Equity in Special Education Placement: A School …...Equity in Special Education Placement: A...
Transcript of Equity in Special Education Placement: A School …...Equity in Special Education Placement: A...
Heraldo V. RichardsAlfredo J. ArtilesJanette KlingnerAyanna Brown
November 2005 VERSION 1
Equity in Special Education Placement:A School Self-Assessment Guide for
Culturally Responsive Practice
FORM A(AdMinistRAtORs)
Introduction 3AdministeringtheAssessment 3DevelopingaCulturallyResponsiveSchoolImprovementPlan 4PlanningSheet 5Scoring 6SampleScoreSheet 6ScoreSheet 7OverallProfileofDomains 7PrioritizingItemsforIntervention 8GettingStarted:AnOverviewofProcedures 9Step1:DetermineifThereisDisproportionateRepresentationatYourSchool 9Step2:AssessSchoolDomainsRelevanttoCulturallyResponsiveEducation 10
I.SchoolGovernance,Organization,PolicyandClimate 10A.SchoolGovernanceandOrganization 10B.SchoolPoliciesandReforms 11C.SchoolClimate 12II.FamilyInvolvement 13III.Curriculum 14IV.OrganizationofLearning 15A.TeachingandLearning 15B.ClassroomAchievementandAssessment 16C.BehaviorManagement 17V.SpecialEducationPre-ReferralandReferralProcessesandPrograms 18A.Pre-ReferralandReferralProcedures 18B.AssessmentandIntervention 19
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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INTrOduCTION
Background Withincreasingnumbersofstudentsfromdifferentbackgrounds,schoolsarefindingitdifficulttoprovideanappropriateeducationtoall.Moreover,theschoolsystemisplaguedbystudentunderachievement,dropouts,andexcessivespecialeducationreferralsandplacements,particularlyamongstudentsfromculturallyandlinguisticallydiversebackgrounds.Theproblemofdisproportionaterepresentationofstudentsfromculturallyandlinguisticallydiversebackgroundsinspecialeducationhasemergedasoneofthesystem’sgreatestchallenges,occurringforreasonsrangingfrominappropriateorinadequateinstructiontoflawedassessmentpractices.Becausetheproblemoccursformultiplereasonsandexistsatalllevelsoftheeducationalsystem,remedyingitrequiresamultifacetedapproach.TheNationalCenterforCulturallyResponsiveEducationalSystems(NCCRESt)hasframedaculturallyresponsivemodelthatismulti-dimensionalinscope,designedto(a)increasetheuseofpreventionandearlyinterventionstrategies,(b)createcontextsconducivetoeducationalsystemsimprovement,and(c)enhancetheteachingandlearningofpractitionersandstudentsalike.Withthisperspectiveinmind,aself-assessmenttoolforpractitionershasbeencreated.Thetoolisbasedoninstrumentsdevelopedatpreeminentresearchcentersandprofessionalgroupsandassociations.1
PurPose Theself-assessmentinstrumentisdesignedtoassistelementaryschoolpractitioners(allprofessionalsandparaprofessionalsworkingintheschools,suchasspecialandgeneraleducationteachers,counselorsandadministrators)increatingschoolsthatareculturallyresponsiveintheirprogrammingandinstructionsothatoptimalachievementmightoccurforallstudentsincludingthosefromculturallyand
linguisticallydiversebackgrounds.Thecompleteassessmentpackageincludes:FormA(Administrators),FormB(TeachersandSchoolSupportPersonnel).Althoughbothformsdonothavetobeadministered,itishighlyrecommendedthatthisbedonetoobtainacompleteassessmentoftheschool.Greaterinvolvementfromdifferentgroupsincreasesnotonlytheaccuracyoftheassessmentbutalsothevestedinterestinaccomplishingtherecommendedgoalsforschoolimprovement.Moreover,thisinstrumentpresentsguidelinesthatwillassistschoolsinprovidingbetterprogrammingforstudentsfromdiversebackgroundsandreducinginappropriatereferralstospecialeducation.Asadatacollectiontool,italsobecomesanimportantaidingatheringinformationtodevelopaneffectiveschoolimprovementplanrequiredbytheStateEducationAgency.
assessment domains Theself-assessmentguideprovidesaframeworkforevaluating(a)knowledge,(b)skills,and(c)dispositionsin5domainsrelevanttoaddressingtheneedsofstudentsfromculturallyandlinguisticallydiversebackgrounds.The5domainsarebasedoninstrumentsdevelopedbyresearchcentersandprofessionalgroupsandassociations.
School Governance, Organization, Policy and Climate—thegeneraloperationandstructureoftheschool,includingpoliciesandreformsassociatedwithschoolgovernance,aswellasattitudesandperceptionsprevalentintheschool.Family Involvement—theextenttowhichfamiliescommunicatewithandparticipateintheirchildren’sschoolandareperceivedtobevaluedpartnersbytheschool.Curriculum—thecontentandskillsincludedineducationalprograms.Organization of Learning—theactivitiesinvolvedintheexchangeofknowledgein
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theclassroom,includingtheteachingandlearningprocess,classroomachievementandassessment,andbehaviormanagement.Special Education Referral Process and Programs—thedeliveryofservicesinvolvingpre-referralandreferralprocesses,eligibility,placement,andinstructionalprogramming.
AdmINISTErINg ThE ASSESSmENT
Schoolsmayusetheinstrumenttoassistinidentifyingstrengthsandweaknessesintheeducationalservicestheirschoolsprovide.Eachdomainconsistsofevaluativeitemsthatguideinassessingtheschool’sorganizationandperformance.Theratingscalerangesfrom“almostalways”to“almostnever.”“Notapplicable”isincludedforthoseitemsthatdonotapplytoyourschool.Toassessyourschool,thinkabouteachlistedactivityandselecttheratingthatbestrepresentsitsoccurrenceatyourinstitution.
