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Fox, Timothy J.; Williams, WesImplementing Best Practices for All Students in TheirLocal School: Inclusion ofAll Students throughFamily and Community Involyement, Collaboration, andthe Use of School Planning Teams and IndividualStudent Planning Teams.Vermont Univ., Burlington. Center for DevelopmentalDisabilities.

Department of Education, Washington, DC.Oct 91H086J80005164p.; A product of the Vermont Statewide SystemsSupport Project.Vermont Statewide Systems Support Project, UniversityAffiliated Program, 499C Waterman Bldg., Universityof Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405 ($10 includingshipping and handling).Guides - Non-Classroom Use (055)

MF01/PC07 Plus Postage.Decision Making; *Disabilities; *EducationalPlanning; *Educational Practices; EducationalQuality; Elementary Secondary Education;Individualized Education Programs; *Mainstreaming;Meetings; Neighborhood Schools; School CommunityRelationship; Special Needs Students; *StatePrograms; State Standards; *Teamwork

IDENTIFIERS Collaborative Teaching; *Vermont

ABSTRACT

This manual presents guidelines to assist Vermontschools in the systems change involved in implementing full inclusionfor students with disabilities in general education classrooms andcommunity settings. The first chapter addresses general issuesconcerned with full inclusion, including Vermont's vision foreducation, the role of collaborative teaming, and students withintensive needs. The second chapter focuses on student, family, andcommunity involvement in planning, noting possible participants inboth the school planning team and the individual student planningteam. The third chapter looks at schoolwide planning for bestpractice improvement, with guidelines concerning: facilitatingproductive meetings of the planning team, tailoring the process tomeet the unique needs of each local school, gathering informationabout best practices, selecting and prioritizing best practices, andcoordinating plans of schools within a district. The IndividualStudent Team Planning Process is the subject of the fourth chapter,with guidelines addressing such issues as: initiation of the process,Student Planning Team members, and coordinating student needs withgeneral education class activities. The fifth chapter offersguidelines for collaborative teaming, including decision making,problem solving, and meetings. Appendices provide sample forms forboth the schoolwide planning process and the individual studentplanning process. (DB)

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IMPLEMENTING BEST PRACTICESFOR ALL STUDOITS IN THEIR

LOCAL SCHOOL

Inclusion of All Students Through Family andCommunity Involvement, Collaboration, and

the Use -of School Planning Teams andIndividual Student Planning Teams

October 1991

Tinwthy 5. FoXWes Williams

U.S. OCPARTMSNT OF EDUCATOONDeft. ol Educanomn Ressmen and ImprommentEDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION

CVtns documCsernaTT IERn reproduced aswowed from Ma person Of orgamtation°rigmarole it

0 Muter changes Woo made TO .mprovemocoducteo auauty

POrnts of v*WI or ofxrueni Mated in In.: docu-mnt de a01 MICVIsfay represent °tiros!DEM position of ennucy

Vernwnt Statewide Systems Support Project 1Center for Developmental Disabilities

The University Affiliated Program of Vermont499C Waterman Building

University of VermontBurlington, Vermont 05405

(802) 656-4031

HEST COPY MIMI IR!2

AcknowledgmentsWe would like to acknowledge and applaud the numerous contributions of hundreds of

professionals, parents. students and other members of communities across Vermont who havedeveloped philosophies and practices to support full inclusion for all students in general educationclassrooms and community settings.

We would like to thank the more than 300 Vermont teachers, school administrators andparents who reviewed and provided feedback on the Best Practice Guidelines for Meeting theof All Students in Their Local Schools (1991).

We would specifically like to thank the administrators, staff, and parents of the followingschools for field testing the Schoolwide Planning Team Process and various aspects of the Indi-vidual Student Planning Team Process over the past two years:

Bakersfield Elementary School. Bakersfield. VermontWilliamstown Middle/High School. Williamstown, VermontLyndon Town Schools, Lyndonville, VermontUnion School. Montpelier, VermontBerlin Elementary School. Berlin, VermontWaterbury Elementary School, Waterbury. Vermont

We would also like to acknowledge the faculty and staff of the Center for DevelopmentalDisabilities and the Department of Education and Social Services at the University of Vermont andthe Vermont State Department of Education for their support in developing and field testing thecontent for this manual. We would like to especially thank the following individuals for theireditorial assistance: Wayne L. Fox, Lu Christie, Michael Giangreco, Susan Yuan, Anne Bakeman,Michaella Collins, Suzanne Paquette and Jane Ross-Allen.

Authorship

Authors are listed alphabetically. Authorship of this manual was a joint effort.

The development of this manual was supported by Vermont's Statewide Systems Support Project(Grant No.H086J80005 of the U.S. State Department of Education) However, the opinions ex-pressed herein do not necessarily reflect the position of the U.S. Department of Education and noofficial endorsement by them should be inferred.

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Table Of Contents---

Chapter 1Meeting the Needs of All Students in General EducationSettings in Their Local Schools 1

Chapter 2 .

Student, Family and Communtty Involvement inSchool Planning 11

Chapter 3Schoolwide Planning for Best PracticeImprovement 15

Chapter 4The Individual Student Planning Team Process 30

Chapter 5Collaborative Teaming 53

FormsAppendix BAppendix A

Schoolwide Planning ProcessSchool Planning Team Management PlanSchool Planning Team Meeting WorksheetTeam Goals SheetTeam Member ChecklistTailoring the School Planning Team Process

Tasks to be CompletedBest Practice SurveyBest Practice Summary ChartBest Practice Selection WorksheetAction P'anSystems Change Summary SheetPolicy Change Summary SheetTraining Activities Summary Sheet

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,aMNIIIN

Individual Student PlanningTeam ProcessTeam Management PlanTeam Meeting WorksheetTeam Goals SheetTeam Member ChecklistAdapting the Individual Student Planning

Team ProcessFundamental ValuesStudent Assessment WorksheetSkill Areas to be TaughtBest Practice Checklist for Individual StudentsActivity MatrixActivitY Selection WorksheetActivity/Class Summary FormActivity Compatibility PlanTask Planning SheetPriority Skill Areas - Program SummaryActivity/Class Management Plan

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Questions Addressed in Each ChapterChapter 1Meeting the Needs of All Students in General Education Settings in TheirLocal Schools

What is the purpose of this book? 1

What is Vermont's vision for education? 1

What are the best practice guidelines? 2Are specific values incorporated into the best practice guidelines? 3Who are students with intensive needs? 3How can collaborative teaming facilitate the development of

shared ownership of goals, values and guidelines? 4Does one collaborative team do it all? 4Why should students, families and other community members

be involved as team members? 4What process can be used for building the supports needed to

improve the education of all students who attend the school? 5What process can be used for building,the supports needed to

serve individual students with intensive needs in general education classes9 5

Chapter 2Student, Family and Community Involvement in School Planning

Should families and other community members be on the school planning team? 11

Should students be members of the school planning team9 11Should the student's family be members of the student's individual planning team? 12Should students be members of their individual student planning team? 12Should the student's peers be members of the individual student planning team? 13Can students, school staff, families and other community members meet

together without creating conflicts or controversy among team members9 13How can families be supported to become informed about and involved in

schoolwide and individual student planning activities? 13

Chapter 3Schoolwide Planning for Best Practice Improvement

What is the School Planning Team Process? 15Who should be on the planning team and how can productive meetings be facilitated? 15How can the School Planning Team become familiar with best practices? 18How can the process be tailored to meet the unique needs of each local school? 18How can information about best practices be gathered from school administrators,

staff and students, parents and community members? 19How can survey responses be summarized9 20How can we address the needs of individual students in the planning process9 21How can the team select and prioritize best piactices for improvement? 22How do we develop plans for best practice improvement? 23How can we coordinate action plans with other school planning activities which

are ongoing within the school? 25How can the plans of several schools within the school district be coordinated? 26How do we continue to make progress from year to year? 28

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Chapter 4The Individual Student Team Planning Piocess

What is the Individual Student Planning Team Process? 30How can the Individual Student Planning Team Process be initiated? 31Does the student have to be assigned to general education classes? 31Who should be on the Student Planning Team? 31Which general class teachers should be team members? 32How can we encourage the student's family to participate in the planning process? 33What are family infornAtion and referral services? 33How can the family contact person facilitate the family's identification of values which

they want the team to give special consideration to in their child's program? 34How can the family contact person facilitate the family's selection of skills to be taught

to their child? 34How do we become an effective team? 34How can the planning process be adapted to meet the unique needs of the

student and school? 35How can the team identify fundamental values to address in the development

of the student's program9 37How can the team determine the student's strengths and educational needs? 38How can the team select skills to be taught to the student? 39How can the team incorporate best educational practices into the student's plan9 40What process can we use to determine which student needs can be met through

each general class activity? 40What are the "Other Activities" columns used for? 42How do we select activities to address fundamental values and priority skills? 42What is the Home/Family column used for? 44How do we fit in the Other Activities? 44What if the team decides that the student's assigned classes are not appropriate for

the student? 45What is the Activity Compatibility Plan9 45How can the matrix be translated into a student schedule9 48How can the team manage the accomplishment of tasks necessary to support the

student's program? 48How can the team summarize and monitor progress on priority skill areas that were

selected for instruction? 48How can the team summarize and monitor the implementation of the student's

program within specific classes and activities9 49How can the team insure that each team member knows their responsibilities for

each of the student's major instruction activities? 49When should the team complete Parts II and III of the Best Practice Indicator Checklist? 49When should the team begin the transition process to the next grade? 50How does the team develop the plan for the following year and still support the

student during the current year? 50

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Chapter 5Collaborative Teaming

What is a collaborative team? 52What are collaborative skills? 52How do team members build trust in each other? 52How do collaborative teams make decisions? 53How do collaborative teams solve problems? 53What is brainstorming? 54How do we deal with controversial issues? 54What are the steps in negotiating resolutions to conflicts9 55Is it important for team members to state team goals and individual goals? 55Do collaborative teams ever have fun? 56Who should be on a collaborative team? 57When and how often should School Planning Teams and

Individual Student Planning Teams meet? 57How large should teams be9 57Our Individual Student Planning Team has 12 members,

how can we be a collaborative team9 58How can we keep our Student Planning Team meetings under an hour

and still get anything accomplished? 59Our School Planning Team has 22 members, how can we be a collaborative team9 61How are we doing? 61

List of FiguresChapter 1Table 1 - Best Practice Guidelines for Meeting the Needs of All

Students in Their Local School 5 - 9

Chapter 3Figure 1 - The School Planning Process 16Figure 2 School Planning Team Management Plan 17Figure 3 School Planning Team Meeting Worksheet 17Figure 4 - Tailoring the School Planning Team Process 18Figure 5 - Best Practice Survey 19Figure 6 - Best Practice Survey Summary Chart 20Figure 7 - Best Practice Checklist for Individual Students 21Figure 8 - Best Practice Selection Worksheet 23Figure 9 - Sample Action Plan 24Figure 10 - Sample Systems Change Summary Sheet 25Figure 11 - Sample Policy Change Summary Sheet 26Figure 12 - Sample Training Activities Summary Sheet 26Figure 13 - Sample Coordinated Timeline 27Summary Chart - Forms far Completing Each-Task in the School

Planning Team Process 29

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Chapter 4Figure 1- Individual Student Planning Team Procas 30Figure 2 Team Management Plan 32Figure 3 - Team Meeting Worksheet . 35Figure 4 - Adapting the Student Planning Process 36Figure 5 - Fundamental Values 37Figure 6 - Student Assessment Worksheet 38Figure 7 - Skill Areas to be Taught 39Figure 8 - Best Practice Checklist for Individual Students 40Figure 9 - Activities Matrix 41Figure 10 Activity Selection Worksheet 43Figure 11 Class/Activity Summary Form 43Figure 12 - Activity Compatibility Plan 46Figure 13 - Support Task Planning Sheet 48Figure 14 - Priority Skill Areas - Program Summary 49Figure 15 - Activity/Class Management Plan 50Summary Chart - Forms for Completing the

Individual Student Planning Process 52

Chapter 5Figure 1 - Team Management Plan 59Figure 2 Team Member Observation Sheet 61Figure 3 - Team Meeting Worksheet 61Figure 4 - Team Member Checklist 63

CHAPTER1

Meeting the Needs of All Studentsin General Education Settings inTheir Local Schools

1?1

What is the purpose of this book?Vermont parents. educators, advocates and other community members have

made a commitment to the goals of improving education for all students and serv-ing all students, including those with intensive needs. in general education settingswithin their local schools. Accomplishing these goals requires systems change. InVermont. local school administrators, general and special educators, parents andother community members have been working collaboratively to develop schoolclimates, structures, curricula, and instructional supports which enable theirschools to improve education for all students and accommodate all students ingeneral classes. The purpose of this book is to share.some of the processes whichhave been developed to assist local schools with systems change. Key elements foraccomplishing necessary systems change are:

1. The development of shared goals and a vision of what education should be forall students.

2. Best practice guidelines which address specific educational practices andvalues to support the goals.

3. Collaborative teaming as a means to establish shared ownership of the goals,values and guidelines.

4. Student, family and community involvement in all aspects of school planning.

5. A process for building the supports needed to improve the education of allstudents who attend the school.

6. A process for building supports needed to serve individual students withintensive needs in general classes and community settings.

What is Vermont's vision for education?

Hundreds of Vermonters have contributed to the development of Vermont'sEducation Goals (Vermont Department of Education, 1990).

Goal 1: Vermonters will see to it that every child becomes a con-Netent, caring.productive, responsible individual and citizen who is committed to contin-ued learning throughout life.

Goal 2: Vermonters will restructure their schools to support very high performancefor all students.

Goal 3: Vermont will attract, support and develop the most effective teachers andschool leaders in the nation.

Goal 4: Vermont parents, educators, students and other citizens will create power-ful partnerships to support teaching and learning in every community.

Vermont's educational goals also articulate a vision of what "could be?

...Children move along at their own pace: what they need to learnand to grow drives the scnool. School failure once thought all butunavoidable for some. is extremely rare. The children know that inevery school at least one adult is watching out for them. Everyschool board member, parent, teacher and administrator acceptsthe responsibility of seeing to it that every child entering kinder-garten graduates from high school with an acceptable level ofachievement. There is no special education as we know it. Chil-dren are different from one another in lots of ways, and schoolsaccommodate everyone with an inventive array of services....Asystem is in place to aid students who are not progressing satisfac-torily. Those, who in the past would have failed, are intercepted atage three or earlier to address learning difficulties Parents arepartners. Teachers communicate frequently and directly withthem....The business community works closely with schools,providing support and opportunities for work-study. employmentand retraining....School is not a place, but a set of relationshipsamong individuals, some are teaching and some are learning.Summer operations include remedial, tutorial, and enrichmentcourses and activities, especially for younger students. The schoolday is flexible to accommodate working students....Much of theleadership for the educational programs comes from teachers.They work together in teams. The teachers and administrators areconstantly changing parts of the school, amplifying things thatwork, dropping things that do not... (Vermont Department ofEducation, 1990. p. 1-7).

In addition to developing a set of goals for education and a vision of what ourschools could be in the future, the Vermont legislature has enacted Act 230(1990)which emphasizes success for all students in general classes and paves the way forschools to capture the vision.

It is the policy of the state that each school district design andimplement, in consultation with parents, a comprehensivesystem of educational services that will result, to the maximumextent possible, in all students succeeding in the regular class-room.... At the building level, services should avoid the inappro-priate use of special education resources... A range of effectiveeducational services supported with local, state and federalfunds should be available to all students who are failing or atrisk of failing academically (Act 230, 1990, pp. 1).

Every school in Vermont is required to have an instructional support team andinstructional support services which are available to all children who require addi-tional classroom assistance.

laWhat are the best practice guidelines?

The Best Practice Guidelines for Meeting the Needs of All Students in TheirLocal Schools (19911 is a document which lists 54 specific statements of educa-tional practice which support the education of all students in their local schools.The best practice statements afe general strategies and methods for developing anddelivering educational services which optimize the preparation of all students tobecome competent, caring, productive, and responsible individuals. The guidelinesare intended to be used as standards for assessing schoolwide and individualstudent programs and services. They are based upon the Best Practice Guidelinesfor Students with Intensive Educational Needs (1987), effective schools literature.

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and the experiences and input of hundreds of Vermonters who are restructuringtheir local schools to improve education and accommodate all children. Areascovered by the guidelines include:

school climate and structure,collaborative planning,social responsibility.curriculum planning.delivery of instructional support services.individualized instruction.transition planning.family-school collaboration, andplanning for continued best practice improvement.

The guidelines may be found in Table 1 at the end of this chapter. Chapter 3describes how to use the guidelines to improve services to all students. Chapter 4describes how to use the guidelines to develop individual student programs andsupports which enable schools to serve all students in general education settings.

Are specific values incorporated into the best practiceguidelines?

Yes. Best practices are as much value statements as they are statements ofeducational practice. The development of any set of standards requires thearticulation of values which act as the foundation and framework for developingthe standards. The values which are incorporated into the Best Practice Guidelinesinclude the following:

1. All students are assigned to age-appropriate general education classes in theirlocal school.

2. All students are afforded equal opportunities to participate in all school spon-sored age-appropriate activities (e.g.. academics. sports. field trips. job training.clubs, dances).

3. Specialized services are incorporated into general education and communityactivities.

4. Educational experiences are individualized for every student.

5. There is shared ownership, decision-making and collaboration among schooladministrators, staff, students, families, school board members and othermembers of the community for improving educational services for all students.

6. The family's values and needs are addressed when planning for and deliveringeach student's educational program.

7. The curriculum promotes meaningful participation in community life and sets ahigh standard of excellence through content (e.g., math, social skills, history)and process (e.g.. problem solving, collaboration, study skills) oriented goals.

Who are students with intensive needs?

Formal definitions of intensive need have little functional use or meaning at thelocal school level. "What is considered a 'severe disability' varies from one tzchool to

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the next and is contingent upon each school community's beliefs and experiencewith students whose educational needs go beyond the school's standard curriculumor instructional practices- (Thousand and Villa. 1990, pp. 2-3). As used herein.students with intensive needs includes all students identified by their teachersand parents as presenting significant educational challenges to the school. Thiscan include students with severe learning impairments. students with behavioralchallenges, students with significant medical needs, or students whose gifts andtalents present educational challenges. A student need not be eligible for a specificsupport service (e.g., special education. Chapter 1) to be considered by teachers orparents as having intensive needs and requiring individualized support services.

How can collaborative teaming facilitate the development ofshared ownership of the goals, values and guidelines?

Shared ownership is developed by including all stakeholders (e.g., students.parents, community members, school staff) at the beginning of the systems changeprocess and by providing them with ways to have meaningful input into the deci-sion-making process. Collaborative teaming, as described in Chapter 5, providesdiverse groups of people with a set of procedures and guidelines by which they canwork together as equal partners to address issues and to solve problems. Threeprimary characteristics which define a collaborative team are: a) shared beliefs andcommon goals. b) decision making by consensus, and c) diverse membership.Other major characteristics which a team must demonstrate to be consideredcollaborative are: shared tasks, responsibilities and leadership; encouragement ofeach other to interact and to take part in problem solving and decision making; andrule setting for dealing with sensitive or controversial issues.

Does one collaborative team do it all?

Two types of collaborative teams are used to accomplish the goals of improvingeducation for all students and accommodating for the needs of all students ingeneral classes: the School Planning Team and Individual Student Planning Team_The purpose of the School Planning Team is to improve education for all studentswho attend the school. To accomplish this goal, the team should include personsv. ho are representative of the school and community (e.g., school administrators,teachers, other school staff, students, families, school board members, other inter-ested community members). Individual Student Planning Teams are formed toprovide support to students with intensive needs, their teachers and families. Teammembership should consist of the student, people most involved with the studenton a day-to-day basis (e.g., parents, teachers, peers, principal), and other personsdepending on the particular needs of the student or family (e.g., physical therapist,guidance counselor, employment specialist).

Why should students, families and other community membersbe involved as team members?

Students, their families and other community members should be members ofthe School Planning Team because they can be the most effective advocates forimproving education. Students and their families are theconsumers of educational services, and as such thry have an investment in theschool. Other community members also have an investment in the school. Theyare the property owners, taxpayers, employers, and community advocates. Involv-ing students, families and other community members as full team members fromthe beginning of the process can facilitate the sharing of their goals and empowerthem as advocates for the school. In addition, people have a right to be involved in

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decisions that will have an impact upon their lives or the lives of their children.There should be systematic opportunities for them to be involved in the decision-making process.

Family involvement as full team members in the Individual Student PlanningTeam Process is especially crucial since the team will be making choices aboutmany aspects of their child's lffe inchiding living, working and playing in the com-munity. The decisions made will have a very real impact not only on the child'slife, but on the life of the family. Each goal selected for a student may take awaytime and resources from other, perhaps equally or more important. goals. Sinceeach decision has a cost, it is very important that the student's and family's valuesare represented in the decision-making process. Considering the values of thestudent and family is not only important to making good decisions, but also towhether goal attaimnent and skill acquisition have effects outside of the school'sprogram. Chapter 2 provides more detailed information on how to involve stu-dents and families.

What process can be used for building the supports needed toimprove the education of all students who attend the school?

The School Planning Team Prc-:ess (described in Chapter 3) has been used forplanning schoolwide systems changes to improve education for all students. Theschool planning process provides schools with a means to: a) determine the extentto which administrators, educators and related services staff, parents, and commu-nity members value each best practice: b) determine which best practices are inneed of improvement: c) target best practices for improvement: and d) developaction plans which address: changing school policy: changing service deliveryoptions: and providing training for school staff, students, parents and other com-munity members to achieve targeted best practice improvements.

What process can be used for building the supports needed toserve individual students with intensive needs in generaleducation classes?

The Individual Student Planning Team Process (described in Chapter 4) is usedto develop best practice-based programs for students with intensive needs whichmaximize participation in general class and other school and community activities.The student planning process includes a series of tasks to be accomplished by theIndividual Student Planning Team. Various checklists, forms and surveys havebeen developed to assist the planning team to complete the tasks. Major tasksinclude: a) establishing the team, b) facilitating family participation. c) tailoring theprocess to meet the student's and the school's needs, d) identifying the student'sstrengths and needs, e) using a matrix to determine general class activities whichcan be adapted to meet the student's needs, f) monitoring progiess. and g) planningtransitions.

Table 1

Best Practice Guidelines for Meeting the Needs ofAll Students in Local Schools

SCHOOL CLIMATE AND STRUCTURE

1. The school's philosophy statement and objectives are developed by administrators, staff,students, parents, school board members and other community members and reflect theschool's commitment to meeting the individual needs of all students in age-appropriate generaleducation and community settings.

2. The school's climate is established by administrators, staff, students, parents, school boardmembers and other community members and promotes respect for individual differences amongstudents, encourages the development of positive self-esteem, establishes high achievementexpectations for all students, and encourages the development of caring personal relationshipsamong students and staff.

3. The school's code of conduct for students and staff is established by administrators, staff,students, parents, school board members and other community members, emphasizes positivebehavior, is applied in a consistent, fair manner, and takes into account the unique needs ofindividual students.

4. The school provides ample opportunities for students, staff, administrators, parents. schoolboard members and other community members to be recognized for their accomplishments.including helping others.

5. The general roles and responsibilities of all school staff (including contracted staff such asan occupational therapist or psychologist) relative to providing instruction and support to allstudents are clearly delineated by administrators, staff, students, parents, school board mem-bers and other community members.

6. The school's professional development process is developed by administrators, staff, stu-dents. parents, school board members and other community members and includes inservicetraining, regularly scheduled observations with feedback, technical assistance, peer coaching,and mentoring.

7. The school's instructional support system (e.g., classroom-based model for delivering sup-port services, teacher assistance team, individual student planning teams, special educationpre-referral process, volunteer system) is developed by administrators, staff, students, parents,school board members and other community members and is available to all students and staff.

COLLABORATIVE PLANNING

8. The school provides opportunities for staff, students, family members, and communitymembers to become proficient at functioning in a collaborative manner (i.e.. share responsibilityand resources, make decisions by consensus, use a structured meeting agenda format, rotateteam roles of facilitator, timekeeper and recorder).

9. The school provides time during school hours for instructional support teams (e.g., indi-vidual student planning teams, teacher assistance teams, teaching teams) to meet and forindividual team members to monitor services, and to provide timely consultation, support andtechnical assistance to families and staff.

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10. For students with intensive needs in basic skill and/or social skill areas or who are chal-lenged by their gifts and talents, individual student planning teams are convened which areresponsible for the development and implementationa all aspects of the student's educationalprogram (e.g.. student goals. student schedules, procedures to address learning/behavior/management issues, transition plans, strategies to support the student and his/her teachersand family).

11. Individual student planning teams consist of the student, family members, the student'sgeneral class teacher(s) and other appropriate persons based upon the student's needs (e.g.,principal, Chapter I teacher, music teacher, physical therapist. one or two of the student'speers, teaching assistant, special educator, social worker, representatives of community agen-cies, family advocates).

12. The individual roles of each student planning team member, including related serviceproviders and other consultants, are specified by the team and are supportive of the educa-tional needs of the student.

SOCLAL RESPONSIBILITY

13. The school facilitates the development of social responsibility and self-reliance by promotingstudent participation in volunteer organizations and activities (e.g., community service activi-ties, peer tutoring/mentoring activities, student government, participation in decision makingabout important school or community issues).

14. The school's curriculum provides structured opportunities for students to learn about andappreciate individual differences among people.

15. The school's curriculum provides structured opportunities for students to develop appropri-ate social skills (e.g., making friends, cooperating with others, sharing, listening, avoidingfighting) which include frequent practice during school, home and community activities.

16. The school provides opportunities for all students to participate in age-appropriate schoolsponsored extra-curricular activities (e.g., field trips, sports teams, clubs, dances, assemblies,student government).

17. For students with intensive needs in the eocial skill area, an individual program for increas-ing social skills is developed which includes: a) assessment of current skills in identified home,school and community settings; b) identification of adaptations and support needed to functionin those settings; c) procedures for working with school staff and familles,to incorporate socialskill training and/or practice into school and ntmily routines.

CURRICULUM PLANNING

18. The school's curricula are developed by teachers/staff, students, parents, administrators,and community members and identify age-appropriate content (e.g., language arts, math.history, social/emotional, arts, health) and process oriented (problem solving and collaborationskills, study skills) goals and objectives which promote meaningful participation in age-appro-priate activities in home, recreational, educational, work and other aspects of community life.set a high standard of excellence and address the needs of all students.

19. A variety of age-appropriate non-school instructional settings (e.g.. daycare settings, thestudent's home, local stores, and job sites) are available to students and matched to individualneeds for learning new skills or for generalizing skills to new settings.

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20. The process for identifying curriculum content for an individual student with intensiveneeds in basic skill and/or social areas includes an analysis of the student's skills and inter-ests and of the age-appropriate activities, skills and adaptations needed for the student tofunction in specific home, school, work, recreation and other community settings.

21. Objectives for students with intensive needs in basic skill and/or social areas specifycriteria which include performance in the student's home, school and other age-appropriatecommunity settings.

22. Students with intensive needs in basic skill and/or social areas have paid work experi-ences in integrated community settings prior to leaving school.

23. The system for monitoring the progress of students with intensive needs in basic skill and/or social areas includes: a) indications of level of independence on identified skills/activities,b) indications of environments in which those skills/activities have been demonstrated, c) anannual summary, and d) post school follow ups for purposes of program improvement.

DELIVERY OF INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORT SERVICES

24. Instructional support services and staff (e.g.. Chapter I, special education, speech andlanguage, guidance, peer tutoring) are incorporated into ongoing school and community activi-ties.

25. The decision to pull any student out of ongoing school or community activities to receivesupport services is a team decision based upon documentation that the student's needs couldnot be achieved through the use of supplementary aids and services in the classroom. Thisdecision is not based upon staff preferences.

26. For students with needs (e.g., counseling, community-based training, medical) whichcannot be met through ongoing activities, pull out is scheduled during activities which theteam determines to be lowest priority for the student.

27. The delivery of instructional support services (e.g., consultation, training, technical assis-tance, cooperative planning with support staff, team teaching with support staff, support staffdelivering direct services in the classroom, release time for planning, access to instructionalsupport teams) includes support to teachers, teaching assistants, volunteers, and other directinstructional staff.

INDIVIDUALIZED INSTRUCTION

28. The school provides all students with opportunities to set personal goals and to plan. withparents and teachers, how their goals will be addressed during the school year.

29. The school provides opportunities for all staff to become proficient at previewing instruc-tional activities, giving clear written and verbal directions, checking for student understandingand giving students constructive feedback and positive reinforcement.

30. The school provides opportunities for all staff to become proficient in using a variety ofinstructional methods (e.g., cooperative learning, whole language, peer tutoring, drill andpractice, incidental teaching, computer-assisted instruction), matching methods to individualstudent needs, and incorporating methods into ongoing activities.

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31. A variety of instructional groupings (e.g., small group, large group. multi-aged groups.cooperative group, individual instruction) is available to all students and matched to individualstudent needs.

32. A variety of instructors (e.g., teachers, teacher assistants, same-age peer tutors, cross-agepeer tutors, peer mentors, volunteers) are available to students and matched to individualstudent needs.

33. The school provides opportunities for all staff to become proficient at using a variety ofinstructional materials (e.g.. real items, photographs, drawings, work sheets, textbooks. audio/visuals), at matching materials to individual student needs, and incorporating mqterials intoongoing activities.

34. The school provides opportunities for all staff to become proficient at teaching severaldifferent goals from the same curriculum area through a single group activity (e.g.. during agroup math activity some students may be learning addition while others are learning count-ing or one-to-one correspondence).

35. The school provides opportunities for all staff to become proficient at teaching goals fromdifferent curriculum areas through the same group activity (e.g.. during a group social studiesactivity some students may have a primary goal of learning the social studies content whileothers have primary goals of learning language, communication, or social skills).

36. The school provides opportunities for all staff and students to become proficient at identi-fying a variety of ways students can acquire or demonstrate skills/knowledge (e.g., signing,writing, typing, gesturing, oral tests or reports, art displays, taped presentations), matchingthem to individual student needs, and incorporating them into ongoing activities.

37. For each lesson currently being taught, there is a written instructional program or lessonplan which is available to all direct instructional staff.

38. Student progress is monitored and analyzed on a regularly scheduled basis.

39. Decisions to modify instructional groupings. methods or materials are based upon mea-sures of student progress.

40 A current schedule of daily student activities which describes what is being done, when,and with whom, is available and readily accessible.

TRANSITION PLANNING

41. There are procedures for facilitating the smooth transition of all students from one educa-tional setting to another, and from school to post-school life.

42. A written plan for transitioning each student with intensive needs, including students whoare gifted, from one educational setting to another is developed and implemented in advance ofthe move (e.g.. 6 to 9 months).

43. For high school aged students with intensive needs, written graduation plan for transi-tion to post-school life (e.g., employment, education, recreation, residential) is developed andimplemented well in advance of the transition (e.g.. at age fourteen) and reviewed annually.

FAMILY-SCHOOL COLLABORATION

44. The school provides families with the freedom to visa the school and to communicateregularly with school staff on topics important to both the family and the scnool.

9

1 7

r45. There is information available to families which assists them to access informal support net-works and connect with community resources (e.g.. daycare programs, recreation programs,counseling, respite care, vocational rehabilitation, mental health).

1

46. The school provides families with opportunities for consultation, training and follow up fromschool staff to maximize their children's development in home arm other community settings.

47. Families are included in advisory, decision-making. and advocacy activities of the school (e.g..advisory committees, curriculum committees, development of the school philosophy and climate.school planning teams, staff development committees).

48. Families are included in the decision-making process to determine the high priority educa-tional needs of their children, and how and where (school, home, or community settings) theirchildren will be taught.

49. Instructional planning includes procedures for assisting families to incorporate instructionand/or practice of skills into ongoing home and community activities.

PLANNING FOR CONTINUED BEST PRACTICE IMPROVEMENT

50. A plan for improving best practice-based services within the school is developed every three tofive years by a school planning team consisting of administrators, staff, students, parents, schoolboard members and other community members.

51. The school's plan includes: a) a review of the school's goals and the extent to which goals andbest educational practices are achieved: b) an examination of services offered by the school andhow they relate to student, family. and community needs: c) follow up measures of students'performance in the next school setting or post school settings: and d) activities and timelines forimproving best practices.

52. The school planning team meets periodically to monitor progress on implementing the school'splan and to make necessary adjustments in activities and timelines for achieving the plan.

53. The school's plan and subsequent reports of progress in implementing the plan are dissemi-nated to parents. school district staff and community members.

54. There is a periodic evaluation of the planning process by school staff, students, parents,community members and persons from outside of the school (e.g.. staff from other schools, collegesand universities, state and local government).

References

Act 230. An act relating to reforms in special education. (1990). 16 V.S.A. part 5, Chapter 99.

Statewide Project. (1987). The best Practice guidelines for students with intensive educationalneeds. Center for Developmental Disabilities. University of Vermont.

Thousand. J. & Villa, R. (1990). Strategies for educating learners with severe handicaps withintheir local home schools and communities. Focus on Exceptional Children. Volume 23, Number3.

Williams, W., Fox, T., Thousand, J., & Fox, W. (1990). Level of acceptance of best practices in theeducation of students with severe handicaps. in Vermont. Education and Training in Mentalatarslatign. June, pp. 120-131.

Vermont Department of Education. (1990). Vermont's educational zoals. Public Affairs Office.Montpelier, VT. 10

18

CHAPTERli

Student, Family and CommunityInvolvement in School Planning 12

19'

1?1

Should families and other community members be on the SchoolPlanning Team?

There are three basic reasons for involving families of school children and othercommunity members on planning teams to improve best practices for all students inlocal schools: a) they have a right to be involved: b) they can be the school's bestadvocates: and cl they have knowledge. experience, perspectives and other re-sources which can greatly benefit the planning process.

In a democratic society, it is an assumed guarantee that people have a right tobe involved in decisions that will have an impact on their lives and on the lives oftheir children. Schools typically encourage community involvement and providesystematic opportunities for families and other community members to be involved.Serving on school boards, attending school board meetings. participating on plan-ning teams and voting on school budgets are but a few of the avenues schoolsprovide for community involvement.

