some creativity and time, and you need to make sure you have all the right pieces. But it’s all worth it when you find the right teachers who, like LEGO, will “inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow.”

Use Data to Set & Reach Your Teacher Hiring Goals

Across your district, teachers and principals are using data to set goals and evaluate their performance, so finding the best and brightest teachers for your district should be no different.

But by setting aside time to establish goals, you’ll have the structure you need to develop an effective strategy for continual improvement.

So, what goals should you set to complete the recruiting and hiring process?

Step 1: Gather hiring data

The most actionable goals are based on a thorough review of your district’s data. So, you will need to pull together your recruiting and hiring data. If you have the right software, this is a breeze.

But if not, this could be the hardest part of goal-setting — if your hiring process is based on paper, you will have some difficulty getting the full picture of your district’s trends. Or, if you manage your hiring through an inefficient HRIS system, you may need to get in touch with your IT department to export the data.

In any case, gather as much recruiting and hiring data as possible. Without this step, you might be able to come up with objectives, but you’ll be ill-equipped to track your progress toward them.

You may want to take a few minutes to reflect on this data-gathering process. If you had any difficulty accessing the data you need, or find any inaccuracies or gaps, consider setting a goal to make your data more visible and easier to use.

Step 2: Ask the right questions

Look closely at your district’s data and look for patterns. It may be most helpful to look for changes over the past several years and year-over-year trends, if the data is available. If not, it’s perfectly fine to start with the past year.

Ask yourself:

  • Which data points are surprising to you?
  • Why do you think the data shows one trend or another?
  • What improvements would you like to see?

Don’t forget to recognize and celebrate where you are doing well already.

A few specific areas to consider, and questions to ask:

New hires & applicant pools

Look closely at who your district has hired. What do you notice about the population of new teachers? Is this what you would expect to see? Were you able to fill all of your open positions, or are still some waiting for the right candidate to come along?

Next, compare your new hire data to your applicant pool and note any differences you see. You may want to examine whether new hires disproportionately come from any particular recruitment channel, or if they tend to have a certain experience in common. For example, do word-of-mouth referrals represent a disproportionately large percentage of new hires? Or do you tend to hire heavily from your substitute teacher pool, or educators who started out as student teachers in your district?

You may also want to look at the volume of high-quality candidates, particularly by subject areas.

  • Did you have enough high-quality applicants to select from overall?
  • What about for shortage-prone positions like Special Education, STEM or speech pathology?
  • And are you confident that the best candidates were hired, or is it possible that some may have slipped through the cracks?

For even better insight, take a look at retention rates for last year’s new hires, benchmarked against your overall retention rate. This will give you a better idea of how well your hiring process selects candidates who fit into the school culture.

The hiring timeline

The next step is exploring metrics like time-to-hire, and when most candidates were hired. By looking at how long it takes to fill most vacancies, you may be able to identify inefficient processes that hold up the hiring process. And by identifying which positions take the longest to fill, you’ll know where to put more of your teacher recruitment resources.

Plus, you’ll be able to determine how early in the year you should start hiring to have positions filled. Remember that hiring late in the year means less-qualified applicant pools, so if most of your jobs are filled in late July and August, you could be missing out on the most talented candidates.

Dig into what could be causing jobs to not be posted until late summer. How can you predict staffing needs more accurately?

The applicant experience

Finally, you may want to gather input from individuals involved in hiring, from your new hires to principals. Consider sending out a survey asking new hires for feedback on the application and hiring process. For principals, consider sending a survey asking for their opinion on the quality of the applicant pool and the hiring process itself — were they satisfied with the level of support they received from Human Resources? Did they notice any inefficiencies that could be addressed?

Gathering feedback from those involved in hiring across the district allows you to go beyond hiring data alone and understand how others perceive the process. Plus, it fosters collaboration and engagement by showing that you care about their experience. And in the end, it will help you provide a more positive experience for applicants and administrators alike.

Step 3: Set preliminary goals and actions

After working your way through the data, determine what your district needs to focus on for the upcoming year and set objective, clearly-defined goals that are aligned to those areas of improvement. These should be realistic — it’s good to have a few “stretch” goals, but ultimately, all of your objectives should be achievable. If you currently receive 40 applications a year for hard-to-staff positions across the district, don’t set a goal of having 250 next year.

A reasonable number of feasible goals will give you the structure you need to develop effective, targeted strategies, without overwhelming yourself or your colleagues.

Lay out your recruiting and hiring goals for the coming year and build a framework for a strategy to help you improve on those metrics and meet your goals. The more integrated that strategy is, the more effectively you’ll be able to improve your hiring across the board with less effort. But don’t stop there — to really ensure success, think about your goals forward and backward.

Thinking forward comes naturally: I want X, so I will implement Y strategy to get there. Thinking backwards — or inverting the problem — means asking yourself, What would prevent me from reaching my goal? What should I do to make sure those things don’t happen? You might realize that your district is inadvertently doing something that holds your recruitment and hiring processes back. Then, you can make a change and ensure that nothing stands between you and your goals.

For example, if your goal is to find more applicants, you could “think forward” by allocating more time and money to attending more job fairs, both locally and out-of-state. But by “thinking backward” you might realize that plenty more job-seekers might apply to your district, if only your application process were more applicant-friendly. By no longer requiring job-seekers to apply in-person or send a thick packet through snail mail, you may find that more qualified educators apply to work in the district.