Almost Always=occursmorethan75%ofthetimeFrequently=occurs50to75%ofthetimeSometimes=occurs26to50%ofthetimeAlmost Never =occurs25%orlessofthetimeNot Applicable =doesnotapplytoyourschool
Theprincipalshouldactinaleadershiproletofacilitatetheaccurateevaluationoftheschoolanditsdeliveryofservices.Tomakethisacollectiveeffortandinthespiritofsharedgovernance,theprincipalwithinputfromthefacultywilldecidewhowillcompletethequestionnairesandwhen.Inordertoobtain
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1Assembly of native Educator Associations (1998, February 3). Alaska standards for Culturally Responsive schools. Retrieved June 20, 2003, from http://www.ankn.uaf.edu/currstan.html
Banks, J.A., Cookson, P., Gay, G., Hawley, W.d., irvine, J.J., nieto, s., schofield, J.W., & stephan,W.G. (2002). diversity within unity: Essential principles for
teaching and learning in a multicultural society. seattle, Washington: Center for Multicultural Education, College of Education, University of Washington.
national Association for Bilingual Education (nABE), iLiAd Project (2002). determining Appropriate Referrals of English Language Learners to special Education: A self-Assessment Guide for Principals. Washington, dC:
national Association for Bilingual Education.
national Alliance of Black school Educators (nABsE), & iLiAd Project (2002). Addressing Over-Representation of African American students in special Education. Arlington, VA: Council for Exceptional Children, and Washington, dC: national Alliance of Black school Educators.
multipleperspectivesontheeffectivenessoftheschool,arepresentativepanelof5to10members,includingtheprincipal,representativeteachers(possiblyapprovedbythefaculty),supportpersonnel,andcommunitymembersshouldbeselectedfortheassessmentteam.Thisdoesnotprecludeinputfromotherinterestedmembersintheschoolandthecommunity.
This tool is not intended to penalize teachers or other school personnel for deficiencies and should not be used by the principal or anyone else to evaluate a teacher’s or other school personnel’s performance, nor should the results be placed in the teacher’s or other school peronnel’s records. Rather,onceareasaretargetedforimprovement,administrators,teachers,supportpersonnelandcommunitymembersshouldworktogethertoaddresstheweaknessesorareasthatneedimprovement.Theassessmentsshouldbecollectedandcompiledbyadesignatedassessmentcoordinatorwhowillberesponsiblefor(a)tabulatingtheresponses,(b)conveningameetingtosharetheresults,and(c)conductingadiscussiontodetermineareasofagreementanddisagreementforthepurposeofprioritizingneeds.
Theresultsoftheassessmentshouldbeusedtodevelopaplanofinterventionthatwillincreasetheschool’seffectivenessintheareasidentifiedforimprovement.TheschoolmaywanttoenlistsupportfromoutsideresourcessuchasNCCREStindevelopingimprovementplansbasedonthedatacollected.Itisadvisablethatadesignatedfacilitatorbegiventheresponsibilityofoverseeingtheimplementationofeachareaselectedforimprovement,withgoalsandatimetable.Atanassignedtime,afollow-upmeetingshouldbeheldtodetermineprogressmade.
dEvELOpINg A CuLTurALLy rESpONSIvE SChOOL ImprOvEmENT pLAN
Therearemanywaysinwhichthisinstrumentmightbeusedtoassistyouinprovidingthebestopportunitiespossibleforculturallyandlinguisticallydiversestudents.Afteryouhavecompletedtherating,revieweachdomaintodeterminewhichoftheareasreflectweaknessesandstrengths.Bylookingatyourperformanceineachofthe5domains,youwillbeabletoidentifywheretoexpendenergyandresourcesforimprovement.
Itmaybehelpfultocalculatethepercentagescoresforeacharea.Thiswouldallowyoutoquantifyyoureffortsinprovidingculturallyresponsiveprogrammingandinstruction.Forexample,ananalysisofthedomain,FamilyInvolvement,mightrevealapercentagescoreof85%.ThiswouldsuggestFamilyInvolvementasanareaofstrength;whereasanotherareasuchasSpecialEducationProcessandProgramsmightresultin25%,indicatinganareaofrelativeweakness.Ingeneral,percentagescoresabove75%indicatethatyourschoolisperformingatahighstandardinthatarea.Scoresbelow25%suggestweakareasthatrequireintensiveintervention.Thesescoresneedtobeconsideredinconjunctionwithevidencepresentedduringtheassessmentpaneldiscussions.Basedoninputfrompanelmembersandotherswithvestedinterests,areasofconcernshouldbeprioritizedandaddressedthroughcollaborativeanddirectedprogramming.
Inreviewingspecificitems,youmaydiscoverthatparticularpracticesneedtobeimproved.Yourgoalthenshouldbetodevoteresourcesto
improvingthoserelativeweaknesses.Moreover,dependingontheitemofconcern,financing,personnel,workshopsorotherresourcesmightberequired.Examiningthespecificproblemhelpstodeterminethetypeofreformneeded.Itshouldbenotedthatthereisalwaysroomforimprovement,andthatitisnecessarytocontinuetomonitorprogramsifonlytosustaintheirlevelofquality.
Inplanningprogramsofintervention,youmaywanttoconsiderwhetherearlyinterventionorpreventionwouldbeappropriategiventheareaofconcern.Toensurethatchildrenareadequatelypreparedfortheclassroomorthatparentsareawareofthespecialeducationprocess,itmaybenecessarytodevelopprogramsthatwouldaddresspreschoolneedsorinstituteworkshopsforfamilies.Thisinstrumentmayalsoassistinidentifyingwhatneedstobedoneatalllevelsforeducationalsystemsimprovement.Togetheradministrators,faculty,staff,students,andthecommunitycanengageindialogueandprogrambuildingforthebettermentoftheschool.Further,theevaluationshouldassistyouindeterminingwhatisnecessarytoenhancetheteachingandlearningofbothpractitionersandstudentsbyidentifyingthoseareasforimprovement.Specificcurriculamaybedevelopedorappropriateworkshopsdesignedtomeetthoseneeds.