The provision of quality education which meets the needs of all students re-quires community support. Families of school children and other communitymembers are the most effective advocates for improving education. Involving themas full team members on the School Planning Team from the beginning of the pro-cess can facilitate their sharing the goals and harness their power as advocates.

Involvement of families and other community members provides a vehicle forschools to access a rich array of community resources which can be used to supportquality education. For example, community members can: provide the school withadvice and information in their areas of expertise; work as volunteers in the schoolto supplement instructional resources; run special interest clubs (e.g.. French.quilting, computers): volunteer their businesses as vocational and community-basedtraining sites; and make needed donations to the school (e.g., computers, software.supplies, books, printing services, and time, labor and materials to plan and build aplayground).

Families and other community members look at issues from different perspec-tives and these perspectives can enrich the planning process. For example, educa-tors may tend to plan for a six hour school day and be primarily concerned abouthow decisions will impact on students' academic performance and staff time. Fami-lies may have more concern for how decisions impact upon children's whole lives(e.g., what they do before and after school) and their families. Other communitymembers may have concerns about students being prepared for the world of workand being responsible citizens. Addressing different perspectives can produceplanning that is more comprehensive and beneficial to everyone.

Should students be members of the School Planning Team?

Yes! Ultimately the decisions made by the School Planning Team will directlyimpact the students and require their cooperation in changing how things operate.Students sharing the goals of the tcarn and developing ownership of changes willempower them to assist in making changes. In addition, students have first handknowledge of what needs to be improved and ideas for how things can be improved.Empowering students through involving them as team members accesses an often

overlooked school resource and provides the students with a good experience inresponsibility, decision making. problem solving, collaborative teaming and citizen-ship.

la Should the student's family be members of the student'sIndividual Plannivag Team?

Families include students' parents. brothers, sisters, grandparents, aunts,uncles and other persons who are extremely important to the child. Family involve-ment as full team members in th.t Individual Student Planning Team Process isespecially crucial since the team will be making decisions about many aspects ofthe child's life. Specific family members who will plan with the team should beselected by the student, her parents and other team members. Each goal selectedfor a student can significantly reduce the amount of time and resources that can bedevoted to other, perhaps equally or more important goals. Since each decisionrepresents a cost, it is very important that the family's values are represented in thedecision-making process.

Family involvement is also needed because families are the most committedlong-term advocates for the child. Teachers and other service providers come andgo. Only families know the full history of the child and have a total picture of whatis going on in the child's life. The family has the most detailed knowledge of thestudent's strengths and needs, and the skills the student needs to function outsideof school settings. Family values and preferences should be a major factor whenthe team develops the student's program. When planning for the student, thefamily can be the school's greatest resource.

The decisions made by th2 planning team not only have a very real impact onthe child's life, but on the life of the family. Failing to consider the impact on familylife may lead to problems between the family and the school. For example, somemembers of the team may strongly believe that aspects of the student's programshould be carried out by the parents at home. However, the parents may not seethemselves taking on a teaching role. Perhaps they do not agree that those aspectsof their child's program are crucial. Raising this son or daughter is only one of alarge group of family functions and responsibilities and perhaps the progress orneeds of the student may not be the most important issue for the family at a giventime. The team needs to recognize and acknowledge family priorities and assist thefamily to address them through the planning process.

vi Should students be members of their Individual StudentMa Planning Team?

Yes! The decisions made by the Individual Student Planning Team will directlyimpact on students and require their cooperation. For example, if the team isdeciding on a program to help the student control anger during frustrating situa-tions, who is better suited to help decide the specifics of the program? If the stu-dent has been provided decision-making opportunities and feels ownership for theprogram, the likelihood for success is much higher. In addition, the student willgain first hand knowledge of the issues that the team is addressing and the amountof effort being expended to assist the student to reach his goals. Empowering thestudent through involvement as an equal member of the planning team can help toimprove the student's self concept and ability to develop and attain individual goals.The student is also provided with real experiences in responsibility, decision mak-ing, problem solving, collaborative teaming and citizenship.

When dealing with very young children or when some team members are veryuncomfortable with the idea of the student attending team meetings, the teamshould .aake a decision about how and when the student will he involved on the

12

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1?1

team. The team might only invite the student to be a member of the team for deal-ing with specific issues. For example. the team might discuss issues during the firstpart of the meeting and invite the student to attend the final portion of a meeting tobe informed about the team's discussions and to take part in some decisions. Asthe student gains confidence with the team and as team members become comfort-able discussing issues with the student present. the amount of time and the num-ber of decisions in which the student is involved should increase.

Should the student's peers be members of the Individual StudentPlanning Team?

In many cases, involving one or moi-e of the student's peers as members of thestudent's Individual Student Planning Team is essential to developing the mostappropriate program for the student. When the team is considering involving peerson the team, the student, if possible. should be involved in making that decision. Insome cases, the student may wish to have a friend accompany her to planning teammeetings for emotional support. In cases where students cannot represent them-selves on the team, a peer might be very impon.ant to keep the team focused onactivities, materials, and social norms of the student's peer group. Classmates canalso be very helpful when considering class,.-)m accommodations for a particularstudent. Students often have wonderful ideas about how to include a student withintensive needs in classroom activities. Students who are members of individualplanning teams for another student are also provided with opportunities to developempathy, responsibility, decision making, problem solving, collaborative teaming,citizenship, and communication skills.

Can students, school staff, families and other communitymembers meet together without creating conflicts orcontroversy among team members?

They can't! Any time people with diverse backgrounds and needs come togetherto address a particular issue there will be conflict and controversy. Collaborativeteams are particularly geared to deal with conflict. In fact, conflict is often neces-sary in order for a collaborative team to develop the best possible solutions toproblems. There are no winners or losers on a collaborative team. Decisions aremade by consensus. Everyone must agree in order for the team to continue towork. This cooperative philosophy requires that teams come up with creative,productive and successful solutions to problems. When conflict initially arises inthe team, meetings can become very uncomfortable and relationships strained. Ifcontroversy is not handled openly and honestly, relationships can be injured to thepoint where people stoP coming to meetings. In order to benefit from diversity andconflict, collaborative teams must set ground rules for dealing with conflict andteam members should follow steps for resolving conflicts as the need arises. Referto Chapter 5: Collaborative Teaming, for more information on dealing with contro-versy.

How can families be supported to become informed about andinvolved in schoolwide and individual student planningactivities?

Typically families are extremely busy. In many families there are single parentsor both parents need to work. Families are interested in their children's education,but they often need support to become involved. Some ways schools can supportfamily involvement are listed on the following page.

13

21

Families and other community members need to feel welcomed and valued bythe school staff. Not many people will continue to go to a place where they feel theyare not valued. Parents and other community members need to feel that they are apart of the decision-making process in order to continue to be involved.

Meetings need to be scheduled at times when families and other communitymembers can attend. Many families or other community members cannot attendmeetings dunng school hours. To involve the community in schoolwide planning.the meetings may need to be in the evening. Schools can support parents to beinvolved on Individual Student Planning Teams by assisting them to get time offwork to attend meetings during school hours. Teams can also meet at the parent'swork place or in the parent's home, if convenient.

Provide childcare during meeting times. Some families cannot attend meetingsbecause of a lack of adequate childcare. The school cm secure childcare for thoseparents who cannot find adequate childcare on their own. Some teams encourageparents to bring small children with them to team meetings. These types of accom-modations can go a long way to make families feel that their participation is appre-ciated and valued by the school.

Families and other community members, as well as teachers, students andadministrators, need to learn calaborative teaming skills (refer to Chapter 5) tomake meetings efficient and productive so that people feel attending meetings isworthwhile. Meetings need to start and end on time!

Families, students, other community members, school administrators andstaff need to build trust. Building of trust (refer to Chapter 5) takes time andenergy. It is extremely difficult for groups of people to express ideas and feelings toeach other until everyone knows that their input will be valued, that they will betreated with respect. that they will be accepted for who they are, that promises willbe kept, and that confidentiality will be maintained.

Families, students and other community members need more ways to beinvolved than just by attending meetkngs. Newsletters or articles in the newspa-per to keep the community informed about school activities and proposed changesin the school are extremely important. Questionnaires or telephone surveys askingfor community feedback and ideas can solicit the involvement of parents and othercommunity members who cannot attend meetings. Community meetings duringwhich cmimunity members and school staff members meet in small groups todiscuss specific issues or concerns can be very effective in giving community mem-bers opportunities to become involved. Phone calls or notebooks sent home on aregular basis are important for families involved on Individual Student PlanningTeams. A team member can be identified as the major family contact person tovisit with families who cannot attend meetings to keep them updated on meetingagendas and solicit their input into team decision making

Schools can assist families to have more time and energy to devote toIndividual Student Planning Teams. Families who are going through short orlong term periods of stress due to loss of jobs, death in the family, loss of childcare,divorce, or the arrival of a new baby may not be able to devote much time or energyto planning for their children's education. In these cases the school can makeavailable information and support to assist families to access informal supportnetworks and connect with community services (e.g.. daycare programs. respite _care, recreation programs, counseling). In severe cases, the school can assist thefamily to access more intensive family support services from local mental healthagencies.

14

CHAPTER3

Schoolwide Planning for Best I

Practice Improvement

What is the School Planning Team Process?

The School Plaruting Team Process is intended to assist local schools, familiesand other members of the community to use the best practice statements to review.develop and implement plans to improve schoolwide programs and services for allstudents. The planning process provides schools with a means to:

1. Determine the extent to which administrators, educators and relatedservices staff, parents, and other community members value each bestpractice statement;

2. Determine which best practice statements are in need of improvement;

3. Target best practice statements for improvement; and

4. Develop action plans which address changing school policy, changingservice delivery options, and providing training for school staff, students,parents and other community members to achieve targeted best practiceimprovements.

The school planning process is intended to be a continuing improvement activitywithin the school. The process is not simply a means of evaluating program efforts.but a vehicle for making needed improvements in services as identified by adminis-trators. teachers, students. parents. school board members and other communitymembers. To be a viable vehicle for staff development and school improvement, theprocess must be conducted efficiently and take into account the unique characteris-tics of each school and community. It is suggeisted that the process be Implementedin three cycles. During the first cycle the planning team completes the entire pro-cess and develops action plans for improving several best practices in the followingyear. During the second cycle the team implements and evaluates progress on theaction plans. At the end of the second cycle the team decides to continue with thecurrent action,plans for the third cycle and/or select additional items to add to theaction plans. At the end of the third cycle, the team assesses progress on all actionplans and initiates the entire process again. The major tasks to be completed in theSchool Planning Team Process are depicted in a flowchart in Figure 1. Each box ofthe flowchart represents a major task to be completed by the team. The boxes arenumbered to correspond with the following descriptions of each task.

Task 1 Establish the School Planning Team

1?1 Who should be on the planning team and how can productivemeetings be facilitated?

The School Planning Team Process is intended for use by a team of personsrepresenting all of the school's constituents. For example, administrators, generaland special educators, related service providers. support staff, students, parents.school board members and other interested community members should all be

15

Figure 1

The School Planning Process

1 Establish theSchool PlanniDg/

Team

2 Review the Most CurrentBest Practice Guidelines

(16

(13 Tailor the School PlanningProcess to Meet theNeeds of the School

(117761r and Summarize Information onthe Level of Agreement and Need forImprovement of Best Practices from

School Administrators. Staff,Students. Parents, and Community

Members

Select and PrioritizeBest Practices to be

Improved

5Incorporate Information fromIndividual Student Planning

Teams into the Selection Process

DevelopAction Plans

( 8 Develop System Change,Policy/Procedure Change and lnservice

Training Summary Worksheets

V

( \\9 Coordinate the :Implementation of Action iPlans and Worksheets

(10 Assess Progress on ActionPlans and Select Additional Best

Practices for Improvement

Second Cycle

Third Cycle

164 4

invited to take part in the planning process. The School Planning Team Management Plan (Figure 2)can be used to identify team members and to assist the team to address several specific teammanagement issues. Issues addressed by the form are: the best day of the week, time and locationfor meetings; how childcare can be providedso that team members can be supported toattend meetings; and ways that the team canextend beyond itself to other school staff,parents, students, and community membersthroughout the planning process.

Optimal team size is between seven andten individuals. However, larger teams (up to16 people) have successfully completed theprocess. As team size increases, the timeindividual team members have to expresstheir views at meetings is reduced. Withlarger teams it is useful to break the teaminto smaller groups (e.g., 4 to 5 persons) todiscuss issues or to brainstorm possiblesolutions to problems. In order to keep teammeetings to a reasonable length of time(maximum of 2 hours) and to give everyonetime to express themselves, it is important touse collaborative teaming skills. The settingof team goals at the beginning of the teamingprocess and use of a School Planning TeamMeeting Worksheet (Figure 3) has been helpfulto many teams. Teams should identify afacilitator, timekeeper and recorder for each

Figure 2

School Planning Team Mariegement Plan

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will tem mambo. mulatto elattleare to order to soma mmtimss Too D N. Clyes. how velll the teet/e el childcare be addromed by the team?

How onII Jo T. keel. oilier. Wormed Awl octleit lupe thwoogloom Lb.olamlag promos?Sohoot StagStudentsParentsCommunity MembersSchool Bawd

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Figure 3

School Planning Team Meeting Worksheet

Team Members Present:

Date

Team Members Absent: Information Backup

Roles:Facilitator

_ - _ -Fax This Meeting: For Next Meeting:

RecorderTimekeepertiscourager

Agenda far this meeting: Time Limit1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Agenda for the Neat meeting:

2.

Next Meeting Deite:

17

meeting, set an agenda with time limitsfor agenda items and stick to the agendaand time limits as much as possible. Allteam members should be responsible toeach other for completing group-tieks,helping each other to participate inplanning. and being comfortable witheach other and the process. Informationon collaborative teaming is described inChapter 5: Collaborative Teaming.

5

(Task 2 Review the Most Recent Best Practice Guidelines )How can the School Planning Team become familiar withbest practices?

The Best Practice Guidelines will be reviewed and updated regularly by theVermont Department of Education and the Center for Developmental Disabilities atthe University of Vermont to insure that the best practice statements remain cur-rent with advances in the field of education for all students. including those withintensive educational needs. The School Planning Team should determine that theyare using the most current set of best practice statements and surveys prior toinitiating the school planning process. Time should be spent reviewing and discuss-ing best practice statements to insure that all team members understand theirmeaning and purpose.

ITask 3 Tailor the School Planning Process to Meet the Needsof the School ... ;

How can the process be tailored to meet the unique needs ofeach local school?

The planning team should first review the School Planning Team Process de-scribed in this chapter. Next the team determines the tasks they will use to corn-

, plete the process and fillsout the Tasks to BeCompleted worksheetdepicted in Figure 4. Theworksheet provides a meansfor teams to tailor theplanning process to theirunique needs and timelines.To complete the worksheetthe team determines how,when and by whom eachtask will be addressed andwhen the team will meet toreview progress and makemodifications to the pro-cess.

Figure 4Tailoring the School Planning Team Process Tasks To Be Comp&tecl

School. Da e.mmeese

Teak How twill the taskbe addressed,

What?By whom?

Date of amtmeeting

Establish the SchoM Planning Teamwhich represents ell constituents ofthe school.

Review the most current BestPa.Mce Guidelines.

Mailer the School Planning P.-ocesato meet the needs of the school.

Gather end summarise Information onthe level of agreement and need forimprowsnern of test FracUme tramschool administrators. tuff, endstudents. parents. and communitymembers.

.

18

Task 4 Gather and Summarize Information on the Level of Agreementand Need for Improvement ot Best Practices from SchoolAdministrators, Staff, Parents, Students, andCommunity Members

How can information about best practices be gathered fromschool administrators, staff, students, parents, andcommunity members?

Information can be gathered many different ways. The use of the Best PracticeSurvey, however, has been found to be an efficient way to gather information from alarge number of persons in a relatively short period of time. A portion of the BestPractice Survey is depicted in Figure 5. The survey involves respondents makingthree responses for each statement. Respondents indicate if they agree with a bestpractice by circling I Agree. I Disagree or I'm Undecided. They indicate a need forimprovement on the best practice in their school by circling High Need. MediumNeed, Low Need, or Don't Know. Finally, they indicate if a best practice is a prior-ity for improvement, for whatever reason, by checking the box in columnl if apriority. The results of the survey are most accurate when respondents haveknowledge of the best practices. Ideally, the Best Practice Survey should not beadministered without respondents having an opportunity for training and discussionon them prior to or during the administration of the survey. The survey takesbetween fifteen and thirty minutes to complete.

Figure 5

5 EST PRACTICE GUIDELINES FOR MEETING THE NEEDS OF ALL STUDENTS IN LOCAL SCHOOLSNeed for Improvement

in Our Schoole, if

Priority

1 SCHOOL CLIMATE AND STRUCTURE

I. The school's philoor phy statement and objectives should be developed by ad minietrators, staff,students, parent., rchool board members and other community members and should reflect the school'scommitment to meting the individual needs of all students in ge-appropriate integrated school andcommunity setting..

I Agree I Disagree I'm Undecided

High Medium L. DeterINT...1 N." N." K...

Priority I0 I

I

i

2. The school's clir114te should be established by acimuustrators, staff, students, parents school boardmmibers and other cominunity members and should promote respect for individual differences amongstudents, encourage the development of positive self-esteem, ortablish high achievement expectationsfor all students, and encourage the development of canng personal relationships among students andstaff.

I Agree t Dissorse re. Usideeided

High Medium Low DealNe d Nerd Need Kam.

Priority II0 I

. . The school's code of conduct for students and staff should be established by administrators, staff,students, parent., school board members and other community members and should emphasizepositive behavior, be applied in a consistent, fair manner, and take into account the unique needs ofindividual students.

I Agree I Diorite* r. Wider:Wed

High Medium Lew DealNeed Nerd Noel Koss,

Prtacity

1

The school should provide ample opportunities for students, staff, parents, administrators, school boardmembem and other community members to be recognized for their accomplishments, including helpingothers.

I Agree I Disagree Van Undecided

High Med halin Lois Don'tNeel Need Need Know

Prier*, I0 1

I . The general roles and responsibtlities of II school staff (including contracted staff such as .noccupational therapist or psychologist) relative to providing inatniction and support to all studentsshould be cleer}y delinonted by adminietrators, staff, nudente, parents, school board members and othercommunity members.

I Apse I Disagree Vet Undecided

High Medium low Don'tNeed N.. Newel Kam.

1pri.,.ity i0 I

i

6. The school'. proteseional development process should be developed by iii1miniatnators, staff, students.parents, school board members and other community members and should include inservice training,regulsrly scheduled observationa with feedback, technical amistance, pear cooching, and mentonng.

I Area I Disagree I'm Undecided

High Medium Low Dvn't INsed N.el Need Knew

Nu...0y I3

. The school's instructional support system (e.g., classroom-based model for delivering support services,teacher aseetanor teem individual ctudent planmng teams, special education pre-referral process,volunteer syetem) should be developed by dmiroatrators, staff, students, parents, school boardmambas and other community members and should be available to all students and staff.

I Atom I Dimon. Fan Undedded

High Med ham Low Dori*Need N.4 N....i Km..

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27

It should be noted that the responses to the Need for Improvement in OurSchool column are interpreted differently depending on whether or not the respon-dents agree with the best practice. If respondents agree w.'h the practice. circlinghigh need would indicate that they feel the practice is not available in the school or ifavailable is in much need of improvement. Circling low need indicates that therespondents feel the practice is adequately addressed in their school. On the otherhand, what if respondents disagree with the practice and indicates low need forimprovement? This may mean that they do not value the best practice and there islittle need to improve on it regardless of how available it is in the school.

How can survey responses be summarized?The Survey Summary Chart summarizes information gathered from the Best

Practice Survey in a format which highlights practices which have high levels ofsupport among school staff and are in need of improvement. The Survey SummaryChart is useful for summarizing survey information for presentation to school staff,administrators, parents, and the school board. When used in conjunction with theBest Practice Selection Worksheet., described in a later section. the Survey SummaryChart can help in the selection of statements for improvement.

Figure 8

Best Practice Survey Summary Chart

ThLewd of Need for

Lava of AFewnent Improvement in Our ofwith Indicator School Priority is

SCHOOL CUMATS AND STRUCTURE

1. The school's philosophy statanent and ohlectivesshould be developed by adatleletrattrs, guff, stu-demi:raft Waal board mambas aid alescoomiurdty rembees aid should reflect the school'scarralimerr to amming Ms individual nada a allvadat. in agrappropriase interred school andcommarly Wrap.

2. The school's climate should be erabialled by admin-Loran rat sesdans, parents school board own-an aid other coreromity members aid shouldpromote respect fa indirdual differences amongstudents, encourage the development of preibie self- IImem% establish high adievanent expectations for allstudents, aid encourage the development of camsperemal reiallaideps among misdates and sat

3. The school's mole of =duct for *Warm arid atechould be setabilabed by adarnetrators. staff, sou-dams, preen school bard smenbers and otherarralurity members aid should anphanse POSifiVebehavior, be applied in a madam. fair mannsr, andtake bro accord the urdque needs of Individualeturren

4. The dad should porde ample opportunities forstucksia. staff, perms, admisistraum. whoa boardmembers end cehr arterenity maniere to berecognised far tair accariplisimierts. includinghelping errs

S. The salad ram aul nepteribilities of all wheal stafffinduding oars t acted staff sod. as wi oaupetiondMaar.* or psydiolosist) relative to providinginetrualon and ripper to all madam should kedearly delimited by alminisionces, stet rudest;parser, salad bard nraibas and other aornmertywrens%

6. The sdicors profeesional dr ulopmant process shouldbe developed by adminisustors, gaff, madam.parer, school hard marbers aid other commadtymembers and simild include Inervice taring,regularly echedubd obsrvations with feedback.Wrier essistarce, pair Goldin& aid wereoring.

7. The school's instructional supper system (e.g.,dasacomberd model fa delivering support wry-ices, teacher smisurre mem individual swamplarning leans. spend editorial preeeferral proms,volwoiser 'yeller° Mould be developed by administre.ton. sta. ebalents. parents. schod board meeker'and other aurauwity tranbers arid should be avail-abie to till ruder and add.

% Alm% Dimple% Dii4icie,ed

% Aim% Disagree% UnstudiedI

% Ames% Meagre% Undecided

% AmeeV. Drawee% Undedeled

% AV"% DisagreeV. Uneledded

V. AV"% Di

% thettedded

V. Apee% Dila?"V. Uedecided

% High% Medium% Low% Undecided

% High% Medium% Lew% Undecided

% High% Medium% LemII Undedded

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% High% MediumV. LewV. Undecided

V. High% MediumV. Lew% Undecided

V. HighV. Medium,

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20

The Survey Summary Chartdepicted in Figure 6 summarizesthe following information.

1. The percentage of respon-dents who answered I Agree. IDisagree and I'm Undecided foreach best practice.

2. The percentage of respon-dents who answered High Need,Medium Need, Low Need. andUndecided to the need forimprovement of each practice.

3. The number of persons thatidentified each practice as apriority.

The I Agree responses toeach statement and High Needresponses may be color-coded toallow for quick scanning ofitems. Practices with high levelsof agreement and need (90% to100% of respondents answeringI Agree and High Need) mightbe coded red (hot item). Prac-tices with a moderate level ofagreement (50% to 89%) mightbe coded green (cool item) andpractices with a level of agree-ment under 50% might be codedblue (cold item).

28 BEST C1PY AVAILABLE

(Task 5 Incorporate Information From Individual Student Planning

Teams into the Selection Process

How can we address the needs of individual students in theplanning process?

If the school has working Individual Student Planning Teams for one or morestudents with intensive needs (see Chapter 4) information about best practice avail-ability for these students should be gathered from each team and incorporated intothe School Planning Team Process. Prior to developing an individualstudent's planthe team completes Part I of the Best Practice Checklist for Individual Students(Figure 7) by selecting which best practices are most important to the student'ssuccess within the school and community. After planning, the team completes PartII of the checklist by indicating which selected practices could not be incorporatedinto the student's program. The team then completes Part III by making recommen-dations for increasing the availability of those practices within the school/commu-nity. The practices which are needed by students with intensive needs but are notadequately available, should be highlighted during the best practice selection processdescribed on the next page.

Figure 7

BEST PRACTICE CHECKLIST FOR INDIVIDUAL STUDENTS

Student Date (Part I ) Date (Part MUD

SCHOOL CLIMATE AND STRUCTURE

1. The school's philosophy statement and obiectives are developed by administrators, staff, students,parents, school board members and other community members and reflect the school's commitment tomeeting the individual needs of all students in age-appropriate regular education and communitysettings.

2. The school's climate is established by administrators, staff, students, parents school board members and I!other community members and promotes respect for individual differences among students, encouragesthe development of positive self-esteem, establishes high achievement expectations for all students, and ,.

encourages the development of caring personal relationships among students and staff.

3. The school's code of conduct tor students and staff is established by administrators, sta if, students,parents, school board members and other community members, emphasizes positive behavior, isapplied in a consistent, fair manner, and takes Into account the unique needs of tndivtduai students.

4. The school provides ample opportunities for students, staff, administrators, parents, school boardmembers and other community members to be recognized for their accomplishments, including heipingothers.

5. The general roles and responsibilities of all school staff (including contracted staff such as an occu pa.tional therapist or psychologist) relative to providing instruction and se pport to all students are clearlydelineated by administrators, staff, students, parents, school board members and other communitymembers.

6. The school's professional development process is developed by administrators, staff, students, parents,school board members and other community members arid includes inservice training, regularlyscheduled observations with feedback, technical assistance, peer coaching, and mentohng.

7. The school's instructional support system (e.g., classroom-based model for delivering support services,teacher assistance team, individual student planning tONIMS, special education pre-reterral process,volunteer system) is developed by administrators, staff, students, parents, school board members andother community members and is available to all students and staff.

Importantto Student's

ProgramPart I

Practice Not AdeauatelvIncorporated intoStudent's Program

Part II

21Q

4 al

D}(Task 6 Select and Prioritize Best Practices to be Improved

How can the team select and prioritize best practices forimprovement?

This task in the planning process involves the completion of the Best PracticeSelection Worksheet and results in a prioritized list of best practices in need ofimprovement. When selecting practices for improvement it is important to considerthe level of support for the practice as well as the possible barriers to best practiceachievement. The more support there is for a practice among school staff, adminis-trators, students, parents and other community members, the more likely improve-ments in the practice will be achieved. When support for a practice is low, minimalimprovement may be expected unless efforts to increase support for the practice arelaunched. Two strategies to increase support for a best practice include providingmore information on the practice and its benefits, and creating incentives for imple-menting a practice (e.g., reduced class size for teachers working with students withintense needs).

The first step in completing the Best Practice Selection Worksheet is to identifyactices to be considered for improvement during the next two planning cycles. At

least 10 practices should be initially identified. As each practice is identified thesmall box on the worksheet located in the colunm titled Select should be checked(see Figure 8). After all of the practices have been considered, complete the ratings(as described below) and assign a priority ranking for each best practice.

1. Categorize the Possible Changes Needed: Circle P if policy changes are neededto improve the practice's availability. Circle S if service delivery system changes areneeded for improvement (e.g., reallocating teacher time, changing job roles, hiringadditional staff, arranging team meeting time during school hours. initiating acommunity-based training program). Circle T if training is needed to develop orimplement the changes.

2. Determine Priority Ranking: Based upon the information gathered through thesurveys and the estimation of the types changes needed, each practice should beranked from the most important practice to target for improvement (1= highestranking) to the least important. If several practices carry equal importance, theymay be assigned the same ranking. It is recommended that at least 10 statementsbe ranked.

Once best practices have been assigned a priority ranking, three or more prac-tices should be selected for improvement during the remainder of the current cycleand for the second cycle of the process. The exact number of practices selected willdepend upon the perceived difficulty of improving the practices and the amount ofstaff time allotted for their improvement. The initial selection should include somepractices which can be achieved relatively quickly and easily to ensure that staff.students, parents and other community members experience success in using theSchool Planning Team Process. The practices selected should be approved by theschool board, school staff and interested parents and other community membersprior to beginning the next task in the process.

22 30

(-Best Practice Selection Worksheet Figure 8Selected Changes Priority

Best Practice Guidelines For Meeting The Needs Of All Students In Local Schools Box) Needed (1 = Highest)

SCHOOL CLIMATE AND STRUCTURE

1. The school's philosophy statement and objectives are developed by administrators, staff.students, parents, school board members and other community members and reflect theschool's commitment to meeting the individual needs of all students in'age-appropriate regu-lar education and community settings.

2. The schoors climate is established by administrators. staff, students, parents school boardmembers and other community members and promotes respect for individual differencesamong students, encourages the development of positive self-esteem. establishes high :!achievement expectations for all students, and encourages thc development of caring personal ilrelationships among students and staff. :I

3. The school's code of conduct for studmts and staff is established by administrators, staff.students, parents, school board members and other community members, emphasizes posi-tive behavior, is applied in a consistent, fair manner, and takes Into account the unique needs I iof individual students.

.1

4. The school provides ample opportunities for students. staff, administrators, parents, schoolboard members and other community members to be recognized for their accomplishments.including helping others.

5. The general roles and responsibilities of all school staff (including contracted staff such as ancecupational therapist or psychologist) relative to providing instruction and support to allstudents are clearly delineated by administrators, staff, students, parents, school boardmembers and other community members.

6. The school's professional development process is developed by admmistrators, staff, students.parents, school board members and other community members and includes inservice train-ing, regularly scheduled observations with feedback, technical assistance, peer coaching, andmentonng.

7. The school's instructional support system (e.g.. classroom-based model for delivenng supportservtces, teacher assistance team, individual student planning teams, special education pre-referral prccess, volunteer system) is developed by administrators, staff, students, parents.school board members and other community members and is available to all students andstaff.

a

S P T

S P T

S P T

S ? I

S P T

S P T

S P T

S = Systems P = Policy or Procedures T = Training

1Task 7 Develop Action Plans

How do we develop plans for best practice improvement?

The development of action plans is a critical task since it forms the basis forimproving best practices. A separate action plan should be developed for each bestpractice selected for improvement. Each action plan should include the followingfour components (refer to Figure 9 for a sample action plan):

1. A listing of the Best Practices to be improved:

2. A listing of changes in school service delivery system needed to improvethe practice:

3. A listing of changes in school policy or procedures needed to improve thepractice: and

4. A listing of training needs (e.g.. for staff, students, the community) in orderto improve the practice.

The action plans should be written to address changes to be made during theremainder of the current cycle and for the second and third cycles as well. In otherwords, action plans should address changes that the team wishes to make by theend of the third cycle. If a cycle takes the school one year to complete. then theaction plans will cover two years (the second and third years of the process).

Figure 9Sample Action Plan

Area: Collaborative Planning

Best Practice Statement: 'The scho o provides time during .school fwurs for instructional* support teams(e.g., inclividua( stu&nt planning teams, teacher assistance teams, uaching teams) to meet atuf for individual teammembers to monitor services and to provide time for consultation, support and technical assistance.

Changes in Service Delivery(Systems Change)

Changes in Policy or Procedures(Policy Change)

Training Needs(Staff, Students, Community)

Identify teams of 4 to 6integrated staff.

Structure school day toallow for team meetings.

Restructure caseloads ofspecial education andChapter I.

Early release time fortraining.

Volunteer enrichmentprograms.

Make use of Mondayafternoons notcurrently utilized forplanning.

Develop descriptions ofplanning teams includingroles and responsibilities.

From the School Improvement Plan (1991) of 'Union School, Montpelier, Vermont

Collaborative Teaming.

Provide information toschool board regardingthe need for teams andhow they function.

Visit other schools. Havethem come talk to us.

24 3 2

j

(ITask 8 Complete Systems Change, Policy/Procedure Change andInservice Training Summary Worksheets

How can we coordinate action plans with other school planningactivities which are ongoing within the school?

Once action plans have been developed for individual best practices, the School.Planning Team should summarize the information in a format that facilitates theschool's coordination of all the systems change. policy change, and training activi-ties. For example, if the school has an existing inservice training committee, asummary of all training activities should be shared with this committee. A school'sadministrative planning team should have a summary of all the systems andpolicy/proceduir change activities.

The summarization can be accomplished by: a) listing all the systems changeactivities from each action plan on the Systems Change Summary Worksheet,b) listing all the policy or procedural change activities on the Policy Changes Sum-mary Worksheet, and c) listing all the training activities on the TrainingActivitiesSummary Worksheet. As illustrated in Figures 10 and 11, the Systems Change andPolicy Change Worksheets list all the changes from each action plan and specify thebest practices addressed, the type of change(s) needed, the steps to be taken toinitiate change, persons responsible for initiating the change, and expected comple-tion dates.

The Training Activities Summary Worksheet (Figure 12) should specify the prac-tices addressed, the target audiences, the training objectives for each audieme, thetrainers for each topic, the time/location/format for training, the expected measur-able outcomes of training, and the expected completion dates.

Figure 10Sample Systems Change Summary Sheet

ProposedSystemsChange

BestPracticesImpacted

Steps toInitiateChange

Person(s)Responsible

Projec tCompletion

Bate

Identify teams of 2,4,7,8,27,41 Gain board approval Principal 3/91

4 to 6 teachersIdentify teams with faculty Team 4/91

Structure schoolday to allow forteam meetings

Gain board approval

Develop schedule withfaculty

Principal

Team

3/91

4/91

ProposedPolicy/Procedure

Change

Figure 11Sample Policy Change Summary Sheet

BestPracticesImpacted

Steps toInitiateChange

ProjectPerson(s) Completion

Responsible Date

Develop descriptionsof planning teamsincluding roles andresponsibilities

2,4,7,8.27,41 Identify teams with faculty

Develop descriptions

Gain board approval

Team

Team

Principal

3/91

4/91

6/91

TrainingObjective

Staff, students andparents will betrained incollaborativeteaming strategies

Figure 12Sample Training Activities Summary Worksheet

BestPracticesImpacted

Audienceand

Trainers

TimeLocation

FormatExpectedOutcomes

DateCompleted

1,2,3,4,5,6, Administrators 5:30 3/1 Understand 4/30/91

7,8,10,15, Teachers 7:30 3/15 importance of18,44,45,46, Support Staff 3:30 4/2 collaborative47,48,49,50 Students 7:30 4/13 teaming

ParentsCommunity School Ability to(Trained ingroups of 20)Trainer:Mr. Nice

library

Large grouppresentation

team usingagenda format,shared roles,and commongoals

Small grouppractice

Task 9 Coordinate the Implementation of Action Plans and Worksheets

(2How can the plans of several schools within the schooldistrict be coordinated?