Step 4: Track your progress

After implementing any changes to your hiring process or strategy, the next step is to continually monitor your data. Don’t let yourself be surprised at the end of the year — you’re more likely to meet your goals when you can track your progress toward them and adjust course as needed.

This step shouldn’t be a burden, either. Just like you expect educators to embed data into their daily work, set aside 5-10 minutes once a week to check in on your progress. Even if the rest of your day is consumed by putting out fires and you don’t have time to immediately act on the data, you’ll be in a better position to stay on top of what’s happening in the district.

By setting goals based on your district’s hiring trends and tracking your progress against them, you’ll be able to strategically improve your teacher recruiting and hiring strategies.

Top 5 FERPA & HIPAA Misconceptions for Schools

We live in an age filled with threats to student privacy. As an important member of your school community, you’re a defender of that privacy. And that role comes with a great deal of responsibility. Part of your responsibility is understanding two primary laws that protect against the unlawful disclosure of personal and health information: the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule.

These laws are complex and often misunderstood – which can lead to stress in school employees and can put your students and district at risk.

As an education law attorney representing schools, I help clarify many FERPA and HIPAA misconceptions that keep school personnel up at night.

Here are the top five misconceptions about FERPA and HIPAA that I regularly address in my work with schools.

1. “HIPAA applies to schools.”

Nope. 

Educators worry about the confidentiality of all student information, particularly the data relied upon in developing and implementing IEPs and Section 504 plans, often on account of “HIPAA” protection concerning diagnostic and medical records. Such concern is helpful and motivating, because virtually all information regarding students – certainly doctor notes and evaluations – are protected from disclosure and review by anyone without “legitimate educational interests.”

But those protections are not because of HIPAA.

HIPAA, the “Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996,” restricts the access, use and disclosure of “protected health information” maintained by “covered entities.” These entities are typically health plans, health-care clearinghouses, and health-care providers. That means that your school is not a covered entity, unless you’re providing “health care,” like through a free clinic or other service beyond a day-to-day school nurse.

So, stop worrying about HIPAA. But pay attention to FERPA and your state’s student record laws and regulations.

 

 

2. “We can’t call the doctor who wrote the student note without a signed release.”

That depends on who’s talking and what they’re sharing.

FERPA, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (also known as the “Buckley Amendment”), ensures access by parents and students and protects against the non-approved disclosure of “personally identifiable information” about students. That information includes virtually all information you collect and maintain on an enrolled student, certainly including the contents of the special education and Section 504 files.

But when you call a doctor to confirm that she authored a note that your Section 504 committee is considering, or to ask a question about a diagnosis for purposes of IEP drafting, or to confirm a medically excused absence, usually you’re not sharing information about the student. You are not disclosing “personally identifiable information” protected by FERPA. Rather, you’re asking for information from the doctor or the doctor’s office. A parent, guardian, or adult student need not permit you to call the doctor. You have that right.

A release needed here, if any, is to be secured by the doctor from the parents/guardians, since any information shared is likely “health information” shared from the health provider to the school ― the school isn’t sharing information about the student.

Any release needed is up to the doctor to determine. You can make your call, and ask relevant questions, so long as that conversation is a one-way street.

 

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3. “Parents have access to all documents that mention their student.”

Well, most documents, but actually ― not all.

Records that are kept in the “sole possession” of the maker, and not shared with any other person, are not considered “education records” under FERPA, regardless of the nature of the information they contain. This means that notes kept by a teacher, or a related service provider, regarding the implementation of modifications and/or accommodations, or notes kept by persons attending IEP team or Section 504 meetings, so long as not shared with or accessible by others, are not covered by FERPA.

Since this information is not considered to be FERPA-protected “education records,” it is not automatically accessible by parents.

Keep in mind though, those documents likely become education records if shared with colleagues or kept in a folder or file that is accessible by others. The information must be kept in the “sole possession” of the maker and maintained as confidential and not shared with others in order to remain outside of FERPA’s mandates.

 

4. “FERPA prohibits paraprofessionals/teacher aides from seeing IEPs and Section 504 plans.”

That’s probably not right.

FERPA prohibits the disclosure of personally identifiable information regarding students contained in education records by schools to third-parties without written consent (typically provided by parent or guardian).

But FERPA does not require written consent when “school officials” with “legitimate educational interest” review student records. Such access does not require prior notice to parents or guardians, other than the usual, annual FERPA notice provided by schools.

So, who are “school officials” with authority to review this information? And what is a “legitimate educational interest?” These terms are not defined by the law. Schools are required to define them in policy or regulation, and that information needs to be noted in the annual notice.

Typically, these terms may be defined by asking the question, “What’s the need to know?” or “What’s the job duty?” that requires access to the information?

If the answer involves the delivery of instruction, or the implementation of modifications or accommodations or related service provided in an IEP or Section 504 plan, then access to the record is likely permissible.

However, if the answer is curiosity, or some purpose unrelated to education, access is prohibited.

Which brings us to the paraprofessional or aide. Does that individual need to review an IEP or Section 504 plan to implement his or her responsibilities under that document? May the para be trained in some other way? May you simply provide a list of responsibilities? What’s best practice? What’s the consistent practice of the school?