Whetherornotyoucalculatepercentagesorsimplylookatitemsseparately,takingthetimetoevaluateyourprogram,usingthelistedcriteria,encouragesyoutothinkaboutissuesandservicesyoumightnothaveconsidered.Thisawarenesswouldallowyoutoplanmoreeffectivelyforyourstudents,faculty,andsupportpersonnel.
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NameofSchool:Date:
PurposefortheAssessment:
pLANNINg ShEET
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ASSESSmENT pANEL nOtE: A PAnEL OF 5 tO 10 PEOPLE FROM diVERsE BACkGROUnds ARE RECOMMEndEd, inCLUdinG tHE PRinCiPAL, REPREsEntAtiVE tEACHER(s), And COMMUnity MEMBERs.
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SCOrINg
Toassistindeterminingstrengthsandweaknesses,percentagescoresmaybecalculatedforeachdomainorsub-domain,andthenplottedonthescalemeasuringrelativestrengthsandweaknesses.Tocalculatethescores,followthe5stepslistedbelow:
Step1:Multiply3(thehighestpossiblescoreforanitem)timesthenumberofitemsanswered(excludingitemsanswered“notapplicable”)todeterminetotalpossiblepoints.Step2:Addupthenumberofratingpointsreceivedforeachiteminagivendomainorsub-domain(almostalways=3,frequently=2,sometimes=1,almostnever=0;itemsanswered“notapplicable”shouldnotbeincludedinthecount.).Step3:Dividethetotalpointsreceivedbythetotalpossiblepoints.Step4:Multiplytheanswerfromstep2(a
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two-placedecimal)by100todeterminethepercentagescore.Step5:Plotthepercentagescoreonthescale.
ExAmpLE
Let’sassumeyoucompletedtheassessmentinthedomainofSchoolGovernance,Organization,PolicyandClimate.Alltheitemswereansweredwithnoitemsidentifiedas“notapplicable.”Thisdomainhastwosub-domains,namelySchoolGovernance,Organization,Policy;andClimate.
Step1:TotalpossiblepointsforSchoolGovernance,OrganizationandPolicywouldbe39;totalpossiblepointsforSchoolClimate,30;totalpossiblepointsforentiredomain,69.Steps2-4:Thepointsreceivedandpercentagesforthesub-domainsareasfollows(seesamplescoresheetbelow):
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SchoolGovernance,Organization,andPolicy:33pointsreceived(seeitem(a)onthesamplescoresheetbelow)outofatotalpossiblepointsof39(seeitem(b)onthesamplescoresheetbelow),forapercentagescoreof85%(seeitem(c)onthesamplescoresheetbelow).SchoolClimate:7pointsoutof30,forapercentagescoreof20%.Thetotalpointsreceivedfortheentiredomainwas40points(seeitem(a)onthesamplescoresheetbelow)outofatotalpossiblepointsof69(seeitem(b)onthesamplescoresheetbelow),forapercentagescoreof58%forthedomain(seeitem(c)onthesamplescoresheetbelow).
Step5:Therelativeweaknessesandstrengthsareplotted(X )onthescaletotherightbasedonthepercentagescores(seesamplescoresheetbelow).
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1.SchoolGovernance,Organization,andPolicy a33/b39=c85% <—weakness—25%———————50%———————75%—strength—>
2.SchoolClimate a7/b30=c23% <—weakness—25%———————50%———————75%—strength—>
DOMAIN TOTAL a40/b69=c58% <—weakness—25%———————50%———————75%—strength—>
sUB-dOMAins % sCORE sCALE
I. SChOOL gOvErNANCE, OrgANIZATION, pOLICy ANd CLImATE (SAmpLE SCOrE ShEET)
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XNOTE: tHE nUMBERs POstEd FOR C in tHE ExAMPLE ARE tHE tOtALs iF ALL itEMs ARE AnsWEREd. iF ALL tHE itEMs in A sUB-dOMAin OR dOMAin WERE nOt AnsWEREd, tHEn C BECOMEs tHE nUMBER OF itEMs AnsWEREd,
MULtiPLiEd By 3 (tHE HiGHEst POssiBLE sCORE FOR An itEM). FOR ExAMPLE, iF 8 itEMs WERE AnsWEREd, tHEn C (tHE tOtAL PossiBle Points) WOULd BE CALCULAtEd tHUs: 8 x 3 = 24
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1.SchoolGovernance,Organization,andPolicy /39=% <—weakness—25%———————50%———————75%—strength—>
2.SchoolClimate /30=% <—weakness—25%———————50%———————75%—strength—>
DOMAIN TOTAL /69=% <—weakness—25%———————50%———————75%—strength—>
DOMAIN TOTAL /36=% <—weakness—25%———————50%———————75%—strength—>
DOMAIN TOTAL /27=% <—weakness—25%———————50%———————75%—strength—>
1.TeachingandLearning /63=% <—weakness—25%———————50%———————75%—strength—>
2.ClassroomAssessmentandAchievement /24=% <—weakness—25%———————50%———————75%—strength—>
3.BehaviorManagement /21=% <—weakness—25%———————50%———————75%—strength—>
DOMAIN TOTAL /108=% <—weakness—25%———————50%———————75%—strength—>
1.ClassroomAssessmentandAchievement /33=% <—weakness—25%———————50%———————75%—strength—>
2.BehaviorManagement /36=% <—weakness—25%———————50%———————75%—strength—>
DOMAIN TOTAL /69=% <—weakness—25%———————50%———————75%—strength—>
1.SchoolGovernance,Organization,Policy,andClimate /69=% <—weakness—25%———————50%———————75%—strength—>
2.FamilyInvolvement /36=% <—weakness—25%———————50%———————75%—strength—>
3.Curriculum /27=% <—weakness—25%———————50%———————75%—strength—>
4.OrganizationofLearning /108=% <—weakness—25%———————50%———————75%—strength—>
5.SpecialEducationProcessesandPrograms /69=% <—weakness—25%———————50%———————75%—strength—>
OVERALL SCORE /309=% <—weakness—25%———————50%———————75%—strength—>
sUB-dOMAins % sCORE sCALE
sUB-dOMAins % sCORE sCALE
sUB-dOMAins % sCORE sCALE
sUB-dOMAins % sCORE sCALE
sUB-dOMAins % sCORE sCALE
sUB-dOMAins % sCORE sCALE
I. SChOOL gOvErNANCE, OrgANIZATION, pOLICy ANd CLImATE
II. FAmILy INvOLvEmENT
III. CurrICuLum
Iv. OrgANIZATION OF LEArNINg
v. SpECIAL EduCATION prE-rEFErrAL ANd rEFErrAL prOCESSES ANd prOgrAmS
OvErALL prOFILE OF dOmAINS
prIOrITIZINg ITEmS FOr INTErvENTION
Notethatthecalculatedresults(percentagescoresandscaledrelativeweaknessesandstrengths)shouldnotbethesoledeterminantsofareasofconcern.Rathertheseresults
shouldprovideguidanceinidentifyinghighpriorityareas.Alongwiththesescores,supportiveevidenceanddiscussionshouldcombinetoprioritizeareasrequiringimprovementorsustainedsupport.Itisimperativethattheteamidentifies3-5prioritiesandaplanofactionforeach,withspecificgoals
andatimetablealongwithafacilitatorresponsibleforeachpriority.Attemptingtoaddressmorethan5prioritiesoftenoverextendsenergyandresources.Ifnecessary,otherweakareasmaybeprioritizedinasecondphaseasgoalsfromphaseoneareaccomplishedandmoreresourcesbecomeavailable.