The summary worksheets may also be used to facilitate the coordination ofchanges and training activities at the school district and regional,levels. While it ismost appropriate to conduct the School Planning Team Process at the school buildinglevel, it may be equally important to develop or finalize plans at the district level toensure that efforts of individuaLschools are coordinated and no unnecessary dupli-cation occurs. For example, if six schools within a district indicate that staff trainingis needed in the area of collaborative teaming, that training could be arranged for theentire school district rather than on an individual school basis. If several schools

26

:3 4

need the assistance of a specialist in educating students with severe disabilities, thedistrict may decide to employ one specialist to serve several schools.

It may be advantageous to coordinate and implement some elements of thechange plans on a regional level. For-example, when attempting to access neededexpertise in remote regions where the population of students with intensive educa-tional needs is low, school districts caii col1lborate to hire hearing and visionspecialists, occupational and physical therapists. behavior specialists, job trainers,or employment placement specialists.

Timelines for planning activities within each school may need to be coordinatedat the school district or supervisory union level. School district administrators maywish to develop a general timeline with target dates for the completion of majorsteps in the process which allows for the coordination of individual school plans.This general timeline can be used by each school administration to develop a morespecific timeline for a particular school. In this way, timelines can be generatedwhich will take into consideration priorities and time constraints of individualschools, as well as the school district needs. A sample coordinated timeline ispresented in Figure 13.

Figure 13Sample Coordinated Timeline

By October 1 (Year 1)1. Present the best practice guidelines and an overview of the school planning process to the

school staff. students, parents and community members.2. Establish a School PlanMng Team in each school.3. Tailor the school planning process to meet the needs of each school.

By January 1 (Year 1)Each school will:

1. Identify staff, parents and community members to be surveyed.2. Conduct Best Practice Surveys.3. Tabulate survey results.4. Complete Survey Summary Chart.

By March 1 (Year 1)Each school will:

1. Gather information from Individual Student Planning Teams operating within the school(if any).

2. Complete the Best Practice Selection Worksheet.3. Select best practices for improvement for the next 2 years.4. Develop action plans and summary worksheets for the selected practices.

By March 15 (Year 1)Completed action plans and summary worksheets will be delivered to the school districtadministration.

By April 15 (Year 1)The school district administration will review the action plans and summary worksheets.develop a district-wide action plan, allocate necessary resources to complete the actionplans, and develop a schedule for action plan implementation.

By May 20 (Year 2 )1. Results of in-service training, policy change and/or systems change completed to date will

be evaluated.2. Each school will assess progress on statements targeted for improvement.

27

(Task 10 Assess Progress on Action Plans and Select Additional

Best Practices for Improvement for the Following Year],

EiHow do we continue to make progress from year to year?

On at least a yearly basis, the planning team should evaluate what progress hasbeen made on the targeted policy and systems changes as well as training activi-ties. The team should decide whether each action plan has been completed to thepoint where it need no longer be addressed. If action plans are completed by theend of the second year, additional plans and worksheets can be developed for thethird year. The team should go back to the Best Practice Selection Worksheetcompleted during the first cycle of the process and select additional practices toimprove. At least every 3 years the school should do the entire school planningprocess over again (re-prioritize best practices in need of improvement).

-

28 36

Summary ChartForms for Completing Each Task in the

School Planning 'ream Process

1 Estab?ish the SchoolPlanning Team

School Planning TeamManagement Plan

School Planning Team MeetingWorksheet

Team Member ChecklistTeam Goals

Review the Most CurrentBest Practice GuidelinesBest Practice Guidelines

3 Tailor the SchoolPlanning Process to Meetthe Needs of the School

Schooi Planning ProcessWorksheet

Gather and SummarizeInformation on the Level ofAgreement and Need forImprovement of Best Practicesfrom School Administrators,Staff, Students, Parents, andCommunity Members.Best Practice SurveysBest Practice Summary Chart

6. Select and PrioritizeBest Practices to beImproved

Best Practice Selection Worksheet

Develop Action Plans

Action Plan

Develop Systems Change,Policy/Procedure Changeand Inservice TrainingSummary Worksheets

Systems Change Summary SheetPolicy Change Summary SheetTraining Activities Summary

Worksheet

9 Coordinate theImplementation of ActionPlans and Worksheets

Incorporate Information fromIndividual Student PlanningTeams into the Selection Process

Best Practice Checklist for IndividualStudents

10 Assess Progress on ActionPlans and SelectAdditional Best Practicesfor ImprovementAction PlansSummary WorksheetsBest Practice Selection

Works hee t

29

CHAPTER I4

The Individual Student PlanningTeam Process

ti What is the Individual Student Planning Team Process?

The Individual Student Plan-ning Team Process is intended foruse by planning teams to developprograms which maximize partici-pation of students with intensiveneeds in general educationclasses and other school andcommunity activities. As de-scribed in Chapter 1. studentswith intensive needs are studentsidentified by their teachers andparents as presenting significanteducational challenges to theschool. A student need not beeligible for a specific supportservice (e.g., special education.Chapter 1) to be considered byteachers or parents as havingintensive needs and requiringindividualized support services.The planning process includes aseries of tasks to be accomplishedby the student's planning team.Various checklists, forms andsurveys have been developed toassist the planning team tocomplete the tasks. The planningprocess is depicted in the flowchart in Figure 1. Each num-bered box on the chart representsa major task to be completed bythe team.

altrnt

Figure 1

Individual Student Planning Team Process

Establish The Planning Team

a. Student Assigned toAge-appropriate Classes

b. Identify Team Membership

c. Facilitation of Family Participationon the Student's Planning Team

d. Development of Teaming Procedures

e. Tailor the Process to Meet the Student'sand School's Needs

Identify Fundamental Values, TheStudent's Strengths, Best Practice Needs and

Skills to be Taught

vComplete the Activities Matrix

(Are Assigned Classe.)Appropriate?

Yes

4 Determine Support Tasks

Monitor Progress and Evaluate theAvailability of Best Practices to the

Student's Program

The Individual Student Planning Team Process is an abbreviated and adapted version of the Indi-vidual Program Design (IPD) Series which is available from the Center for Developmental Disabili-ties at the University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont 05405.

30

38

(Task 1 Establish the Planning Team

1? iHow can the Individual Student Planning Team Process beinitiated?

Once a student has been identified as having intensive needs. an IndividualStudent Planning Team should be established. Establishing the planning teaminvolves addressing several key issues prior to discussing the student's specificeducational strengths and needs. Issues to be addressed include:

a. student assignment to age-appropriate general education classes.b. identification of team membership.c. facilitation of family participation on the student's planning team.d. development of teaming procedures. ande. adaptation of the process to meet the student's needs.

(Task la Student Assigned to Age-appropriate Classes

1?1Does the student have to be assigned to general educationclasses?

Yes! The Individual Student Planning Team Process is designed to supportstudents with intensive needs in general classes. Students should be in the sameclasses as their peers of a similar chronological age (plus or minus 2 years). Ifstudents are assigned to a special classroom or are not currently attending theirlocal schools, the first step in the process is to assign the student to general educa-tion classes in their local school.

(Task lb Identify Team Membership

traWho should be on the Individual Student Planning Team?

The Individual Student Planning Team should have core and extended teamcomponents. The core team is a small group of people (e.g., student, parents,general educators, special educator, speech pathologist) who meet regularly (manycore teams meet weekly) to do the majority of the day-to-day planning for the stu-dent. The core team is generally madeup of the people who are the most involvedwith the student on a daily basis.

Extended team membership consists of individuals who are important to thestudent's educational program and are available to the team as needed (e.g., clinicalpsychologist, social worker, student's peers). Core and extended team membershipwill change over time based on the needs of students and the classes/activities inwhich they will participate. For example. as a student moves from grade to gradedifferent teachers will have to be involved. When transitions to post-school servicesare being planned, post-school service providers should be included. One functionof the planning team is to continuously update team membership based uponstudent needs.

The Team Management Plan (Figure 2) can be used to designate core and

31

extended team membership. to facilitate communication among team members andto decide how the team will work together. For more detaf.r.'d information on collabo-rative teaming and how to use the Team Management Plan refer to Chapter 5:Collaborative Teaming.

Figure 2

( Team Management Plan

Student

Core Planning Team Members

Year

Position

Extended Planning Team Members Position Info. Backup

fWhen will the the Team meet during the school year?

Core Team: Erteaded Team:Day of Week Day of WeekTime TimeWeekly 0 Weekly 0Every Other Week 0 Every Other Week 0Other Monthly 0

Other

If additional meetings (core or extended) arc needed who will be responsibleranging them?

If the student or his/her parents cannot attend meetings, how will the teamthem informed and solicit their inpur?

for ar-

keep

Who is the primary parent contact person?

If a teaching assistant is assigned, who is primarily responsible for supeassistant?

wising the

Who is primarily responsible for monitoring the students:

physical management needs?behavior management strategies?social integration strategies?transitions between activities/classes?

ElWhich general class teachers should be team members?

11

The core team should include the student's general class teachers. If the studenthas several teachers (e.g., high school students may have up to seven teachers), one

324 0

or two teachers may be designated as core team members. Previous and potentialnext year's teachers should be included as extended team members to facilitatesmooth transitions from one grade to the next. When it is difficult to decide on, forexample, a thTd grade classroom for a-student, several third grade teachers mayneed to be on the team until the matrixing process (Task 3 ) is completed.

lc Facilitation of Family Participation on the Student'sPlanning Team

1-41How can we encourage the student's family to participate inthe planning process?

One way to facilitate family involvement is to include them from the beginningon the Individual Student Planning Team as full team members and decision mak-ers. As full team members, the family is invited to and informed of all team meet-ings and activities. Family participation at team meetings may be encouraged bydesignating one team member as a family contact person who meets with the familybefore the first team meeting and periodically thereafter. The family contact personshould be responsible for initially explaining the planning process to the family,obtaining their input on the process and team composition. and encouraging theirinvolvement as team members. The family contact person should arrange ameeting(s) with the family to accomplish the following tasks:

a. Discuss the need for an Individual Student Planning Team for their child.

b. Discuss how the individual support team works, what it hopes to accom-plish, and how the family can participate.

c. Encourage the family to bring a friend or advocate to team meetings toease them into the process. When appropriate, the family contact personshould suggest names of other parents familiar with the process who couldprovide support at meetings.

d. Discuss how one goal of the team is to provide support to the family as wellas their child through providing Family Information and Referral Services.

e. Secure family input on the Individual Student Planning Team Process fortheir child, the composition of the core and extended team, and how theywould like to be involved.

f. Facilitate the family discussing selected fundamental values that guideeducational program development for all students and identifying thevalues which the family would like the team to give special considerationto in the development of their child's program.

g. Facilitate the family discussing and selecting high priority education goalsfor their child.

What are Family Information and Referral Services?

I

The purpose of Family Information and Referral Services is to assist families toaccI ess informal support networks and connect them with community resourcesI(e.g.. daycare services, recreation programs. counseling, respite care, vocationalrehabilitation, mental health). In order to provide Family Information and Referral

3341

(Task ld Development of Teaming Procedures)

i?!

Services, the school should consider developing a community resource guide whichlists generic family needs and identifies potential people and agencies to contact toaddresS those needs. Assistance accessing resources should be available to allfamilies whose children attend the school.

The Individual Student Planning Team should address families' questions, con-cerns and needs in areas related to their child's educational program (e.g.. facilitat-ing communication skill development, managing behavior, encouraging more inde-pendence in self-care at home). However, some families have other needs which canbest be addressed by accessing available community services. Upon the familiesrequest, the Individual Student Planning Team should assist them in identifyingneeds and/or connecting them to community resources whin can address specificfamily needs.

How can the family contact person facilitate the family'sidentification of values which they want the team to give specialconsideration to in their child's program?

The Fundamental Values Worksheet should be reviewed with the student andher family. This worksheet and how to use it are described in detail in a latersection. During the review, the family contact person should facilitate the familydiscussing each value area. The family can add other value areas which they wantthe team to focus on. If the family will be attending the first team meeting, theyshould be encouraged to prepare for the meeting by thinking about value areas onwhich they would like the team to focus. If the family will not be attending themeeting, they should be asked to fIll out the worksheet and/or discuss priorityvalue areas with the family contact person so their priority areas can be shared withother team members.

How can the family contact person facilitate the family'sselection of skills to be taught to their child?

The Skills to Be Taught Worksheet should be reviewed with the student and herfamily. This worksheet and how to use it are described in detail in a later section.During the review the family contact person should facilitate the family discussingthe student's strengths and needs in relation to each skill domain. The family canadd other skill areas which they want the team to focus on. If family members willbe attending the first meeting, they should be encouraged to prepare for the meetingby thinking about which domains and skill areas are highest priorities for theirchild. If family members will not be attending the meeting, they should be asked tofill out the worksheet and/or discuss priority domains and skill areas with thefamily contact person so their priority skill areas and domains can be shared withother team members.

How do we become an effective team?

Two important tasks the core team should address early in the process are thesetting of team and individual tom member goals and the identification of theprocedures that will be used to facilitate efficient and productive meetings. In orderto tv;e time effectively (some teams meet for as little as 30 minutes at a time), teamshave utilized a Team Meeting Worksheet (Figure 3) to keep meetings on task and

34 42

Vow

P.

improve the collaborative nature of the team. The Team Meeting Worksheet providesteams with a format for keeping track of who is at each meeting, identifying infor-mation backups for absent members, specifying team member meeting roles, delin-eating agenda items with time limits, keeping minutes, and assigning tasks to teammembers. For more detailed information on goal setting and on how to use theTeam Meeting Worksheet refer to Chapter 5: Collaborative Teaming.

Figure 3

Team Meeting Worksheet

Student

Team Members Present:

Date

Team Members Absent: Information Backup

Roles: For This Meeting: For Next Meeting:FacilitatorRecorderTimekeeperEncourager

Agenda for this meeting: Time Limit1.

2.

3.

Agenda for the Next Meeting: Next Meeting Date1.

2.

Minutes TaskPerson(s) CompletedResponsible B ate

Task le Tailor the Process to Meet the Student's and School's Needs

1?1How can the planning process be adapted to meet the uniqueneeds of the student and school?

Another important task to be completed at the first team meeting is a core teamreview of the planning process outlined in this chapter to determine how the pro-cess might be adapted to meet their needs. For example, the team may decide towork on some tasks concurrently, eliminate some tasks and/or add tasks. Afterthe team determines the tasks necessary to complete the process, it can fill out theAdapting the Student Planning Process worksheet depicted in Figure 4. Completing

35 43

(Adapting the Student Planning Process )

the worksheet involves the team checking tasks to be completed, crossing off tasksthat the team will not address and adding additional tasks as necessary.

Figure 4

I Tasks to be completed. Cross out tasks which the team will notcomplete. List additional tasks the team will complete.

Task I Establish the Planning Teama. Student Assigned to Age-appropriate Classes 0

b. Identify Team Membership 0

c. Facilitation of Family Participation on the Students Team

d. Development of Teaming Procedures

Task 2 Identify Fundamental Values, the Student's Strengths,Best Practice Needs and Skills to be Taught

Identify Fundamental Values 0

Identify Students Strengths and Eduaitional Needs 0

Identify Skill Areas to Be Taught 0

Identify Best Practice Needs 0

Task 3 Complete the Activity Matrix 0

Task 4 Determine Support Tasks 0

Task 5 Monitor Progress and Evaluate the Availability ofBest Practices to the Student's Program

Monitor Progress 0

Evaluate Best Practice Availability 0

Task 6 Transition to Next Grade 0

Task 2 Identify Fundamental Values, the Student's Strengths,Best Practice Needs and Skills to be Taught

How can the team identify fundamental values to address in thedevelopment of the student's program?

Value judgements are involved in educational program development for allstudents. Each goal selected for a student implies a very real cost in terms of timeand resources that can be devoted to other, perhaps equally or more important,

goals. Since each decisionrepresents a cost, it is veryimportant that the student'sand her family's values arerepresented in the decision-making process. The values ofthe student and family are notonly important to making gooddecisions, but also to whethergoal attainment and skillacquisition have effects out-side of the school's program.

The Fundamental ValuesWorksheet in Figure 5 depictsselected areas the teamshould attend to in overallprogram planning for allstudents. The value areas arepartially based upon a studyby Giangreco. Cloninger, Yuan& Ashworth (1991) on parent-derived high priority needs ofstudents with intensive needs.Other areas should be addedon the basis of the student'sneeds and at the discretion ofthe family and other teammembers. Through discuss-ing the value areas in relationto a particular student'sstrengths and needs, a frame-work for selecting goals/skillsand designing activities for thestudent can be developed.Selecting areas to which theteam should pay particular

attention provides a greater focus for the team's efforts. For instance, if the area ofsocial acceptance/friendships is selected, the team should select goals/skills anddesign activities for the student which maximize opportunities to learn and practicesocial skills and develop friendships. Priority areas can be designated by eitherchecking the box after the area or assigning each box a number with the highestpriority being assigned the number one, the second priority being assigned thenumber two, and so on. The team should discuss and determine which system bestmeets their needs.

Figure 5

( Fundamental Values )Student Date

Each of tits value areas fisted below should be an in ugrat part of every student's educa tional evenence.We will attempt to insure that the selected value 00145 art incorporated vuo every actrvity and

erperienct that the student engages tn as a part of kis educational program.

Select V) Up to Three Value Areas Which are of Particular Importance to This Student:

Academics 0 Camerna

Social Acceptance/Friendships 0 CAMMOW:

Health/Safety

Self-Concept/Self-Esteem 0 C""

Choice Making

Self-Control/Self-Management 0

Inclusion in Integrated Activities 0 COvi

LOther (Specify):

37 45

laHow can the team determine the student's strengths andeducational needs?

First the team must determine the areas, if any, for which the student requiresan assessment of strengths and educational needs. If the student is well known tothe team or has had a recent assessment, further assessment may not be necessaryat this time.

There are four basic information gathering procedures for assessing studentstrengths and needs. These procedures include review of previous records. inter-views, observational assessments and training-based assessments. Each procedurehas both strengths and weaknesses and must be used in combination to obtain themost accurate information. Typical steps in an information gathering process are tofirst review the student's records and then to conduct interviews to check their

accuracy and to obtain addi-tional information. Next,

Figure 6

( Student Assessment Worksheet )Student Date

AreaS To Be Person(*) To BeAssessed Responsible Completed By

'Review of Records

i

'Interviews (specify instrument)'Parents -I

;Current Teachers (Hst persons and inv_ruments)

ll'1

.

1 .

Fast Teachers (ha persons and specify instruments)I.

:2.

13. .

'Others (list persons and specify instruments1i I.;

i2.1

;

iObservational AssessmentsIlaieited (list specific Instruments)11.12.3.4.5.

;

Non-alicitalICIassroorn 0Cafeteria 0Playground 0

'Home 0'other Ma)11.

12.

'Training-Based Assessments (describe).

II

:

observational assessments andtraining-based evaluations areconducted to fill in remaininginformation gapS.

There are two types ofobservational assessments,elicited and non-elicited. Bothtypes should be used to deter-mine student strengths andneeds. Non-elicited observa-tional assessment can also beused to assess social validityand student performance as afunction of environmentalvariables. Elicited Observa-tional Assessment evaluatesthe on demand performance ofstudents when they are givenspecific instructions to performthe skill of concern. Non-Elicited Observational As-sessment evaluates thestudent's ability to self-initiateskill performance when notgiven specific instructions toperform the skill.

Training-based assessmentinvolves providing instructionand assessing the student'sperformance during and afterinstruction. Students shouldbe provided training-basedassessments to determinelearning styles, needed instruc-tional adaptations, and learn-ing rates.

Figure 6. the StudentAssessment Worksheet, pro-vides the team with a means to

II identify areas to be assessed, assessment techniques and instruments, personsII responsible, and timelines for completing the assessment.

38

4 6

( Skill Areas To Be Taught )

How can the team select skills to be taught to the student?

It is important to make a distinction between priority skill areas and annual11 and short term goals and objectives. Priority skill areas can take more than one

year to accomplish andshould be selected becausethey will facilitate studentsmeeting critical environ-mental demands, such aspurchasing goods or mak-ing and maintaining friend-ships. Annual or shortterm goals and objectives,such as counting money ormaking a grocery list, areoften based upon a predic-tion of what a student willlearn in a school year andmay be necessary butinsufficient for meeting anenvironmental demand.Ideally. annual or shortterm goals should beselected because they arenecessary for achievingexpertise in priority skillareas. When priority skillareas have not been deter-mined for individualstudents there is not anadequate framework forselecting annual or shortterm goals and objectives,monitoring studentprogress, and facilitatingteachers building on skillsstudents learned in thepast within a priority skillarea.

The Skill Areas To BeTaught worksheet shouldassist the family and otherteam members to selectpriority skill areas for the

student. A page from the worksheet is depicted in Figure 7. The entire worksheetcovers the following domains: basic communication, language, social relationships/self management, motor, reading, writing, math, personal care, safety, dining/food.clothing care, home care, money management, school inclusion, vocational, andrecreation. The listing of skill areas under each domain helps define what it covers.Team members may add skill areas as necessary.

The first step in completing the worksheet is to determine the student's nextmajor transitions. For example, a student may be entering middle school withinthe next two years or transitioning to post-school life (e.g., a job, apartment living)four years from now. There may be skills that the tudent needs to learn in orderto be successful within next environments that should be targeted as priority skillareas now.

S'AtdentCompleted byNext Major Transition(s)

Figure 7

Dat

Basic Communication[show preferences, indicate more, indicate rejection/protest, indicatewants/needs, initiate socially, respond to social intitations, participate inturn taking, make choices other:

Languagefollow directions, receptive vocabulary, expressive vocabulary, length ofutterance, articulation, categories, relational concepts, temporalelations, opposites other:

Social Relationships/Self Managementprosocial skills (e.g., participation, know feelings, offer assistance,salutations, questioning, praise, cooperative, work/study habits, deal withanger, use self control, follow rules, avoid trouble, say no, make a decision,solve problems), relate information, quality of communication, eye contact,facial expressions, posture, interpersonal distance, physical appearance,hygiene, physical contact, social anonymity, family life, follow personalschedule, create schedule other:

Motororal motor, posture/position, pichension, pointing, manipulation,mobility other:

Readingsurvival words, signs or labels, schedules, maps, listings, illustratedadvertisements, instructions, forms, books, word attack skills, formalreading programs other:

writinghold pencil, color, trace, copy, write single letters, write numbers,write words, write thoughts, write paragraphs, write stories, bookreports, research reports other:

PriontyDomain

TrtorttyDornaut

EJ

PriontyDomain

Pnoritys\ 'Domain

ci

PnontyDomatn

C3

'PnontyDomain

ci

39 47

The next step in completing the worksheet is for the team to discuss thestudent's strengths, value areas, transition and other needs as related to each skilldomain. Priority domains can then be designated by either checking the box afterthe domain or assigning each box a number with the highest priority being assignedthe number one, the second highest priority being assigned the number two, and soon. Next the team can select high priority skill areas in each priority domain byeither underlining one or more of the listed skill areas or writing in additional skillareas.

How can the team incorporate best educational practices into thestudent's plan?

To facilitate incorporation of best practices (refer to Chapter 1) into an individualstudent's plan, the team should complete Part I of the Best Practice Checklist forIndividual Students (Figure 8) prior to developing the plan. The team can use theworksheet to select which best practices are most important to the student andfamily. As will be described later, the team should complete Parts II and III of thechecklist after the student's plan has been implemented.

Figure 8BEST PRACTICE CHECKLIST FOR INDIVIDUAL STUDENTS

Student Date (Part I ) Date (Part MID)

SCHOOL CLIMATE AND STRUCTURE

1. The school's philosophy statement and objectives are developed by administrators, staff, students,parents, school board members and other community members and reflect the school's commitment tomeeting the individual needs of all students in age-appeopriate regular education and communitysettings.

2. The school's climate is established by administrators, staff, students, parents, school board members andother community members and promotes respect for individual differences among students, encouragesthe development of positive self-esteem, establishes high achievement expectations for all students, andencourages the development of caring personal relationships among students and staff.

3. The school's code of conduct for students and staff is established by administrators, staff, students,parents, school board members and other community members, emphasizes positive behavior, isapplied in a consistent fair manner, and takes into account the unique needs of individual students.

Importantto Student's

ProgramPart I

Practice Not AdeauatelvIncorporated intoStudent's Program

Part Il

(Task 3 Complete the Activities Matrix

What process can we use to determire which student needs canbe met through each general class activity?

The Activities Matrix depicted in Figure 9 is a tool for assisting teams in address-ing student needs through general class acUvities. At this point the team shouldcomplete the vertical column labeled Skill Areas by listing each selected priorityskill area. It must be noted that all selected priority skill areas will be considered forinstruction during the first year. However, it may not be possible to address allthese priority skill areas within a single school year. Those priority skill areas whichare not addressed the first year may be addressed in subsequent years.

4048

In the horizontal row labeled General Education Activities, list the regularlyscheduled activities for the general classroom or classes to which the student isassigned (e.g., opening exercises, history-lecture. history-discussion, math-largegroup, math-independent work. librarT, lunch, recess, transitions between activi-ties). In a later step, this list of activities will be used to generate an individualizedstudent schedule. In order to generate a schedule, adhere to the followingconventions:

1. List the activities in the order in which they typically occur.

2. Do not merely list classes. List the major regularly scheduled activities for theclass. For example, reading could be a class with two major activities of small

c

Student Grade:

Figure 9ACTIVITIES MATRIX

Date:

**AlternativeActivities

Listed by Number 1. 1. Other Activities,.

Nome/Tangly,

REGULAREDUCATIONACTIVITIES

I. *I 2

A i

g o.../ G

: S 2i I j

ei _ta. 151

liiiliftli

1

i el

cl

Length of Time forActivity

45 10 20 15 45 45 45 20 25

Fundamental Values I V V l V I , iGeneral Ed. Content r r r r r r

Curriculum Adaptations V V V /Accommodations V

SKILL AREAS i I

Make Choices X

X

X_XXXX XTIC XXICIC X if

X X X X X

XXX

X

Follow DirectionsExpressive Vocab

i

oiReceptive Vocab A X X X X X X

Participaton X X X X X XSalutations X X XXX X

Cafeteria Use xPurchase Groceries x I X

1

SkiflAreas and GeneratEducation activities depicted in this example arc not intended to represent a child's complete program but

merely to demonstrate how to fill out an activity matrix,

group instruction and independent work. In this case iist in an abbreviated formread- sm gr and read-id wk. If social studies has major activities of discussionand lecture, list soc st-dls and soc st-lec. If there is only one regularly sched-uled activity or the activities vary significantly from session to session, just listthe class.

3. If some major activities occur more than once a day (e.g.. recess), list eachoccurrence.

414 9

4. If the activity does not take place daily. indicate the days of the week on which itoccurs. For example. if art is on Monday and Wednesday write - Art M,W.

5. In the time column under each activity, indicate its length (e.g., 1 hr., 20 mM.).

ElWhat are the "Other Activities" columns used for?

The columns labeled Other Activities are used to address activities other thangeneral class activities needed by the student. Examples of other activities include:a) non-instructional activities which accommodate student needs (e.g.. hearing aidchecks, taking medication, tube feeding): b) instructional activities which the teamhas identified as needing to take place in community-based training sites (e.g..grocery shopping, job training): and c) specialized services which do not fit intogeneral education activities (e.g.. individual counseling sessions). Each activity andits approximate duration should be listed in the Other Activity columns.

EiHow do we select activities to address fundamental values andpriority skills?

This section has been written in steps in order for team members to betterunderstand the process of using the Activities Matrix. After reviewing the steps theteam may decide to merge or simplify them. Note: The Activity Compatibility Plan.which is described later, should be completed when team members are undecidedas to whether or not a student's fundamental value and priority skill area needs canbe addressed through an existing general class activity. It may also be used whenthe team needs a structured process for identifying accommodations and/or adap-tations for a class or activity. This plan was developed to be a tool for teachingteams to develop accommodations for students.

Step 1. Consider the first general class activity and determine if any of the funda-mental values can be addressed through that activity. If yes, put a check in the boxwhere the activity column and the fundamental values row intersect.

Step 2. Determine whether or not the student will require curri'Ailum adaptationsin order to benefit from the content taught through the activity. For example, if thesubject is sixth grade social studies, will the student be expected to learn the samecontent as other students involved in the activity. If not, the team should discussways in which the content may be adapted to meet the needs of the student. Forexample, the student may be expected to learn a sub-set of the content (class has16 goals, student is to learn 4 of them) or the student may learn different content(class learns to read city map, student learns map of school). The recorder shouldcheck or describe selected adaptation strategies on the Activity Selection Worksheet(Figure 10). If the team decides that the student will be responsible for learning thesame content as other students, check the box where the activity column and thegeneral education content row intersect on the Activity Matrix. If the student re-quires curriculum adaptations, check the box where the activity column and thecurriculum adaptations row intersect. If the student will not be learning the generaleducation content, leave both boxes blank.

Step 3. Determine if the student will need accommodations (e.g., the student mightneed different materials, to take tests orally, peer tutor, to sit in the front of theroom) in order for the student to participate. The recorder should make a list ofpossible accommodations suggested by the team on the Activity SelectionWorksheet. If accommodations will be required, check on the matrix the box wherethe activities column and the accommodations row intersect.

4250

Figure 10

Activity Selection Worksheet

Student

Activity/Class

Date

Cenieuisma Adaptatlenst

The student trill learn all of the general education content. 3

lhe student 91111earn sub set of the content. 0

The mordent will learn different content from the same content area.

lhe student will not learn the general education content. 0

Other adaptations 01.11:

Specific Skills from Priority Skill Areas to be Addressed:

Accommodations:

Figure 11

(Class/Activity Summary Form

Teacher: Activity/Clue:

Student: Year Quarter: 1st 0 snit 0 3rd 0 4tk 0

Items Addressed Zack Weak)Student's General Education Outcomes: Week 1 1 3 4 5 41 7 9

Priority Skill Area:

I

Accommodations:

This form was initially developed by Marcy Tox, Integration Facilitator,EssetIanction, 'Vermont

4351

Step 4. Determine which priority skill areas can be addressed through the activityor during the transition time before or after the activity. In order to make thisdetermination team members need to delineate specific student skill needs withinthe skill area that could be addressed through the activity. For example. if Partici-pation was selected as a social communication skill area, specific participation skillsor routines (e.g., appropriately initiates interactions, asks for help) that could beaddressed through the activity need to be determined. The recorder should make arunning list of specific skills generated by the team on the Activity SelectionWorksheet. If a priority skill area can be addressed through the activity, check thebox where the activity column and the priority skill area row intersect.

Step 5. Decide whether the student will take part in the activity. If the teamdecides that the student will not take part in an activity, draw a line through theactivity name.

If the team decides that the student will take part in the activity, the team mustdetermine which initial general education outcomes, priority skills and accommoda-tions will be addressed through the activity. Review the Activity SelectionWorksheet, and add and delete specific skills, curriculum adaptations or accommo-dations until the team has come to consensus on which skills will be addressed andwhich curriculum adaptations and accommodations will be made during the activ-ity. Next, if the team has determined that the student should learn at least some ofthe general education curriculum content, the team should identify some initialoutcomes (e.g.. read a map of the school, identify five basic food groups, count to20) for the student. This information may now be written on the Class/ActivitySummary Form (see Figure 11). This form provides the teacher responsible for theactivity/class with a record of the skills that the student should be learning duringthe activity/class. At the end of each week, the teacher can check those outcomesor skills that were addressed during the week. This can assist the team to keeptrack of which skills are being taught or practiced across classes/activities. Asgeneral education units or themes change throughout the school year, additionalgeneral education outcomes can be added to the form. Each class/activity formshould be reviewed and revised at least quarterly by the team. This form can also beused to monitor progress on specific skills (see Task 5: Monitor Progress andEvaluate the Availability of Best Practices to the Student's Program).

Step 6. Repeat this process for each General Class and Other Activity.

tiWhat is the Home/Family column used for?

The Home/Family column is used to indicate student fundamental values andpriority skill areas that will be addressed through activities in the student's home.Consider each skill area and determine if one or more home activites will be used toteach, generalize, or maintain the skill area through school staff providing directinstruction or consultation and training to the student's family. If the activity willbe a school supported activity, put an X in the box intersecting the Home/Familycolumn and the skill area row.

How do we fit in the "Other Activities"?

At this point in the process-the team has determined which general educationactivities/classes the student can participate in. Since a student cannot attend allof the general class activities Old participate in other activities such as groceryshopping in the community, the team must make choices between general class

44

52

activities and other activities. If one or more general class activities were crossedoff by the team, these activities can be replaced with other activities. For example.if the team decided that few of the student's priority skill areas could be accom-plished during a 45 minute history lecture period, this period could be used toteach the student to use the corner grocery store. This decision can be indicated onthe matrix by assigning a number to each other activity (e.g., 1. groc.!ry shopping)and writing the number above one of the crossed out general class activities in theAlternative by Number row. To fit all critical other activities into the student'sschedule, additional general class activities may need to be crossed offor some ofthe other activities eliminated. The planning team may have to make some difficultchoices between general class activities and other activities. The values frameworkdeveloped for the student's program and the student transition needs should pro-vide a basis for making these choices. By the end of this task, all general classactivities, other activities and home activities in which the student will participateshould have been identified.

What if the team decides that the student's assigned classes arenot appropriate for the student?

If. after completing the Matrix and Activity Compatibility Plans, the team decidesthat the class assignment is not the most appropriate for the student (e.g.. mostgeneral class activities are crossed off, or at a secondary level one or more classesare deemed inappropriate) the team should recommend that the student's class-room/class assignments be changed. A Matrix may be completed for each alterna-tive general education classroom or class to determine which would be mostbeneficial to the student.

