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Welcome to #EduColor’s July chat with host Monise Seward (@MoniseLSeward) on the topic of special education. Tonight we have fewer questions with some more time between them.
Learning from the dynamic @TheJLV about how to hand the reins of learning to the students by engaging in your ‘school senses’...and ‘let it go’ during @VentureCafeSTL.
👁👃🏾👂🏾👈🏾👅
#EduColor#EdHubSTL
Oh hey!!! Lorena from Austin. It’s hot out here, but we good! ☀️ #EduColor I’m here bc for too long my immigrant S were diagnosed instead of supported. 🤷🏽♀️
A0: Hey #EduColor! I'm Shelby, and I teach MS math. Here tonight to make sure I'm providing everything my students need, and to examine my potential weaknesses.
Q0: Hi, I'm Kim! I'm an editor with @ncldorg where we're creating new (free) resources for gen ed teachers to support students w/ learning and attention issues (broadly defined at learning disabilities and ADHD). (1/2) #EduColor
Hello, everyone! My name is Lauren, and I’m an elementary librarian in Pennsylvania. Excited to be joining my first #EduColor chat! I’m here because I want my school library to be as inclusive as possible. Looking forward to learning with all of you.
I'm here because I want to hear from general educators about their most pressing needs in supporting Ss with disabilities. In our work, we want to be especially thoughtful about how we consider the intersection of race and disability. (2/2) #educolor
A1: I'm not familiar with the process of getting the IEP ball rolling, but I'm well familiar with implementing accommodations, although there are some that give me pause and I'm trying to examine why. #EduColor
A0: Hi all. I am Ursula from Portland. The only other #Educolor chat I participated in was last month, when I was in England & it was the middle of the night. Here to learn.
A1: As a former school administrator, I often participated or led IEP meetings, and had to help ensure that the rights of SWD were protected. #EduColor
Q1 Is really important and I believe will help teachers better serve their students.
Special Education is my passion & I'm all about viewing things from students' viewpoints. #EduColor
A0: Middle School Learning Specialist in Dallas TX! I support students with learning differences and facilitate anti-racism trainings for educators outside of school. Here for the kids who deserve to be seen and heard. Ready to learn more with you all! #educolor
A1 19 years of teaching, some as SPED teacher, all as an advocate for kids. I like to think I am relatively knowledgable but I also like to think I am smart enough to seek the information I do not have and to defer to those who know better. #EduColor
A1 I’m very comfortable accessing, reading, and implementing IEPs, as I teach somewhere around 100 students who have them. I am not usually involved in the evaluation process or creation of these documents, however. #EduColor
A1. Familiar with IEP processes and meetings, making sure accommodations and modifications are offered. I need to know more, especially IDEA. (but I know more than a certain Sec of Ed) #EduColor
A1 I have participated in several IEP meetings and my husband @russellsirmans is a special education teacher at the elementary level. I think my knowledge is basic/novice at best. 🤷🏾♀️ #EduColor
Q1: I’m fairly well versed, but there’s always more to learn. I’ve been involved with IEPs, referrals, etc quite a bit, as well as reviewing law regularly. #Educolor
A1. I was a classroom teacher for over 10 years, and many of my students had IEPs. I know a bit. Always trying to learn more, and I'm sure tonight will help. #EduColor
A1 I'm mostly familiar with IEPs and IDEA because of my job now, but I'll admit that I wasn't very familiar when I started my career as an elementary teacher. I don't feel that my undergrad training gave me that knowledge. #EduColor
A1. I was a classroom teacher for 11 years at schools with varying models of the inclusion model, so my experience with the IEP process is through that lens. #EduColor
It's mostly just one accommodation - peer notes. I feel so uncomfortable with the idea of making another student responsible for someone's education like that. I can't figure out why that sits so uncomfortably. #EduColor
I have a general knowledge of IDEA and student and parent rights, but admit that with all the IEP meetings I’ve been in, they always felt rushed and like I wasn’t getting the whole picture. #EduColor
A1: I have sound grasp of the rights of Ss with exceptionalities & a fair understanding of the ID process. Our board also has supporting documents to guide the process. #EduColor
A1. I'm in a role where I create/implement IEPs and my PhD is in ed psych with an emphasis in SPED. While I feel confident about the IEP process and IDEA, I am also confident that the intersection of race and ability is not discussed & considered enough #educolor
Well I've never heard of peers writing notes for students. If you have a coteacher, you can give them notes & they can provide a copy to student.