The point is ― there is no blanket rule under FERPA (or otherwise) that “non-certificated” personnel have less authority to access student records. And that’s a good thing, because paras have similar ownership of IEP and Section 504 plans. They are valued members of our teams and should be treated as such.

 

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5. “Students can’t see other students’ grades under FERPA.”

That depends on who’s grading.

Typically, grades are “personally identifiable information” set forth in education records which are protected from unauthorized disclosure under FERPA. But in the seminal case of Owasso Independent School District v. Falvo, 534 U.S. 426 (2002), the United States Supreme Court held (in favor of a school district) that students scoring each other’s tests and calling out the grades does not violate FERPA. The Court found that those grades were “pre” grade book and not yet within education records, thus not protected. (To the relief of elementary teachers nation-wide.)

So, the practice of “peer grading” is acceptable. But don’t interpret that to mean that teachers may disclose student grades without consent. Because they cannot. Once a teacher is in possession of a grade, it becomes a protected education record. That information may be shared with parental consent, like through the publication of an honor roll, or sharing records with another school — and as discussed above, those with “legitimate” purpose internally may review the grades. But absent those circumstances, the information is protected.

 

In Summary

Remember to reflect on “Why?” and “Who?” and “What?” regarding student information. And remember to consider the purpose of external communications. FERPA and HIPAA exist primarily to ensure access to information and to protect against the disclosure of that information to persons without the need to know. Be careful out there.

3-Step System to Identify Social, Emotional & Behavioral Issues Sooner

The primary purpose of schools is to educate. At times however, students display challenging behaviors or significant social-emotional concerns that interfere with their learning. In such cases, our goal as educators, counselors and service providers is to identify who those students are and match them to appropriate behavioral or social-emotional interventions. To do that, we need to build bridges across classrooms and roles – and an RTI/MTSS model can be a powerful way to meet this goal.

But for many schools, a major roadblock interferes with their ability to find and help students with behavior issues: the lack of timely, targeted, shared behavioral information across departments and specialties.

This 3-step approach (with examples) can help your school build a system that empowers educators, counselors and other specialists to efficiently collect and interpret behavioral data to find students who most need intervention:

  1. The school establishes an RTI/MTSS-Behavior Problem Solving Team
  2. Members of that Team develop a proactive, school-wide protocol for behavioral screening
  3. The Team adopts a regimen to analyze local behavioral ‘early warning’ data such as attendance and disciplinary referrals. Of course, this process requires close collaboration and communication among all staff.

Let’s break down each step into manageable pieces.

Step 1: Establish “Command and Control” – Your RTI/MTSS-Behavior Problem-Solving Team

The initial step in developing a school-wide system to flag students who need behavioral supports is to establish an RTI/MTSS-Behavior Problem-Solving Team (RTI/MTSS Team). This multi-disciplinary group is composed primarily of school personnel who play a role in identifying and/or providing services for students at risk because of behavioral or social-emotional issues. RTI/MTSS Team membership might include (but is not restricted to):

  • School counselor
  • School psychologist
  • School social worker
  • Special education teacher
  • Administrator
  • School nurse

The RTI/MTSS Team should meet on a regular basis – ideally, weekly – to allow them to quickly schedule meetings for students in crisis who need customized intervention plans.

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Although the chief function of the RTI/MTSS Team is to develop and monitor individual behavioral interventions, the Team is also the logical group to establish centralized ‘command and control’ over how student behavioral data is collected and used throughout the building. Specifically, the Team collectively has the expertise to design a school-wide behavioral ‘at-risk’ screening regimen (as explained in Step 2) and to develop a system to monitor building behavior data sources (e.g., attendance, Office Disciplinary Referrals) to find students eligible for Tier 2/3 services (as described in Step 3).

RTI/MTSS Behavior Scenario:

Work Avoidance: Alice often finds excuses to leave her math class and misses substantial amounts of instruction. Her math teacher, Mr. Garbarino, requires that students who leave the classroom during instruction for any reason must sign out and sign back in on return.

Reviewing these daily sign-out sheets one Friday, Mr. Garbarino notes Alice’s frequent absences during math lessons and decides to conference with the student to find out the reason. Alice is evasive in her responses, so her teacher then talks with her school counselor about Alice’s trips from the classroom. Based on the sign-out log documenting her classroom absences and a follow-up conversation between the counselor and Alice, the RTI/MTSS Team decides to place the student in a school-wide mentoring program to help Alice to increase her confidence and performance in math.

 

Step 2: Predict Risk – School-Wide Behavioral Screening

A proactive approach to finding students who would benefit from Tier 2/3 behavioral supports is to screen the entire school population at several points during the school year (i.e., fall, winter, spring). The RTI/MTSS Team can be given responsibility to select methods for screening students and develop procedures to conduct these building-wide behavioral screenings. The two most frequently used sources of RTI/MTSS-behavior screening information, teacher nomination and behavioral screening tools, are described in the table below.

A signal advantage of a building-wide RTI/MTSS system to screen for at-risk learners is that it allows all appropriate school personnel to access the extensive repository of knowledge that teachers typically have of student behaviors. Tapping this teacher behavioral information can often result in at-risk individuals being flagged for Tier 2/3 behavioral support before their problem behaviors escalate to serious levels.