What is the Activity Compatibility Plan?

The Activity Compatibility Plan provides a structured process for identifyingaccommodations and/or adaptations for a class or activity. The form (Figure 12)provides a vehicle for team members to consider the following:

1. the outcomes of the activity for the class or group and whether or not thoseoutcomes would benefit the target student:

0. the outcomes for the target student and whether or not those outcomes areregularly used or practiced by students during the activity or class:

3. the current arrangement of the activity (e.g.. large group, small group-teacherdirected, independent work), the type of arrangement best suited to the student,and whether changes in arrangements would be necessary to include the stu-dent in the activity:

4. the current teaching methods used in the activity, teaching methods necessaryfor teaching the student. a-id whether changes in teaching methods would benecessary to include the student in the activity:

5. the current materials used, materials that the student would need to use andnecessary changes in materials: and

6. the current response modc for the group (e.g., marking choices, writing shortanswers, expressing thoughts and feelings), the student's response mode, andwhether the response modes should be changed.

45 53

After team members complete the plan, they brainstorm and list options foradapting the activity or class to accommodate the needs of the student. Afterbrainstorming, team members consider and select options. See Chapter 5: Col-laborative Teaming for information on brainstorming.

Figure 12

ACTIVITY COMPATIBILITY PLAN

Otatlaat Mos ToadiesDoes the Activity havelestrectiseal Vales,

I. 1. Yet No2. 2. Yes No3. 3. Yes No

4. Yea NoS. 5. Yee No6 6. Yet No

Deeesipties Class Aetivities (e.g.. lecture. dr111)

OUTCOMES FOR GROUTIMO= CAW

12211172T

OUTCOMES FOR STUDENTOMER WITDILDTSDIZ/PIACTICILDUENCI CLAM

ARRANGEMENT

Lathe GroupSmall Grow - Tucker WaledSeca Group - Student WooedCootereuve Group

0311211:WILY17SID DI TIMDROOP

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Indeperuket1:1 m a Small Gaup CoteauOther:

TEACHING METHODS

Verbal DUNG bad

camurrimVIM DI MCMOD"

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LammQueatlorangOiscusmonTeed= Dotocatatrallon / Morelceueques

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PbolotritesMmatwe ObliciaLae DemurWork Books ) Wok ShamTeatimesAudio t VassalCoormea Espana=Paw cid Peoc0Toot FormaOther

Commie

46

JEST COPY AVAILABLE 5 4Wo

STUDENT RESPONSE

Figure 12 Con't

CURREN= STUDENT ICHANGESUSED IN GROUFl CAN USE 'NEEDED

:ouchPtck Up: Lunt AtMark ChoiceDraw Line to Connect

nderluveolor

Write Short AnswersWnte Long bxerctsswnie Numerals, Math Problems:Abel ItemsReply "Yes/No- or "Don't Know"Simple Words or PhrasnsSay Short AnswersRe4d Aloud:.spress thoughts anu beelinesMake Formal Presentationst Aber

CommcntS Adaptations/Changes

StudentClass Teacher Date_

4

e

et

---Evaluation Questions

WU] che selaptatlews/ehhagee::how nesostne atunuon to the student'? Make the student stand ot? Be too tritrustve?Ronde sufficient opportunities for the student to practice/learn her objectives kr the acuvity?Ito pracucal? Prenide sufficient opportunities for the student to perucipete in the acovity withfellow stutienta?WIII fellow etwleate be lavelved La leateleswattas the adaptattetas/chwogeel.

47

BEST COPY AVAILABLE

1?1 How cai the matrix be translated into a student schedule?

The team can develop the student's schedule by listing in three columns: 1) eachactivity and the time and day(s), 2) the person responsible for each activity. and 3)the fundamental values and priority skill areas which will be addressed during eachactivity. Be sure to include school supported home/family activities on thestudent's schedule. As the school year progresses, the student's schedule should beupdated to reflect changes in activities, location of activities, persons responsible,and outcomes addressed. An accumulation of student schedules as the studentprogresses through school will provide a record of skills taught within specificactivities and settings.

(Task 4 Determine Support Tasks

EiHow can the team manage the accomplishment of tasksnecessary to support the student's program?

The Support Task Planning Sheet depicted in Figure 13 may be used to list aridmonitor the accomplishment of tasks which support the achievement of a student'sgoals. These tasks are goals for teachers, administrators, parents, and other stu-dents. The tasks can include acthrities such as assisting the student's family toobtain community services, obtaining a consult from a physical therapist, develop-ing transition plans, developing a peer buddy system, or establishing a circle offriends. The planning sheet provides space for listing tasks, the person(s) respon-sible, target dates for initiating and completing the task, and space for comments.

[rTask 5 Monitor Progress and Evaluate the Availability of BestPractices to the Student's Program

IR1 How can the team summarize and monitor the implementation ofthe student's program within specific classes and activities?

The Class/Activity Summary Form (Figure 11) can be used by the team to keeptrack of specific general education outcomes and priority skills which are to betaught through each general education class or activity that the student participatesin during the school day. A copy of the form is given to the responsible teacher foreach activity or class to keep-track of which skills are actually addressed during theschool week. By adding a scoring system (e.g., E = excellent. S = satisfactory, U =unsatisfactory) the team can also use this form to periodically monitor student

4856

1?1

progress and to pinpoint potential problem areas that the team will need to address.After gathering information from each class or activity, the team can summarizeoverall progress on the Priority Skill Areas Program Summary Form (Figure 14).

How can the team summarize and monitor progress on priorityskill areas that were selectedlor instruction?

11

After completing the matrix and the Class/Activity Summary Form for each classor activity, the team may list all the unique priority skill areas and specific skills to

be taught on the PrioritySkill Areas - Program Sum-mary form (Figure 14). Thisform is important in that itallows the team to summa-rize progress on skillsacross all activities. Quar-terly progress on the prior-ity skill areas and theirassociated skills and rou-tines can be summarizedusing the scoring systemdepicted on the form or'another system selected bythe team.

Figure 14Priority Skill Areas - Program Summary

Student Name:

Date initiated:

IFirst.guartarSecond uarter S

Selected Skills Areas and Skills

.

;Third OnarterSunsmartE.

111, 111

Part IC1701101L

il TurnAsks Oyestums

Answers Quest:ons

;C CiP P

riP A

lielps Others C :p A

..

11111111

COMMENISbewessary Key:

A . AccomplishedP Making ProgresoC Little Progress. but

will Centinue ProgramD Dropped

1?1How can the team insure that each team member knows theirresponsibilities for each of the student's major instructionalactivities?

The Activity / Class Management Plan (Figure 15) can be used to delineate spe-cific responsibilities of team members for each of the student's major instructionalactivities. For each activity the team specifies the instructor for the activity, needfor additional adults during the activity and the person(s; responsible for designingthe instructional progi am. integrating the student's program into on-goingclassroom or community activities, providing training and follow-up to direct in-structional staff, and for individualizing the student's materials. The plan alsospecifies how often consultation and follow-up will be provided for the particularclass or activity. The team must decide which activities from the student's schedulerequire a management plan.

When should the team complete Parts II and III of the BestPractice Indicator Checklist?

Part I of the Best Practice Checklist for Individual Students (Figure 8) was com-pleted prior to implementing the student's plan. In Part I, the team identified whichbest practices were most important to the student and family. Parts II and IIIshould be completed after the student's program has been implemented. The teamcompletes Parts II and III by indicating which identified practices could not beincorporated into the student's program (Part II) and making recommendations

49

57

rACTIVrrY/CLASS MANAGEMENT PLAN )

(Part III) for increasing the availabilityof those practices within the school/community. This information shouldbe given to the School Planning Teamfor their use in planning for theimprovement of best practices withinthe school.

T'tgure 15

Activity/Class

Number of Students Location of Activity

Instructor

Additional Adults are Required During the AcUvity/Class to:

Provide Instruction to the studmtProvide instruction to other students 0Manage the student's Fi iyeltal needs 0Implement behavior management a:ate/am 0Implement song Integration tarategies 0Provide assistance during transitions 0Train and monitor peer taw/buddies 0Other

If a teaching assistant or volunteer is available, who is responsible for the dailysupervision?

Who is responsible for desigAing the student's instructional programs?

Who is responsible for interfacing the student's program with ongoingactivities?

How often will instrueUonal data be collected?

Who is responsible for providing training and follow-up to direct instructional staff?

How often will training/follow-up occur?

Whcn will training/follow-up occur?

If individualized instructional materials art neoessary, who will develop the student's, materials?

(Task 6 Transition to Next Grade

INWhen should the team begin the transition process to the nextgrade?

The Individual Student Planning Team Process should be repeated yearly to aidthe student in transition from grade to grade. The team should begin planning thestudent's transition to the next grade in the spring (e.g.. March or April) of the yearprior to the transition. Acting as a transition team, the team that currently sup-ports the student remains the same but adds teachers from the next grade or newschool for planning next year's program. For example. if the student were currentlyin fourth grade, her team might consist of herself, her fourth grade teacher, par-ents, special education teacher, principal, and a student peer. In March, one ormore fifth grade teachers would be added to the team to determine fifth gradeassignment and to develop the student's program within fifth grade settings. In thefall, the student would transition to fifth grade, her fifth grade teacher would remainon the team and her fourth grade teacher would drop off of the team. The nextMarch, sixth grade teachers would be added to the team, and so on.

UHow does the team develop the plan for the following year andstill support the studentduring the current year?

Typically, the student planning team will designate some meetings in the springI for developing the student's program for the following year and some meetings to

50

58

continue to support the student in her current placement. For example, the teammay continue to meet weekly, but designate every third meeting to developing thestudent's program for the next year. As the end of the current year draws near.more time might be allocated to transition meetings if the plan is not complete. Thegoal would be that the student's program would be completely developed and readyto start by the first day of school in the fall.

References

Giangreco, M.. Cloninger. C., Mueller. P., Yuan. S. & Ashworth. S. (1991). Perspectives ofparents whose children have sensory impairments. Journal of the Association for Personswith Severe Handicaps, 11(1), 14-21.

Fox, T., Williams. W., Mon ley, M.K., McDermott, A. & Fox. W. (1989). Guidelines andprocedures training manual. Manual III of the Individual Program Design Series. Unpub-lished manuscript, Center for Developmental Disabilities. University of Vermont.

Williams. W.. Fox. T.. Mon ley, M.K.. McDermott. A. & Fox. W. (1989). Student RecordManual I of the Individual Program Design Series. Unpublished manuscript. Center forDevelopmental Disabilities. University of Vermont.

Williams. W., Fox, T., Hall. S. & Fox, W. (1989). Outcomes and routines - Manual II of theIndividual Program Design Series. Unpublished manuscript. Center for DevelopmentalDisabilities. University of Vermont.

Williams, W., Fox. T. & Fox. W. (1989). Curriculum approaches, assessment proceduresand outcome selection Manual IV of the Individual Program Design Series. Unpublishedmanuscript, Center for Developmental Disabilities, University of Vermont.

51

Summary ChartForms for Completing Each Task in the

Individual Student Planning Team Process

1 Establish The Planning Team

Team Management PlanTeam Meeting WorksheetTeam Goals WorksheetTeam Member ChecklistAdapting the Student Planning Process

Identify Fundamental Values, TheStudent's Strengths, Best PracticeNeeds and Skills to be TaughtFundamental Values WorksheetSkills Areas to be Taught WorksheetBest Practice Checklist for Individual StudentsStudent Assessment Worksheet

41111.101111M

3 Complete the Activity MatrixActivities MatrixActivity Selection WorksheetClass/Activity Summary FormActivity Compatibility Plan

4 Determine Support TasksSupport Task Planning Sheet

Monitor Progress and Evaluatethe Availability of Best Practicesto the Student's ProgramClass/Activity Summary FormPriority Skill Areas - Program SummaryActivity/Class Management Plan

Transition to Next Grade

All of the ab-ove forms

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What is a collaborative team?

A collaborative team is a group of individuals who share common beliefs and worktowards common goals. Collabarative teams sit in a circle to encourage face to faceinteraction. Collaborative tea-ns are made up of persons with varying areas of exper-tise who share group tasks. responsibilities and group leadership. Collaborativeteam members use collaborative skills. Team members encourage each other tointeract and to take part in problem solving and decision making, make decisions byconsensus, poll each other for understanding of issues or ideas, and criticize ideasbut do not criticize each other. Collaborative teams set rules for dealing with sensi-tive or controversial issues. Collaborative team members observe each other and giveeach other constructive feedback on how they are doing as a team. Collaborativeteams continue to change and grow as problems are addressed and solved. Collabo-rative teams have fun!

What are collaborative skills?

Collaborative skills are social skills which help people work cooperatively andproductively together. One of the most important functions of the team is to usecollaborative skills to create an atmosphere conducive to building trust, solvingproblems and resolving conflicts.

How do team members build trust in each other?

For a team to really become effective, trust must be developed among team mem-bers. Initially, most teams will experience a lack of trust. Parents may fee: uncom-fortable saying what they really feel in front of five or six professionals they do notknow. Teachers may feel uncomfortable admitting that they do not know the answerto a problem or that they need help in front of the parent, or the student, or theschool principal. The classroom teacher and parent may not trust that the adminis-tration will follow though on promises. Collaborative teams develop trust over timethrough team members demonstrating that trust is warranted.

The first step to building trust is for each team member to act trustworthy. Be ontime to meetings, don't discuss team issues with others outside of team meetings.don't talk behind other peoples back, and complete assigned tasks on time. Ideas forbuilding trust include:

Treat team members with respect.

* Listen to others (e.g., maintain eye contact with the speaker. give nonverbal signsof acceptance and encouragement, probe for more information by asking ques-tions. paraphrase or summarize what the speaker said to check for understand-ing).

Tell other team members something personal about yourself.

Be willing to discuss your feelings openly and honestly.

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* Offer support and assistance to others (outside of your job responsibilities).

Distribute team roles and responsibilities among all team members- parents and students can facilitate the group too!

* Share the blame if team decisions go wrong or if plans are ineffective.

* Share the recognition and rewards if team decisions are right or plans workwell.

* Decide on issues by building consensus rather than by administrative decisionor voting.

Encourage all team members to take part in planning and decision making.

* Respect each others ideas.

* Be critical of idea's and not people.

During conflicts practice taking the other person's perspective.

* Establish team goals and the purpose of the team.

* Have fun together!

How do collaborative teams make decisions?

Collaborative teams make decisions by consensus. That means that every memberof the team agrees to the decision. There is no voting or majority rules standard oncollaborative teams. Were teams to vote on a decision, some team members wouldwin while other members would lose, violating the very nature of collaboration.Coming to consensus on tough issues is not an easy task, hut it is a necessary task.Knowing that consensus must be reached forces teams to become more creative andopen to ideas when differences of opinion are voiced. Coming to consensus takesmore time, hut a decision that everyone agrees to is a decision that will beimplemented.

How do collaborative teams solve problems?

There are many problem solving models from which teams can choose. Many teamschoose to select a formal model for solving problems since these models typicallyprovide a good structure for solving problems and help team members generatemany possible solutions to the problem. Typical problem solving steps include:

1. recognize that there is a problem.2. define the problem.3. think of many solutions,4. decide what to do,5. try a solution, and6. evaluate the results.

Once the problem has been defined, a critical step is to think of many, manypossible solutions. Often the first solutions generated for problems are the mostobvious and least likely to wail. The twentieth possible solution may be the mostcreative and have the greatest potential for success. A process called "brainstorm-ing" has been used by many teams to generate ideas.

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What is brainstorming?

In brainstorming, team members are given 2 or 3 minutes of individual thinktime. During think time each team iimiliber writes on a piece of scratch paper all ofthe ideas they can think of. Next each member provides one of their ideas per turnin a round robin format (e.g.. moving clockwise around the table). The recorderwrites the idea on a flip chart or blackboard so everyone can see each idea as it iswritten. The round robin continues until everyone has all of their ideas written onthe chart. During round robin team members are encouraged to be creative andoffer "far out" ideas. Other team members are not allowed to make comments orjudgements about the ideas presented. There is no discussion or even rewording ofideas. Ideas are simply stated and written. When all ideas are exhausted the teamtakes 2 or 3 minutes of quiet wait time to see if any more ideas pop into someone'shead. Typically during this time several new ideas are generated. Next, teammembers are free to discuss ideas, reword and combine ideas, eliminate ideas orcreate new ideas. After discussion the team selects the best ideas for action.

How do we deal with controversial issues?

Collaborative teams are designed to deal with controversy. Collaborative teamsare not competitive in nature. There are no winners or losers on a collaborativeteam. Decisions are made by consensus. Everyone must agree in order for theteam to continue to work. The cooperative philosophy of collaborative teams re-quires that teams come up with creative, productive and successful solutions toproblems. This is not to say that there will not be times when team members are atodds around a given issue. Team meetings can become very uncomfortable andrelationships can be hurt if controversy is not handled openly and honestly. Eachcollaborative team must set croup norms for dealing with controversy and shouldfollow steps for resolving conflicts as the need arises. Sample norms include:

* The context for controversy should be cooperative.

* The emphasis should not be on who has the best answer, but to make the bestgroup decision.

Every team member should take an active part in group decisions. Ideas shouldbe expressed openly and honestly without defensiveness.

Every contribution should be valued, respected and taken seriously.

Emphasis should be on viewing the issue under discussion from a variety ofperspectives.

Group members should be critical of ideas, not people. "I appreciate you, I aminterested in your ideas, but I disagree with your current position" should becommunicated.

Members should not take personally other members disagreements with andrejection of ideas.

Members should encourage each other to express emotions during debate.

The group should help all members, regardless of status, to speak out confidently.Avoid saying what you think your boss wants to hear!

56 3

What are the steps in negotiating resolutions to conflicts?

Steps in Conflict Resolution (from Johnson and Johnson. 1987) include:

1. Confront the opposition - express your view of the conflict and your feelingsabout it and at the same time invite the opposition to do the same. Don't hitand run. Confront only when there is time to jointly define the conflict andschedule a negotiating session.

2. Jointly define the conflict - define a conflict as a mutual problem to be solved.not a win-lose. struggle. Do not label, accuse or insult the opposition.

3. Communicate positions and feelings throughout negotiations.

4. Take the opponent's perspective - try to understand your opponent's position.

5. Coordinate motivation to negotiate in good faith - there are costs and gainsfor each party in resolving the conflict. To increase the motivation of anothergroup member to negotiate, you need to increase his costs for continuing theconflict and reduce his gains. To decrease another person's motivation tonegotiate, decrease his costs and increase the gains for continuing the conflict.

6. Reach an agreement - all participants need to be satisfied with the agreementand committed to abiding by it. The agreement should specify the joint positionon the issues being adopted. It should also include provisions for future meet-ings to check how well the agreement is working and how cooperation can beimproved.

Is it important for team members to state team goals andindividual goals?

Yes! The team must establish common goals among all team members. Bystating the goals of the group, each team member can clearly understand the pur-pose of the team (Why are we here?). Goals are also very important because theygive the team direction in decision making. For instance, if a stated goal is tosupport the student in her third grade classroom, the team might decide to addresources to the classroom during reading activities rather than to remove the childto the resource room. Some common team goals for Individual Student PlanningTeams are:

Develop a feeling of shared ownership among school staff and parents.

Provide support to the student's teachers.

Provide support to the student and his/her peers.

Develop family support. communication and involvement.

Problem solve specific learning or behavior issues for the student.

* Identify and access necessary school and community resources.

Develop long range educational plans for the student.

* Develop transition plans for movement to the next grade or school or to adultservices.

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I?1

I Develop, implement and evaluate specific instructional programs.

* Develop an integrated schedule of activities for the student.

* Identify staff/parent information and-training needs.

* Improve best practices for the student and his/her classmates.

School Planning Team goals might include some of the following:

Improve best practices for all students who attend the school.

* Identify resources that the school can access to provide necessary services tostudents and their families.

* Develop a school mission statement.

* Redesign the school's service delivery model to include the delivery of specialeducation and Chapter I services within regular classes.

* Improve school and community relationships.

Develop community support for school programs.

Individual team member goals are also very important. Each member shouldstate one or more personal goals they would like to meet by being a member of theteam. As team members share their personal goals with each other. the teamshould make a commitment to try to help each member attain his or her goals.Sample individual team member goals include:

* Become more assertive at team meetings.

Share my feelings as well as my ideas.

Brinf; a positive attitude into each meeting.

Really listen to what other people have to share.

Take risks with the team (say what I feel and not what I think people want tohear).

* Develop a friendship with one other person on the team.

* Speak in plain language: no jargon words.

* Volunteer mom. often.

Do collaborative teams ever have fun'?

Absolutely! Collaborative teams realize that there are two sides to every meet-ing. Team meetings should be task oriented. Agendas should be set and movedthrough within time limits. Issues, including those ',which develop conflict betweengroup members must be dealt with. However, successful teams are alsorelationship oriented. Teams are made up of people and people need some time torelax and have fun. Many teams set aside specific time at the beginning of eachmeeting to celebrate accomplishments. What are we doing really well? What things

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did Billy do this week that were wonderful? This not only allows team members topat each other on the back, it reaffirms that the team is "working" and sets a posi-tive tone for the remainder of the meeting.

Many teams meet over food. Some type of refreshment (e.g., cookies, candy,fruit, juice, coffee) sets a tone cf friendliness and relaxation. As people share foodthey are also sharing feelings, ideas, responsibilities and work loads. Some teamsplan for pot luck lunches or dinners severat times a year just to celebrate or toshare some social time together (no work during this time please). Team membersshould spend some time discussing the ways that they would like to make meetingsmore fun. The goal should be that team members look forward to team meetings.not dread them.

Who should be on a collaborative team?

The membership of a collaborative team depends upon the purpose and goals ofthe team. In this manual we are concerned with two types of teams. School Plan-ning Teams and Individual Student Planning Teams. The purpose of the SchoolPlanning Team is to improve education for all students who attend the school. Toaccomplish this goal, persons who are representative of the school and communityshould be on the team (e.g.. school administrators, teachers, other school staff,students, families, school board members and other interested community mem-bers). Individual Student Planning Teams are formed to provide support to studentswith intensive needs, their teachers and families. Team membership should consistof the student, people most involved with the student on a day to day basis (e.g.,parents, teachers, the principal), and other persons depending on the particularneeds of the student or family (e.g., physical therapist. guidance counselor, employ-ment specialist).

U When and how often should School Planning Teams andIndividual Student Planning Teams meet?

School Planning Teams decide for themselves how often they need to meet toaccomplish the tasks of reviewing best practices, prioritizing best practices forimprovement, developing action plans, and monitoring progress on plans. Asdescribed in Chapter 3, Task 3 of the School Planning Process involves the teamcompleting the School Planning Process Worksheet. The worksheet provides avehicle for the team to identify the tasks to be completed by the team and to settask completion timelines and meeting dates. School Planning Teams generally meeton a monthly or bimonthly basis for about two hours. Individual Student PlanningTeams also decide for themselves how often they need to meet to accomplish theirtasks. They generally meet on a weekly or biweekly basis with the meetings beingthree quarters to one hour in duration.

laHow large should teams be?

The optimal size of a collaborative team is about 5 or 6 persons. With a smallgroup each individual team member has more opportunities to speak and take partin problem solving and decision making. However, in actual situations teams tendto be larger than the optimal number. School Planning Teams, for example, havehad anywhere from 10 to 16 team members. Middle school or high school Individual Student Planning Teams also tend to be larger due to the number of generalclass teachers a student has (cg.. 6 general educators + the principal, student,parents, special educator, guidance counselor = 12 team members).

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1?1Our Individual Student Planning Team has 12 members, how canwe be a collaborative team?

It is extremely difficult to involve everyone from a large team in problem-solvingand decision-making activities during a 3/4 to 1 hour long weekly meeting. Theconcepts of core team and extended team have been developed to help teams withnumerous members to be more efficient.

The core team is a small group of people who are the most involved with thestudent on a day to day basis (e.g.. student. parents. 1 or 2 regular educators. 1special educator. 1 speech pathologist). The core team generally meets weekly to dothe majority of the planning for the student. Extended team members are peopleinvolved with the student who do not need to meet weekly as a team but need tomeet on a regular basis to discuss issues and to provide support for each other.Generally extended teams meet on a monthly or bimonthly basis and individualteam members meet in between regularly scheduled extended team meetings.

The use of meeting agendas and backup informational systems are very impor-tant for facilitating communica-tion among core and extendedteam members. At the end ofeach meeting the team shouldestablish an agenda for the nextmeeting and determine whichextended team members need tobe present. In this way, ex-tended team members can.beinvited to join in on discussionand problem solving aroundissues that affect them or inwhich they have particularexpertise. Extended teammembers can also place itemson the agenda and in this wayrequest to be present at a teammeeting to have the team dealwith an issue or problem thatthey have identified.

The team needs to develop abackup information system sothat extended team memberscan be kept informed about theissues the team is addressingand team decisions. Thebackup information systemcould be as simple as providingextended team members with acopy of meeting minutes andagendas. A more comprehensivesystem could provide minutesand identify core team membersto discuss the minutes with andto get feedback from the ex-tended team member to takeback to the next core teammeeting. The Team ManagemeruPlan (Figure 1) can be used to

Figure 1

Team Management Plan-

Student Year

Core Planning Team Members Position

Extended Planning Team Members Position Info. Backup

_When will thc the Team meet dunng thc school year.'

Care Team: Extmded Team:Day of Week Day ot WeekThne TimeWeekly 3 Weekly 3Every Other Week 1 Every Other Week 3Other Monthly 3

Other

If additional meetings (core or extended) arc needed who mil bc responsible for ar-ranging them?

If the student or his/her parents cannot attend meetings. how will the team keepthem informed and solicit their input?

Who zs the primary parent contact person?

It a teaching assistant is assigned. who is primarily responsible fur supervising theassistant?

Who is pnmarily responsible for monitormg the student's:

physical management needs?behavior management strategies?social integration strategies?transitions between activities/classes'?

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6 7

identify core and extended team membership and to define how team members willwork together.

The Team Management Plan provides a vehicle for the team to address severalother issues. The identification of a primary parent contact person is essential. Ittakes time for members of collaborative teams to become comfortable with eachother and the teaming process. It is very important that the student's parents feelthat there is at least one person on the team that they can talk to freely and com-fortably until they become comfortable with the entire team. The plan also allowsthe team to identify the person who is primarily responsible for various componentsof the student's program and the instructional assistant (if there is one). In thisway, if team members have problems between meetings they know whom to contactfor assistance.

How can we keep our Student Planning Team meetings under anhour and still get anything accomplished?

Individual Student Planning Teams generally meet for one hour or less. Someteams meet for as little as 30 minutes. In order to use this small amount of timeeffectively many teams use variations of the Team Meeting Worksheet along withteam member roles to keep thc meetings moving and to improve collaboration.Typical team roles include facilitator, timekeeper and recorder. Many teams haveidentified additional team member roles to help their teams work better together.Some of the other roles teams use include encourager, jargon buster, and observer.

All team members must share in and take responsibility for the work andleadership of the team. It is very important to rotate team member roles on aregular basis to give all team members a chance to share leadership of and respon-sibility for the team. A listing of potential team member roles is presented below. Itshould be noted that, although individuals are assigned specific roles, all teammembers are responsible for the smooth running of the team. Any team membercan help facilitate the agenda, remind the group that time is running out, or en-courage silent members to contribute to the conversation.

Selected Team Member Roles

Facilitator. The facilitator helps the team to set the agenda and to move smoothlythrough each agenda item. She insures that the team remains task oriented andworks to promote the team goals. The facilitator seeks information and opinions,asks for facts and feelings from each team member, pulls together major ideas andsuggestions and restates and summarizes major points. The facilitator also helps tosolve interpersonal problems between group members by promoting open discus-sions in order to resolve conflicts and increase group togetherness.

Recorder. The recorder writes down agenda items and all agreed-upon outcomes ofthe meeting. The recorder should check to insure that there is consensus amongteam members before recording outcomes. The reporter asks for clarifications andsummarizes group discussions in order to accurately produce meeting minutes.

Timekeeper. At the beginning of the meeting the team should establish the agendaand set a time limit for each agenda item. The timekeeper keeps track of the timespent on each of the teams agenda items. She signals the group shortly before timeis up on each item, and when it is time to shift from discussion of agenda items tothe assignment of individual and group tasks and the building of the agenda for thenext meeting.

Encourager. The encourager warmly encourages everyone to participate, givingrecognition for contributions, demonstrating acceptance and openness to the ideas

6068

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of others. The encourager is friendlyand responsive to team members.

Jargon Buster. The jargon busterreminds team members when theyiire using words that are not com-monly understood by everyone.This is often a fun job. Some teamsgive the jargon buster a'noise makerwhich she blows whenever a jargonterm is used.

Observer. The observer observesthe team in action and gives feed-back to team members on how wellthey did in their assigned roles andon good teaming behavior. Theobserver should use a feedbackform, such as the one in Figure 2. tostructure the observations. To usethe form the team identifies skills onwhich they want feedback (e.g..active listening, summarizing andparaphrasing. e. -ouraging others toparticipate). Th, names of teaminerr`,ers are listed across the top ofthe form. Skills are listed down theleft side of the form. The observer

Figure 2

Team Member Observation Sheet

Collaborative Skill

Team Members

6,4

Encourages Others

Asks for Clanfication

'EA-presses :Feelings

EA-presses Ideas ill

Figure 3

Team Meeting Worksheet_ .

Student

Team Members Present:

Date

Team Members Absent: Informatirm Backup

^

Roles: For This Meeting: For Next Meeting:FacilitatorRecorder

uneaeepertncourager

A4gende for this meeting: Time LimitI' Celebrate 3 Mins.

1.

3.

Agenda for the Next Meeting: Next Meeting Date1.

2.

61

makes a tally mark each time a teammember demonstrates a skill and at theend of the meeting reports the fre-quency of use of each skill. Individualteam members can also identify skillsthat they would like to improve duringmeetings. For example. if one teammember is having problems interrupt-ing others during group discussions,he might ask the observer to count thenumber of times that he interruptsothers.

Collaborative teams have used theTeam Meeting Worksheet (Figure 3) asan effective tool for increasing teamproductivity. The Team MeetingWorksheet provides the team with aformat for keeping track of who is ateach meeting and who is absent.Information backups are also identi-fied for each absent member to makesure that they are kept up to date onteam activities and decisions. Theworksheet is also used to identifyteam member roles,for this meetingand for the next meeting.

The next section of the worksheetis the agenda for this meeting. Items

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identified at the last meeting can be listed here along with additional agenda itemsidentified by team members between meetings or at the current meeting. At thebeginning of the meeting the team assigns each agenda item a time limit. The timelimit is an estimate of the amount of time it will take to cover the item. Once allitems have been assigned time limits, they are prioritized in the order they will beaddressed during the meeting. Those items not addressed by the end of the meet-ing can be added to the next meeting agenda.

In the example in Figure 3 one agenda item (celebrate) has been listed. Manyteams have routinely added this item to each agenda to insure that there is time forteam members to talk about the good things that are resulting from the team'swork. "Celebrate" as the first agenda item also sets a positive tone for each meeting.Following the agenda is a space for the recorder to keep minutes of the teamsdiscussions and decisions. Finally, there is space to assign tasks to team membersto be completed outside of team meetings. For example. a task might be to identifya peer for the student to tutor. The regular education teacher and the guidancecounselor might be responsible for accomplishing the task by the next meeting.

Our School Planning Team has 22 members, how can we be acollaborative team?

School Planning Team meetings generally last about two hours. This gives teamsmore time to do some "creative" teaming which allows them to partially overcomethe problems associated with large team membership. Most of the collaborativeteaming strategies used by individual student planning teams will work with schoolplanning teams (e.g.. assigning roles, using Team Meeting Worksheets, developingbackup information systems, using agendas). However, different strategies areneeded for breaking the team into smaller groups and developing a team manage-ment plan.

It is not appropriate to limit the size of the School Planning Team. The school isa community venture and must be open to all who wish to be involved. However,the large team can be broken into smaller teams of 5 or 6 persons to discuss anissue, to brainstorm ideas, to develop a product, or to complete a specific task. Atthe end of the small group work, one person in each group may then report back tothe entire team. Once all of the small groups have reported, the larger team canthen incorporate the work of each small group into a single large group product ordecision.

How are we doing?

There are many ways that teams can determine whether or not they are doing agood job of being a team. As mentioned earlier, having a good system of observingand giving each other feedback is an excellent way for teams to self-monitor. How-ever, some team members may feel uncomfortable being observed, observing others,and giving and receiving feedback. These are skills that need to be learned. If yourteam has access to someone that has experience in collaborative teaming and indoing observations and giving feedback, they should be used to teach your teamthese skills.

Teams that do not feel comfortable with observations can still self-monitor theirteam behavior by using a team member checklist that each person completesindividually. There are many such checklists available. A sample checklist isdepicted in Figure 4. Each team should spend a little time selecting, revising ordeveloping their own checklist. After team members have individually completedthe checklist, the team should-spend time discussing how individual members andthe team as a whole is functioning. Regardless of which process the team selects tomonitor its teaming behaviors, the team should periodically process how they are

62

doing. This simply means that the team should take some time to discuss how eachmember is feeling about being a member of the team. What is working well and

what isn't? What can be done to make eachother feel more comfortable? Some teamsprocess at the end of each meeting while othersset -aside time only when problems betweenteam members arise. How and how often yourteam self assesses and processes is one of manydecisions your team will need to make.

Figure 4

r Team Member Checklist

Nemo Date

0 I contributed my ideas.

0 I encourage others to contribute their ideas.

listened to and crpressed suppor: and acceptance ofother's ideas.

0 I evassed futings.

0 I offered my persorwl and professional resources tosupport the team

0 I asked for darcation and help awn neede.d.

0 I helped the group keep wotAttg.

0 I maintained a sense of humor.

0 I recorded group and individual tasks.

0 I enjoyed myself

My Personal Goals

00

End NoteThis chapter is based upon information found in the following publications:

Glickman. C.D. (1990). Supervision of instruction: A developmental approach. (2nd ed.) Boston:Allyn and Bacon.