#EduColor
I think so. I’ve seen many instances where a student exhibits a behavior that the gen ed teacher is concerned about that doesn’t materialize in specials. This intel is super important to both understand where a student is & then planning an effective intervention. #EduColor
A2: In my experience, I feel like it varies by school. District has offered PD. Most of what I have learned have been from my colleagues that I work closely with. I can always learn more. #EduColor
A2 I've heard some districts include a session in new teacher training. I'm also interested in hearing what kind of PD you *wish* your district offered. #EduColor
A2 PD is offered yearly, and our lead Sped T is very responsive to me, but I often can’t correlate goals with standards I’m teaching. Ex: goals are sometimes unrealistic and beyond what the curriculum requires. It’s like I’m speaking a different language. #EduColor
It’s true that we often have a unique perspective on our students, and that sometimes we see different things during specials than in the reg. ed. classroom. And we do frequently communicate about them—just not during the official IEP meetings. @Dale_Chu#EduColor
In reply to
@calliembush, @MoniseLSeward, @Dale_Chu
A2: I don't know that my certification program or any PD prepared me very well. I had paras in my room with absolutely no idea what they were supposed to be doing, or what I was supposed to be doing. I feel like I'm far better now, mostly through my own pursuit. #EduColor
PD that district offers as choice has been developed by teacher leaders. We also make sure all our faculty new to the building becomes familiar with our #sped faculty, no matter their role. #EduColor
I got paid to share my notes with a student in college (by the office for student accommodations). It actually helped me as well as I felt accountable to be present, focused on key information, and present it legibly. #EduColor
In reply to
@MoniseLSeward, @EduColorMVMT, @Sneffleupagus
A2. To be quite honest, when I was a teacher, I didn’t have a lot of PD for SWD beyond compliance. I think that was probably due to high-stakes testing. #EduColor
A2: Very little PD in general, on anything that matters, including SPED. Nevertheless, I find it not too difficult to reach out for the help I need, either to specialists in the school, families, &, of course, to the children themselves. #educolor
A “unique” and VALUABLE perspective. I had students who were referred for bad behavior, but were angels with the music teacher or librarian. Turns out, the issue was not the student, but rather adult-student relationships. #EduColor
In reply to
@lkstrohecker, @calliembush, @MoniseLSeward
A2: Mandatory training for coteachers. #GenEd teachers need to accept that we are certified & degreed. We have content knowledge. We are there to serve all students. Don't make our jobs harder by refusing to collaborate.
#EduColor
A2 It has been a long time since my district has offered quality PD for GenEd teachers supporting SWDs. Lots of round robin reading of articles and the like. Our union has bargained the creation of a PD team to these kinds of deficiencies. #EduColor
A2. I just learned to actually READ and follow the IEP, maintain open communication with families, celebrate all victories, and just always try to make sure my decisions for them were empowering and not harmful. #EduColor
A2: IEP goals are different from standards bc they are based on what the student needs. You can collect work samples that correlatw to goals.
#EduColor
A2 I think this varies in my district. I know our #GenEd and #SpEd teachers work very closely together, but as a specialist, my PD offerings often differ from both of those groups of Ts. #EduColor
We have required PD every year at the beginning of the school year. It is offered as optional PD when we have PD throughout the year. (Sign up for what you want to know more about) Also our Instructional Support teachers are always available to give support. #EduColor
A2 my go to for resources is https://t.co/70MfnhJzNd which our office of SPED supports. As a non-policy wonk, I really appreciate the plain English of these resources #educolor
A2. An issue w/ SPED PD is that only SPED teachers view themselves as SPED teachers, & some GenEd teachers don't think the work/ strategies apply to them/their classrooms. Strategies that support SWDs support all Ss. We have a collective responsibility to serve ALL Ss. #educolor
I’m gonna put this out there because some of you need to hear this:
All teachers need to start thinking of themselves as special education teachers.