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Our SChOOL’S TOp 5 prIOrITIES RAnk sPECiFiC AREA OF COnCERn
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gETTINg STArTEd: AN OvErvIEw OF prOCEdurES
Theuseofthisassessmenttoolrequirestheimplementationofthreesteps,namely(1)calculationofdisproportionaterepresentation,(2)assessmentof5domainsrelevanttoaddressingtheneedsofstudentsfromculturallyandlinguisticallydiversebackgrounds,and(3)developmentofaschoolimprovementplantoprovideculturallyresponsiveeducation.
steP 1: determine if a ProBlem exists: assess Placement Patterns in sPecial education Byfollowingthestepsinthefollowingsection,Determining Disproportionate Representation,youwillbeabletodeterminewhethercertaingroupsofstudentsmakeupadisproportionatenumberofstudentsinspecialeducation.
steP 2: assess school domains relevant to culturally resPonsive educationWhilespecialeducationplacementpatternfiguresprovidenumericalindicatorsofapotentialproblemwithdisproportionaterepresentation,itisnecessarytoconductacomprehensiveassessmentofyourschool’sprogrammingandpracticestogainaholisticunderstandingoftheproblem.Thesubsequentsectionswillallowyoutoexaminevariousaspectsofyourinstitutiontoascertainwherecollaborativeeffortsmightbemadetoimproveyourschool.
steP 3: develoP a school imProvement Plan for culturally resPonsive educationTheassessmentofmultipledomainsofyourschool’sprogrammingandpracticeswillenableyoutoidentifytheschoolcommunity’sstrengthsandgaugetheareasinwhichimprovementisneeded.Youmayusetheworksheetsontheprecedingpagestoassistyouinanalyzingandusingthedatacollectedinthefirsttwosteps.
STEp 1: dETErmINE IF ThErE IS dISprOpOrTIONATE rEprESENTATION AT yOur SChOOL
Thetablebelowwillassistyouindeterminingwhetherdisproportionaterepresentationexistsforspecificgroupsatyourschool.YouwillbeabletocalculatetheCompositionIndex,theRiskIndex,andtheOddsRatioforyourstudents.TheCompositionIndexcomparestheproportionofstudentsfromagroup(e.g.,racialorlinguistic)withinadisabilitycategoryorspecialeducationprogramwiththeproportionofthesamegroupofstudentsinthegeneralschoolpopulation.TheRiskIndexallowsyoutodeterminetheprobabilityofaspecificgroupofstudentsbeingplacedinspecialeducation.Thisprobabilitycanalsobecalculatedforselectedcategoriesofspecialeducation(e.g.,learningdisabilities).TheOddsRatiocomparestheriskofonegrouptotheriskofanother.Thus,itprovidesanindicatorofhowmuchmorelikelyonegroupistobeplacedinspecialeducationcomparedtoanother(e.g.,BlacksversusWhites).
1Thenumberofchildrenfromeach
ethnicorracialbackgroundinmyschool
2Thepercentagesofthesechildrenincomparisontothe
totalschoolpopulation.(Line1/Totalofline1)% % % % % % %
3Ofthetotalnumberofstudentsinmyschool,the
numberreceivingspecialeducationservices.
4Ofthestudentsreceivingspecialeducationservicesthe
percentfromeachethnicgroup.(Line3/totalline3)
5Ofthenumberofstudentsfromeachethnicorracialgroup,thepercent
receivingspecialeducationservices.(Line3/Line1)
6Theriskindexforonegroupcomparedtotheriskindexforanother
group.(e.g.,theriskindexforBlacks/theriskindexforWhites)
stUdEnt dEMOGRAPHiCs
AMERiCAn indiAn
AsiAn . PACiFiC isLAndERHisPAniC
BLACkWHitE
tOtALOtHER
Composition index
Risk index
odds Ratio
STEp 2: ASSESS SChOOL dOmAINS rELEvANT TO CuLTurALLy rESpONSIvE EduCATION
i. school governance, organization, Policy and climate Theoveralladministrationandorganizationoftheschoolprovidethestructurefordeliveringinstructionandprogrammingthatmeetthe
needsofstudents.Effectivegovernancerequiresdistributedleadership(Elmore,2000)that(a)workstoimproveinstructionalpracticeandperformancebyprovidingopportunitiesforbuildingknowledgeandskills;(b)createsconditionsthatvaluelearningasbothanindividualandacollectivegood,suchthatcontinuouslearningoccurs;(c)modelsthevaluesandbehaviorsthatrepresentfairnessandequityforallregardlessofcultural,linguisticor
economicbackground;(d)acknowledgesandutilizesdifferencesinexpertiseatalllevelssothateveryonecontributestoaculturallyresponsiveenvironment;and(e)operatesonthepremiseofmutualaccountabilityforachievinggoalsandobjectives.TheitemslistedunderSchoolGovernance,Organization,PolicyandClimatearedesignedtoassistinevaluatingtheextenttowhichthesecriteriaforeffectiveleadershiparemet.