Hazel, J.S., Schumaker, J.B., Sherman, J.A. & Sheldon-Wildgen, J. (1981). ASSET: ii_social skillsprogram for adolescence. Champlain, Il: Research Press.

Johnson. D. & Johnson, F. (1987). Joining Together: Group therapy and group skills.Englewood. Cliffs. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall.

Stainback. W. & Stainback. S. (1990). Support networks for inclusive schooling: Integratedinterdependent education. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Publishing.

Thousand, J. & Villa, R. (in press). Collaborative teams: A powerful tool for school restructuring.In R. Villa. J. Thousand, W. Stainback and S. Stainback (Eds.) Restructuring for heterogeneity:

ini v h.n n v I la 'V' '. Baltimore:Paul H. Brooks Publishing.

Thousand, J., Fox, T., Reid, R.. Godek. J., Williams, W. & Fox, W. (1986). The Homecoming11 n wh. r- -n in iv- u h 1 wi hin r ul 1

room environments. Burlington, Vermont. Center for Developmental Disabiltities. University ofVermont.

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Appendix A

Forms for Completing the

Schoolwide PlanningTeam Process

School

(-school Planning Team Management Plan )Year

School Planning Team Members (name/address/phone number)Administrators:

School Board Members:

School Staff:

Students:

Parents:

Other Community Members:

When and where will the School Phinning Team meet?

Day of WeekTime: from toLocation

Will Team members require child care in order to attend meetings? Yes 0 No 0If yes, how will the issue of childcare be addressed by the team?

How will the Team keep others informed and solicit input throughout theplanning process?School StaffStudentsParentsCommunity MembersSchool Board

T"

( School Planning Team Meeting Worksheet )School Date

Team Members Present

Team Members Absent Information Backup

Roles For This Meeting For Next MeetingFacilitatorRecorderTimekeeperEncourager

Agenda for This Meeting Time Limit1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Agenda for the Next Meeting Next Meeting Date1.

2.

3.

Minutes TaskPerson(s)

ResponsibleCompletedBy (Date)

7 5

A

Team Date

Team Goals

Why are we meeting? (What do we hope to accomplish as a team?'What is the focus of our planning?

My Individual Goals

Why am I a member of this team? What do I hope to accomplish as a team member? Sow can Iimprvve myself through this eAperience? What ran I offer to the team?

76

Team Member Checklist

Name Date

0 I contributed my ideas.

0 I encouraged others to contribute their ideas.

0 I listened to and expressed support and acceptance ofother's ideas.

0 I evressed my feelings.

0 I offered my personal and professional resources tosupport the team.

0 I asked for clarification and help when needed.

0 I helped the group keep working.

0 I maintained a sense of humor.

0 I recorded group and individual- tasks.

0 I enjoyed myself.

My Personal Goals

7 7

Tailoring the School Planning Team Process - Tasks To Be CompletedSchool Dat

Task How will the taskbe addressed?

When?By whom?

Date of nextmeeting

Establish the School Planning Teamwhich represents all constituents ofthe school.

Review the most current BestPactice Guidelines.

, ,/

Tailor the School Planning Processto meet the needs of the school.

Gather and summarize information onthe level of agreement and need forimprovement of best practices fromschool administrators, staff, andstudents, parents. and communitymembers.

Incorporate information fromIndividual Student PlanningTeams into the selection process.

Select and prioritize best practicesto be improved.

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T kas How will the taskbe addressed?

When?By whom?

Date of nextmeeting

Gain approval of selected bestpractices from school staff,administrators, students.parents and communitymembers prior to beginningthe next task.

Develop action plans.

Gain approval of action plansfrom school staff, administrators,students, parents and communitymembers prior to beginning thenext task.

Develop systems change,policy/procedure change andinservice training summaryworksheets.

Coordinate the implementationof action plans and worksheets.

Assess progress on action plansand select additional bestpractices for improvement. -

_.....

Best Practice Guidelines for Meeting the Needsof All Students in.Local Schools

Survey

Goals for educating all children in Vermont schools include:

Goal 1: Vermonters will see to it that every child becomes a competent, caring, productive,responsible individual and citizen who is committed to continued learning throughout life:

Goal 2: Vermonters will restructure their schools to support very high performance for allstudents;

Goal 3: Vermont will attract, support and develop the most effective teachers and school leadersin the nation: and

Goal 4: Vermont parents, educators, students and other citizens will create powerful partnershipsto support teaching and learning in every community (Vermont Department of Education,1990).

The best practices are intended to assist schools to meet Vermont's educational goals bydeveloping educational services which will prepare all students for adult life within their commu-nity. This survey is intended to allow you to express your opinions to help guide your school in thedevelopment and delivery of best practices to all students who attend your school. For each bestpractice you will be asked:

if you agree with the best practice(I Agree, I Disagree, or I'm Undecided);

the need for improving the best practice in your school(High Need, Medium Need, Low Need, Don't Know);

to check those best practices that you feel are a priority forimprovement in your school.

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Your thoughtful responses to each best practice will greatly assist your School PlanningTeam to identify the current strengths of your school program as well as needed improvements inspecific areas. You responses will help to provide for the continued development of quality educa-tion within your school.

This survey should take less than 30 minutes to complete. Thank you for your help.

8 1

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ING

TH

E N

EE

DS

OF

AL

L S

TU

DE

NT

S IN

LO

CA

L S

CH

OO

LS

se if

aPr

iori

ty

SCH

OO

L C

LIM

AT

E A

ND

ST

RU

CT

UR

E

1.T

he s

choo

l's p

hilo

soph

y st

atem

ent a

nd o

bjec

tives

sho

uld

be d

evel

oped

by

adm

inis

trat

ors,

sta

ff,

stud

ents

, par

ents

, sch

ool b

oard

mem

bers

and

oth

er c

omm

unity

mem

bers

and

sho

uld

refl

ect t

he s

choo

l'sco

mm

itmen

t to

mee

ting

the

indi

vidu

al n

eeds

of

all s

tude

nts

in a

ge-a

ppro

pria

te in

tegr

ated

sch

ool a

ndco

mm

unity

set

tings

.I

Agr

eeI

Dis

agre

eI'm

Und

ecid

ed

Hig

hN

eed

Med

ium

Nee

dL

owN

eed

Don

'tK

now

prio

rity

Ci

2.T

he s

choo

l's c

limat

e sh

ould

be

esta

blis

hed

by a

dmin

istr

ator

s, s

taff

, stu

dent

s, p

aren

ts s

choo

l boa

rdH

igh

Med

ium

Low

Don

'tpr

iori

ty

mem

bers

and

oth

er c

omm

unity

mem

bers

and

sho

uld

prom

ote

resp

ect f

or in

divi

dual

dif

fere

nces

am

ong

stud

ents

, enc

oura

ge th

e de

velo

pmen

t of

posi

tive

self

-est

eem

, est

ablis

h hi

gh a

chie

vem

ent e

xpec

tatio

nsfo

r al

l stu

dent

s, a

nd e

ncou

rage

the

deve

lopm

ent o

f ca

ring

per

sona

l rel

atio

nshi

ps a

mon

g st

uden

ts a

ndst

aff.

Nee

dN

eed

Nee

dK

now

C3

I A

gree

I D

isag

ree

Pm U

ndec

ided

3.T

he s

choo

l's c

ode

of c

ondu

ct f

or s

tude

nts

and

staf

f sh

ould

be

esta

blis

hed

by a

dmin

istr

ator

s, s

taff

,st

uden

ts, p

aren

ts, s

choo

l boa

rd m

embe

rs a

nd o

ther

com

mun

ity m

embe

rs a

nd s

houl

d em

phas

ize

Hig

hN

eed

Med

ium

Nee

dL

owN

eed

Don

'tK

now

prio

rity

CI

1R

ositi

ve b

ehav

ior,

be

appl

ied

in a

con

sist

ent,

fair

man

ner,

and

take

into

acc

ount

the

uniq

ue n

eeds

of

'in

divi

dual

stu

dent

s.I

Agr

eeI

Dis

agre

eI'm

Und

ecid

ed

4.T

he s

choo

l sho

uld

prov

ide

ampl

e op

port

uniti

es f

or s

tude

nts,

sta

ff, p

aren

ts, a

dmin

istr

ator

s, s

choo

l boa

rdH

igh

Med

ium

Low

Don

'tpr

iori

tym

embe

rs a

nd o

ther

com

mun

ity m

embe

rs to

be

reco

gniz

ed f

or th

eir

acco

mpl

ishm

ents

, inc

ludi

ng h

elpi

ngot

hers

.N

eed

Nee

dN

eed

Kno

w0

I A

gree

I D

isag

ree

I'm U

ndec

ided

5.T

he g

ener

al r

oles

and

res

pons

ibili

ties

of a

ll sc

hool

sta

ff (

incl

udin

g co

ntra

cted

sta

ff s

uch

as a

nH

igh

Med

ium

Low

Don

'tpr

iori

tyoc

cupa

tiona

l the

rapi

st o

r ps

ycho

logi

st)

rela

tive

to p

rovi

ding

inst

ruct

ion

and

supp

ort t

o al

l stu

dent

ssh

ould

be

clea

rly

delin

eate

d by

adm

inis

trat

ors,

sta

ff, s

tude

nts,

par

ents

, sch

ool b

oard

mem

bers

and

oth

erco

mm

unity

mem

bers

.

Nee

dN

eed

Nee

dK

now

Ei

I A

gree

I D

isag

ree

I'm U

ndec

ided

6.T

he s

choo

l's p

rofe

ssio

nal d

evel

opm

ent p

roce

ss s

houl

d be

dev

elop

ed b

y ad

min

istr

ator

s, s

taff

, stu

dent

s,pa

rent

s, s

choo

l boa

rd m

embe

rs a

nd o

ther

com

mun

ity m

embe

rs a

nd s

houl

d in

clud

e in

serv

ice

trai

ning

,re

gula

rly

sche

dule

d ob

serv

atio

ns w

ith f

eedb

ack,

tech

nica

l ass

ista

nce,

pee

r co

achi

ng, a

nd m

ento

ring

.

Hig

hN

eed

Med

ium

Nee

dL

owN

eed

Don

'tK

now

prio

rity

CI

I A

gree

! D

isag

ree

I'm U

ndec

ided

7.T

he s

choo

l's in

stru

ctio

nal s

uppo

rt s

yste

m (

e.g.

, cla

ssro

om-b

ased

mod

el f

or d

eliv

erin

g su

ppor

t ser

vice

s,te

ache

r as

sist

ance

team

, ind

ivid

ual s

tude

nt p

lann

ing

team

s, s

peci

al e

duca

tion

pre-

refe

rral

pro

cess

,vo

lunt

eer

syst

em)

shou

ld b

e de

velo

ped

by a

dmin

istr

ator

s, s

taff

, stu

dent

s, p

aren

ts, s

choo

l boa

rdm

embe

rs a

nd o

ther

com

mun

ity m

embe

rs a

nd s

houl

d be

ava

ilabl

e to

all

stud

ents

and

sta

ff.

Hig

hN

eed

Med

ium

Nee

dL

owN

eed

Don

'tK

now

prio

rity

ri

I A

gree

I D

isag

ree

I'm U

ndec

ided

BE

E I

r R

AC

TIC

E G

UID

EL

INE

S FO

R M

EE

TIN

G T

HE

NE

ED

S O

F A

LL

ST

UD

EN

TS

IN L

OC

AL

SC

HO

OL

SN

eed

for

Impr

ovem

ent

in O

ur S

choo

lst

if a

Prio

rity

CO

LL

AB

OR

AT

IVE

PL

AN

NIN

G

8.T

he s

choo

l sho

uld

prov

ide

oppo

rtun

ities

for

sch

ool s

taff

, stu

dent

s, f

amily

mem

bers

, and

com

mun

itym

embe

rs to

bec

ome

prof

icie

nt a

t fun

ctio

ning

in a

col

labo

rativ

e m

anne

r (i

.e.,

shar

e re

spon

sibi

lity

and

reso

urce

s, m

ake

deci

sion

s by

con

sens

us, u

se a

str

uctu

red

mee

ting

agen

da f

orm

at, r

otat

e te

am r

oles

of

faci

litat

or, t

imek

eepe

r an

d re

cord

er).

I A

gree

I D

isag

ree

I'm U

ndec

ided

Hig

hN

eed

Med

ium

Nee

dL

owN

eed

Don

'tK

now

prio

rity

0

9.T

he s

choo

l sho

uld

prov

ide

time

duri

ng s

choo

l hou

rs f

or in

stru

ctio

nal s

uppo

rt te

ams

(e.g

., in

divi

dual

stud

ent p

lann

ing

team

s, te

ache

r as

sist

ance

team

s, te

achi

ng te

ams)

to m

eet a

nd f

or in

divi

dual

team

mem

bers

to m

onito

r se

rvic

es, a

nd to

pro

vide

tim

ely

cons

ulta

tion,

sup

port

and

tech

nica

l ass

ista

nce

tofa

mili

es a

nd s

taff

.I

Agr

eeI

Dis

agre

eI'm

Und

ecid

ed

Hig

hN

eed

Med

ium

Low

Nee

dN

eed

.

Don

'tK

now

Prio

rity

0

10.

For

stud

ents

with

inte

nsiv

e ne

eds

in b

asic

ski

ll an

d/or

soc

ial s

kill

area

s or

who

are

cha

lleng

ed b

y th

eir

gift

s an

d ta

lent

s, in

divi

dual

stu

dent

pla

nnin

g te

ams

shou

ld b

e co

nven

ed w

hich

are

res

pons

ible

for

the

deve

lopm

ent a

nd im

plem

enta

tion

of a

ll as

pect

s of

the

stud

ent's

edu

catio

nal p

rogr

am (

e.g.

, stu

dent

goa

ls,

stud

ent s

ched

ules

, pro

cedu

res

to a

ddre

ss le

arni

ng /

beha

vior

/ man

agem

ent i

ssue

s, tr

ansi

tion

plan

s,st

rate

gies

to s

uppo

rt th

e st

uden

t and

his

/her

teac

hers

and

fam

ily).

I.A

gree

I D

isag

ree

I'm U

ndec

ided

Hig

hN

eed

Med

ium

Nee

dL

owN

eed

Don

'tK

now

Prio

rity

0

I I.

Indi

vidu

al s

tude

nt p

lann

ing

team

s sh

ould

con

sist

of

the

stud

ent,

fam

ily m

embe

rs, t

he s

tude

nt's

gen

eral

clas

s te

ache

r(s)

and

oth

er a

ppro

pria

te p

erso

ns b

ased

upo

n th

e st

uden

t's n

eeds

(e.

g., p

rinc

ipal

, Cha

pter

Ite

ache

r, m

usic

teac

her,

phy

sica

l the

rapi

st, o

ne o

r tw

o of

the

stud

ent's

pee

rs, t

each

ing

assi

stan

t, sp

ecia

led

ucat

or, s

ocia

l wor

ker,

rep

rese

ntat

ives

of

com

mun

ity a

genc

ies,

fam

ily a

dvoc

ates

).I

Agr

eeI

Dis

agre

eI'm

Und

ecid

ed

Hig

hN

eed

Med

ium

Nee

dL

owN

eed

Don

'tK

now

Prio

rity

1 2.

The

indi

vidu

al r

oles

of

each

stu

dent

pla

nnin

g te

am m

embe

r, in

clud

ing

rela

ted

serv

ice

prov

ider

s an

dot

her

cons

ulta

nts,

sho

uld

be s

peci

fied

by

the

team

and

sho

uld

be s

uppo

rtiv

e of

the

educ

atio

nal n

eeds

of

the

stud

ent.

I A

gree

I D

isag

ree

I'm U

ndec

ided

Hig

hN

eed

Med

ium

Nee

dL

owN

eed

Don

'tK

now

Prio

rity

0

SOC

IAL

RE

SPO

NSI

BIL

ITY

13.

The

sch

ool s

houl

d fa

cilit

ate

the

deve

lopm

ent o

f so

cial

res

pons

ibili

ty a

nd s

elf-

relia

nce

by p

rom

otin

gst

uden

t par

ticip

atio

n in

vol

unte

er o

rgan

izat

ions

and

act

iviti

es (

e.g.

, com

mun

ity s

ervi

ce a

ctiv

ities

, pee

rtu

tori

ng/m

ento

ring

act

iviti

es, s

tude

nt g

over

nmen

t, pa

rtic

ipat

ion

in d

ecis

ion

mak

ing

abou

t im

port

ant

scho

ol o

r co

mm

unity

issu

es).

I A

gree

I D

isag

ree

I'm U

ndec

ided

Hig

hN

eed

Med

ium

Nee

dL

owN

eed

Don

'tK

now

Prio

rity

CI

Page

2

6384

BE

ST P

RA

CT

ICE

GU

IDE

LIN

ES

FOR

ME

ET

ING

TH

E N

EE

DS

OF

AL

L S

TU

DE

NT

S IN

LO

CA

L S

CH

OO

LS

Nee

d fo

r Im

prov

emen

tin

Our

Sch

ool

Pi f

rioi

rity

14.

The

sch

ool's

cur

ricu

lum

sho

uld

prov

ide

stru

ctur

ed o

ppor

tuni

ties

for

stud

ents

to le

arn

abou

t and

appr

ecia

te in

divi

dual

dif

fere

nces

am

ong

peop

le.

I A

gree

I D

isag

ree

I'm U

ndec

ided

Hig

hN

eed

Med

ium

Nee

dL

owN

eed

Don

'tK

now

prio

rity

0

15.

The

sch

ool's

cur

ricu

lum

sho

uld

prov

ide

stru

ctur

ed o

ppor

tuni

ties

for

stud

ents

to d

evel

op a

ppro

pria

teso

cial

ski

lls (

e.g.

, mak

ing

frie

nds,

coo

pera

ting

with

oth

ers,

sha

ring

, lis

teni

ng, a

void

ing

figh

ts)

whi

chin

clud

e fr

eque

nt p

ract

ice

duri

ng s

choo

l, ho

me

and

com

mun

ity a

ctiv

ities

.

I A

gree

I D

i,agr

eeI'm

Und

ecid

ed

Hig

hN

eed

Med

ium

Nee

dL

owN

eed

Don

'tK

now

Prio

rity

CI

16.

The

sch

ool s

houl

d pr

ovid

e op

port

uniti

mff

or a

ll st

uden

ts to

par

ticip

ate

in a

ge-a

ppro

pria

te s

choo

lsp

onso

red

extr

a-cu

rric

ular

act

iviti

es (

e.g.

, fie

ld tr

ips,

spo

rts

team

s, c

lubs

, dan

ces,

ass

embl

ies,

stu

dent

gove

rnm

ent)

.I

Agr

eeI

Dis

agre

eI'm

Und

ecid

ed

Hig

hN

eed

Med

ium

Nee

dL

owN

eed

Don

'tK

now

prio

rity

0

17.

1

For

stud

ents

with

inte

nsiv

e ne

eds

in th

e so

cial

ski

ll ar

ea, a

pro

gram

for

incr

easi

ng s

ocia

l ski

lls s

houl

d be

deve

lope

d w

hich

incl

udes

: a)

asse

ssm

ent o

f cu

rren

t ski

lls in

iden

tifie

d ho

me,

sch

ool a

nd c

omm

unity

setti

ngs;

b)

iden

tific

atio

n of

ada

ptat

ions

and

sup

port

nee

ded

to f

unct

ion

in th

ose

setti

ngs;

c)

pioc

edur

esio

r w

orki

ng w

ith s

choo

l sta

ff a

nd f

amili

es to

inco

rpor

ate

soci

al s

kill

trai

ning

and

/or

prac

tice

into

sch

ool

and

fam

ily r

outin

es.

I A

gree

I D

isag

ree

I'm U

ndec

ided

Hig

hN

eed

Med

ium

Nee

dL

owN

eed

Don

'tK

now

prio

rity

1:1

CU

RR

ICU

LU

M P

LA

NN

ING

18.

The

sch

ool's

cur

ricu

la s

houl

d be

dev

elop

ed b

y te

ache

rs/s

taff

, stu

dent

s, p

aren

ts, a

dmin

istr

ator

s, a

ndco

mm

unity

mem

bers

and

sho

uld

iden

tify

age-

appr

opri

ate

cont

ent (

e.g.

, rea

ding

, mat

h, h

isto

ry, s

ocia

l/em

otio

nal,

arts

, hea

lth)

and

proc

ess

orie

nted

(pr

oble

m s

olvi

ng a

nd c

olla

bora

tion

skill

s, s

tudy

ski

lls)

goal

san

d ob

ject

ives

whi

ch p

rom

ote

mea

ning

ful p

artic

ipat

ion

in a

ge-a

ppro

pria

te a

ctiv

ities

in h

ome,

rec

rea-

tiona

l, ed

ucat

iona

l, w

ork

and

othe

r as

pect

s of

com

mun

ity li

fe, s

et a

hig

h st

anda

rd o

f ex

celle

nce

and

addr

ess

the

need

s of

all

stud

ents

.

I A

gree

I D

isag

ree

I'm U

ndec

ided

Hig

hN

eed

Med

ium

Nee

dL

owN

eed

Don

'tK

now

prio

rity

0

19.

A v

arie

ty o

f ag

e-ap

prop

riat

e no

n-sc

hool

inst

ruct

iona

l set

tings

(e.

g., d

ayca

re s

ettin

gs, t

he s

tude

nt's

hom

e,lo

cal s

tore

s, a

nd jo

b si

tes)

sho

uld

be a

vaila

ble

to s

tude

nts

and

mat

ched

to in

divi

dual

nee

ds f

or le

arni

ngne

w s

kills

or

for

gene

raliz

ing

skill

s to

new

set

tings

.

I A

gree

I D

isag

ree

I'm U

ndec

itted

Hig

hN

eed

Med

ium

Nee

dL

owN

eed

Don

'tK

now

Prio

rity

0

20.

The

pro

cess

for

iden

tifyi

ng c

urri

culu

m c

onte

nt f

or a

n in

divi

dual

stu

dent

with

inte

nsiv

e ne

eds

in b

asic

skill

and

/or

soci

al a

reas

sho

uld

incl

ude

an a

naly

sis

of th

e st

uden

t's s

kills

and

inte

rest

s an

d of

the

age-

appr

opri

ate

activ

ities

, ski

lls a

nd a

dapt

atio

ns n

eede

d fo

r th

e st

uden

t to

func

tion

in s

peci

fic

hom

e,sc

hool

, wor

k, r

ecre

atio

n an

d ot

her

com

mun

ity s

ettin

gs.

I A

gree

I D

isag

ree

'I'm

Und

ecid

ed

Hig

hN

eed

Med

ium

Nee

dL

owN

eed

Don

'tK

now

Prio

rity

0

1

1

Page

3

BE

ST P

RA

CT

ICE

GU

IDE

LIN

ES

FOR

ME

ET

ING

TH

E N

EE

DS

OF

AL

L S

TU

DE

NT

S IN

LO

CA

L S

CH

OO

LS

Nee

d fo

r Im

prov

emen

tin

Our

Sch

ool

if a

Prio

rity

21.

Obj

ectiv

es f

or s

tude

nts

with

inte

nsiv

e ne

eds

in b

asic

ski

ll an

d/or

soc

ial a

reas

sho

uld

spec

ify

crite

ria

whi

ch in

clud

e pe

rfor

man

ce in

the

stud

ent's

hom

e, s

choo

l and

oth

er a

ge-a

ppro

pria

te c

omm

unity

set

tings

.I

Agr

eeI

Dis

agre

eI'm

Und

ecid

ed

Hig

hN

eed

Med

ium

Nee

dL

owN

eed

Don

'tK

now

Prio

rity

0

22.

Stud

ents

with

inte

nsiv

e ne

eds

in b

asic

ski

ll an

d/or

soc

ial a

reas

sho

uld

have

pai

d w

ork

expe

rien

ces

inin

tegr

ated

com

mun

ity s

ettin

gs p

rior

to le

avin

g sc

hool

.I

Agr

eeI

Dis

agre

eI'm

Und

ecid

ed

Hig

hN

eed

Med

ium

Nee

dL

owN

eed / /D

on't

Kno

wpr

iori

ty

0

23.

The

sys

tem

for

mon

itori

ng th

e pr

ogre

ss o

f st

uden

ts w

ith in

tens

ive

need

s in

bas

ic s

kill

and/

or s

ocia

l are

assh

ould

incl

ude:

a)

indi

catio

ns o

f le

vel o

f in

depe

nden

ce o

n id

entif

ied

skill

s/ac

tiviti

es; b

) in

dica

tions

of

envi

ronm

ents

in w

hich

thos

e sk

ills/

activ

ities

hav

e be

en d

emon

stra

ted;

c)

an a

nnua

l sum

mar

y; a

ndd)

pos

t sch

ool f

ollo

w u

ps f

or p

urpo

ses

of p

rogr

am im

prov

emen

t.I

Agr

eeI

Dis

agre

eI'm

Und

ecid

ed

Hig

hN

eed

Med

ium

Nee

dL

owN

eed

Don

'tK

now

Prio

rity

0

DE

LIV

ER

Y O

F IN

STR

UC

TIO

NA

L S

UPP

OR

T S

ER

VIC

ES

24.

Inst

ruct

iona

l sup

port

ser

vice

s an

d st

aff

(e.g

., C

hapt

er I

, spe

cial

edu

catio

n, s

peec

h an

d la

ngua

ge,

guid

ance

, pee

r tu

tori

ng)

shou

ld b

e iw

orpo

rate

d in

to o

ngoi

ng s

choo

l and

com

mun

ity a

ctiv

ities

.

I A

gree

I D

isag

ree

I'm U

ndec

ided

Hig

hN

eed

Med

ium

Nee

dL

owN

eed

Don

'tK

now

Prio

rity

0

25.

The

dec

isio

n to

pul

l any

stu

dent

out

of

ongo

ing

scho

ol o

r co

mm

unity

act

iviti

es to

rec

eive

sup

port

serv

ices

sho

uld

be a

team

dec

isio

n ba

sed

upon

doc

umen

tatio

n th

at th

e st

uden

t's n

eeds

cou

ld n

ot b

eac

hiev

ed th

roug

h th

e us

e of

sup

plem

enta

ry a

ides

and

ser

vice

s in

the

clas

sroo

m. T

his

deci

sion

sho

uld

not b

e m

ade

base

d up

on s

taff

pre

fere

nces

.I

Agr

eeI

Dis

agre

eI'm

Und

ecid

ed

Hig

hN

eed

Med

ium

Nee

dL

owN

eed

Don

'tK

now

Prio

rity

1

0

I.

I

26.

For

stud

ents

with

nee

ds (

e.g.

, cou

nsel

ing,

com

mun

ity-b

ased

trai

ning

, med

ical

) w

hich

can

not b

e m

etth

roug

h on

goin

g ac

tiviti

es, p

ull o

ut s

houl

d be

sch

edul

ed d

urin

g ac

tiviti

es w

hich

the

team

det

erm

ines

tobe

low

est p

rior

ity f

or th

e st

uden

t.I

Agr

eeI

Dis

agre

eI'm

Und

ecid

ed

Hig

hN

eed

Med

ium

Nee

dL

owN

eed

Don

'tK

now

Prio

rity

0

27.

The

del

iver

y of

inst

ruc'

iona

l sup

port

ser

vice

s (e

.g.,

cons

ulta

tion,

trai

ning

, tec

hnic

al a

ssis

tanc

e,co

oper

ativ

e pl

anni

ng w

ith s

uppo

rt s

taff

, tea

m te

achi

ng w

ith s

uppo

rt s

taff

, sup

port

sta

ff d

eliv

erin

g di

rect

serv

ices

in th

e cl

assr

oom

, rel

ease

tim

e fo

r pl

anni

ng, a

cces

s to

inst

ruct

iona

l sup

port

team

s) s

houl

d in

clud

esu

ppor

t to

teac

hers

, tea

chin

g as

sist

ants

, vol

unte

ers,

and

oth

er d

irec

t ins

truc

tiona

l sta

ff.

I A

gree

I D

isag

ree

I'm U

ndec

ided

Hig

hN

eed

Med

ium

Nee

dL

owN

eed

Don

'tK

now

Prio

rity

El

IND

IVID

UA

LIZ

ED

IN

STR

UC

TIO

N

28.

The

sch

ool s

houl

d pr

ovid

e al

l stu

dent

s w

ith o

ppor

tuni

ties

to s

et p

erso

nal g

oals

and

to p

lan,

with

par

ents

and

teac

hers

, how

thei

r go

als

will

be

addr

esse

d du

ring

the

scho

ol y

ear.

I A

gree

I D

isag

ree

I'm U

ndec

ided

Hig

hN

eed

Med

ium

Nee

dL

owN

eed

Don

'tK

now

prio

rity

0

1 ag

e 4

88

BE

ST P

RA

CI1

0E G

UIP

EU

NE

S FO

R M

EE

TIN

G T

HE

NE

ED

S O

F A

LL

ST

UD

EN

TS

IN L

OC

AL

SC

HO

OL

SN

eed

for

Impr

ovem

ent

in O

ur S

choo

l/ i

f a

Prio

rity

29.

The

sch

ool s

houl

d pr

ovid

e op

port

uniti

es f

or a

ll st

aff

to b

ecom

e pr

ofic

ient

at p

revi

ewin

g in

stru

ctio

nal

activ

ities

, giv

ing

clea

r w

ritte

n an

d ve

rbal

dir

ectio

ns, h

ecki

ng f

or s

tude

nt u

nder

stan

ding

and

giv

ing

stud

ents

con

stru

ctiv

e fe

edba

ck a

nd p

ositi

ve r

einf

orce

men

t.

I A

gree

I D

isag

ree

I'm U

ndec

ided

Hig

hN

eed

Med

ium

Nee

dL

owN

eed

Don

'tK

now

Prio

rity

0

30.

The

sch

ool s

houl

d pr

ovid

e op

port

uniti

es f

or a

ll st

aff

to b

ecom

e pr

ofic

ient

in u

sing

a v

arie

ty o

fin

stru

ctio

nal m

etho

ds (

e.g.

, coo

pera

tive

lear

ning

, who

le la

ngua

ge, p

eer

tuto

ring

, dri

ll an

d pr

actic

e,in

cide

ntal

teac

hing

, com

pute

r-as

sist

ed in

stru

ctio

n), m

atch

ing

met

hods

to in

divi

dual

stu

dent

nee

ds, a

ndin

corp

orat

ing

met

hods

into

ong

oing

act

iviti

es.

I A

gree

I D

isag

ree

I'm U

ndec

ided

Hig

hN

eed

Med

ium

Nee

dL

owN

eed

Don

'tK

now

Prio

rity

0

31.

A v

arie

ty o

f in

stru

ctio

nal g

roup

ings

(e.

g., s

mal

l gro

up, l

arge

gro

up, m

ulti-

aged

gro

ups,

coo

pera

tive

grou

p, in

divi

dual

inst

ruct

ion)

sho

uld

be a

vaila

ble

to a

ll st

uden

ts a

nd m

atch

ed to

indi

vidu

al s

tude

ntne

eds.

I A

gree

I D

isag

ree

I'm U

ndec

ided

Hig

hN

eed

Med

ium

Nee

dL

owN

eed

Don

'tK

now

prio

rity

0

.A

var

iety

of

inst

ruct

ors

(e.g

., te

ache

rs, t

each

er a

ssis

tant

s, s

ame-

age

peer

tuto

rs, c

ross

-age

pee

r tu

tors

,pe

er m

ento

rs, v

olun

teer

s) s

houl

d be

ava

ilabl

e to

stu

dent

s an

d m

atch

ed to

indi

vidu

al s

tude

nt n

eeds

.

I A

gree

I D

isag

ree

I'm U

ndec

ided

Hig

hN

eed

Med

ium

Nee

dL

owN

eed

Don

'tK

now

prio

rity

0

33.

The

sch

ool s

houl

d pr

ovid

e op

port

uniti

es f

or a

ll st

aff

to b

ecom

e pr

ofic

ient

at u

sing

a v

arie

ty o

f in

stru

c-tio

nal m

ater

ials

(e.

g., r

eal i

tem

s, p

hoto

grap

hs, d

raw

ings

, wor

k sh

eets

, tex

tboo

ks, a

udio

/vis

uals

), a

tm

atch

ing

mat

eria

ls to

indi

vidu

al s

tude

nt n

eeds

, and

inco

rpor

atin

g m

ater

ials

into

ong

oing

act

iviti

es.

I A

gree

I D

isag

ree

I'm U

ndec

ided

Hig

hN

eed

Med

ium

Nee

dL

owN

eed

Don

'tK

now

Prio

rity

0

34.

The

sch

ool s

houl

d pr

ovid

e op

port

uniti

es f

or a

ll st

aff

to b

ecom

e pr

ofic

ient

at t

each

ing

seve

ral d

iffe

rent

goal

s fr

om th

e sa

me

curr

icul

um a

rea

thro

ugh

a si

ngle

gro

up a

ctiv

ity (

e.g.

, dur

ing

a gr

oup

mat

h ac

tivity

som

e st

uden

ts m

ay b

e le

arni

ng a

dditi

on w

hile

oth

ers

are

lear

ning

cou

ntin

g or

one

-to-

one

corr

espo

n-de

nce)

.

I A

gree

I D

isag

ree

I'm U

ndec

ided

Hig

hN

eed

Med

ium

Nee

dL

owN

eed

Don

'tK

now

Prio

rity

0

35.

1

The

sch

ool s

houl

d pr

ovid

e op

port

uniti

es f

or a

ll st

aff

to b

ecom

e pr

ofic

ient

at t

each

ing

goal

s fr

omdi

ffer

ent c

urri

culu

m a

reas

thro

ugh

a si

ngle

gro

up a

ctiv

ity (

e.g.

, dur

ing

a gr

oup

soci

al s

tudi

es a

ctiv

ityso

me

stud

ents

may

hav

e a

prim

ary

goal

of

lear

ning

the

soci

al s

tudi

es c

onte

nt w

hile

oth

ers

have

pri

mar

ygo

als

of le

arni

ng la

ngua

ge, c

omm

unic

atio

n, o

r so

cial

ski

lls).