Even though not all of us have licenses, we need to seek guidance on how best to serve our special needs kids.
A2: PD is often general #educolor -I wonder how impactful it might be if we had conversations about who is more likely to be diagnosed with learning exceptionalities, how segregation in society leads to missed opportunities to be culturally aware & how this leads to Spec Ed diag?
I’ve found “bad behaviors” are most often about the adult-student relationship. How we see Ss is what they become. It’s always related to our perception. #educolor
In reply to
@Dale_Chu, @lkstrohecker, @MoniseLSeward
This can absolutely happen. Sometimes a different dynamic, environment, or teacher can make a huge difference for a child. Specials can also be a bit less academically demanding at times, and often play to students’ areas of interest outside of school. #EduColor
In reply to
@Dale_Chu, @calliembush, @MoniseLSeward
And I would add overrepresentation of wealthy kids in SPED. I see that at my school. Parents with $$$ get SPED designation for their kids & hoard resources while families with more need for SPED but less ability to get the diagnosis go without. #Educolor
Yes! Without question the strategies you use to support the identified SWD in your GenEd Class will be helpful to other students in your class. Good teaching is good teaching. #educolor
A2. An issue w/ SPED PD is that only SPED teachers view themselves as SPED teachers, & some GenEd teachers don't think the work/ strategies apply to them/their classrooms. Strategies that support SWDs support all Ss. We have a collective responsibility to serve ALL Ss. #educolor
I completely understand! I want to truly believe our SpEd certified teachers received the training they needed. The rest of us just kinda had to feel our way through the dark. #EduColor
A1. I was a classroom teacher for over 10 years, and many of my students had IEPs. I know a bit. Always trying to learn more, and I'm sure tonight will help. #EduColor
This is so true! I often find that many of the accommodations specified are very simple strategies that I regularly use with all students anyway. #EduColor
A2. An issue w/ SPED PD is that only SPED teachers view themselves as SPED teachers, & some GenEd teachers don't think the work/ strategies apply to them/their classrooms. Strategies that support SWDs support all Ss. We have a collective responsibility to serve ALL Ss. #educolor
Yes. And when the gen ed and specials teachers get on the same page – sharing ownership equally for the success of their students – then some of these special education referrals can be headed off at the pass. #EduColor
In reply to
@lkstrohecker, @calliembush, @MoniseLSeward
A2: reading IEPs should be done during preplanning. #GenEd teachers should be required to meet with coteachers to review them so they can plan accordingly.
#EduColor
Really? That’s awful! I noticed the opposite. I saw some low SEL families never want their students dismissed from SpEd because of the heck’s they received. #EduColor
In reply to
@LadyOfSardines, @NellyKaakaty, @MoniseLSeward
I did attend a fantastic PD session this past spring focusing on our students with autism, and I learned so much. I can’t recall anything that stands out nearly as much prior to that. #EduColor
Absolutely - Special Education should be a part of pre - service education. No one should be trained to be a teacher without doing Special Ed with a critical anti-oppressive lens #EduColor
I agree. But I remember many school years when the blue folder was delivered while I was in the middle of teaching well after the school year started. I know it should’ve been done differently, but I don’t blame anyone. I blame our system. #EduColor
This is certainly the case sometimes, but we usually go through an involved documentation process and implement a number of interventions before jumping straight to an evaluation. #EduColor
In reply to
@Dale_Chu, @calliembush, @MoniseLSeward
A1: Fairly high level of implementation. Funding I’m a little behind in legislative/fiscal updates. Legal I feel competent. I’m also parent of a child with a 504. #educolor
A3: I analyzed my school in US - suspensions, SWDs, G/T. All had disproportionate representation - higher suspensions/SWD & lower G/T - with Native American being the most skewed, followed by Black, then Latino/a students. #EduColor
A3. I’d say the numbers were proportional to our school demographics when I worked in a community school. My last 2 years as a teacher were at a STEM magnet that didn’t have many students identified as SWD. #EduColor