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1Administration,facultyandsupportpersonnelarewellinformedofthe
influenceofculture,language,andethnicityonschoolachievement.3 2 1 0 n/a
2Theadministrationworkscollaborativelywithallthemembersofthe
schoolcommunitytoensureequitabletreatmentforallstudents.3 2 1 0 n/a
3Theadministrationprovidesopportunitiesforprofessionaldevelopmentoffaculty
andsupportpersonnelonissuesofcultural,language,andethnicdiversity.3 2 1 0 n/a
4Theadministrationensuresthatthespecialeducationassessment
processisconductedfairlyandappropriately.3 2 1 0 n/a
5Theadministrationemploysfacultyandsupportpersonnelwhodemonstratetheabilitytomeaningfullyandrespectfullyinteractwithindividualsfromdiverseculturalbackgrounds.
3 2 1 0 n/a
6Theadministrationcreatesaschoolcultureinwhichstudentsfromdiverseculturalandlinguisticbackgrounds
feeltheyarelistenedto,theiropinionsvalued,andtheyareinvolvedindecision-making.3 2 1 0 n/a
7Theadministrationinstillsanethicof
care,respect,andresponsibility.3 2 1 0 n/a
8Theadministrationexemplifiesapositiveattitudetowards
theschool,teachers,students,andfamilies.3 2 1 0 n/a
9Theadministrationprovidessupportandencouragementforparticipationinextra-curricular
activitiesbystudentsfromdiversecultural,language,ethnic,andabilitygroups.3 2 1 0 n/a
RECOMMEndAtiOns
nOt APPLiCABLE
ALMOst nEVER
sOMEtiMEs
FREqUEntLy
ALMOst ALWAys
A. sCHOOL GOVERnAnCE And ORGAnizAtiOn
PLEAsE nOtE EVidEnCE sUPPORtinG tHE RAtinG OF Any itEM(s) ABOVE (OPtiOnAL):
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1Administration,facultyandsupportpersonnelremaininformedaboutcurrentschoolpoliciesandreformsthat
impactthedeliveryofservicestostudentsfromculturallyandlinguisticallydiversebackgrounds.3 2 1 0 n/a
2Theschoolensuresthatallpoliciesandreformsareexplainedtoparentsintheirlanguagethroughwrittencommunicationandvarious
meetingsheldattimesconvenienttoparents(withchildcare,andtranslatorsprovided,andparentsinvolvedintheplanning).3 2 1 0 n/a
3Theschoolinvolvesfamiliesandthecommunity
intheformationofnewschoolpolicies.3 2 1 0 n/a
4Newreformsareimplementedwithsensitivitytowardthediverselearning
needsofstudentsfromculturallyandlinguisticallydiversebackgrounds.3 2 1 0 n/a
RECOMMEndAtiOns
nOt APPLiCABLE
ALMOst nEVER
sOMEtiMEs
FREqUEntLy
ALMOst ALWAys
B. sCHOOL POLiCiEs And REFORMs
PLEAsE nOtE EVidEnCE sUPPORtinG tHE RAtinG OF Any itEM(s) ABOVE (OPtiOnAL):
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1Theschoolacceptstheresponsibilityfor
theachievementofallstudents.3 2 1 0 n/a
2Theschoolobtainsmembershipinorganizationsthatpromoteequitable
educationandprovideinstructionalstrategiesforallstudents.3 2 1 0 n/a
3Theschoolobtainsmaterialsfromprofessionalorganizationsand
makesthemavailabletofacultyandsupportpersonnel.3 2 1 0 n/a
4Theschoolsponsorsprofessionallyconductedworkshopswherefacultyandsupportpersonnel
canidentifytheirculturaland/orlinguisticbiasesandworktoaddressthem.3 2 1 0 n/a
5Theschoolinformsstaffmembersthatdisrespectfulresponsestoanychildorfamilymemberregardlessofculturalbackground,
ethnicity,and/orsocioeconomicstatuswillnotbetoleratedontheschoolcampus,includingteachers’lounge,office,orotherarea.3 2 1 0 n/a
6Theschoolestablishesschoolanddistrict-wideprofessionaldevelopmenttraininginculturalcompetence(i.e.,theability
tointeractmeaningfullyandrespectfullywithindividualsfromculturallyandlinguisticallydiversebackgrounds).3 2 1 0 n/a
7Theschoolremainsknowledgeableabouttheirstudents’cultureand
communitybyvisitingstudentsintheirhomeenvironment.3 2 1 0 n/a
8Theschoolprovidesprofessionaldevelopmenttoemployeestoprovidethemwithnecessary
skillstoobjectivelyandrespectfullyvisitstudents’homesandcommunities.3 2 1 0 n/a
9Theschoolcollaborateswiththecommunity,universitiesandotherrelevantinstitutionstoassistindevelopingstandards
foraddressingtheneedsofstudentsfromculturallyandlinguisticallydiversebackgroundsandtheirfamilies.3 2 1 0 n/a
10Theschoollobbiesthestatelicensingagencytoincludecourserequirements(e.g.,diversityeducation,adaptiveinstructionalmethods)
thatwillimprovetheeducationaloutcomeofallstudents,includingthosefromculturallyandlinguisticallydiversebackgrounds.3 2 1 0 n/a
RECOMMEndAtiOns
nOt APPLiCABLE
ALMOst nEVER
sOMEtiMEs
FREqUEntLy
ALMOst ALWAys
C. sCHOOL CLiMAtE
PLEAsE nOtE EVidEnCE sUPPORtinG tHE RAtinG OF Any itEM(s) ABOVE (OPtiOnAL):
ii. family involvement Theimportanceoffamilyinvolvementfortheachievementofchildrenintheschoolsystemiswelldocumented.Schoolsmustactivelyworktoensurethatparentsremaininformedand
involved.Additionally,schoolsmustcreateahospitableenvironmentforparentstofeelwelcomewhentheyvisitschool.Thelessparentsfeelthreatenedbytheschool,themorelikelyparentswillviewschoolasanallyintheir
children’seducationalexperience.TheFamilyInvolvementinventoryidentifiesareasforreviewthatwillassisttheschoolinevaluatingitseffectivenessinthisarea.