Behavioral/Social-Emotional Schoolwide Screening: Data Sources

Teacher Nomination. Teachers and other school staff are an important referral source for mental-health services. In the classroom, students are expected to engage in schoolwork, follow rules for appropriate conduct and get along with peers . Teachers are well-placed to identify those students who struggle in any of these areas of behavioral functioning. Schools can simply direct instructional staff to flag and refer students whose behavior is of concern. However, teachers can increase the reliability of their RTI/MTSS-behavior referrals when they are first trained to recognize internalizing (e.g., depression; anxiety) and externalizing (e.g., inattentive/hyperactive; non-compliant) behavior problems.

Behavioral Questionnaires. Schools can purchase brief mental-health screening questionnaires that teachers can complete for all students. Depending on the product, these questionnaires may be print-based or computer-administered. While the majority of such RTI/MTSS-behavior screening tools are to be completed by instructional staff, versions also exist for student self-report and even parent report. Schools can review a range of potential behavior screeners listed on the National Center on Intensive Intervention behavioral screener and behavioral progress-monitoring tools chart pages.

A strength of these norm-referenced rating instruments is that any student’s results can be compared to published norms to determine whether that student is at elevated risk for social-emotional and/or behavior problems. One potential drawback of universal screening with these instruments is that teachers find themselves completing questionnaires for many students about whom they have no concerns.

Multi-Gate Screening: Teacher Nomination and Questionnaires. An approach that can substantially reduce teacher effort while still realizing the full benefit of school-wide behavioral screening is to combine teacher nomination and clinical questionnaires in a multi-step/“multi-gate” process.

In the first step (gate 1), every teacher is asked to nominate up to 3 students in their class/section with possible internalizing and up to 3 with possible externalizing behavior concerns. In the next step (gate 2), teachers complete brief, clinical behavior-rating questionnaires for only those students they previously nominated. In the final step (gate 3), mental-health staff (e.g., counselors, psychologists) complete classroom observations of those students scoring in the significant range on the behavioral questionnaire, both to verify the need for Tier 2/3 supports and to match these students to appropriate services.

RTI/MTSS Behavior Scenario:

Non-Compliance: Jake is a ‘frequent flier’ in the in-school Suspension Room. His school runs a report every 5 weeks summarizing student Office Disciplinary Referrals (ODRs) throughout the building. On the most recent ODR report, Jake is identified as presenting significant challenging behaviors.

An analysis of teacher comments on his ODRs shows that Jake fails to comply with teacher requests or complete work across multiple classrooms, a pattern confirmed in conversations with his instructors. On the strength of both his frequent ODRs and teacher feedback, Jake is referred to the RTI/MTSS Team, which coaches his instructors to use positive-communication tools to increase Jake’s compliance and academic engagement.

Step 3: Look for Patterns – Archival Behavioral Data

In addition to school-wide screenings, the RTI/MTSS Team has another option to locate students in need of behavioral interventions: they can monitor an ongoing stream of local, building-level, archival data that can reliably identify individuals with emerging social-emotional or behavioral problems1. These data sources (Office Disciplinary Referrals, attendance, non-ODR classroom removals) are described in the table below.

Does your school use these 3 data sources to monitor social, emotional & behavioral health?

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Archival Behavioral Information: Data Sources

Attendance. A student’s record of attendance is not a direct behavioral measure. However, frequent absences may correlate with academic underperformance and can be a red flag for social-emotional concerns such as school avoidance or lack of academic engagement. Ideally, schools have the capacity to record absences or late arrivals (skips and tardies) by class period, as well as full-day absences.

Office Disciplinary Referrals. In most schools, when a student is sent from the classroom for disciplinary reasons, the teacher also writes up an accompanying Office Disciplinary Referral (ODR) . The ODR is a form completed electronically or by hand that provides specific information about the behavioral incident resulting in the student being removed to be disciplined.

Schools can increase the quality of the behavioral data supplied by ODRs by including prompts on the ODR form for the referring educator to describe factors related to the problem-behavior incident such as possible triggering events, duration of the problem situation, steps taken by the teacher to deescalate the situation, etc.

Important factors that impact the quality of ODR data are the reliability of staff in completing ODRs for each significant disciplinary incident and the school’s ability rapidly to enter ODRs into an electronic database to allow these records to be easily reviewed, sorted and analyzed.

Non-ODR Class Removals/Absences. Although ODRs document when students are sent from the classroom for disciplinary reasons, it often happens in schools that other types of classroom removal or absence occur quite frequently yet are not reliably documented.

Examples include students who are sent to a neighboring classroom or to stand in the hall for a short time-out, directed to visit a counselor to calm down after an emotional outburst, or fail to return to class after a restroom break.

Students with a high number of classroom removals or self-initiated absences are more likely than peers to have social-emotional or behavior problems — and may also be at increased risk for academic failure because they are missing large amounts of instruction. One way that schools can track incidents of classroom removal/absence is by having students sign themselves out when leaving the classroom in mid-session and sign back in when returning to the room. (For younger children, adults can sign students out from and back into the classroom.)

The RTI/MTSS Team can harness the archival data sources presented here to serve as the equivalent of a local behavioral screener by creating an Archival Data Behavior Response Matrix:

The figure Archival Data Example: RTI/MTSS Behavior Response Matrix for ODRs in shows how disciplinary referrals can be used to identify and respond to students at risk.