I A

gree

I D

isag

ree

I'm U

ndec

ided

Hig

hN

eed

Med

ium

Nee

dL

owN

eed

Don

'tK

now

Prio

rity

0

.1

Page

5

Nee

d fo

r Im

prov

emen

tB

EST

PR

AC

TIC

E G

UID

EL

INE

S FO

R M

EE

TIN

G T

HE

NE

ED

S O

F A

LL

ST

UD

EN

TS

IN L

OC

AL

SC

HO

OL

Sin

Our

Sch

ool

36.

The

sch

ool s

houl

d pr

ovid

e op

port

uniti

es f

or a

ll st

aff

and

stud

ents

to b

ecom

e pr

ofic

ient

at i

dent

ifyi

ng a

vari

ety

of w

ays

stud

ents

can

acq

uire

or

dem

onst

rate

ski

lls/k

now

ledg

e (e

.g.,

sign

ing,

wri

ting,

typi

ng,

gest

urin

g, o

ral t

ests

or

repo

rts,

art

dis

play

s, ta

ped

pres

enta

tions

), m

atch

ing

them

to in

divi

dual

stu

dent

need

s, a

nd in

corp

orat

ing

them

into

ong

oing

act

iviti

es.

I A

gree

I D

isag

ree

I'm U

ndec

ided

Hig

hM

ediu

mL

owD

on't

Nee

dN

eed

Nee

d K

now

if a

Prio

rity

Am

moo

rPr

iori

ty

37.

For

each

less

on c

urre

ntly

bei

ng ta

ught

, the

re s

houl

d be

a w

ritte

n in

stru

ctio

nal p

rogr

am o

r le

sson

pla

nw

hich

is a

vaila

ble

to a

ll di

rect

inst

ruct

iona

l sta

ff.

I A

gree

I D

isag

ree

I'm U

ndec

ided

Hig

hM

ediu

mL

owD

on't

Nee

dN

eed

Nee

d K

now

Prio

rity

38.

Stud

ent p

rogr

ess

shou

ld b

e m

onito

red

and

anal

yzed

on

a re

gula

rly

sche

dule

d ba

sis.

I A

gree

I D

isag

ree

I'm U

ndec

ided

Hig

hM

ediu

mL

owD

on't

Nee

dN

eed

Nee

d K

now

39.

Dec

isio

ns to

mod

ify

inst

ruct

iona

l gro

upin

gs, m

etho

ds o

r m

ater

ials

sho

uld

be b

ased

upo

n m

easu

res

ofH

igh

Med

ium

Low

Don

'tst

uden

t pro

gres

s.N

eed

Nee

dN

eed

Kno

w

I A

grE

.:I

Dis

agre

eI'm

Und

ecid

ed

Prio

rity

Prio

rity

40.

A c

urre

nt s

ched

ule

of d

aily

stu

dent

act

iviti

es w

hich

des

crib

es w

hat i

s be

ing

done

, whe

n, a

nd w

ithH

igh

Med

ium

Low

Don

't

who

m, s

houl

d be

ava

ilabl

e an

d re

adily

acc

essi

ble.

Nee

dN

eed

Nee

d K

now

Agr

eeI

Dis

agre

eI'm

Und

ecid

ed

Prio

rity

CI

TR

AN

SIT

ION

PL

AN

NIN

G

41T

here

sho

uld

be p

roce

dure

s fo

r fa

cilit

atin

g th

e sm

ooth

tran

sitio

n of

all

stud

ents

fro

m o

ne e

duca

tiona

lse

tting

to a

noth

er, a

nd f

rom

sch

ool t

o po

st-s

choo

l lif

e.I

Agr

eeI

Dis

agre

eI'm

Und

ecid

ed

42.

A w

ritte

n pl

an f

or tr

ansi

tioni

ng e

ach

stud

ent w

ith in

tens

ive

need

s, in

clud

ing

stud

ents

who

are

gif

ted,

from

one

edu

catio

nal s

ettin

g to

ano

ther

sho

uld

be d

evel

oped

and

impl

emen

ted

in a

dvan

ce o

f th

e m

ove

(e.g

., 6

to 9

mon

ths)

.

I A

gree

I D

isag

ree

I'm U

ndec

ided

43.

For

high

sch

ool a

ged

stud

ents

with

inte

nsiv

e ne

eds,

a w

ritte

n gr

adua

tion

plan

for

tran

sitio

n to

pos

tsc

hool

life

(e.

g., e

mpl

oym

ent,

educ

atio

n, r

ecre

atio

n, r

esid

entia

l) s

houl

d be

dev

elop

ed a

nd im

plem

ente

dw

ell i

n ad

vanc

e of

the

tran

sitio

n (e

.g.,

at a

ge f

ourt

een)

and

rev

iew

ed a

nnua

lly.

I A

gree

I D

isag

ree

I'm U

ndec

ided

Hig

hN

eed

Med

ium

Ilee

dL

owN

eed

Don

'tK

now

Hig

hN

eed

Med

ium

Nee

dL

owN

eed

Don

'tK

now

Hig

hN

eed

Med

ium

Nee

dL

owN

eed

Don

'tK

now

Prio

rity

Prio

rity

Cl

Prio

rity

FAM

ILY

-SC

HO

OL

CO

LL

AB

OR

AT

ION

44.

The

sch

ool s

houl

d pr

Ovi

de f

amili

es w

ith th

e fr

eedo

m to

vis

it th

e sc

hool

and

to c

omm

unic

ate

regu

larl

yw

ith s

choo

l sta

ff o

n to

pics

impo

rtan

t to

both

the

fam

ily a

nd th

e sc

hool

.

I A

gree

I D

isag

ree

I'm U

ndec

ided

Hig

hM

ediu

mL

owD

on't

Nee

dN

eed

Nee

d K

now

Prio

rity

Page

6

9 1

5 2

93

BE

ST P

RA

CT

ICE

GU

IDE

LIN

ES

FOR

ME

ET

ING

TH

E N

EE

DS

OF

AL

L S

TU

DE

NT

S IN

LO

CA

L S

CH

OO

LS

Nee

d fo

r Im

prov

emen

tin

Our

Sch

ool

if a

Prio

rity

45.

The

re s

houl

d be

info

rmat

ion

avai

labl

e to

fam

ilies

whi

ch w

ill a

ssis

t the

m to

acc

ess

info

rmal

sup

port

netw

orks

and

con

nect

with

com

mun

ity r

esou

rces

(e.

g., d

ayca

re p

rogr

ams,

rec

reat

ion

prog

ram

s,co

unse

ling,

res

pite

car

e, v

ocat

iona

l reh

abili

tatio

n, m

enta

l hea

lth).

I A

gree

I D

isag

ree

I'm U

ndec

ided

Hig

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Com

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Page

856

(Best Practice Survey Summary Chart:

School Date

Number of People Who Answered the Best Practice Survey by Title

PrincipalSpecial education administratorGeneral education teachersSpecial education teachersNon-core teachers (music. art)Related service providersSupport staffStudentsParentsCommunity membersOther

Total Number of People

Instructions

The Best Practice Survey Summary Chart allows for the summarizing of thefollowing information from the Best Practice Survey.

1. The percentage of persons who agree with, disagree with, or are undecidedabout each best practice addressed within the survey.

2. The percentage of persons who feel the level of need for improvement for eachbest practice is either high, medium, low or are undecided about the level ofneed for improvement.

3. The number of persons who indicated each best practice was a priority forimprovement by checking the box-next to the practice on the best practicesurvey.\

Best Practice Survey Summary Chart Level of Agreementwith Practice

Level of Need forImprovement in Our

School# of Priority

Checks

SCHOOL CLIMATE AND STRUCTURE II

1. The school's philosophy statement and objectivesshould be developed by administrators, staff, stu-dents, parents, school board members and othercommunity members and should reflect the school'scommitment to meeting the individual needs of allstudents in age-appropriate integrated school andcommunity settings.

2. The school's climate should be established by admin-istrators, staff, students, parents school board mem-bers and other community members and shouldpromote respect for individual differences amongstudents, encourage the development of positive self-esteem, establish high achievement expectations for allstudents, and encourage the development of caringpersonal relationships among students and staff.

3. The school's code of conduct for students and staffshould be established by administrators, staff, stu-dents, parents, school board members and othercommunity members and should emphasize positivebthavior, be applied in a consistent, fair manner, andtake into account the unique needs of individualstudents.

. The school should provide ample opportunities forstudents, staff, parents, administrators, school boardmembers and other community members to berecognized for their accomplishments, includinghelping others.

. The general roles and responsibilities of all school staff(including contracted staff such as an occupationaltherapist or psychologist) relative to providinginstruction and support to all students should beclearly delineated by administrators, staff, students,parents, school board members and other communitymembers.

. The school's professional development process shouldbe developed by administrators, staff, students,parents, school board members and other communitymembers and should include inservice training,regularly scheduled observations with feedback,technical assistance, peer coaching, and mentoring.

. The school's instructional support system (e.g.,classroom-based model for delivering support serv-ices, teacher assistance team, individual studentplanning teams, special education pre-referral process,volunteer system) should be developed by administra-tors, staff, students, parents, school board membersand other community members and should be avail-able to all students and staff.

% Agree% Disagree% Undecided

/

% Agree% Disagree% Undecided

% Agree% Disagree% Undecided

% Agree% Disagree% Undecided

% Agree% Disagree% Undecided

% Agree% Disagree% Undecided

% Agree% Disagree% Undecided

% High% Medium% Low% Undecided

% High% Medium% Low% Undecided

% High% Medium% Low% Undecided

% High% Medium% Low% Undecided

% High% Medium% Low% Undecided

% High% Medium% Low% Undecided

% High% Medium% Low% Undecided

0

0

11

0

ri

0

Best Praaice Survey Summary Chart Level of Agreementwith Practice

Level of Need forImprovement in Our

School* of Priority

Checks

COLLABORATIVE PLANNING

8. The school should provide opportunities for schoolstaff, students, family members, and communitymembers to become proficient at functioning in acollaborative manner (i.e., share responsibility andresources, make decisions by consensus, use a struc-tured meeting agenda format, rotate team roles offacilitator, timekeeper and recorder).

. The school should provide time during school hoursfor instructional support teams (e.g., individualstudent planning teams, teacher assistance teams,teaching teams) to meet and for individual teammembers to monitor services, and to provide timelyconsultation, support and technical assistance tofamilies and staff.

10. For students with intensive needs in basic skill and /orsocial skill areas or who are challenged by their giftsand talents, individual student planning teams shouldbe convened which are responsible for the develop-ment and implementation of all aspects of thestudent's educational program (e.g., student goals,student schedules, procedures to address learning/behavior/management issues, transition plans,strategies to support the student and his/her teachersand family).

11. !ndividual student planning teams should consist ofthe student, family members, the student's generalclass teacher(s) and other appropriate persons basedupon the student's needs (e.g., principal, Chapter Iteacher, music teacher, physical therapist, one or twoof the student's peers, teaching assistant, specialeducator, social worker, representatives of communityagencies, family advocates).

12. The role of each individual student planning teammember, including related service providers and otherconsultants, should be specified by the team andshould be supportive of the educational needs of thestudent.

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

13. The school should facilitate the development of socialresponsibility and self-reliance by promoting studentparticipation in volunteer organizations and activities(e.g., community service activities, peer tutoring/mentoring activities, student government, participa-tion in decision making about important school crcommunity issues). .

% Agree% Disagree% Undecided

% Agree% Disagree% Undecided

% Agree% Disagree% Undecided

% Agree% Disagree% Undecided

% Agree% Disagree% Undecided

% Agree% Disagree% Undecided

% High% Medium% Low% Undecided

% High% Medium% Loit% Undecided

% High% Medium% Low% Undecided

% High% Medium% Low% Undecided

% High% Medium% Low% Undecided

% High% Medium% Low% Undecided

!al

o

al

CI

o

n

Page 2

Bast Practice Survey Summary Chart

14. The school's curriculum should provide structuredopportunities for students to learn about and appreci-ate individual differences among people.

15. The school's curriculum should provide structuredopportunities for students to develop appropriatesocial skills (e.g., making friends, cooperating withothers, sharing, listening, avoiding fighting) whichinclude frequent practice during school, home andcommunity activities.

16. The school should provide opportunities for allstudents to participate in age-appropriate schoolsponsored extra-curricular activities (e.g., field trips,sports teanis, clubs, dances, assemblies, studentgovernment).

17. For students with intensive needs in the social skillarea, a program for increasing social skills should bedeveloped which includes: a) assessment of currentskills in identified home, school and communitysettings; b) identification of adaptations and supportneeded to function in these settings; c) procedures forworking with school staff and families to incorporatesocial skill training and/or practice into school andfamily routines.

CURRICULUM PLANNING

18. The school's curricula should be developed by teach-ers/staff, students, parents, administrators, andcommunity members and should identify age-appro-priate content (e.g., reading, math, history, social/emotional, arts, health) and process oriented (problemsolving and collaboration skills, study skills) goals andubjectives which promote meaningful participation inage-E.ppropriate activities in home, recreational,educational, work and other aspects of communitylife, set a high standard of excellence and address theneeds of all students.

19. A variety of age-appropriate non-school instructionalsettings (e.g., daycare settings, the student's home,local stores, and job sites) should be available tostudents and matched to individual needs for learningnew skills or for generalizing skills to new settings.

20. The process for identifying curriculum content for anindividual student with intensive needs in basic skilland/or social areas should include an analysis of thestudent's skills and interests and of the age-appropri-ate activities, skills and adaptations needed for thestudent to function in specific home, school, work,recreation and other community settings.

Level of Agreementwith Practice

Level of Need forImprovement in Our

School

"g-Agree% Disagree% Undecided

% Agree% Disagree% Undecided

% Agree% Disagree% Undecided

% Agree% Disagree% Undecided

% Agree% Disagree% Undecided

% Agree% Disagree% Undecided

% Agree% Disagree% Undecided

% High% Medium% Low% Undecided

% High% Medium% Low% Undecided

% High% Medium% Low% Undecided

% High% Medium% Low% Undecided

% High% Medium% Low% Undecided

% High% Medium% Low% Undecided

% High% Medium% Low% Undecided

# of PriorityChecks

171

Page 3

Best Practice Suivey Summary ChartLevel of Need for

Level of Agreement Improvement in Our # of Prioritywith Practice School Checks

21. Objectives for students with intensive needs in basicskill and/or social areas should specify criteria whichinclude performance in the student's home, schooland other age-appropriate community settings.

22. Students with intensive needs in basic skill and/orsocial areas should have paid wot k experiences inintegrated community settings prior to leaving school.

23. The system for monitoring the progress of studentswith intensive needs in basic skill and/or social areasshould include: a) indications of level of indepen-dence on identified skills/activities; b) indications ofenvironments in which those skills/activities havebeen demonstrated; c) an annual summary; and d)post school follow ups for purposes of programimprovement.

DELIVERY OF INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORT SERVICES

24. Instructional support services and staff (e.g., ChapterI, special education, speech and language, guidance,peer tutoring) should be incorporated into ongoingschool and community activities.

.

25. The decision to pull any student out of ongoing schoolor community activities to receive support services

beshould a team decision based upon documentationthat the student's needs could not be achievedthrough the use of supplementary aides and servicesin the classroom. This decision should not be mcdebased upon staff preferences.

26. For students with needs (e.g., counseling, community-based training, medical) which cannot be met throughongoing activities, pull out should be scheduledduring activities which the team determines to belowest priority for the student.

27. The delivery of instructional support services (e.g.,consultation, training, technical assistance, coopera-five planning with support staff, team teaching withsupport staff, support staff delivering direct servicesin the classroom, release time for planning, access toinstructional support teams) should include supportto teachers, teaching assistants, volunteers, and otherdirect instructional staff.

INDIVIDUALIZED INSTRUCIION

28. The school should provide all students with opportu-nities to set personal goals and to plan, with parentsand teachers, how their goals will be addressedduring the school year. -

% Agree% Disagree% Undecided

% Agree% Disagree% Undecided

% Agree% Disagree% Undecided

%% Disagree

Agree

% Undecided

% Agree% Disagree% Undecided

% Agree% Disagree% Undecided

% Agree% Disagree% Undecided

% Agree% Disagree% Undecided

% High% Medium% Low% Undecided

% High% Medium% Low% Undecided

% High% Medium% Low% Undecided

% High% Medium% Low% Undecided

% High% Medium% Low% Undecided

% High% Medi um% Low% Undecided

% High% Medium% Low% Undecided

% High% Medium% Low% Undecided

711

7:1

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71

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r/

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Page 4

Best Practice Survey Summary Chart Level of Agreementwith Practice

Level of Need forImprovement in Our # of Priority

School Checks

29. The school should provide opportunities for all staff tobecome proficient at previewing instructional activi-ties, giving clear written and verbal directions, check-ing for student understanding and giving studentsconstructive feedback and positive reinforcement.

30. The school should provide opportunities for all staff tobecome proficient in using a variety of instructionalmethods (e.g., cooperative learning, whole language,peer tutoring, drill and practice, incidental teaching,computer-assisted instruction), matching methods toindividual student needs, and incorporating methodsinto ongoing activities.

31. A variety of instructional groupings (e.g., small group,large group, multi-aged groups, cooperative group,individual instruction) should be available to allstudents and matched to individual student needs.

32. A variety of instructors (e.g., teachers, teacher assis-tants, same-age peer tutors, cross-age peer tutors, peermentors, volunteers) should be available to studentsand matched to individual student needs.

33. The school should provide opportunities for all staff tobecome proficient at using a variety of instructionalmaterials (e.g., real items, photographs, drawings,work sheets, textbooks, audio visuals), at matchingmaterials to individual student needs, and incorporat-ing materials into ongoing activities.

34. The school should provide opportunities for all staff tobecome proficient at teaching several different goalsfrom the same curriculum area through a single groupactivity (e.g., during a group math activity somestudents may be learning addition while others arelearning counting or one-to-one correspondence).

35. The school should provide opportunities for all staff tobecome proficient at teaching goals from differentcurriculum areas through a single group activity (e.g.,during a group social studies activity some studentsmay have a primary goal of learning the social studiescontent while others have primary goals of learninglanguage, communication, or social skills).

36. The school should provide opportunities for all staffand students to become proficient at identifying avariety of ways students can acquire or demonstrateskills/knowledge (e.g., signing, writing, typing,gesturing, oral tests or reports, art displays, tapedpresentations), matching them to individual studentneeds, and incorporating them into ongoing activities.

% Agree% Disagree% Undecided

% Agree% Disagree% Undecided

% Agree% Disagree% Undecided

% Agree% Diwgree% Undecided

% Agree% Disagree% Undecided

% Agree% Disagree% Undecided

% Agree.% Disag -ee% Unde. ided

% Agree% Disagree% Undecided

% High% Medium% Low% Undecided

% High% Medium% Low% Undecided

% High% Medium% Low% Undecided

% High% Medium% Low% Undecided

% High% Medium% Low% Undecided

% High% Medium% Low% Undecided

% High% Medium% Low% Undecided

% High% Medium% Low% Undecided

Page 5

1u2

Best Practice Survey Summary ChartLevel of Need for

Level of Agreement Improvement in Our # of Prioritywith Practice School Checks

37. For each lesson currently being taught, there shouldbe : written instructional program or lesson planwhich is available to all direct instructional staff.

38. Student progress should be monitored and analyzedon a regularly schaduled basis.

39. Decisions to modify instructional groupings, methodsor materials should be based upon measures ofstudent progress.

40. A current schedule of daily student activities whichdescribes what is being done, when, and with whom,should be available and readily accessible.

TRANSITION PLANNING

41. There should be procedures for facilitating the smoothtransition of all students from one educational settingto another, and from school to post-school life.

42. A written plan for transitioning each student withintensive needs, including students who are gifted,from one educational setting to another should bedeveloped and implemented in advance of the move(e.g., 6 to 9 months).

43. For high school aged students with intensive needs, awritten graduation plan for transition to post schoollife (e.g., employment, education, recreation, residen-tial) should be developed and implemented well inadvance of the transition (e.g., at age fourteen) andreviewed annually.

FAMILY-SCHOOL COLLABORATION

44. The school should provide fa.milies with the freedomto visit the school and to communicate regularly withschool staff on topics important to both the family andthe school.

45. There should be information available to familieswhich will assist them to access informal supportnetworks and connect with community resources (e.g.,daycare programs, recreation programs, counseling,respite care, vocational rehabilitation, mental health).

46. The school should provide families with opportunitiesfor consultation, training and follow-up from schoolstaff to maximize their children's development inhome and other community settings.

-

% Agree% Disagree% Undecided

% Agree% Disagree% Undecided

% D5.sagree% Undecided

% Agree% Disagree% Undecided

% Agree% Disagree% Undecided

% Agree% Disagree% Undecided

% Agree%

% Undecided

% Agree% Disagree% Undecided

% Agree% Disagree% Undecided

% Agree% Disagree% Undecided

% High% Medium% Low% Undecided

% High% Medium% Low% Undecided

% High% Medium% Low% Undecided

% High% Medium% Low% Undecided

% High% Medium% Low% Undecided

% High% Medium% Low% Undecided

% High% Medium% Low% Undecided

% High% Medium% Low% Undecided

% High% Medium% Low% Undecided

% High% Medium% Low% Undecided

CI

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103

Best Practice Survey Summary ChartLevel of Need for

Level of Agreement Improvement in Ourwith Practice School

# of PriorityChecks

47. Families should be included in advisory, decision-making, and advocacy activities of the school (e.g.,advisory committees, curriculum committees, devel-opment of the school philosophy and climate, schoolplanning teams, staff development committees).

48. Families should be included in the decision-makingprocess to determine the high priority educationalneeds of their children, and how and where (school,home, or community settings) their children will betaught.

49. Instructional planning should include procedures forassisting families to incorporate instruction and/orpractice of skills into ongoing home and communityactivities.

PLANNING FOR CONTINUED BEST PRACTICEIMPROVEMENT

50. A plan for improving best practice-based serviceswithin the school should be developed every three tofive years by a school planning team consisting ofadministrators, staff, students, parents, school boardmembers and other community members.

51. The school's plan should include: a) a review of theschool's goals and the extent to which goals and besteducational practices are achieved; b) an examinationof services offered by the school and how they relateto student, family, and community needs; c) follow-up measures of students' performance in the nextschool setting or post school settings; and d) acdvitiesand timelines for improving best practices.

52. The school planning team should meet periodically tomonitor progress on implementing the school's planand to make necessary adjustments in activities andtimelines for achieving the plan.

53. The school's plan and subsequent reports of progressin implementing the plan should be disseminated toparents, school district staff and community mem-bers.

54. There should be a periodic evaluation of the planningprocess by school staff, students, parents, communitymembers and persons from outside of the school (e,g,.staff from other schools, colleges and universities,state and local government).

% Agree% Disagree% Undecided

% Agree% Disagree% Undecided

% Agree% Disagree% Undecided

% Agree% Disagree% Undecided

% Agree% Di sagree% Undecided

% Agree% Disagree% Undecided

% .1 .gree% Disagree% Undecided

% Agree% Disagree% Undecided

% High% Medium% Low% Undecided

% High% Medium% Low% Undecided

% High% Medium% Low% Undecided

% High% Medium% Low% Undecided

% High% Medium% Low% Undecided

% High% Medium% Low% Undecided

% High% Medium% Low% Undecided

% High% Medium% Low% Undecided

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1 (2 4

Best Practice SelectionWorksheet

School Date

Instructions

The first step in completing the Best Practice Selection Worksheet is to identifypractices to be considered for improvement. At least 10 practices should be

identified. As each practice is identified the small box on the worksheetlocated in the column titled Select should be checked.

1. Categorize the Possible Changes Needed: Circle P if policy changes areneeded to improve the practice's availability. Circle S if service delivery systemchanges are needed for improvement (e.g., reallocating teacher time, changing jobroles, hiring additional staff, arranging team meeting time during school hours,initiating a community-based training program). Circle T if training is toeded todevelop or implement the changes.

2. Determine Priority Ranking: Based upon the information gathered throughthe surveys and the estimation of the types of changes needed, each practiceshould be ranked from the most important practice to target for improvement (1=highest ranking) to the least important. If several practices carry equal impor-tance, they may be assigned the same-ranking. It is recommended that at least 10statements be ranked.

ti

Bes

t Pra

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e Se

lect

ion

Wor

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etB

est P

ract

ice

Gui

delin

es F

or M

eetin

g T

he N

eeds

Of

All

Stud

ents

In

Loc

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choo

ls

SCH

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AT

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ST

RU

CT

UR

E

1.T

he s

choo

l's p

hilo

soph

y st

atem

ent a

nd o

bjec

tives

are

dev

elop

ed b

y ad

min

istr

ator

s, s

taff

,st

uden

ts, p

aren

ts. s

choo

l boa

rd m

embe

rs a

nd o

ther

com

mun

ity m

embe

rs a

nd r

efle

ct th

esc

hool

's c

omm

itmen

t to

mee

ting

the

indi

vidu

al n

eeds

of

all s

tude

nts

in a

ge-a

ppro

pria

te r

egu-

lar

educ

atio

n an

d co

mm

unity

set

tings

.

2.T

he s

choo

l's c

limat

e is

est

ablis

hed

by a

dmin

istr

ator

s, s

taff

, stu

dent

s, p

aren

ts s

choo

l boa

rdm

embe

rs a

nd o

ther

com

mun

ity m

embe

rs a

nd p

rom

otes

res

pect

for

indi

vidu

al d

iffe

renc

esam

ong

stud

ents

, enc

oura

ges

the

deve

lopm

ent o

f po

sitiv

e se

lf-e

stee

m, e

stab

lishe

s hi

ghac

hiev

emen

t exp

ecta

tions

for

all

stud

ents

, and

enc

oura

ges

the

deve

lopm

ent o

f ca

ring

per

sona

lre

latio

nshi

ps a

mon

g st

uden

ts a

nd s

taff

.

3.T

he s

choo

l's c

ode

of c

ondu

ct f

or s

tude

nts

and

staf

f is

est

ablis

hed

by a

dmin

istr

ator

s, s

taff

,st

uden

ts, p

aren

ts, s

choo

l boa

rd m

embe

rs a

nd o

ther

com

mun

ity m

embe

rs, e

mph

asiz

es p

osi-

tive

13,4

1avi

or, i

s ap

plie

d in

a c

onsi

sten

t, fa

ir m

anne

r, a

nd ta

kes

into

acc

ount

the

uniq

ue n

eeds

of in

divi

dual

stu

dent

s.

4.T

he s

choo

l pro

vide

s am

ple

oppo

rtun

ities

for

stu

dent

s, s

taff

, adm

inis

trat

ors,

par

ents

, sch

ool

boar

d m

embe

rs a

nd o

ther

com

mun

ity m

embe

rs to

be

reco

gniz

ed f

or th

eir

acco

mpl

ishm

ents

,in

clud

ing

help

ing

othe

rs.

5.T

he g

ener

al r

oles

and

res

pons

ibili

ties

of a

ll sc

hool

sta

ff (

incl

udin

g co

ntra

cted

sta

ff s

uch

as a

noc

cupa

tiona

l the

rapi

st o

r ps

ycho

logi

st)

rela

tive

to p

rovi

ding

inst

ruct

ion

and

supp

ort t

o al

lst

uden

ts a

re c

lear

ly d

elin

eate

d ty

adm

inis

trat

ors,

sta

ff, s

tude

nts,

par

ents

, sch

ool b

oard

mem

bers

and

oth

er c

omm

unity

mem

bers

.

6.T

he s

choo

l's p

rofe

ssio

nal d

evel

opm

ent p

roce

ss is

dev

elop

ed b

y ad

min

istr

ator

s, s

taff

, stu

dent

s,pa

rent

s, s

choo

l boa

rd m

embe

rs a

nd o

ther

com

mun

ity m

embe

rs a

nd in

clud

es in

serv

ice

trai

n-in

g, r

egul

arly

sch

edul

ed o

bser

vatio

ns w

ith f

eedb

ack,

tech

nica

l ass

ista

nce,

pee

r co

achi

ng, a

ndm

ento

ring

.

7.T

he s

choo

l's in

stru

ctio

nal s

uppo

rt s

yste

m (

e.g.

, cla

ssro

om-b

ased

mod

el f

or d

eliv

erin

g su

ppor

tse

rvic

es, t

each

er a

ssis

tanc

e te

am, i

ndiv

idua

l stu

dent

pla

nnin

g te

ams,

spe

cial

edu

catio

n pr

e-re

ferr

al p

roce

ss, v

olun

teer

sys

tem

) is

dev

elop

ed b

y ad

min

istr

ator

s, s

taff

, stu

dent

s, p

aren

ts,

scho

ol b

oard

mem

bers

and

oth

er c

omm

unity

mem

bers

and

is a

vaila

ble

to a

ll st

uden

ts a

ndst

aff.

S =

Sys

tem

sP

= P

olic

y or

Pro

cedu

res

T =

Tra

inin

g

1 ts

Sele

cted

(I(

Box

)C

hang

esPr

iori

tyN

eede

d(1

= H

ighe

st)

[ 7

1S

P T

S P

T

S P

T

S P

T

S P

T

S P

T

S P

T

167

168

Bes

t Pra

ctic

e Se

lect

ion

Wor

kshe

etSe

lect

edch

ange

spr

iori

ty

Bes

t Pra

ctic

e G

uide

lines

For

Mee

ting

The

Nee

ds O

f A

ll St

uden

ts I

nL

ocal

Sch

ools

(1 B

ox)

Nee

ded

(1 =

Hig

hest

)

CO

LL

AB

OR

AV

VE

PL

AN

NIN

G

8.T

he s

choo

l pro

vide

s op

port

uniti

es f

or s

taff

, stu

dent

s, f

amily

mem

bers

, and

com

mun

ity m

em-

bers

to b

ecom

e pr

ofic

ient

at f

unct

ioni

ng in

a c

olla

bora

tive

man

ner

(i.e

..sh

are

resp

onsi

bilit

yan

d re

soum

es, m

ake

deci

sion

s by

con

sens

us, u

se a

str

uctu

red

mee

ting

agen

dafo

rmat

, rot

ate

team

rol

es o

f fa

cilit

ator

, tim

ekee

per

and

reco

rder

).

9.T

he s

choo

l pro

vide

s tim

e du

ring

sch

ool h

ours

for

inst

ruct

iona

l sup

port

team

s(e

.g..

indi

vidu

alst

uden

t pla

nnin

g te

ams,

teac

her

assi

stan

ce te

ams.

teac

hing

team

s) to

mee

t and

for

indi

vidu

alte

am m

embe

rs to

mon

itor

serv

ices

, and

to p

rovi

de ti

mel

y co

nsul

tatio

n, s

uppo

rtan

d te

chni

cal

assi

stan

ce to

fam

ilies

and

sta

ff.

10.

For

stud

ents

with

inte

nsiv

e ne

eds

in b

asic

ski

ll an

d/or

soc

ial s

kill

area

s or

who

are

chal

leng

edby

thei

r gi

fts

and

tale

nts,

indi

vidu

al s

tude

nt p

lann

ing

team

s ar

e co

nven

ed w

hich

are

res

pon-

sibl

e fo

r th

e de

velo

pmen

t and

impl

emen

tatio

n of

all

aspe

cts

of th

e st

uden

t'sed

ucat

iona

lpr

ogra

m (

e.g.

. stu

dent

goa

ls, s

tude

nt s

ched

ules

, pro

cedu

res

toad

dres

s le

arni

ng /

beha

vior

/m

anag

emen

t iss

ues,

tran

sitio

n pl

ans,

str

ateg

ies

to s

uppo

rt th

e st

uden

t and

his/

her

teac

hers

and

fam

ily).

11.

Indi

vidu

al s

tude

nt p

lann

ing

team

s co

nsis

t of

the

stud

ent,

fam

ily m

embe

rs, t

hest

uden

t'sge

nera

l cla

ss te

ache

r(s)

and

oth

er a

ppro

pria

te p

erso

ns b

ased

upo

n th

e st

uden

t'sne

eds

(e.g

.,pr

inci

pal,

Cha

pter

1 te

ache

r, m

usic

teac

her,

phy

sica

l the

rapi

st, o

ne o

r tw

o of

the

stud

ent's

peer

s. te

achi

ng a

ssir

.tant

, spe

cial

edu

cato

r, s

ocia

lwor

ker,

rep

rese

ntat

ives

of

com

mun

ityag

enci

es, f

amily

adv

ocat

es).

12.

The

indi

vidu

al r

oles

of

each

stu

dent

pla

nnin

g te

am m

embe

r, in

clud

ing

rela

ted

serv

ice

prov

id-

ers

and

othe

r co

nsul

tant

s, a

re s

peci

fied

by

the

team

and

are

supp

ortiv

e of

the

educ

atio

nal

need

s of

the

stud

ent.

SOC

IAL

RE

SPO

NSI

BIL

ITY

13.

The

sch

ool f

acili

tate

s th

e de

velo

pmen

t of

soci

al r

espo

nsib

ility

and

sel

f-re

lianc

e by

pro

mot

ing

stud

ent p

artic

ipat

ion

in v

olun

teer

org

aniz

atio

ns a

nd a

ctiv

ities

(e.

g., c

omm

unity

ser

vice

act

ivi-

ties,

pee

r tu

tori

ng/m

ento

ring

act

iviti

es, s

tutie

nt g

over

nmen

t, pa

rtic

ipat

ion

inde

cisi

on m

akin

gab

out i

mpo

rtan

t sch

ool o

r co

mm

unity

issu

es).

rage

2I

S =

Sys

tem

sP

= P

olic

y or

Pro

cedu

res

T =

Tra

inin

g

S P

T

S P

T

S P

T

S P

T

S P

T

Bes

t Pra

ctic

e Se

lect

ion

Wor

kshe

etB

est P

ract

ice

Gui

delin

es F

or M

?etin

g T

he N

eeds

Of

All

Stud

ents

In

Loc

al S

choo

lsSe

lect

edC

hang

esPr

iori

ty(4

/ Box

)N

eede

d(1

= H

ighe

st)

14.