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1Theschoolhasdevelopedaneffectiveongoing
communicationsystemwithfamilies.3 2 1 0 n/a
2Theschoolprovidesprofessionaldevelopmenttostaffandteachersoneffectivecommunication
withparentsfromdiversecultural,language,andethnicgroups.3 2 1 0 n/a
3Theschoolisawelcomingenvironmentforfamiliesfromdiversebackgrounds,forexample,withfrontofficepersonnelwhospeak
thesamelanguageasparents,andsecurityandotherpersonnelwhoarefriendlyandwelcoming,greetingparentswithasmile.3 2 1 0 n/a
4Theschoolsurveysfamiliesfromdiversebackgroundstogathersuggestions
onwaystoinvolveparentsintheirchildren’seducation.3 2 1 0 n/a
5Theschoolprovidesadequateinformationtoparentsabout
pre-referralinterventioninthelanguageofthehome.3 2 1 0 n/a
6Theschoolrecruitsandmaintainsaresourcelistofculturallycompetentstaffandcommunitycontacts
whocancommunicateeffectivelywithparentsfromdiversecultural,ethnic,andlanguagegroups.3 2 1 0 n/a
7Theschoolassistsfamiliesinaccessingmedicalandcommunityresourcesaswellas
othersupportservicesbydirectingthefamiliestotheappropriateagency(ies).3 2 1 0 n/a
8Theschoolinvolvesfamiliesinthepre-referralinterventionprocessas
respectedpartnersandensurestheyarewell-informedatalltimes.3 2 1 0 n/a
9TheschoolassistsfamiliesinunderstandingtheirrightsandavailableservicesunderIDEAby
providingone-on-onecounseling,aswellasworkshopsand/orreferralstoadvocates.3 2 1 0 n/a
10Theschoolhasanestablishedplanforfollowinguponparentconferences
regardingrequestforservicesorotherparentalconcerns.3 2 1 0 n/a
11Theschoolutilizesparentliaisonstohelpparents
andstudentsnavigatetheschoolsystem.3 2 1 0 n/a
12Theschoolinvolvesparentsinthe
governanceoftheschool.3 2 1 0 n/a
13Theschoolprovideschildcare,transportation,or
alternatemeetingdaysandtimesifneeded.3 2 1 0 n/a
RECOMMEndAtiOns
nOt APPLiCABLE
ALMOst nEVER
sOMEtiMEs
FREqUEntLy
ALMOst ALWAys
ii. FAMiLy inVOLVEMEnt
PLEAsE nOtE EVidEnCE sUPPORtinG tHE RAtinG OF Any itEM(s) ABOVE (OPtiOnAL):
1Thecurriculumreflectsanintegrationofethnicandculturalcontentthroughoutprogramming,
ratherthanassigningthestudyofdiverseculturalgroupstoasingleunitoronemonth.3 2 1 0 n/a
2Thecurriculumprovidesopportunitiesforstudentstoinvestigateandunderstand
howculturalassumptionsandbiasesinfluencesubjectareas.3 2 1 0 n/a
3Thecurriculumfostersrespectandunderstandingfordiverseculturesbyprovidingmaterialsthathelpstudents
developpositiveattitudestowarddifferentracial,ethnic,cultural,language,andabilitygroups.3 2 1 0 n/a
4Thecurriculumsupportsandvaluestheexperiencesandinformation
studentshavelearnedwithintheirculturalgroups.3 2 1 0 n/a
5Thecurriculumhelpsstudentsmakeconnectionsbetweenwhat
theyarelearninginschoolandtheirpersonalexperiences.3 2 1 0 n/a
6Thecurriculumsituatesspecificculturaland
localknowledgeinaglobalcontext.3 2 1 0 n/a
7Thecurriculumismadeinterestingandchallengingforall
students(notfocusedonrotelearningactivities).3 2 1 0 n/a
8Thecurriculumexplicitlyteachesculturalcapital(thenorms,behaviors,
andattitudes)thatprovidesaccesstoachievement.3 2 1 0 n/a
9Thecurriculumusesthelocallanguageandculturalknowledge(funds
ofknowledge)asafoundationfortherestofthecurriculum.3 2 1 0 n/a
RECOMMEndAtiOns
nOt APPLiCABLE
ALMOst nEVER
sOMEtiMEs
FREqUEntLy
ALMOst ALWAys
iii. CURRiCULUM
PLEAsE nOtE EVidEnCE sUPPORtinG tHE RAtinG OF Any itEM(s) ABOVE (OPtiOnAL):
iii. curriculum Whatistaughtintheschoolreflectsthevaluesanddispositionoftheschoolsystem.Thecurriculummaybemonoculturalor
multiculturalinitsscope,reflectinghistory,contributionsandperspectivesofonegroupinsocietyorthatofmany.Tofacilitateachievementforallstudents,thecurriculum
shouldbeinclusiveandculturallyresponsive.Theitemsincludedinthissectionprovideaframeworkfordeterminingtheculturalresponsivenessofthecurriculum.