The RTI/MTSS Team assembles the Matrix in 3 stages:

  1. Decide on Frequency of Analysis. The RTI/MTSS Team agrees to analyze each data source at a fixed frequency during the school year (a recommended frequency is every 5 instructional weeks).
  2. Set a Risk Threshold. For each data source, the Team sets a threshold that defines a student as being at risk. For example, the Team may decide that any student receiving 3 or more ODRs in a 5-week period should receive RTI/MTSS attention.
  3. Select the Appropriate RTI/MTSS Actions. The RTI/MTSS Team decides on the appropriate action(s) to take when a student is flagged as at-risk using local data. For example, when a student is identified as having exceeded the threshold of ODRs during the first 5-week check-up period of the school year, the RTI/MTSS ‘next step’ may be to convene a problem-solving conference with the student. If the same student is flagged again in the next 5-week check-up, the school may arrange a parent-student conference. If the same student is identified yet a third time in succession for ODRs, the school may decide that the RTI/MTSS Team will hold a problem-solving meeting and invite student and parent.

Tapping #teacher behavioral information can result in at-risk #students being flagged for Tier 2/3 behavioral support before their problem behaviors escalate. #RTI #MTSS

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The goal of the RTI/MTSS Team is to efficiently monitor in ‘real time’ current levels of student attendance, ODRs and additional classroom removals/absences across the school, and to then respond appropriately as outlined in the Response Matrix. By monitoring and positively responding to behavioral archival data, the Team is more likely to note and effectively address emerging behavior problems before they cascade out of control.

RTI/MTSS Behavior Scenario:

Anxiety: Leroy’s anxiety about classwork undermines his academic performance, especially on tests. Three times during the school year, Leroy’s school asks teachers to identify any students who display concerning levels of problem behavior or social/emotional difficulties. Both his English and chemistry teachers flag Leroy because of his observed anxious behavior and the student’s comments about how anxiety interferes with test-taking. To assess the magnitude of Leroy’s anxiety symptoms, these two teachers are then asked to complete a brief questionnaire rating the severity of his behaviors. According to both teachers, Leroy falls within the ‘clinically significant’ range on this rating form.

Additionally, the school nurse confirms that Leroy has stopped by her office at several times during the school year to report an upset stomach, which she believes to be related to his anxiety. Based on teacher identification, results of the behavior-rating questionnaire, and corroborating information from the nurse, the RTI/MTSS Team decides to place the student in brief (6-session) counseling with the school psychologist to work on reducing and managing his anxiety on high-stakes tests.

Transform Your RTI/MTSS-Behavior System: The Power of Data

The most pressing objective for schools is to develop sources of behavioral data that will quickly and accurately identify students in need of intervention support. Over time however, the RTI/MTSS Team is also likely to discover that school-wide behavioral screenings and local archival data provide a positive-feedback loop with the potential to make that Team’s behavioral service delivery increasingly efficient, targeted and effective. For example, repeated analysis of building-wide behavioral data can give schools the new-found ability to spot emerging negative trends (e.g., individual classrooms with high rates of office referrals, significant numbers of students with serious anxiety issues) and to put supports in place to reverse those trends.

When an RTI/MTSS Team builds a system that delivers timely and targeted behavioral data on at-risk students, the results over time can be truly transformative.

Imagine having one place to document all visits/encounters a student has with nurses, counselors and mental health staff? Then be able to access real-time data and insights to make informed decisions about student care. See what’s possible with Healthmaster, now part of Frontline Education. .

[1] McIntosh, K., Chard, D. J., Bolan, J. B., & Horner, R. H. (2006). Demonstration of combined efforts in school-wide academic and behavioral systems and incidence of reading and behavior challenges in early elementary grades. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 8(3), 146-154.

[2] Grosche, M., & Volpe, R. J. (2013). Response-to-intervention (RTI) as a model to facilitate inclusion for students with learning and behaviour problems. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 28, 254-269.

[3] Grosche, M., & Volpe, R. J. (2013). Response-to-intervention (RTI) as a model to facilitate inclusion for students with learning and behaviour problems. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 28, 254-269.

[4] McIntosh, K., Chard, D. J., Bolan, J. B., & Horner, R. H. (2006). Demonstration of combined efforts in school-wide academic and behavioral systems and incidence of reading and behavior challenges in early elementary grades. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 8(3), 146-154.

[5] McIntosh, K., Chard, D. J., Bolan, J. B., & Horner, R. H. (2006). Demonstration of combined efforts in school-wide academic and behavioral systems and incidence of reading and behavior challenges in early elementary grades. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 8(3), 146-154.

Quiz: Which generation are you? (based on your work style)

Maybe you’ve been in your role for a while now, but also happen to love avocado toast. Or perhaps you’re a millennial who prefers to text in full sentences with punctuation. Do you ever think, I must have been born in the wrong generation…?

Let’s find out with a short quiz, shall we?

 

Most likely, your result is that you have qualities from each generation. In this episode of the Field Trip podcast, a Millennial and a Gen X-er sit down to dive in to the nuance between generations, and the opportunities to learn from members of each.

“Whatever generation you’re talking to, they just want to know that their opinion is valued, that their work is valued and that they’re part of the organization. Everything else is sort of secondary. Because if they don’t feel that, then any efforts you do are going to be wasted.”

