Sunday, May 9, 2010
Data Case
As principal you have evaluated the latest data on the state’s testing program and have determined that students with disabilities are falling short of meeting accreditation benchmarks and will cause your school to miss the AYP target for the fall report. What steps will you take to make the necessary adjustments in teaching strategies?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
In the school where I teach, I am a special education teacher that are concerned that my students get the benefits to them that can make them a successful student for the SOL testing.
ReplyDeleteI am looking forward to seeing what the coming test will bring for my students (the VMAST). We did much less VGLA this year, and it is surprising what our students can do giving them the opportunity to try with accommodations that is appropriate for them.
The steps I would take is (1) to make sure the students are being involved with the class in their abilities following their IEPs and the general and special education teachers are giving them the time and attention needed to make them successful. (2) find remediation techniques that can give them the boast needed to make better scores. (3) Look at the students and see if their is an underlying problem such as a decoding issue and have the student tested to see if the reading problem is something that is keeping them from succeeding. (4) as the principal looking at the lesson plans and monitor the class instruction to see if the teaching strategies used is the problem and if so, helping to change the way things are presented to the students.
In my school, remediation had helped scores quite a bit. With all of the days we missed due to snow this year, we have really worked hard on remediation before testing in the spring semester. Our scores are looking good so far and I tend to beleive that that the increased efforts are paying off. We especially spent a lot of hours in remediation with students before the Writing SOL.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing to consider would be to evaluate how many students are participating in alternate testing. Some schools tend to overdo this while others overlook it completely. If a student cannot show his/her knowledge of the centent on a multiple choice test, then an alternate test (VGLA/VSEP) might be advisable.
R-E-M-E-D-I-A-T-I-O-N! We have had such success with our remediation plans. I would look over these plans and revise them as needed. Other items to look at would include discussing benchmark data with department chairs, checking all areas of weakness and sending the department chairs back to their staff.
ReplyDeleteThere are several steps I would take to look into this issue: first, look at the data and see what areas are lacking and may need improvements. Secondly, get into the classrooms and see what is going on in there; is there quality instruction, are the students receiving their accommodations, are resources and knowledge being used effectively. Next, I would take a look at are attendance policy and standards and see if there working; are kids coming to school enough days to get the instruction they need. I would also look into remidial programs, such as through pyramid block scheduling, etc., to get the kids the extra help and time they need to grasp the material. I would also adopt a rewards program for kids that pass the SOL's, offering motivation that many of our students in special education lack. And finally, a look at the overall structure of the school; how are we doing as a staff, are we as a unit doing the best for kids, using resources effectively and having the right culture. These are the places I would begin and go move on from there.
ReplyDeleteFirst, I would check with the special education coordinator to make sure all students have current IEPs that take into account VA SOL's. Currently, if nothing is said on a child's IEP, then the child can not get anything on the day of the test -- for instance, having it read to them, an actual test to write on, etc. I would also make sure the 4 core subjects have weekly remediation sessions whether it be once or twice a week -- before and/or after school help sessions.
ReplyDeleteFirst I would have a staff meeting to discuss the data and problem solve as a group what we think we need to do differently. I want to involve all stakeholders. I would take the pulse so to speak and make sure everyone is on the same page with believing that every child can be successful. I would review the testing blueprints and lesson plans to see if time spent on specific content matches the blueprint. I would get feedback from my team leaders/dept. heads as to what they see as areas of weakness and strength. I would try to do more observations/walk thrus to make sure that learners are being reached at their level of development, that differentiation is happening, and that multiple learning modalities are engaged. I would get help from my curriculum supervisors to implement specific RTI plans. I would get parents involved and get their input and suggestions. I would offer tutoring sessions all year long.
ReplyDeleteI would first look at all accommodations to make sure the student has what he/she needs to use to have a level playing field with his peers to access the general curriculum. I would next use 3 by 5 inch SOL study cards with the students to review all year. The student will keep some of the cards and can use them at any time. Volunteers from the community can also come to school and help quiz at all spare moments. I would go beyond the special education students and use the study cards with all students who might need the reinforcement. Finally with students who are eligible for alternate formats of tests such as VGLA, VAAP or VSEP, I would recommend what our county did last year. The students' binders were looked at and we offered the teachers suggestions several times during the year on what they needed to do to enhance their students’ books for success. Does the student need more evidence or pictures?
ReplyDeleteI would sit down with the sped teachers and go through the tests question by question to see where the specific weaknesses are. Then I would have the sped teachers look over IEPs and make sure they are providing appropriate accomodations while the classroom teachers spend extra time on the weaknesses and remediation focuses on the weaknesses. If the IEP's, classroom instruction and remediation seem up to snuff, I would then focus on providing motivation and encouragement for sped students.
ReplyDeleteThere are many things that could be done in order to improve test data. I would begin by observing classroom teaching and asking teachers for suggestions and needs. Support staff could be assigned to assist teachers and students with review. My school district asks retired teachers to return to remediate and review months prior to testing. Afterschool tutoring could be provided for students. My school (elementary) also held a "Parent SOL Night" during which parents and students were able to view and take a practice SOL test, review, discuss strategies learned during class, etc. Printed information was also sent home with all parents to help them to better understand the type of test, material covered, etc.
ReplyDeleteSchool improvement plan, Special Ed team meetings, professional development, taking apart the data analysis to see which areas are problem areas so that I can make sure they have the proper intervention in those areas.
ReplyDeleteI think that remediation is the key to this situation. Regular ed teachers should work closely and in conjunction with special ed teachers to determine specific areas that need to be addressed with the individual students.
ReplyDeleteThe use of Data has been GREAT. In Virginia, we now have enough longitudinal data on students that if you know how to 'read' the data, one can determine what student and also what teachers need to improve - and in what areas.