14
iv. organization of learning Whatoccursintheclassroomiscrucialtotheachievementofstudents.Thisincludesalltheactivitiesinvolvedintheexchangeoflearningintheclassroom.Teachersplayamajorrolein
establishingtheclassroomsettinganddeterminingwhatknowledgeisimportantandhowitwillbetaught.Criteriaforachievementandmethodsofassessingthatachievementareanintegralpartofthisprocess.Finally,classroom
behaviormanagementiskeytocreatinganenvironmentconducivetoteachingandlearning.Allarepartoftheorganizationoflearningandmustbeevaluatedinordertodeterminetheculturalresponsivenessoftheclassroom.
15
1Teachersunderstandthewaysinwhichrace,ethnicity,culture,language
andsocialclassinteracttoinfluencestudentbehavior.3 2 1 0 n/a
2Teachersareknowledgeableaboutthehistoryandcultures
ofdiverseethnic,racial,andculturalgroups.3 2 1 0 n/a
3Teachersareknowledgeableabout
individuallearningstyles.3 2 1 0 n/a
4Teachersareknowledgeableaboutthesecondlanguageacquisitionprocess
andhowtosupportstudentswhoareEnglishlanguagelearners.3 2 1 0 n/a
5Teachersmodifytheirinstructionsothatstudentsfromdiverseethnic,racial,cultural,
language,andabilitygroupswillhaveanequalopportunitytolearn.3 2 1 0 n/a
6Teacherskeepaccuraterecords
ofeachstudent’sprogress.3 2 1 0 n/a
7Teachersrelatecontentandinstructionalstrategiesto
theculturalbackgroundoftheirstudents.3 2 1 0 n/a
8Teachersutilizeinstructionalmaterialsthatreflect
imagesandperspectivesfromdiversegroups.3 2 1 0 n/a
9Teachershelpstudentstoappreciatecurrentand
historicaleventsfrommultipleperspectives.3 2 1 0 n/a
10Teachershelptoorganizeactivitiesandprojectsthatenablestudentsfrom
diverseracial,ethnic,cultural,andlanguagegroupsworktogether.3 2 1 0 n/a
11Teachersinformstudentsaboutstereotypingandotherrelatedbiases
thathavenegativeeffectsonracialandethnicrelations.3 2 1 0 n/a
12Teachershavehighexpectationsforallstudents
regardlessoftheirbackgroundordifferences.3 2 1 0 n/a
13Teachersworkfromthepremisethat“allchildrencanlearn”andcontinueto
attemptdifferentinstructionalapproachesuntileachchildisreached.3 2 1 0 n/a
14Teachersfeelastrongsenseofresponsibilityforallstudents,including
studentsreferredfororalreadyplacedinspecialeducation.3 2 1 0 n/a
15Teachersareexpertsininstructionandmanagementandknow
howtoeffectivelychallengeandsupporttheirstudents.3 2 1 0 n/a
16Teachersareknowledgeableaboutandskilledinusingstrategiesforteaching
Englishlanguagelearners(includingshelteredEnglishtechniques).3 2 1 0 n/a
RECOMMEndAtiOns
nOt APPLiCABLE
ALMOst nEVER
sOMEtiMEs
FREqUEntLy
ALMOst ALWAys
A. tEACHinG And LEARninG
PLEAsE nOtE EVidEnCE sUPPORtinG tHE RAtinG OF Any itEM(s) ABOVE (OPtiOnAL):
16
1Classroomassessmentisconductedwithfairnessandsensitivitytowards
studentsfromculturallyandlinguisticallydiversebackgrounds.3 2 1 0 n/a
2Teachersusearangeofassessmentstrategiesthatprovidestudentsfromdiversebackgroundsopportunitiestodemonstrate
theirmasteryandskills,includingtheopportunitytosharewhattheyknowintheirnativelanguageiftheywish.3 2 1 0 n/a
3Administratorsandteachersuseavarietyofinstrumentsandstrategiestoassiststudentsfromdiverseracial,ethnic,cultural,
andlanguagegroupsinmeetingStatestandardsandothermandatedrequirements(e.g.,NoChildLeftBehindAct).3 2 1 0 n/a
4Teachersutilizeinformationfromseveralsources,including
families,inassessingstudents’achievement.3 2 1 0 n/a
5Theschoolidentifiesandusesmultipleassessmenttoolsand
strategiesthatareresearch-basedandculturallyvalid.3 2 1 0 n/a
6Theschoolprovidesschoolanddistrict-widetrainingintheadministrationofassessment
toolsandmethodsthatconsiderthestudent’sculturalbackground.3 2 1 0 n/a
7Theschoolknowswhenandhowtoprovideaccommodationsto
studentswithspecialneedsandEnglishlanguagelearners.3 2 1 0 n/a
8Theschoolensuresthathighstakestestshavebeenvalidatedforthepurposeforwhichtheyare
usedandhavebeenstandardizedonpopulationsofstudentssimilartotheirstudents.3 2 1 0 n/a
RECOMMEndAtiOns
nOt APPLiCABLE
ALMOst nEVER
sOMEtiMEs
FREqUEntLy
ALMOst ALWAys
B. CLAssROOM ACHiEVEMEnt And AssEssMEnt
PLEAsE nOtE EVidEnCE sUPPORtinG tHE RAtinG OF Any itEM(s) ABOVE (OPtiOnAL):
17
1Administration,teachers,andsupportpersonnelareknowledgeableabout
differencesinculturalpracticesthatmightimpactonstudentbehavior.3 2 1 0 n/a
2Administration,teachers,andsupportpersonneldisciplinestudentswitha
sensitivitytowardsstudents’culturalandlinguisticdifferences.3 2 1 0 n/a
3Classroomrulesandproceduresarewrittenandexplainedinlanguagethatisclear
tostudentsfromculturallyandlinguisticallydiversebackgrounds.3 2 1 0 n/a
4Teachersareknowledgeableaboutcertainbehaviorsthatareconsistentwith
students’culturalbackgroundsoasnottoconsiderthemdeviant.3 2 1 0 n/a
5Teachersutilizeresourcepersonsbelongingtoorfamiliarwithastudents’cultural
andlinguisticbackgroundtoassistinplanningbehavioralinterventions.3 2 1 0 n/a
6Studentsaretaughtschool-sanctionedbehaviors,particularlyas
theymightconflictwithculturallyspecificbehaviors.3 2 1 0 n/a
7Studentsaremadeawareofbehaviorsthatmightbeculturallyspecificsotheycanlearn
howtointeractappropriatelywithstudentsfromculturesotherthantheirown.3 2 1 0 n/a
RECOMMEndAtiOns
nOt APPLiCABLE
ALMOst nEVER
sOMEtiMEs
FREqUEntLy
ALMOst ALWAys
C. BEHAViOR MAnAGEMEnt
PLEAsE nOtE EVidEnCE sUPPORtinG tHE RAtinG OF Any itEM(s) ABOVE (OPtiOnAL):
v. sPecial education Pre-referral and referral Processes and Programs Thespecialeducationprocessiscomplex.Todeterminewhetheraschoolprovideseffective
andculturallyappropriateservicesrequiresamulti-levelanalysis.Adequateandappropriateprogrammingandinstructionmustbeinitiatedevenbeforethereferralprocessbegins,and
culturallyresponsivepracticesmustbeimplementedthroughoutassessmentandintervention.Thissectionassistsinevaluationofthisprocessandprogramming.