 Ian Halperin, Executive Director of Community Relations, Wylie ISD

Whether you’re an HR director or a state reporting officer, chances are you work with other generations. This episode is for anyone who wants to improve collaboration among generations, and anyone who is curious about how intergenerational collaboration matters to school culture, hiring and retention.

However tempting it might be to lean on stereotypes for clarity, more often than not that only leads to a limited understanding of person.

Do you enjoy hearing how other school districts are solving the problems that you’re facing?

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Are Teacher Evaluations and a Growth Mindset Mutually Exclusive?

 

During a webinar hosted by Frontline, one attendee asked a striking question about the positive or negative power of teacher evaluations:

“Wouldn’t the process of giving feedback, which is, really, criticizing through performance evaluation processes, conflict with the promotion of a growth mindset? Given what is known about the negative effects of performance evaluation, could it be claimed that these hierarchical and outdated management practices may in fact promote a fixed mindset in adults?”

This is a great point. It calls on educators to examine the practices designed around teacher evaluations. Do your administrative practices reflect a fixed mindset, in which you approach evaluations as simply boxes to check off, work to complete?

Culture is essential to a growth mindset. If as a leader in your organization, you model a fixed mindset in how you approach evaluations, then yes, that could influence the mindset your teachers bring to their own practice. However, it is possible to take a formal process like performance evaluation and mold it into a growth-focused practice.

Two areas to consider when doing so:

Foster Personalized and Reflective Goal-Setting

As part of the formal evaluation process, ask yourself some questions:

  • What do your conversations with teachers around goal-setting look like?
  • Do you make it a priority to not simply be aware of what a teacher’s goals may be, but why? How do you seek to understand those goals?
  • If a teacher has (or has not) made progress toward those goals, is it a priority to understand why?
  • Are these reflective conversations built into the evaluation process?

Give Formative, Actionable Feedback

Yes, time is in short supply for all of us — and observing teachers in the classroom and providing feedback can be time-consuming. But it’s so vital. If you want to foster a growth mindset, one of the key ways to do that is through ongoing, formative, actionable feedback.

It may not be feasible for administrators to provide in-depth feedback to every teacher in their buildings, but feedback doesn’t always have to be given by the same person. What would it look like to develop a practice in your school or district of empowering peers to provide feedback? Whether through in-person observations or by equipping teachers to share videos of classroom practice, this can be a powerful way to support collaboration and growth — even if it’s an informal process that supports your formal evaluations.

More resources

You may also find the following resources helpful:

6 Ways to Weather the Labor Market Storm

Corvallis School District in Oregon faced a problem that is almost certainly familiar to you: a changing labor market. Districts face tough competition for a limited number of teaching candidates, as well as a younger workforce with changing priorities.

But as a result of a thorough recruiting and hiring audit, Corvallis uncovered and implemented a number of opportunities to better attract, hire and retain great talent.

Check out the full Field Trip podcast episode here, or if you’re just looking for the quick hits, read on.

Takeaways

1. Understand changing career norms

“When people first were going into teaching, [teachers] would get to a district and…stay for [their] whole career[s], and we’re not necessarily seeing that anymore. They’re coming, and maybe they’re staying for a few years.”

It’s easy to see this as a negative—districts are under constant pressure to find more great talent. But this also means that the greatest talent is not necessarily sticking with your neighboring district—they might be open to moving on to your district if you can prove you’re worth making a move. And it has potentially positive implications for your culture as well: if you can retain your best employees in 2019, that means they probably want to be there.

2. Share pride in your district

“We’re here, we know it, but [that came] loud and clear from our new teachers.”

Tell your district’s story with pride. Corvallis felt proud of their district and the work they do, and their teachers felt it too. But they weren’t sharing that with the world, and it took an audit for them to realize it. Even if your district hasn’t overhauled or implemented an entirely new program, take pride in the changes, big and small, that have taken hold. Time set aside for teachers to come together and support each other—on everything from curriculum to situations with students—is something worth talking about.

3. Validate assumptions: how do your applicants find you?

“LinkedIn was something we were going to spend quite a bit of time in trying to get our presence up-to-date. But through the audit, we found that that’s not where people are looking for us.”

How do your applicants find you? You may know your district well, just as Corvallis did. Still, once they started to dig into the data they realized that some assumptions couldn’t tell the whole story. Looking at your district, are there assumptions you’ve made that you might need to reevaluate? Perhaps your assumption regarding your applicant pool was valid a few years ago, but needs some updating.

4. Be proactive: applicants want to be wanted

“When [a potential applicant] gets a message saying, “Hey, we’re interested in you,” that makes people feel good, and so they might spend a little bit more time taking a look at you.”

Never underestimate the power of proactivity! What may feel overwhelming (how could I ever find candidates and reach out to them??) may not be as manual as it sounds. Software streamlines most manual processes. If you take a look at opportunities for your district, don’t dismiss the ones that seem like a lot of work, or think, “We’re already so behind, how could we ever get to a place where we can be proactive with that?” Instead, think about the value of your actions. What proactive moves can you make now that will save you time in the long run?

5. Put all that data to use!

“[I’m] starting to look at how I can use the data to make a difference in our candidate experience.”

Data, data, data. It’s a bit like “the cloud.” Everybody’s talking about it, but how do you find it? If you think about it, each of your current employees represents a still-shot of your hiring process at the time they were hired. Take advantage of their first-hand experience and have them fill out a survey to start somewhere.