The

sch

ool's

cur

ricu

lum

pro

vide

s st

ruct

ured

opp

ortu

nitie

s fo

r st

uden

ts to

lear

n ab

out a

ndap

prec

iate

indi

vidu

al d

iffe

renc

es a

mon

g pe

ople

.

15.

The

sch

ool's

cur

ricu

lum

pro

vide

s st

ruct

ured

opp

ortu

nitie

s fo

r st

uden

ts to

dev

elop

app

ropr

iate

soci

al s

kills

(e.

g.. m

akin

g fr

iend

s, c

oope

ratin

g w

ith o

ther

s, s

hari

ng. l

iste

ning

, avo

idin

g fi

ghtin

g)w

hich

incl

ude

freq

uent

pra

ctic

e du

ring

sch

ool,

hom

e an

d co

mm

unity

act

iviti

es.

16.

The

sch

ool p

rovi

des

oppo

rtun

ities

for

all

stud

ents

to p

artic

ipat

e in

age

-app

ropr

iate

sch

ool

spon

sore

d ex

tra-

curr

icul

ar a

ctiv

ities

(e.

g.. f

ield

trip

s, s

port

s te

ams,

clu

bs, d

ance

s, a

ssem

blie

s,st

uden

t gov

ernm

ent)

.

17.

For

stud

ents

with

inte

nsiv

e ne

eds

in th

e so

cial

ski

ll ar

ea, a

n in

divi

dual

pro

gram

for

incr

easi

ngso

cial

ski

lls is

dev

elop

ed w

hich

incl

udes

: a)

asse

ssm

ent o

f cu

rren

t ski

lls in

iden

tifie

d ho

me,

scho

ol a

nd c

omm

unity

set

tings

; b)

iden

tific

atio

n of

ada

ptat

ions

and

sup

port

nee

ded

to f

unc-

tion

in th

ose

setti

ngs;

c)

proc

edur

es f

or w

orki

ng w

ith s

choo

l sta

ff a

nd f

amili

es to

inco

rpor

ate

soci

al s

kill

trai

ning

and

/or

prac

tice

into

sch

ool a

nd f

amily

rou

tines

.

CU

RR

ICU

LU

M P

LA

NN

ING

18.

The

sch

ool's

cur

ricu

la a

re d

evel

oped

by

teac

hers

/sta

ff, s

tude

nts,

par

ents

, adm

inis

trat

ors,

and

com

mun

ity m

embe

rs a

nd id

entif

y ag

e-ap

prop

riat

e co

nten

t (e.

g.. l

angu

age

arts

, mat

h, h

isto

ry,

soci

al/e

mot

iona

l, ar

ts, h

ealth

) an

d pr

oces

s or

ient

ed (

prob

lem

sol

ving

and

col

labo

ratio

n sk

ills,

stud

y sk

ills)

goa

ls a

nd o

bjec

tives

whi

ch p

rom

ote

mea

ning

ful p

artic

ipat

ion

in a

ge-a

ppro

pria

teac

tiviti

es in

hom

e, r

ecre

atio

nal,

educ

atio

nal,

wor

k an

d ot

her

aspe

cts

of c

omm

unity

life

, set

ahi

gh s

tand

ard

of e

xcel

lenc

e an

d ad

dres

s th

e ne

eds

of a

ll st

uden

ts.

19. A

var

iety

of

age-

appr

opri

ate

non-

scho

ol in

stru

ctio

nal s

ettin

gs (

e.g.

, day

care

set

tings

, the

stud

ent's

hom

e, lo

cal s

tore

s, a

nd jo

b si

tes)

are

ava

ilabl

e to

stu

dent

s an

d m

atch

ed to

indi

vidu

alne

eds

for

lear

ning

new

ski

lls o

r fo

r ge

nera

lizin

g sk

ills

to n

ew s

ettin

gs.

20.

The

pro

cess

for

iden

tifyi

ng c

urri

culu

m c

onte

nt f

or a

n in

divi

dual

stu

dent

with

inte

nsiv

e ne

eds

in b

asic

ski

ll an

d/or

sod

a) a

reas

incl

udes

an

anal

ysis

of

the

stud

ent's

ski

lls a

nd in

tere

sts

and

of th

e ag

e-ap

prop

riat

e ac

tiviti

es, s

kills

and

ada

ptat

ions

nee

ded

for

the

stud

ent t

o fu

nctio

n in

spec

ific

hom

e, s

choo

l, w

ork,

rec

reat

ion

and

othe

r co

mm

unity

set

tings

.

21.

Obj

ectiv

es f

or s

tude

nts

with

inte

nsiv

e ne

eds

in b

asic

ski

ll an

d/or

soc

ial a

reas

spe

cify

cri

teri

aw

hich

incl

ude

perf

orm

ance

in th

e st

uden

t's h

ome,

sch

ool a

nd o

ther

age

-app

ropr

iate

com

mu-

nity

set

tings

.

S P

T

[71

S .P

T

S P

T

S P

T

S P

T

S P

T

S P

T

P T

110

S =

Sys

tem

sP

= P

olic

y or

Pro

cedu

res

T =

Tra

inin

g

frei

,1

1. 2

Bes

t Pra

ctic

e Se

lect

ion

Wor

kshe

etB

est P

ract

ice

Gui

delin

es F

or M

eetin

g T

he N

eeds

Of

All

Stud

ents

In

Loc

al S

choo

ls

22.

Stud

ents

with

inte

nsiv

e ne

eds

in b

asic

ski

ll an

d/or

soc

ial a

reas

hav

e pa

id w

ork

expe

rien

ces

inin

tegr

ated

com

mun

ity s

ettin

gs p

rior

to le

avin

g sc

hool

.

23.

The

sys

tem

for

mon

itori

ng th

e pr

ogre

ss o

f st

uden

ts w

ith in

tens

ive

need

s in

bas

ic s

kill

and/

orso

cial

are

as in

clud

es: a

) in

dica

tions

of

leve

l of

inde

pend

ence

on

iden

tifie

d sk

ills/

activ

ities

:b)

indi

catio

ns o

f en

vim

nmen

ts in

whi

ch th

ose

skill

s/ac

tiviti

es h

ave

been

dem

onst

rate

d: c

) an

annu

al s

umm

ary;

and

d)

post

sch

ool f

ollo

w u

ps f

or p

urpo

ses

of p

rogr

am im

prov

emen

t.

DE

LIV

ER

Y O

F IN

STR

UC

TIO

NA

L S

UPP

OR

T S

ER

VIC

ES

24.

Inst

ruct

iona

l sup

port

ser

vice

s an

d st

aff

(e.g

.. C

hapt

er 1

. spe

cial

edu

catio

n, s

peec

h an

d la

n-gu

age,

gui

danc

e, p

eer

tuto

ring

) ar

e in

corp

orat

ed in

to o

ngoi

ng s

choo

l and

com

mun

ity a

ctiv

ities

.

25.

The

dec

isio

n to

pul

l any

stu

dent

out

of

ongo

ing

scho

ol o

r co

mm

unity

act

iviti

es to

rec

eive

supp

ort s

ervi

ces

is a

team

dec

isio

n ba

sed

upon

doc

umen

tatio

n th

at th

e st

uden

t's n

eeds

cou

ldno

t be

achi

eved

thro

ugh

the

use

of s

uppl

emen

tary

aid

s an

d se

rvic

es in

the

clas

sroo

m. T

his

deci

sion

is n

ot b

ased

upo

n st

aff

pref

eren

ces.

'

26.

For

stud

ents

with

nee

ds (

e.g.

, cou

nsel

ing,

com

mun

ity-b

ased

trai

ning

, med

ical

) w

hich

can

not

be m

et th

roug

h on

goin

g ac

tiviti

es, p

ull o

ut is

sch

edul

ed d

urin

g ac

tiviti

es w

hich

the

team

dete

rmin

es to

be

low

est p

rior

ity f

or th

e st

uden

t.

27.

The

del

iver

y of

inst

ruct

iona

l sup

port

ser

vice

s (e

.g..

cons

ulta

tion,

trai

ning

, tec

hnic

al a

ssis

tanc

e,co

oper

ativ

e pl

ann:

ng w

ith s

uppo

rt s

taff

, tea

m te

achi

ng w

ith s

uppo

rt s

taff

, sup

port

sta

ff d

eliv

-er

ing

dire

ct s

ervi

ces

in th

e cl

assr

oom

, rel

ease

tim

e fo

r pl

anni

ng, a

cces

s to

inst

ruct

iona

l sup

-po

rt te

ams)

incl

udes

sup

port

to te

ache

rs, t

each

ing

assi

stan

ts, v

olun

teer

s, a

nd o

ther

dir

ect

inst

ruct

iona

l sta

ff.

IND

IVID

UA

LIZ

ED

IN

STR

UC

TIO

N

28.

The

sch

ool p

rovi

des

all s

tude

nts

with

opp

ortu

nitie

s to

set

per

sona

l goa

ls a

nd to

pla

n, w

ithpa

rent

s an

d te

ache

rs, h

ow th

eir

goal

s w

ill b

e ad

dres

sed

duri

ng th

e sc

hool

yea

r.

29.

The

sch

ool p

rovi

des

oppo

rtun

ities

for

all

staf

f to

bec

ome

prof

icie

nt a

t pre

view

ing

inst

ruct

iona

lac

tiviti

es, g

ivin

g cl

ear

wri

tten

and

verb

al d

irec

tions

, che

ckin

g fo

r st

uden

t und

erst

andi

ng a

ndgi

ving

stu

dent

s co

nstr

uctiv

e fe

edba

ck a

nd p

ositi

ve r

einf

orce

men

t.

Page

41

S =

Sys

tem

sP

= P

olic

y or

Pro

cedu

res

T =

Tra

inin

g

Sele

cted

(Ila

nges

Prio

rity

(se

Box

)N

eede

d(1

= H

ighe

st)

S P

T

IJS

P T

S P

T

S P

T

S P

T

S P

T

S P

T

Bes

t Pra

ctic

e Se

lect

ion

Wor

kshe

etB

est P

ract

ice

Gui

delin

es F

or M

eetin

g T

he N

eeds

Of

All

Stud

ents

In

Loc

al S

choo

ls

30.

The

sch

ool p

rovi

des

oppo

rtun

ities

for

all

staf

f to

bec

ome

prof

icie

nt in

usi

ng a

var

iety

of

in-

stru

ctio

nal m

etho

ds (

e.g.

, coo

pera

tive

lear

ning

, who

le la

ngua

ge, p

eer

tuto

ring

, dri

ll an

d pr

ac-

tice,

inci

dent

al te

achi

ng. c

ompu

ter-

assi

sted

inst

ruct

ion)

, mat

chin

g m

etho

ds to

indi

vidu

alst

uden

t nee

ds, a

nd in

corp

orat

ing

met

hods

into

ong

oing

act

iviti

es.

31. A

var

iety

of

inst

ruct

iona

l gro

upin

gs (

e.g.

, sm

all g

roup

. lar

ge g

roup

, mul

ti-ag

ed g

roup

s. c

oop-

erat

ive

grou

p, in

divi

dual

inst

ruct

ion)

is a

vaila

ble

to a

ll st

uden

ts a

nd m

atch

ed to

indi

vidu

alst

uden

t nee

ds.

32. A

var

iety

of

inst

ruct

ors

(e.g

., te

ache

m te

ache

r as

sist

ants

, sam

e-ag

e pe

er tu

tors

, cro

ss-a

ge p

eer

tuto

rs, p

eer

men

tors

, vol

unte

ers)

are

ava

ilabl

e to

stu

dent

s an

d m

atch

ed to

indi

vidu

al s

tude

ntne

eds.

33.

The

sch

ool p

rovi

des

oppo

rtun

ities

for

all

staf

f to

bec

ome

prof

icie

nt a

t usi

ng a

var

iety

of

in-

stru

ctio

nal m

ater

ials

(e.

g., r

eal i

tem

s, p

hoto

grap

hs, d

raw

ings

, wor

k sh

eets

, tex

tboo

ks, a

udio

/vi

sual

s), a

t mat

chin

g m

ater

ials

to in

divi

dual

stu

dent

nee

ds, a

nd in

corp

orat

ing

mat

eria

ls in

toon

goin

g ac

tiviti

es.

34.

The

sch

ool p

rovi

des

oppo

rtun

ities

for

all

staf

f to

bec

ome

prof

icie

nt a

t tea

chin

g se

vera

l dif

fere

ntgo

als

from

the

sam

e cu

rric

ulum

are

a th

roug

h a

sing

le g

roup

act

ivity

(e.

g.. d

urin

g a

grou

pm

ath

activ

ity s

ome

stud

ents

may

be

lear

ning

add

ition

whi

le o

ther

s ar

e le

arni

ng c

ount

ing

oron

e-to

-one

cor

resp

onde

nce)

.

35.

The

sch

ool p

rovi

des

oppo

rtun

ities

for

all

staf

f to

bec

ome

prof

icie

nt a

t tea

chin

g go

als

from

diff

eren

t cur

ricu

lum

are

as th

roug

h th

e sa

me

grou

p ac

tivity

(e.

g.. d

urin

g a

grou

p so

cial

stu

dies

activ

ity s

ome

stud

ents

may

hav

e a

prim

ary

goal

of

lear

ning

t. c

soc

ial s

tudi

es c

onte

nt w

hile

othe

rs h

ave

prim

ary

goal

s of

lear

ning

lang

uage

. com

mun

icat

ion)

.

36.

The

-xh

ool p

rovi

des

oppo

rtun

ities

for

all

staf

f an

d st

uden

ts to

bec

ome

prof

icie

nt a

t ide

ntif

ying

a va

riet

y of

way

s st

uden

ts c

an a

cqui

re o

r de

mon

stra

te s

kills

/kno

wle

dge

(e.g

., si

gnin

g. w

rilin

g,ty

ping

, ges

turi

ng, o

ral t

ests

or

repo

rts,

art

dis

play

s. ta

ped

pres

enta

tions

), m

atch

ing

them

toin

divi

dual

stu

dent

nee

ds, a

nd in

corp

orat

ing

them

into

ong

oing

act

iviti

es.

37.

For

each

less

on c

urre

ntly

bei

ng ta

ught

, the

re is

a w

ritte

n in

stru

ctio

nal p

rogr

am o

r le

sson

pla

nw

hich

is a

vaila

ble

to a

ll di

rect

inst

ruct

iona

l sta

ff.

38.

Stud

ent p

rogr

ess

is m

onito

red

and

anal

yzed

on

a re

gula

rly

sche

dule

d ba

sis.

S =

Sys

tem

sP

= P

olic

y or

Pro

cedu

res

T =

Tra

inin

g

14

Sele

cted

(1/ B

ox)

Cha

nges

Prio

rity

Nee

ded

(1 =

Hig

hest

)

S P

T

El

El

S P

T

S P

T

S P

TE

l

El

S P

T

S P

T

El

S P

T

El

S P

T

Page

t 5

1 c;

Bes

t Pra

ctic

e Se

lect

ion

Wor

kshe

etB

est P

ract

ice

Gui

delin

es F

or M

eetin

g T

he N

eeds

Of

All

Stud

ents

In

Loc

al S

choo

ls

39.

Dec

isio

ns to

mod

ify

inst

ruct

iona

l gro

upin

gs, m

etho

ds o

r m

ater

ials

are

base

d up

on m

easu

res

of s

tude

nt p

rogr

ess.

40. A

cur

rent

sch

edul

e of

dai

ly s

tude

nt a

ctiv

ities

whi

chde

scri

bes

wha

t is

bein

g do

ne, w

hen,

and

with

who

m. I

s av

aila

ble

and

read

ily a

cces

sibl

e.

TR

.API

SIT

ION

PL

AN

NIN

G

41.

Mer

e ar

e pr

oced

ures

for

fac

ilita

ting

the

smoo

th tr

ansi

tion

of a

llst

uden

ts f

rom

ene

-edi

rca-

tiona

l set

ting

to a

noth

er, a

nd f

rom

sch

ool t

o po

st-s

choo

l lif

e.

42. A

wri

tten

plan

for

tran

sitio

ning

eac

h st

uden

t with

inte

nsiv

e ne

eds.

incl

udin

g st

uden

ts w

hoar

e gi

fted

, fro

m o

ne e

duca

tiona

l set

ting

toan

othe

r is

dev

elop

ed a

nd im

plem

ente

d in

adv

ance

of th

e m

ove

(e.g

., 6

to 9

mon

ths)

.

43.

For

high

sch

ool a

ged

stud

ents

with

inte

nsiv

e ne

eds,

a w

ritte

ngr

adua

tion

plan

for

tran

sitio

nto

pos

t sch

ool l

ife

(e.g

., em

ploy

men

t, ed

ucat

ion,

rec

reat

ion,

resi

dent

ial)

Ls

deve

lope

d an

dim

plem

ente

d w

ell i

n ad

vanc

e of

the

tran

sitio

n (e

.g..

at a

ge f

ourt

een)

and

rev

iew

edan

nual

ly.

FAM

ILY

-SC

HO

OL

CO

LL

AB

OR

AT

ION

44.

The

sch

ool p

rovi

des

fam

ilies

with

the

free

dom

to v

isit

the

scho

ol a

nd to

com

mun

icat

e re

gu-

larl

y w

ith s

choo

l sta

ff o

n to

pics

impo

rtan

t to

both

the

fam

ily a

nd th

esc

hool

.

45.

The

re is

info

rmat

ion

avai

labl

e to

fam

ilies

whi

ch a

ssis

ts th

em to

acc

ess

info

rmal

supp

ort

netw

orks

and

con

nect

with

com

mun

ity r

esou

rces

(e.

g., d

ayca

re p

rogr

ams,

rec

reat

ion

pro-

gram

s, c

ouns

elin

g, r

espi

te c

are,

voc

atio

nal r

ehab

ilita

tion,

men

tal h

ealth

).

46.

The

sch

ool p

rovi

des

fam

ilies

with

opp

ortu

nitie

s fo

r co

nsul

tatio

n, tr

aini

ng a

ndfo

llow

-up

from

scho

ol s

taff

to m

axim

ize

thei

r ch

ildre

n's

deve

lopm

ent i

n ho

me

and

othe

r co

mm

unity

setti

ngs.

47.

Fam

ilies

are

incl

uded

in a

dvis

ory,

dec

isio

n-m

akin

g, a

nd a

dvoc

acy

activ

ities

of th

e sc

hool

(e.g

., ad

viso

ry c

omm

ittee

s, c

urri

culu

m c

omm

ittee

s, d

evel

opm

ent o

f th

esc

hool

phi

loso

phy

and

clim

ate,

sch

ool p

lann

ing

team

s, s

taff

dev

elop

men

t com

mitt

ees)

.

48.

Fam

ilies

are

incl

uded

in th

e de

cisi

on m

akin

g pr

oces

s to

det

erm

ine

the

high

pri

ority

educ

a-tio

nal n

eeds

of

thei

r ch

ildre

n, a

nd h

ow a

nd w

here

(sc

hool

, hom

e, o

r co

mm

unity

setti

ngs)

thei

r ch

ildr,

will

be

taug

ht.

49.

Inst

ruct

iona

l pla

nnin

g in

clud

es p

roce

dure

s fo

r as

sist

ing

fam

ilies

to in

corp

orat

e in

stru

ctio

nan

d/or

pra

ctic

e of

ski

lls in

to o

ngoi

ng h

ome

and

com

mun

ity a

ctiv

ities

.

Ppge

6S

= S

yste

ms

P =

Pol

icy

or P

roce

dure

sT

= T

rain

ing

Sele

cted

Cha

nges

Prio

rity

(i B

ox)

Nee

ded

(1 =

Hig

hest

)

S P

T

S P

TE

l

El

El

El

ElS

P T

S P

T

S P

T

S P

T

S P

T

S P

TE

lS

P T

El

El

ElS

P T

S P

T

Bes

t Pra

ctic

e Se

lect

ion

Wor

kshe

etB

est P

ract

ice

Gui

delin

es F

or M

eetin

g T

he N

eeds

Of

All

Stud

ents

In

Loc

al S

choo

lsSe

lect

edC

hang

esPr

iori

ty(1

Box

)N

eede

d(1

= H

ighe

st)

PLA

NN

ING

FO

R C

ON

TIN

UE

D B

EST

PR

AC

TIC

E I

MPR

OV

EM

EN

T

50. A

pla

n fo

r im

prov

ing

best

pra

ctic

e-ba

sed

serv

ices

with

in th

e sc

hool

is d

evel

oped

eve

ry th

ree

tofi

ve y

ears

by

a sc

hool

pla

nnin

g te

am c

onsi

stin

g of

adm

inis

trat

ors,

sta

ff, s

tude

nts,

par

ents

.sc

hool

boa

rd m

embe

rs a

nd o

ther

com

mun

ity m

embe

rs.

51.

The

sch

ool's

pla

n in

clud

es: a

) a

revi

ew o

f th

e sc

hool

's g

oals

and

the

exte

nt to

whi

ch g

oals

and

best

edu

catio

nal p

ract

ices

are

ach

ieve

d; b

) an

exa

min

atio

n of

ser

vice

s of

fere

d by

the

scho

olan

d ho

w th

ey r

elat

e to

stu

dent

, fam

ily, a

nd c

omm

unity

nee

ds; c

) fo

llow

-up

mea

sure

s of

stud

ents

' per

form

ance

in th

e ne

xt s

choo

l set

ting

or p

ost s

choo

l set

tings

: and

d)

activ

ities

and

timel

ines

for

impr

ovin

g be

st p

ract

ices

.

52.

The

sch

ool p

lann

ing

team

mee

ts p

erio

dica

lly to

mon

itor

prog

ress

on

impl

emen

ting

the

scho

ol's

plan

and

to m

ake

nece

ssar

y ad

just

men

ts in

act

iviti

es a

nd ti

mel

ines

for

ach

ievi

ng th

e pl

an.

53.

The

sch

ool's

pla

n an

d su

bseq

uent

rep

orts

of

prog

ress

in im

plem

entin

g th

e pl

an a

re d

isse

mi-

nate

d to

par

ents

, sch

ool d

istr

ict s

taff

and

com

mun

ity m

embe

rs.

54.

The

re is

a p

erio

dic

eval

uatio

n of

the

plan

ning

pro

cess

by

scho

ol s

taff

, stu

dent

s, p

aren

ts,

com

mun

ity m

embe

rs a

nd p

erso

ns f

rom

out

side

of

the

scho

ol (

e.g.

, sta

ff f

rom

oth

er s

choo

ls,

colle

ges

and

univ

ersi

ties,

sta

te a

nd lo

cal g

over

nmen

t).

S P

T

S P

T

S P

T

S P

T

S P

T

Com

men

ts:

S =

Sys

tem

sP

= P

olic

y or

Pro

cedu

res

T =

Tra

inin

g

118

1 ?l

ag 7

Action Plan

AreaBest Practice Statement:

Changes in Service Delivery(Systems Change)

Changes in Policies or Procedures(Policy Change)

Training Needs(Staff, Students. Community)

1 Z

( Systems Chan e Summary Sheet )School Date

Proposed .

SystemsChange

BestPracticesImpacted

Steps toInitiateChange

Person(s)Responsible

ProjectedCompletionDate

_

( Policy Change Summary SheetSchool Date

Proposed Best Steps to ProjectedPolicy/Procedure Practices Initiate Person(s) CompletionChange Impacted Change Responsible Date

School Date

TrainingObjective

BestPracticesImpacted

AudienceandTrainers

TimeLocationFormat

ExpectedOutcomes

ProjectedCompletionDate

Appenaix B

Forms for Completing the

Individual StudentPlanning Team Process

N

124

Team Management Plan

Student

Core Planning Team Members

Year

Position

Extended Planning Team Members Position Info. Backup

When will the the Team meet during the school year?

Core Team:Day of WeekTimeWeekly 0Every Other Week 0Other

Extended Team:Day of WeekTimeWeekly 0Every Other Week 0Monthly 0Other

If additional meetings (core or extended) are needed who will be responsible for ar-ranging them?

If the student or his/her parents cannot attend meetings, how will the team keepthem informed and solicit their input?

Who is the primary parent contact person?

If a teaching assistant is assigned, who is primarily responsible for supervising theassistant?

Who is primarily responsible for monitoring the student's:

physical management needs?behavior management strategies?social integration strategies?transitions between activities/classes?

0

-;

Team Meeting Worksheet

Student

Team Members Present

Date

Team Members Absent Information Backup

Roles: For This Meeting For Next MeetingFacilitatorRecorderTimekeeperEncourager

Agenda for This Meeting Time Limit1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Agenda for the Next Meeting Next Meeting Date1.

2.

3.

4

TaskPerson(s) Completed

Responsible By (Date)

Team Date

Team doals

Why are we meeting? What do we hope to accomplisñ as a team?What is Me focus of our planning?

My Individual Goals

Why am I a member of this team? What do I hope to accomplish as a team member? How can Iimprove myseff through this everience? What can I offer to the team?

128

Team Member Checklist

Name Date

0 I contributed my ideas.

0 I encouraged others to contribute their ideas.

LI I listened to and evressed support and acceptance ofother's ideas.

0 I evressed nty feelings.

0 I offered my personal- and professional- resources tosupport the team.

0 I asked for clarification and help when needed.

0 I helped the group keep working.

0 I maintained a sense of humor.

0 I recorded group and individual tasks.

0 I enjoyed myself.

My Personal Goals

1 9

(Adapting the Student Planning Process )1 Tuks to be completed. Cross out tasks which the team will not

complete. List additional tuks the team will complete.

Task 1 Establish the Planning Teama. Student Assigned to Age-appropriate Classes

b. Identify Team Membership C3

c. Facilitation of Family Participation on the Student's Team ri

d. Development of Teaming Procedures CI

Task 2 Identify Fundamental Values, the Student's Strengths,Best Practice Needs and Skills to be Taught

Identify Fundamental Values 0Identify Students Strengths and Educational Needs 0

Identify Skill Areas to Be Taught 0Identify Best Practice Needs 0

Task 3 Complete the Activity Matrix 0

Task 4 Determine Support Tasks 0

Task 5 Monitor Progress and Evaluate the Availability ofBest Practices to the Student's Program

Monitor Progress 0

Evaluate Best Practice Availability 0

Task 6 Transition to Next Grade 0

C Fundamental Values )Student Date

Each of the value areas fisted &tow stwutd be an integral' part of every student's educational everience.We wilt attempt to insure that the selected value areas are incorporated into every activity and

everiente that the student engages in as a part of his educational. program.

Select (1) Up to Three Value Areas Which are of Particular Importance to This Student:

Academics Comments:

Social Acceptance/Friendships 13 Conunaus:

Health/Safety 0 Comments:

Self Concept/Self Esteem 0 comment,

Choice Making 1:3

r

Comments:

Self Control/Self Management 0 Comments:

Inclusion in Integrated Activities 0 COMMCIUS:

Other (Specify):

( Student Assessment Worksheet )Student Date

Areas To Be Person(s) To BeAssessed Responsible Completed By

Review of Records

Interviews (specify instrument)Parents -

Current Teachers (list persons and instruments)1.

.

..

Past Teachers (list persons and specify instruments)1.

.

.

Others (list persons and specify instruments)1.

.

Observational AssessmentsElicited (list specific instruments)1.2.3.4.5.Non-elicitedClassroom 0Cafeteria 0Playground 0Home 0Other (list)1.

2.Training-Based Assessments (describe):

132

( Skill Areas To Be Taught )

J

Student DateCompleted byNext Major Transition(s)

Basic Communication

[show preferences, indicate more, indicate rejection/protest, indicatewants/needs, initiate socially, respond to social intitations, participate inturn taking, make choices other:

Language[follow directions, receptive vocabulary, expressive vocabulary, length ofutterance, articulation, categories, relational concepts, temporalrelations, opposites other:

Social Relationships/Self Management

1

aprosocial skills (e.g., participation, know feelings, offer assistance,salutations, questioning, praise, cooperative, work/study habits, deai withnger, use self control, follow rules, avoid trouble, say no, make a decision,

solve problems), relate information, quality of communication, eyecontact, facial expressions, posture, interpersonal distance, physicalappearance, hygiene, physical contact, social anonymity, family life, followpersonal schedule, create schedule other:

PriorityDomain

PriorityDomain

Motor(oral motor, posture/position, prehension, pointing, manipulation,mobility other:

Reading

PriorityDomain

[N Prioritysurvival words, signs or labels, schedules, maps, listings, illustrated Domainadvertisements, instructions, forms, books, word attack skills, formalreading programs other: 0

...._____./Writing

hold pencil, color, trace, copy, write single letters, write numbers,write words, write thoughts, write paragraphs, write stories, bookreports, research reports othen

PriorityDomain

11

( Skill Areas To Be Taugg)Math

one/many, one-to-one-correspondence, equivalence, more or less, countobjects, count by rote, identify/label numerals, order numerals, count bymultiples, tell time, money, add, subtract, multiply, divide, formal mathprograms other:

Personal Careeat, toilet, take off clothes, put on clothes, select clothing, store clothingafter use, wash hands and face, bathe, shower, wash hair, blow dry hair,comb hair, use barber/beauty shop, shave face/legs/underarms, menstrual.are othen

Safetyrespond to emergencies, community orientation, communitymobility, playground safety, poisons, strangers, lost other:

Dining/Food(plan meals, prepare meals, set and clear table, wash and dry dishes, fast

food restaurant, sit down restaurant, cafeteria, bag lunch, vendingrnachines, snack shop, street vender other:

Clothing Care(automatic washing machine, coin operated machine, hand wash clothing,

automatic clothes dryer, coin operated dryer, line dry, fold clothing, iron\clothing, store clothing, dry clean other:

Home Care(straighten rooms, dust rooms, sweep/mop floors, vacuum, wet mop, wash

windows, clean bathroom, clean kitchen, wash windows, take out trash,recycle, make bed, change linens, water, mow lawns, rake,.I_Lovel snow other:

PriorityDomain

PriontyDomain

PriorityDomain

PriorityDomain

PriorityDomain

El

C Skill Areas To Be Taught

Money Management

budget, pay bills by mail, pay bills in person, checking account, savingsaccount, cash card other:

School Inclusionteacher directed small groups, teacher directed large groups, studentdirected small groups, cooperative groups, independent work, peertutoring, computer use, cafeteria use, library use, free time/recess,ext.a-curricular activities, school jobs, school mobilityother:

Vocational[apply for work, regular work routine, payday work routine, specific jobs

other:

Recreationexercise, games, crafts and hobbies, sports, events (dance, communityevents), spectator activities (play, sports), communication activities(phones friends, hanging out), mini day trips (park, mall, zoo)other:

COMMENTS

PriorityDomain

PriorityDomain

PriorityDomain

PriorityDomain

BE

ST P

RA

CT

ICE

CH

EC

KL

IST

FOR

IND

IVID

UA

L S

TU

DE

NT

S

TO

BE

CO

MPL

ET

ED

PR

IOR

TO

DE

VE

LO

PIN

GT

HE

ST

UD

EN

T'S

PL

AN

I

Part

ID

eter

min

e im

port

ance

of

each

bes

t pra

ctic

e to

the

deve

lopm

ent o

f th

e st

uden

t's p

rogr

am.

Nea

r th

e be

ginn

ing

of th

e st

uden

t pla

nnin

g pr

oces

s,th

e te

am s

houl

d co

mpl

ete

Part

I o

f th

e ch

eckl

ist b

ych

eck-

ing

the

boxe

s in

the

firs

t col

umn

title

d "I

mpo

rtan

t to

Stud

ent's

Pro

gram

" fo

r ea

ch b

est p

ract

ice

whi

ch th

e te

amde

term

ines

to b

e of

par

ticul

ar im

port

ance

for

dev

elop

ing

the

stud

ent's

edu

catio

nal p

lan.

Ite

ms

chec

ked

shou

ld b

ein

corp

orat

ed in

the

stud

ent's

edu

catio

nal p

lan

and/

or s

yste

mfo

r su

ppor

ting

the

stud

ent a

nd h

er f

amily

.i

TO

BE

CO

MPL

ET

ED

AFT

ER

TH

E S

TU

DE

NT

'SPL

AN

HA

S B

EE

N I

MPL

EM

EN

TE

D

Part

II

Det

erm

ine

if e

ach

impo

rtan

t bes

t pra

ctic

e (t

hose

pre

viou

sly

chec

ked

in P

art I

) w

as a

dequ

atel

iI

inco

rpor

ated

into

the

stud

ent's

pro

gram

.

Aft

er th

e st

uden

t's p

rogr

am h

as b

een

impl

emen

ted,

the

team

revi

ews

Part

I a

nd c

ompl

etes

Par

t II

of th

ech

eckl

ist.

The

team

sho

uld

chec

k ea

ch b

ox in

col

umn

two,

"Pra

ctic

e N

ot A

dequ

atel

y In

corp

orat

ed I

nto

Stud

ent's

Pro

gram

", f

or th

ose

prac

tices

whi

ch w

ere

chec

ked

asim

port

ant d

urin

g Pa

rt I

and

whi

ch th

e te

amco

uld

not a

dequ

atel

y in

corp

orat

e in

to th

e st

uden

ts e

duca

tiona

lpl

an o

r sy

stem

for

sup

port

ing

the

stud

ent o

r he

rfa

mily

.

Part

III

Mak

e R

ecom

men

datio

ns f

or im

prov

ing

the

avai

labi

lity

ofpr

actic

es im

port

ant t

o th

e st

uden

t.

For

thos

e pr

actic

es c

heck

ed in

Par

t II,

the

team

sho

uld

gene

rate

reco

mm

enda

tions

for

mak

ing

them

ava

ilabl

eto

the

stud

ent.

Rec

omm

enda

tions

sho

uld

be g

iven

toth

e Sc

hool

Pla

nnin

g T

eam

to in

corp

orat

e in

act

ion

plan

s fo

rim

prov

ing

best

pra

ctic

es f

or a

ll st

uden

ts w

ithin

the

scho

ol.

17

4

1 ...