18
1TheChildStudyTeamusesaflowcharttohelpwith
decision-makingduringthereferralprocess.3 2 1 0 n/a
2Theflowchartensuresthatstudentshavebeenprovidedwithmeaningful,appropriatepre-referralstrategies,
adequateopportunitiestolearn,andvalidationoftheirdifficultiesacrosstimeandsettings.3 2 1 0 n/a
3ParticipantsinChildStudyTeamsareknowledgeableaboutand
abletofacilitatearangeofmeaningfulpre-referralstrategies.3 2 1 0 n/a
4Sufficienttimeisdevotedatteammeetingstoselectingthebeststrategiesforindividual
studentsbasedondatacollectedbyteachersandotherspriortothemeeting.3 2 1 0 n/a
5Pre-referralstrategiesarevariedandsubstantive,suchastransferringastudenttoanother
teacher’sclassorprovidingindividualtutoringthroughanafter-schoolprogram.3 2 1 0 n/a
6Classesaretaughtbycertifiedteacherswho
speakthechild’sfirstlanguage.3 2 1 0 n/a
7Classroomroomsizeiscontrolledtoensureanoptimallearning
environmentthataddressestheneedsofallthestudents.3 2 1 0 n/a
8Specificinstructionalobjectivesaredevelopedforeachchild,andteamsspecifywhoisresponsible
foraddressingtheseobjectivesandthetimeframeinwhichtheyaretobemonitored.3 2 1 0 n/a
9Theclassroomcontext(e.g.,teachingstyle,classroomarrangementandmanagement,
andpeerrelationships)fromwhichachildisreferrediscarefullyconsidered.3 2 1 0 n/a
10Schoolpersonnelknowledgeableaboutculturalandlinguisticdiversity,includingdifferentiatingbetweensecondlanguage
acquisitionanddisabilitiesinthecaseofEnglishlanguagelearners,shouldbepresentattheChildStudyTeammeeting.3 2 1 0 n/a
11Parents/Caregiversshouldbeinvolvedasrespected,
valuedpartnersateverystageoftheprocess.3 2 1 0 n/a
RECOMMEndAtiOns
nOt APPLiCABLE
ALMOst nEVER
sOMEtiMEs
FREqUEntLy
ALMOst ALWAys
A. PRE-REFERRAL And REFERRAL PROCEdUREs
PLEAsE nOtE EVidEnCE sUPPORtinG tHE RAtinG OF Any itEM(s) ABOVE (OPtiOnAL):
19
1Administrators,teachers,andrelatedsupportpersonnelare
knowledgeableaboutthespecialeducationprocess.3 2 1 0 n/a
2Administrators,teachers,andsupportpersonnelareknowledgeableabouttheevaluation
guidelinesoutlinedintheIndividualwithDisabilitiesEducationAct.(IDEA)3 2 1 0 n/a
3Instructionismodifiedappropriatelytofacilitateachievementbefore
studentsarereferredforspecialeducationevaluation.3 2 1 0 n/a
4Thestudentisassessedbysomeonewhospeakshis/hernativelanguageandwhoisknowledgeable
abouttheimpactofsecondlanguageacquisitiononIQandachievement.3 2 1 0 n/a
5Englishlanguagelearnersareassessedintheir
nativelanguageaswellasEnglish.3 2 1 0 n/a
6Inassessmentthestudentisobservedinhisorherclassroom
aswellasinothercontextsandsettings.3 2 1 0 n/a
7Theassessmentteamusesalternativeassessments(e.g.,curriculumbasedassessment,
portfolioassessment)toassistindeterminingeligibilityforspecialeducation.3 2 1 0 n/a
8Theadministrationensuresthattheassessmentteamincludesaresource
personfamiliarwiththestudent’sculturalbackground.3 2 1 0 n/a
9Theassessmentteamutilizesculturallyappropriate
andculturallyvalidassessmenttools.3 2 1 0 n/a
10Theschoolassignspersonnelwhoareknowledgeable
aboutstudent’sculturestoconductassessments.3 2 1 0 n/a
11IndividualizedEducationPlanstakeintoconsideration
thestudent’sculturalandlinguisticbackground.3 2 1 0 n/a
12Aresourcepersonfamiliarwiththestudent’sculturalandlinguisticbackgroundassists
inthedevelopmentofinterventionsandinthemonitoringofthestudent’sprogress.3 2 1 0 n/a
RECOMMEndAtiOns
nOt APPLiCABLE
ALMOst nEVER
sOMEtiMEs
FREqUEntLy
ALMOst ALWAys
B. AssEssMEnt And intERVEntiOn
PLEAsE nOtE EVidEnCE sUPPORtinG tHE RAtinG OF Any itEM(s) ABOVE (OPtiOnAL):