You may enjoy this hand-picked content:

Survey Results: The Teacher Shortage and Recruiting with Data
Only 22% of all districts have data on which recruiting methods work and which don’t.

6. Know how to navigate change (it’s hard!)

“If I [make changes] and I don’t take the time to bring [educators] along to get the information right, then it’s not going to work very well.”

Remember, change is hard! You might get excited to implement new ideas in your district, but keep in mind that not everyone adapts at the same pace. Transformation sticks when it happens slowly, and when planned communication surrounding the change is as robust as the change itself.

“Transformation sticks when it happens slowly, and when planned communication surrounding the change is as robust as the change itself.”

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You may enjoy this hand-picked content:

Change Management in K-12: What You Need to Know
Get the guide to evaluating the need for change – and how to make it happen.

Check out Corvallis School District’s presentation from Insights Summit 2019 (and more!) in the Insights Summit Video Vault, open for a limited time!

Seven Deadly Sins in Professional Learning

If engaging, collaborative, relevant-to-classroom-needs learning opportunities represent the best of what professional learning can do for teacher growth, there’s also a flip side. Everyone decries those stay-for-two-hours-after-school-and-sit-in-a-large-room-and-passively-listen workshops.

Still, most teachers are quite familiar with well-intentioned learning experiences that fail to address their needs.

What’s the solution? That’s a question no single post can hope to cover adequately. But for starters, here are seven deadly sins in professional learning to steer clear of.

1. Ignoring your teachers.

Teachers are the “boots on the ground” in your school district. More than anyone, they have their finger on the pulse of the student body, they look at the data and know the student needs in their particular building, and they know the areas where they need to grow as educators.

Teachers benefit from being able to propose topics and learning approaches for their own professional growth. When they have a say in what and how they learn, they’ll respond with greater engagement than they will to a top-down approach that mandates topics and specific classes for everyone throughout the district.

Professional development is often more about connecting resources and enabling teacher-driven professional growth than about telling people what their PD should look like. And not only each teacher, but each building likely has different needs as well. The larger the district, the more important it is to take a targeted approach to professional learning.

You may enjoy this hand-picked content:

Micro-credentials in Action:
How teacher-driven, competency-based learning is gaining ground at one school in Utah.

2. Overlooking in-house expertise.

Encouraging educators to lead and facilitate professional learning opportunities will naturally draw teachers into the process. While some may not initially love the idea of standing in front of a room full of their peers, it can be an empowering experience — even for those who are hesitant at first.

Most educators are already skilled at teaching. That’s a skill that can be put to use in professional learning and is often much more effective than bringing in an outside person.

For districts that are trying to stretch budgets — and who isn’t? — using in-house talent just makes sense. There is a wealth of knowledge and experience already under your roof. As long as you’re modeling good teaching and learning practices, that’s going to lead to effective professional learning.

3. Anemic support.

Figures from the National Center for Education Statistics are striking. The 2013 Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) found that people who received active support (think release time from teaching, receiving education credits, being reimbursed for fees, travel or tuition, receiving stipends, etc.) from their organization were far more likely to voluntarily participate in professional learning than those who received no support.

The 2018 TALIS findings were related to these. In that survey, among the biggest barriers to participation in professional development were:

    • Conflicts with the teacher’s work schedule
    • No incentives for participation
    • Lack of employer support
You may enjoy this hand-picked content:

Invest in Your People to Reduce Teacher Turnover.
68% of teachers say that supportive leadership is “absolutely essential” to teacher retention.

4. Not setting quantitative goals for each building.

Consider asking every school to provide a certain number of hours of professional learning per month. This can take the form of faculty meetings, PLCs, after-school professional development and full faculty in-service days, as well as instructional coaching.

Let’s say you set a goal for each school to offer 20 hours of professional learning per month. That’s a high bar to reach, and not every school may meet it. But you will likely still see a dramatic increase in the amount of learning opportunities offered. Simply making an intentional effort to increase and measure the amount of professional learning time for teachers will have an effect.

Giving schools this responsibility can also contribute to each building’s autonomy, especially if instructional leadership teams that are comprised of teachers are tasked with planning learning opportunities that teachers want, need and request.

5. Working without a map.

“If you aim at nothing, you’ll hit it every time.” – Zig Ziglar

Backward design isn’t a new concept for you. What are your desired outcomes? Student achievement is probably at the top of your list. And while teacher quality correlates to student outcomes and sets the stage for students to thrive, in professional learning it’s better to focus your outcomes on teachers developing specific qualities or capabilities that have been shown to be supportive of student achievement.

Additionally, your district probably already has specific initiatives and desired outcomes. So how do you support these goals as well as offer learning that teachers need and want? One way is to slice up the pie of a teacher’s professional development to give time to each of these. If teachers are responsible for participating in 30 hours of PD each year, you might consider setting guidelines like this:

6. Disregarding short-term needs.

Anyone who is close to a teacher has seen the demands of the job. Educators are already working long hours, grading papers at night and planning lessons for the next day. Even when teachers are fully invested in professional learning opportunities, it’s critical to offer valuable learning that is applicable to their classroom immediately.

Professional learning that’s not relevant to what teachers face here/now/tomorrow/this week? That can simply be overwhelming.