ReplyDeleteIn this case, I would evaluate the data on each student and see what subjects or specific areas need to be targeted. I would then provide that information to the students classroom teachers. I would also provide extra assistance in the form of tutor's and volunteers and target the weak areas of those individual students (all determined by the data) and instruct those students in-depth on the material they need to show improvement on their test scores.
Better scores are the goal and would hopefully be a shared purpose with myself and my teachers. Using my own experience as a special education teacher, I would utilize student's IEP's to help accomodate and reach each student's needs. I would meet with my special education teachers to formulate a plan to encourage them to "form the goal in mind"; to have a shared "covenant" per say, and then I would trust them with the outcome.
ReplyDeleteLike the other posters, remediation is necessary for success in this situation. In this process I would also involve all special ed teachers to formulate a realistic plan for improvement.
ReplyDeleteMy leadership style would guide me to first determine my own shortcomings in this matter. Where have I failed to ensure the needs of every learner in the school were met? I would first check my teacher assignments. Are faculty members placed in areas of endorsement? Did I allow in the master schedule for planning collaboration among these faculty members in the special education department? I would then review my notes from formal and informal teacher observations, looking to recall in particular models of instruction utilized, methods of assessment, and thorough lesson plans. I would next disaggregate the data looking for specific trends. I would compare findings to previous years.
ReplyDeleteI would next formulate a committee to take an even deeper look into the test data. Looking at particular core subjects and tests, I would advise this committee to create “hot lists” (taken from SPBQ results,) in which we target specific areas in which special education children did not perform well. I would present the information from this committee when meeting with the special ed department. I would ask for feedback and collaboration from these faculty members to help guide our future efforts to ensure our special education students are performing at desired levels of achievement.
First off, l would look at the classes these students are taking and the types of services they are receiving. Then I would speak with the general education teachers regarding special education students ‘performance in the classroom. Additionally, I would speak with the special education teachers. I will take into considerations all of the comments made during these discussions. Adjustments to IEPs or classroom instruction may need to be made. I would have the general and special education teachers remediate the students. This could take place before, after, or during school. Finally, I would work on some kind of positive reinforcement for coming to remediation and passing the test.
ReplyDeleteData is useful for educational leaders to know where to invest more of their time and effort. As instructional leader, I would collaboratively work with teachers (regular and special education) to develop new strategies that could be effective and useful in classrooms. I would enhance my supervision of these students and closely monitor their progress. We must offer these students remediation to aid in their ability to be successful in managing the content and skills. As a school climate, we need to be working together to be creative in how we can make learning for these students a possibility and seek to implement these strategies into our classrooms.
ReplyDeleteData can be very useful when it comes to analyzing where improvements need to be made. As a leader, I would like to meet with the special education teachers to see what they think the biggest obstacles are for our students with special needs and try to formulate solutions for these students. Collaborate with regular ed. teachers, para-educators, parents and any other vitale stakeholders to create a plan to help these students. Provide appropriate remediation, make sure the student's needs are being met, check-in with the teachers more consistently to see what kind of progress is being made, etc. Bottom line- I want the student's needs to be our main focus as we all work together as a team. Re-evaluation will be necessary to see if our plan(s) are working for the students.
ReplyDeleteFirst I would hold a meeting with the general education teacher, assigned special education teacher, and my school's specialist. I would see if all of the students with disabilities are receiving the appropriate accommodations that are labeled in their IEPs or 504 plans. Next I would discuss other strategies that may not be labeled in the IEP that could potentially help boost the benchmark scores. I would also ask for both the special education and the classroom teacher to use district and state resources, such as TTAC, to help find strategies that will increase student performance in the classroom. I would also require mandatory weekly meetings with the same individuals to map the progress that we are making with the students. Of course, I would also inform the parents that the school may need their help in boosting their child's test scores so that we could meet our AYP goals.
ReplyDeleteWhat steps will I take to improve teaching strategies with students with disabilities? I agree that the data can begin the discussion between all involved, but we also must see if we are meeting accomodation requirements. This calls for a colloborative effort. Amber talked above about looking at the master schedule for planning time for colloboration - I agree, this is very important. Remediation is so important but should be quality remediation. There does need to be colloboration (and inspiration). We might need staff development, or some specific training for special ed and gen ed teachers, too.
ReplyDeleteWe also have to remember that some disabilities need to be caught early so students can recieve remediation. We must educate all stakeholders to look for students with needs. The younger we begin to do reading intevention the better. We should be actively looking at young children who display problems with phonics. These become our struggling readers. So, I would encourage my district to do something about reading intervention - the earlier the better.
Using the data, I would determine the specific objectives that each student struggles with. Students can then be grouped based on specific needs to optimize the time available before testing begins. Each teacher that works with that student would be given the data so that any spare time can be spent reinforcing these skills.
ReplyDeleteI would look at the data to see which students are struggling, in what classes, with what core teachers, and with which special ed teachers. I would look for a pattern whether it be a class, or teacher, or subject. With that data I would decide if it were a department issue or a specific teacher issue. If it is was one teacher I would handle that in an appropriate manner. If it were the entire department struggling. I would meet with the department to come up with some ideas on where we could benefit the students needs the most. Take advantage of our resources.
ReplyDeleteI would put into place a remediation program for special education students in the subjects that they will be testing in. I would also investigate whether or not there are enough students taking the alternative assessment route without over doing it in my school. Finally, I would discuss with the teachers who have the special education students to see what I can do for them and get for them(if there is the money of course) to assist with reaching the special education students.
ReplyDeleteI feel that remediation is the key to this problem. The administrator along with the teacher should look at the inclusion efforts of the school concerning students with disabilities.
ReplyDelete