)

BE

ST P

RA

CT

ICE

CH

EC

KL

IST

FO

R I

ND

IVID

UA

L S

TU

DE

NT

S

Stud

ent

Dat

e (P

art I

)D

ate

(Par

t II

& I

II)

Impo

rtan

tto

Stu

dent

'sPr

ogra

m

Prac

tice

Not

Ade

auat

ely

Inco

rpor

ated

into

Stud

ent's

Pro

gram

SCH

OO

L C

LIM

AT

E A

ND

ST

RU

CT

UR

E

1.T

he s

choo

l's p

hilo

soph

y st

atem

ent a

nd o

bjec

tives

are

dev

elop

ed b

y ad

min

istr

ator

s, s

taff

, stu

dent

s,pa

rent

s, s

choo

l boa

rd m

embe

rs a

nd o

ther

com

mun

ity m

embe

rs a

nd r

efle

ct th

e sc

hool

's c

omm

itmen

t to

mee

ting

the

indi

vidu

al n

eeds

of

all s

tude

nts

in a

ge-a

ppro

pria

te r

egul

ar e

duca

tion

and

com

mun

ityse

tting

s.

2.T

he s

choo

l's c

limat

e is

est

ablis

hed

by a

dmin

istr

ator

s, s

taff

, stu

dent

s, p

aren

ts, s

choo

l boa

rd m

embe

rs a

ndot

her

com

mun

ity m

embe

rs a

nd p

rom

otes

res

pect

for

indi

vidu

al d

iffe

renc

es a

mon

g st

uden

ts, e

ncou

rage

sth

e de

velo

pmen

t of

posi

tive

self

-est

eem

, est

ablis

hes

high

ach

ieve

men

t exp

ecta

tions

for

all

stud

ents

, and

enco

urag

es th

e de

velo

pmen

t of

cari

ng p

erso

nal r

elat

ions

hips

am

ong

stud

ents

and

sta

ff.

3.T

he s

choo

l's c

ode

of c

ondu

ct f

or s

tude

nts

and

staf

f is

est

ablis

hed

by a

dmin

istr

ator

s, s

taff

, stu

dent

s,pa

rent

s, s

choo

l boa

rd m

embe

rs a

nd o

ther

com

mun

ity m

embe

rs, e

mph

asiz

es p

ositi

ve b

ehav

ior,

isap

plie

d in

a c

onsi

sten

t, fa

ir m

anne

r, a

nd ta

kes

into

acc

ount

the

uniq

ue n

eeds

of

indi

vidu

al s

tude

nts.

4.T

he s

choo

l pro

vide

s am

ple

oppo

rtun

ities

for

stu

dent

s, s

taff

, adm

inis

trat

ors,

par

ents

, sch

ool b

oard

mem

bers

and

oth

er c

omm

unity

mem

bers

to b

e re

cogn

ized

for

thei

r ac

com

plis

hmen

ts, i

nclu

ding

hel

ping

othe

rs.

5.T

he g

ener

al r

oles

and

res

pons

ibili

ties

of a

ll sc

hool

sta

ff (

incl

udin

g co

ntra

cted

sta

ff s

uch

as a

n oc

cupa

-tio

nal t

hera

pist

or

psyc

holo

gist

) re

lativ

e to

pro

vidi

ng in

stru

ctio

n an

d su

ppor

t to

all s

tude

nts

are

clea

rly

delin

eate

d by

adm

inis

trat

ors,

sta

ff, s

tude

nts,

par

ents

, sch

ool b

oard

mem

bers

and

oth

er c

omm

unity

mem

bers

.

6.T

he s

choo

l's p

rofe

ssio

nal d

evel

opm

ent p

roce

ss is

dev

elop

ed b

y ad

min

istr

ator

s, s

taff

, stu

dent

s, p

aren

ts,

scho

ol b

oard

mem

bers

and

oth

er c

omm

unity

mem

bers

and

incl

udes

inse

rvic

e tr

aini

ng, r

egul

arly

sche

dule

d ob

serv

atio

ns w

ith f

eedb

ack,

tech

nica

l ass

ista

nce,

pee

r co

achi

ng, a

nd m

ento

ring

.

7.T

he s

choo

l's in

stru

ctio

nal s

uppo

rt s

yste

m (

e.g.

, cla

ssro

om-b

ased

mod

el f

or d

eliv

erin

g su

ppor

t ser

vice

s,te

ache

r as

sist

ance

team

, ind

ivid

ual s

tude

nt p

lann

ing

team

s, s

peci

al e

duca

tion

pre-

refe

rral

pro

cess

,vo

lunt

eer

syst

em)

is d

evel

oped

by

adm

inis

trat

ors,

sta

ff, s

tude

nts,

par

ents

, sch

ool b

oard

mem

bers

and

othe

r co

mm

unity

mem

bers

and

is a

vaila

ble

to a

ll st

uden

ts a

nd s

taff

.

Part

I

El

El

Part

II

El

BE

ST P

RA

CT

ICE

CH

EC

KL

IST

FO

R I

ND

IVID

UA

L S

TU

DE

NT

S

CO

LL

AB

OR

AT

IVE

PL

AN

NIN

G

8.T

he s

choo

l pro

vide

s op

port

uniti

es f

or s

taff

, stu

dent

s, f

amily

mem

bers

, and

com

mun

ity m

embe

rs to

beco

me

prof

icie

nt a

t fun

ctio

ning

in a

col

labo

rativ

e m

anne

r (i

.e.,

shar

e re

spon

sibi

lity

and

reso

urce

s, m

ake

deci

sion

s by

con

sens

us, u

se a

str

uctu

red

mee

ting

agen

da f

orm

at, r

otat

e te

am r

oles

of

faci

litat

or,

timek

eepe

r an

d re

cord

er).

9.T

he s

choo

l pro

vide

s tim

e du

ring

sch

ool h

ours

for

inst

ruct

iona

l sup

port

team

s (e

.g.,

indi

vidu

al s

tude

ntpl

anni

ng te

ams,

teac

her

assi

stan

ce te

ams,

teac

hing

team

s) to

mee

t and

for

indi

vidu

al te

am m

embe

rs to

mon

itor

serv

ices

, and

to p

rovi

de ti

mel

y co

nsul

tatio

n, s

uppo

rt a

nd te

chni

cal a

ssis

tanc

e to

fam

ilies

and

staf

f.

10.

For

stud

ents

with

inte

nsiv

e ne

eds

in b

asic

ski

ll an

d/or

soc

ial s

kill

area

s or

who

are

cha

lleng

ed b

y th

eir

gift

s an

d ta

lent

s, in

divi

dual

stu

dent

pla

nnin

g te

ams

are

conv

ened

whi

ch a

re r

espo

nsib

le f

or th

e de

velo

p-m

ent a

nd im

plem

enta

tion

of a

ll as

pect

s of

the

stud

ent's

edu

catio

nal p

rogr

am (

e.g.

, stu

dent

goa

ls,s

tude

ntsc

hedu

les,

pro

cedu

res

to a

ddre

ss le

arni

ng/b

ehav

ior/

man

agem

ent i

ssue

s, tr

ansi

tion

plan

s, s

trat

egie

s to

supp

ort t

he s

tude

nt a

nd h

is/h

er te

ache

rs a

nd f

amily

).

11.

I nd

ivid

ual

stu

dent

pla

nnin

g te

ams

cons

ist o

f th

e st

udfa

mily

mem

bers

, the

stu

dent

's g

ener

al c

lass

teac

her(

s) a

nd o

ther

app

ropr

iate

per

sons

bas

ed u

pon

the

stud

ent's

nee

ds (

e.g.

, pri

ncip

al, C

hapt

er I

teac

her,

mus

ic te

ache

r, p

hysi

cal t

hera

pist

, one

or

two

of th

e st

uden

t's p

eers

, tea

chin

g as

sist

ant,

spec

ial

educ

ator

, soc

ial w

orke

r, r

epre

sent

ativ

es o

f co

mm

unity

age

ncie

s, f

amily

adv

ocat

es).

12.

The

indi

vidu

al r

oles

of

each

stu

dent

pla

nnin

g te

am m

embe

r, in

clud

ing

rela

ted

serv

ice

prov

ider

s an

dot

her

cons

ulta

nts,

are

spe

cifi

ed b

y th

e te

am a

nd a

re s

uppo

rtiv

e of

the

educ

atio

nal n

eeds

of

the

stud

ent.

SOC

IAL

RE

SPO

NSI

BIL

ITY

13.

The

sch

ool f

acili

tate

s th

e de

velo

pmen

t of

soci

al r

espo

nsib

ility

and

sel

f-re

lianc

e by

pro

mot

ing

stud

ent

part

icip

atio

n in

vol

unte

er o

rgan

izat

ions

and

act

iviti

es (

e.g.

, com

mun

ity s

ervi

ce a

ctiv

ities

, pee

r tu

tori

ng/

men

tori

ng a

ctiv

ities

, stu

dent

gov

ernm

ent,

part

icip

atio

n in

dec

isio

n m

akin

g ab

out i

mpo

rtan

t sch

ool o

rco

mm

unity

issu

es).

14.

The

sch

ool's

cur

ricu

lum

pro

vide

s st

ruct

ured

opp

ortu

nitie

s fo

r st

uden

ts to

lear

n ab

out a

nd a

ppre

ciat

ein

divi

dual

dif

fere

nces

am

ong

peop

le.

15.

The

sch

ool's

cur

ricu

lum

pro

vide

s st

ruct

ured

opp

ortu

nitie

s fo

r st

uden

ts to

dev

elop

app

ropr

iate

soc

ial

skill

s (e

.g.,

mak

ing

frie

nds,

coo

pera

ting

with

oth

ers,

sha

ring

, lis

teni

ng, a

void

ing

figh

ting)

whi

ch in

clud

efr

eque

nt p

ract

ice

duri

ng s

choo

l, ho

me

and

com

mun

ity a

ctiv

ities

.

Impo

rtan

tto

Stu

dent

'sPr

ogra

mPa

rt I

Prac

tice

Not

Ade

wka

telv

Inco

rpor

ated

into

Stud

ent's

Pro

gram

Part

II

Page

140

141

,14

BE

ST P

RA

CT

ICE

CH

EC

KL

IST

FO

R I

ND

IVID

UA

L S

TU

DE

NT

SIm

port

ant

to S

tude

nt's

Prog

ram

Prac

tice

Not

Ade

quat

elx

Inco

rpor

ated

into

Stud

ent's

Pro

gram

16.

The

sch

ool p

rovi

des

oppo

rtun

ities

for

all

stud

ents

to p

artic

ipat

e in

age

-app

ropr

iate

sch

ool s

pons

ored

extr

a-cu

rric

ular

act

iviti

es (

e.g.

, fie

ld tr

ips,

spo

rts

team

s, c

lubs

, dan

ces,

ass

embl

ies,

stu

dent

gov

ernm

ent)

.

17.

For

stud

ents

with

inte

nsiv

e ne

eds

in th

e so

cial

ski

ll ar

ea, a

n in

divi

dual

pro

gram

for

incr

easi

ng s

ocia

lsk

ills

is d

evel

oped

whi

ch in

clud

es: a

) as

sess

men

t of

curr

ent s

kills

in id

entif

ied

hom

e, s

choo

l and

com

-m

unity

set

tings

; b)

iden

tific

atio

n of

ada

ptat

ions

and

sup

port

nee

ded

to f

unct

ion

in th

ose

setti

ngs;

c) p

roce

dure

s fo

r w

orki

ng w

ith s

choo

l sta

ff a

nd f

amili

es to

inco

rpor

ate

soci

al s

kill

trai

ning

and/

orpr

actic

e in

to s

choo

l and

fam

ily r

outin

es.

CU

RR

ICU

LU

M P

LA

NN

ING

18.

The

sch

ool's

cur

ricu

la a

re d

evel

oped

by

teac

hers

/sta

ff, s

tude

nts,

par

ents

, adm

inis

trat

ors,

and

com

mu-

nity

mem

bers

and

iden

tify

age-

appr

opri

ate

cont

ent (

e.g.

, lan

guag

e ar

ts, m

ath,

hist

ory,

soc

ial/e

mot

iona

l,ar

ts, h

ealth

) an

d pr

oces

s or

ient

ed (

prob

lem

sol

ving

and

col

labo

ratio

n sk

ills,

stud

y sk

ills)

goa

ls a

ndob

ject

ives

whi

ch p

rom

ote

mea

ning

ful p

artic

ipat

ion

in a

ge-a

ppro

pria

te a

ctiv

ities

in h

ome,

recr

eatio

nal,

educ

atio

nal,

wor

k an

d ot

her

aspe

cts

of c

omm

unity

life

, set

a h

igh

stan

dard

of

exce

llenc

e an

dadd

ress

the

need

s of

all

stud

ents

.

19.

A v

arie

ty o

f ag

e-ap

prop

riat

e no

n-sc

hool

inst

ruct

iona

l set

tings

(e.

g., d

ayca

re s

ettin

gs,

the

stud

ent's

hom

e,lo

cal s

tore

s, a

nd jo

b si

tes)

are

ava

ilabl

e to

stu

dent

s an

d m

atch

ed to

indi

vidu

al n

eeds

for

lear

ning

new

skill

s or

for

gen

eral

izin

g sk

ills

to n

ew s

ettin

gs.

20.

The

pro

cess

for

iden

tifyi

ng c

urri

culu

m c

onte

nt f

or a

n in

divi

dual

stu

dent

with

inte

nsiv

e ne

eds

inba

sic

skill

and

/or

soci

al a

reas

incl

udes

an

anal

ysis

of

the

stud

ent's

ski

lls a

nd in

tere

stc

and

of th

e ag

e-ap

prop

ri-

ate

activ

ities

, ski

lls a

nd a

dapt

atio

ns n

eede

d fo

r th

e st

uden

t to

func

tion

in s

peci

fic

hom

e, s

choo

l, w

ork,

recr

eatio

n an

d ot

her

com

mun

ity s

ettin

gs.

21.

Obj

ectiv

es f

or s

tude

nts

with

inte

nsiv

e ne

eds

in b

asic

ski

ll an

d/or

soc

ial a

reas

spe

cify

cri

teri

aw

hich

incl

ude

perf

orm

ance

in th

e st

uden

t's h

ome,

sch

ool a

nd o

ther

age

-app

ropr

iate

com

mun

ity s

ettin

gs.

22.

Stud

ents

with

inte

nsiv

e ne

eds

in b

asic

ski

ll an

d /o

r so

cial

are

as h

ave

paid

wor

k ex

peri

ence

s in

inte

grat

edco

mm

unity

set

tings

pri

or to

leav

ing

scho

ol.

23.

The

sys

tem

for

mon

itori

ng th

e pr

ogre

ss o

f st

uden

ts w

ith in

tens

ive

need

s in

bas

ic s

kill

and/

orso

cial

are

asin

clud

es: a

) in

dica

tions

of

leve

l of

inde

pend

ence

on

iden

tifie

d sk

ills/

activ

ities

; b)

indi

catio

ns o

f en

viro

n-m

ents

in w

hich

thos

e sk

ills/

activ

ities

hav

e be

en d

emon

stra

ted;

c)

an a

nnua

l sum

mar

y;an

d d)

pos

tsc

hool

fol

low

ups

for

pur

pose

s of

pro

gram

impr

ovem

ent.

Part

I

El El

El

El

El

El

Part

II

ED El El

El

El

El

El

El

Page

3

BE

ST P

RA

CT

ICE

CH

EC

KL

IST

FO

R I

ND

IVID

UA

L S

TU

DE

NT

S

DE

LIV

ER

Y O

F IN

STR

UC

TIO

NA

L S

UPP

OR

T S

ER

VIC

ES

24.

Inst

ruct

iona

l sup

port

ser

vice

s an

d st

aff

(e.g

., C

hapt

er 1

, spe

cial

edu

catio

n, s

peec

h an

d la

ngua

ge, g

uid-

ance

, pee

r tu

tori

ng)

are

inco

rpor

ated

into

ong

oing

sch

ool a

ndco

mm

unity

act

iviti

es.

25.

The

dec

isio

n to

pul

l any

stu

dent

out

of

ongo

ing

scho

ol o

r co

mm

unity

act

iviti

es to

rec

eive

sup

port

serv

ices

is a

team

dec

isio

n ba

sed

upon

doc

umen

tatio

n th

at th

e st

uden

t's n

eeds

cou

ld n

ot b

e ac

hiev

edth

roug

h th

e us

e of

sup

plem

enta

ry a

ids

and

serv

ices

in th

e cl

assr

oom

. Thi

s de

cisi

on is

not

bas

ed u

pon

staf

f pr

efer

ence

s.

26.

For

stud

ents

with

nee

ds (

e.g.

, cou

nsel

ing,

com

mun

ity-b

ased

trai

ning

, med

ical

) w

hich

can

not b

e m

etth

roug

h on

goin

g ac

tiviti

es, p

ull o

ut is

sch

edul

ed d

urin

g ac

tiviti

es w

hich

the

team

det

erm

ines

tobe

low

est p

rior

ity f

or th

e st

uden

t.

27.

The

del

iver

y of

inst

ruct

iona

l sup

port

ser

vice

s (e

.g.,

cons

ulta

tion,

trai

ning

, tec

hnic

al a

ssis

tanc

e, c

oope

ra-

tive

plan

ning

with

sup

port

sta

ff, t

eam

teac

hing

with

sup

port

sta

ff, s

uppo

rt s

taff

del

iver

ing

dire

ct s

ervi

ces

in th

e cl

assr

oom

, rel

ease

tim

e fo

r pl

anni

ng, a

cces

s to

inst

ruct

iona

l sup

port

team

s) in

clud

es s

uppo

rt to

teac

hers

, tea

chin

g as

sist

ants

, vol

unte

ers,

and

oth

er d

irec

t ins

truc

tiona

l sta

ff.

IND

IVID

UA

LIZ

ED

IN

STR

UC

TIO

N

28.

The

sch

ool p

rovi

des

all s

tude

nts

with

opp

ortu

nitie

s to

set

per

sona

l goa

ls a

nd to

pla

n, w

ith p

aren

ts a

ndte

ache

rs, h

ow th

eir

goal

s w

ill b

e ad

dres

sed

duri

ng th

e sc

hool

yea

r.

29.

The

sch

ool p

rovi

des

oppo

rtun

ities

for

all

staf

f to

bec

ome

prof

icie

nt a

t pre

view

ing

inst

ruct

iona

l act

iviti

es,

givi

ng c

lear

wri

tten

and

verb

al d

irec

tions

, che

ckin

g fo

r st

uden

t und

erst

andi

ng a

nd g

ivin

g st

uden

tsco

nstr

uctiv

e fe

edba

ck a

nd p

ositi

ve r

einf

orce

men

t.

30.

The

sch

ool p

rovi

des

oppo

rtun

ities

for

all

staf

f to

bec

ome

prof

icie

nt in

usi

ng a

var

iety

of

inst

ruct

iona

lm

etho

ds (

e.g.

, coo

pera

tive

lear

ning

, who

le la

ngua

ge, p

eer

tuto

ring

, dri

ll an

d pr

actic

e, in

cide

ntal

teac

h-in

g, c

ompu

ter-

assi

sted

inst

ruct

ion)

, mat

chin

g m

etho

ds to

indi

vidu

al s

tude

nt n

eeds

, and

inco

rpor

atin

gm

etho

ds in

to o

ngoi

ng a

ctiv

ities

.

3LA

var

iety

of

inst

ruct

iona

l gro

upin

gs (

e.g.

, sm

all g

roup

, lar

ge g

roup

, mul

ti-ag

ed g

roup

s, c

oope

rativ

egr

oup,

indi

vidu

al in

stru

ctio

n) is

ava

ilabl

e to

all

stud

ents

and

mat

ched

to in

divi

dual

stud

ent n

eeds

.

32.

A v

arie

ty o

f in

stru

ctor

s (e

.g.,

teac

hers

, tea

cher

ass

ista

nts,

sam

e-ag

e pe

er tu

tors

, cro

ss-a

ge p

eer

tuto

rs,

peer

men

tors

, vol

unte

ers)

are

ava

ilabl

e to

stu

dent

s an

d m

atch

ed to

indi

vidu

alst

uden

t nee

ds.

Page

414

4

Impo

rtan

tPr

actic

e N

atlit

edus

akal

yto

Stu

dent

'sIn

corp

orat

ed in

toPr

ogra

mSt

uden

t's P

rogr

amPa

rt I

ci ci ci ci ci ci ci ci ci

Part

II

ci ci ci El ci ci a ci

145

141

BE

ST P

RA

CT

ICE

CH

EC

KL

IST

FO

R I

ND

IVID

UA

L S

TU

DE

NT

SIm

port

ant

to S

tude

nt's

Prog

ram

Prac

tice

riot

Ade

quat

ely

Inco

rpor

ated

into

Stud

ent's

Pro

gram

33.

The

sch

ool p

rovi

des

oppo

rtun

ities

for

all

staf

f to

bec

ome

prof

icie

nt a

t usi

ng a

var

iety

of

inst

ruct

iona

lm

ater

ials

(e.

g., r

eal i

tem

s, p

hoto

grap

hs, d

raw

ings

, wor

k sh

eets

, tex

tboo

ks, a

udio

/vis

uals

), a

t mat

chin

gm

ater

ials

to in

divi

dual

stu

dent

nee

ds, a

nd in

corp

orat

ing

mat

eria

ls in

to o

ngoi

ng a

ctiv

ities

.

34.

The

sch

ool p

rovi

des

oppo

rtun

ities

for

all

staf

f to

bec

ome

prof

icie

nt a

t tea

chin

g se

vera

l dif

fere

nt g

oals

from

the

sam

e cu

rric

ulum

are

a th

roug

h a

sing

le g

roup

act

ivity

(e.

g., d

urin

g a

grou

p m

ath

activ

ity s

ome

stud

ents

may

be

lear

ning

add

ition

whi

le o

ther

s ar

e le

arni

ng c

ount

ing

or o

ne-t

o-on

e co

rres

pond

ence

).

35.

The

sch

ool p

rovi

des

oppo

rtun

ities

for

all

staf

f to

bec

ome

prof

icie

nt a

t tea

chin

g go

als

from

dif

fere

ntcu

rric

ulum

are

7- th

roug

h th

e sa

me

grou

p ac

tivity

(e.

g., d

urin

g a

grou

p so

cial

stu

dies

act

ivity

som

est

uden

ts m

ay h

ave

a pr

imar

y go

al o

f le

arni

ng th

e so

cial

stu

dies

con

tent

whi

le o

ther

s ha

ve p

rim

ary

goal

sof

lear

ning

lang

uage

, com

mun

icat

ion)

.

36.

The

sch

ool p

rovi

des

oppo

rtun

ities

for

all

staf

f an

d st

uden

ts to

bec

ome

prof

icie

nt a

t ide

ntif

ying

a v

arie

tyof

way

s st

uden

ts c

an a

cqui

re o

r de

mon

stra

te s

kills

/kno

wle

dge

(e.g

., si

gnin

g, w

ritin

g, ty

ping

, ges

turi

ng,

oral

test

s or

rep

orts

, art

dis

play

s, ta

ped

pres

enta

tions

), m

atch

ing

them

to in

divi

dual

stu

dent

nee

ds, a

ndin

corp

orat

ing

them

into

ong

oing

act

iviti

es.

317.

For

each

less

on c

urre

ntly

bei

ng ta

ught

, the

re is

a w

ritte

n in

stru

ctio

nal p

rogr

am o

r le

sson

pla

n w

hich

isav

aila

ble

to a

ll di

rect

inst

ruct

iona

l sta

ff.

38.

Stud

ent p

rogr

ess

is m

onito

red

and

anal

yzed

on

a re

gula

rly

sche

dule

d ba

sis.

39.

Dec

isio

ns to

mod

ify

inst

ruct

iona

l gro

upin

gs, m

etho

ds o

r m

ater

ials

are

bas

ed u

pon

mea

sure

s of

stu

dent

prog

ress

.

40.

A c

urre

nt s

ched

ule

of d

aily

stu

dent

act

iviti

es w

hich

des

crib

es w

hat i

s be

ing

done

, whe

n, a

nd w

ithw

hom

, is

avai

labl

e an

d re

adily

acc

essi

ble.

TR

AN

SIT

ION

PL

AN

NIN

G

41.

The

re a

re p

roce

dure

s fo

r fa

cilit

atin

g th

e sm

ooth

tran

sitio

n of

all

stud

ents

fro

m o

ne e

duca

tiona

l set

ting

toan

othe

r, a

nd f

rom

sch

ool t

o po

st-s

choo

l lif

e.

42.

A w

ritte

n pl

an f

or tr

ansi

tioni

ng e

ach

stud

ent w

ith in

tens

ive

need

s, in

clud

ing

stud

ents

who

are

gif

ted,

from

one

edu

catio

nal s

ettin

g to

ano

ther

is d

evel

oped

and

impl

emen

ted

in a

dvan

ce o

f th

e m

ove

(e.g

., 6

to9

mon

ths)

.

43.

For

high

sch

ool a

ged

stud

ents

with

inte

nsiv

e ne

eds,

a w

ritte

n gr

adua

tion

plan

for

tran

sitio

n to

pos

t-sc

hool

life

(e.

g., e

mpl

oym

ent,

educ

atio

n, r

ecre

atio

n, r

esid

entia

l) is

dev

elop

ed a

nd im

plem

ente

d w

ell i

nad

vanc

e of

the

tran

sitio

n (e

.g.,

at a

ge f

ourt

een)

and

rev

iew

ed a

nnua

lly.

Part

I

El El

El

El

Part

II

El

El

CI

El

CI

Page

5

BE

ST P

RA

CT

ICE

CH

EC

KL

IST

FO

R I

ND

IVID

UA

L S

TU

DE

NT

S

FAM

ILY

-SC

HO

OL

CO

LL

AB

OR

AT

ION

44.

The

sch

ool p

rovi

des

fam

ilies

with

the

free

dom

to v

isit

the

scho

ol a

nd to

com

mun

icat

e re

gula

rly

with

scho

ol s

taff

on

topi

cs im

port

ant t

o bo

th th

e fa

mily

and

the

scho

ol.

45.

The

re is

info

rmat

ion

avai

labl

e to

fam

ilies

whi

ch a

ssis

ts th

em to

acc

ess

info

rmal

sup

port

netw

orks

and

conn

ect w

ith c

omm

unity

res

ourc

es (

e.g.

, day

care

pro

gram

s,re

crea

tion

prog

ram

s, c

ouns

elin

g, r

espi

teca

re, v

ocat

iona

l reh

abili

tatio

n, m

enta

l hea

lth).

46.

The

sch

ool p

rovi

des

fam

ilies

with

opp

ortu

nitie

s fo

r co

nsul

tatio

n, tr

aini

ngan

d fo

llow

-up

from

sch

ool

staf

f to

max

imiz

e th

eir

child

ren'

s de

velo

pmen

t in

hom

e an

d ot

her

com

mun

ityse

tting

s.

47.

Fam

ilies

are

incl

uded

in a

dvis

ory,

dec

isio

n-m

akin

g, a

nd a

dvoc

acy

activ

ities

of

the

scho

ol (

e.g.

, adv

isor

yco

mm

ittee

s, c

urri

culu

m c

omm

ittee

s, d

evel

opm

ent o

f th

e sc

hool

phi

loso

phy

and

clim

ate,

sch

ool p

lann

ing

team

s, s

taff

dev

elop

men

t com

mitt

ees)

.

48.

Fam

ilies

are

incl

uded

in th

e de

cisi

on-m

akin

g pr

oces

s to

det

erm

ine

the

high

prio

rity

edu

catio

nal n

eeds

of

thei

r ch

ildre

n, a

nd h

ow a

nd w

here

(sc

hool

, hom

e, o

r co

mm

unity

set

tings

)the

ir c

hild

ren

will

be

taug

ht.

49.

Inst

ruct

iona

l pla

nnin

g in

clud

es p

roce

dure

s fo

r as

sist

ing

fam

ilies

to in

corp

orat

e in

stru

ctio

nan

d/cr

prac

tice

of s

kills

into

ong

oing

hom

e an

d co

mm

unity

act

iviti

es.

PLA

NN

ING

FO

R C

ON

TIN

UE

D B

EST

PR

AC

TIC

E I

MPR

OV

EM

EN

T

50.

A p

lan

for

impr

ovin

g be

st p

ract

ice-

base

d se

rvic

es w

ithin

the

scho

ol is

deve

lope

d ev

ery

thre

e to

fiv

eye

ars

by a

sch

ool p

lann

ing

team

con

sist

ing

of a

dmin

istr

ator

s,st

aff,

stu

dent

s, p

aren

ts, s

choo

l boa

rdm

embe

rs a

nd o

ther

com

mun

ity m

embe

rs.

51.

The

sch

ool's

pla

n in

clud

es: a

) a

revi

ew o

f th

e sc

hool

's g

oals

and

the

exte

nt to

whi

chgo

als

and

best

educ

atio

nal p

ract

ices

are

ach

ieve

d; b

) an

exa

min

atio

n of

ser

vice

s of

fere

d by

the

scho

olan

d ho

w th

eyre

late

to s

tude

nt, f

amily

, and

com

mun

ity n

eeds

; c)

follo

w-u

p m

easu

res

of s

tude

nts'

perf

orm

ance

in th

ene

xt s

choo

l set

ting

or p

ost s

choo

l set

tings

; and

d)

activ

ities

and

timel

ines

for

impr

ovin

g be

st p

ract

ices

.

52.

The

sch

ool p

lann

ing

team

mee

ts p

erio

dica

lly to

mon

itor

prog

ress

on

impl

emen

ting

thes

choo

l's p

lan

and

to m

ake

nece

ssar

y ad

just

men

ts in

act

iviti

es a

nd ti

mel

ines

for

achi

evin

g th

e pl

an.

53.

The

sch

ool's

pla

n an

d su

bseq

uent

rep

orts

of

prog

ress

in im

plem

entin

g th

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FACTivity Selection Worksheet

Student

.1

Date

Aetivity/Class

Curriculum Adaptations:

The student will learn all of the general education content. 0

The student will learn a sub-set of the content. 0

The student will learn different content from the same content area. 0

The student will not learn the general education content. 0

Other adaptations (list):

Specific Skills from Priority Skill Areas to be Addressed

Accommodations

Teacher

Student

(CClass/Activity Summary Form

Activity/Class

Year 1st 0 2nd 0 3rd 0 4th 0 Quarter

Student's General Education OutcomesItems Addressed Each Week( V )

Week I 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Priority Skill Area Items Addressed Each Week( V )

Priority Skill Area Items Addressed Each Week( V )

155

Class/Activity Summary Form page 2

Items Addressed Each Week( V )

Priority Skill Area Week 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Priority Skill Area Items Addressed Each Week( V )

Priority Skill Area Items Addressed Each Week( V )

Priority Skill Area Items Addressed Each Week( V )

Accommodations -

156

ACTIVITY COMPATIBILITY PLAN

Student Class TeacherDoes the Activity have

Description of Class Activities (e.g., lecture, drill) Instructional Value?1. 1. Yes No

2. 2. Yes No

3. 3. Yes No

4. 4. Yes No

5. 5. Yes No

6. 6. Yes No

OUTCOMES FOR GROSTUDENT CAN

BENEFIT

OUTCOMES FOR STUDENTOTHER STUDENTSUSE/PRACTICEDURING CLASS

ARRANGEMENT

Large GroupSmall Group - Teacher DirectedSmall Group - Student DirectedCooperative Group

CURRENTLYUSED IN THEGROUP

STUDENTCAN CHANGESWORK IN NEEDED

Independent1:1 in a Small Group ContextOther:

Comments

IS?

TEACHING METHODS

Verbal Directions

CURRENTLYUSED IN THEGROUP

STUDENT CANBENEFIT FROM

CHANGESNEEDED

LectureQuestioningDiscussionTeacher Demonstration / ModelCoachingDrill and PracticeComputer AidedShapingFadingTime delayOther

Comments

MATERIALSCURRENTLYUSED IN THE STUDENT CAN CHANGESGROUP BENEFIT FROM NEEDED

Real ItemsPhotographsMiniature ObjectsLine DrawingsWork Books / Work SheetsTextbooksAudio / VisualConcrete Experienceaper an Pencil

Test FormsOther

Comments -1

158

STUDENT RESPONSE

Look At

CURRENTLYUSED IN GROUP

STUDENTCAN USE

CHANGESNEEDED

TouchPick UpPoint AtMark ChoiceDraw Line to ConnectUnderlineColorWrite Short AnswersWrite Long ExercisesWrite Numerals, Math ProblemsLabel ItemsReply "Yes/No" or "Don't Know"Simple Words or PhrasesSay Short AnswersRead AloudExpress Thoughts and Feelings .Make Formal PresentationsOther

Comments

15

Brainstormed Options

StudentClass Teacher Date

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

20.

1GO

Adaptations/Changes

StudentClass Teacher Date_

1.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Evaluation QuestionsWill the adaptations/changes:Draw negative attention to the student? Make the student stand out? Be too intrusive?Provide sufficient opportunities for the student to practice/learn her objectives for the activity?Be practical? Provide sufficient opportunities for the student to participate in the activity withfellow students?Will fellow students be involved in implementing the adaptations/changes?

161

Support Task Planning Sheet )Student Date

TaskPerson(s)Responsible

DateInitiated

DateCompleted

-NOM.

162

Priority Skill Areas - Program Summary

Student Name

Date Initiated

Selected Skill Areas and Skills

First Quarter SvImmary-Second Quarter Summa

Third Quarter SummaryEnd of Year Summary

163

I

COMMENTSSumniazy Key:

A = AccomplishedP = Making ProgressC = Little Progress. but

will Continue ProgramD = Dmpped -

C.ACTIVITY/CLASS MANAGEMENT PLAN

Activity/Class

Number of Students Location of Activity

Instructor

Additional Adults are Required During the ActivirClass to:

Provide instruction to the student 0Provide instruction to other students 0Manage the student's physical needs 0Implement behavior management strategies 0Implement social integration strategies 0Provide assistance during transitions 0Train and monitor peer tutor/buddies 0On ler

If a teaching assistant or volunteer is available, who is responsible for the dailysupervision?

Who is responsf5lc: for designing the student's instructional programs?

Who is responsible for interfacing the student's program with ongoingactivities?

How often will instructional data be collected?

Who is responsible for providing training and follow-up to direct instructional staff?

How often will training/follow-up occur?

When will training/follow-up occur?

If individualized instmctional materials are necessary, who will develop the student'smaterials?

Comments:

164