7. Neglecting to track impact.

It’s vital to make it simple for teachers to craft their own professional learning plans to help them meet their defined goals and address their needs. Online professional learning management systems can provide catalogs of filtered professional learning opportunities, allow teachers to give feedback on what they’ve learned, and reflect on their learning and craft action plans. Districts can use all of this information to help determine what professional learning opportunities to offer in the future, and tailor already in-progress learning experiences to maximize learning.

You may enjoy this hand-picked content:

Professional Development Program Evaluation for the Win!
How to Sleep Well at Night Knowing Your Professional Learning is Effective.

Professional learning is an ongoing process.

To be sure, there is no “we’ve arrived!” moment with professional learning. Avoiding these seven “deadly sins” isn’t a guarantee of success. But approaching the work as a community of learners — not a top-down power structure — is a crucial step toward greater engagement, greater effectiveness and greater impact.

4 Resources to Build General Educators’ Understanding of Special Education

Special education leaders are in a unique position to accomplish good for their students, given their specialized training, talents and well-earned knowledge. They also have the unique ability to improve students’ experiences in general education. The complex and ever-changing world of special education can seem unfamiliar to general educators. Special education leaders have the opportunity to shed light on some of the mystery for them. And the less mystery, the better outcomes for students.

So how can you help general educators navigate individualized education programs (IEPs), deliver accommodations from an IEP and generally support students in general education settings — without adding hours of work to your already packed day?

The following resources can easily be shared with general education colleagues to build or deepen knowledge of special education and the IEP process. Click on the links below to explore each resource.

Blog post: How Does the Student’s Disability Affect Involvement and Progress in the General Education Curriculum?

How can it help build general educators’ understanding of special education?

Former special education director and author Carol Kosnitsky breaks down the concept of present levels of academic achievement and functional performance (PLAAFP) and the importance of considering how a disability affects a child’s involvement and progress in the general education curriculum. This straightforward explanation is an excellent tool to help general educators learn more about the PLAAFP Statement section of an IEP and how a student’s progress and involvement in the general education setting contributes to ensuring a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) is provided.

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eBook: IEP Goals — Core Concepts and Best Practices

How can it help build general educators’ understanding of special education?

This is a great, in-depth (and relatively short!) “getting to know you” eBook about IEPs and their function. The eBook lists and explains best practices and frequently asked questions about goals and objectives for IEPs. It also describes how annual IEP goals should be linked to state standards. Consider sending this eBook to a new general education teacher who may have a somewhat limited experience with IEPs.

Share the eBook  

Quiz: IEPs and State Standards

How can it help build general educators’ understanding of special education?

With this quiz, general educators can test their knowledge of how IEPs should align to state standards. It could be part of an informal on-boarding practice or be used as an IEP refresher before each school year.

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Video: 5 Strategies to Improve the IEP Process with Parent Participation

How can it help build general educators’ understanding of special education?

As you know, the IEP process can be somewhat daunting for parents, especially those who haven’t been through it before. Though educators may be patient and have the best intentions, it can sometimes be difficult to answer on-the-spot questions from parents. Consider forwarding this blog post and video to a general educator who has come to you with questions about how to work with the parents of students in special education.

Share the video  

Keep the learning alive!

Special education is complex. And changing regulations and expectations mean the complexity is always growing. However, with the right resources at your fingertips, your efforts to help general educators are bound to trickle down to the students you serve. And after all, that’s why you’re in this field together in the first place.

Give all the educators in your district easy access to the learning they need, when they need it, with the Course Library in Frontline Special Ed & Interventions. Request a demo to learn more

Poll: What Does Social-Emotional Learning Look Like in Your District?

I was in high school when Columbine happened. I have vivid memories of that day, as I’m sure many people do. One memory is of seeing my mom rushing into my school in the middle of the day. On my way to class, I caught a glimpse of her walking toward the guidance counselor’s office – and I remember thinking, “What’s my mom doing here?”

As it turned out, she was there because she was a family therapist and she was donating her time to the school to help counsel students and staff affected by the tragedy.

Schools have made leaps and bounds in supporting students’ social-emotional and behavioral needs since the tragedy at Columbine High School. However, implementing a framework for social-emotional learning (SEL) can still be extremely challenging for educators. What does SEL look like in your school or district? Have you run into any obstacles? Take the poll to share your thoughts.

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Explain It Like I’m 9: Low Substitute Fill Rates? Your Substitute Teachers Might Not Be Accepting Jobs.

In this series from Frontline Education, learn from our elementary and middle school-aged experts who will take a quick look at a data point that impacts school leaders. See how they examine the data to find out what it can tell us and what takeaways or questions we might reflect on. All in 2 minutes or less!

A Closer Look at the Substitute Shortage

Can’t find enough substitute teachers to cover teacher absences? Seems like a simple case of not enough substitutes, right?

While you might need a larger pool of substitutes, it’s also possible that you have plenty — and that they just aren’t taking jobs in your district. The Frontline Research & Learning Institute found that on any given month or school year, half of all substitute teachers did not work. And on average, substitutes only work about four days a month. All that adds up — nationally, only 80 percent of teacher absences are covered by a qualified substitute.

Try talking to the substitute teachers in your district:

For kids, it could mean the difference between a class covered by a skilled substitute teacher and a silent “study hall.”

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