A3. Thank you for this question. It definitely made me pause. While I don't know for sure, I feel like our SWD population may be at a larger percentage. Our school is also predominantly latino/african-american and over 80% free and reduced lunch. #educolor
Q3 This question makes me want to request some demographic information from my administration about or #SpEd enrollment. I honestly can’t say overall if there is overrepresentation of certain groups! #EduColor
I remember nearly crying with from frustration one year because one of my immigrant students desperately needed to be evaluated, but couldn't unless she was failing a class, but she couldn't fail a class if she was making an effort because of her ELL designation. #EduColor
In reply to
@lkstrohecker, @Dale_Chu, @calliembush, @MoniseLSeward
A3: My school is mostly white & Asian & very high SES. Asians are significantly underrepresented, I would say, & whites overrepresented in SPED population. I think SPED dynamics in rich schools like mine are a whole other ball of wax, though still riddled racism. #educolor
Makes sense. I’m onboard if the documentation process serves to help the student. Less so if it’s simply a means to “slow down” the referral process. #EduColor
In reply to
@lkstrohecker, @calliembush, @MoniseLSeward
A2: Our district provides a lot of PD for strategies to use when working/building relationships with SWD, however I do feel That it is too often EC teachers are the only to attend and that they aren’t advertised enough to Gen Ed teachers #educolor
We have robust PD, several times a year. We collaborate monthly or more as needed. All Gen Ed teachers are aware they need to see themselves and work with kids as Spec Ed T’s. #Educolor
This is such an interesting observation, Ursula. My school has a good deal of economic diversity, and I would be curious about this dynamic in our population. #EduColor
In reply to
@LadyOfSardines, @NellyKaakaty, @MoniseLSeward
@EduColorMVMT A3: I'm at a school w/large Latinx population, so our SWD population mirrors that but I have reservations. I want to see proof they received quality ESOL svcs.
#EduColor
Q0 I am a case manager for an online high school in Texas. My youngest son has ADHD so I’m extremely sensitive to parent/ teacher interaction. I’m here to contribute and stop living on an island #educolor
A3 I would say our school has a variety of students that are considers SWD but I am also almost positive it is not in proportion to our demographics. I am positive that with an AA pop of around 20% there are way more than 20% in Special Ed. #EduColor
A3. For many of us, this raises questions about the specific demographics of our schools. If you teach at a public school, that info can be found here: https://t.co/cn5pAbcZsB. You can compare data on SWD to school demographics (also there, important data on discipline) #EduColor
Do you feel like your school is equipped to the address the needs of English language learners who do indeed have disabilities, especially language-based? #EduColor
A3 SPED population is reflective of our student body at large in terms of race or ethnicity. However, and this is conjecture on my part, low SEC incidence for SWDs #educolor
My para at the time tried to reach out & get information about the Ss home life and what we'd heard was... not conducive to her getting the help she needed. #EduColor
In reply to
@MoniseLSeward, @EduColorMVMT, @lkstrohecker, @Dale_Chu, @calliembush
A3: Black Ss are disproportionately diagnosed with Special Education needs. This, like Black Ss underrepresentation in gifted programs, reflects systemic anti-black racism. #EduColor
A4 This question is giving me pause. I honestly feel like I can’t answer it, which indicates to me that we probably need to be having more conversations. #EduColor
I just started, but Im hesitant to refer any student who speaks multiple languages, especially if their parents only speak native language/limited English. If they get good foundation in PreK/K they should be fine.
#EduColor
A3: Our school’s % of SWD is somewhat heightened, we are the location for one of the three middle school classrooms in our district that are specialized for students with autism. #educolor
I've served a large number of students with IEPs in my classroom and learned a lot about SWD and IDEA from my friends who were in self-contained classroms as well as co-teachers in my school. #EduColor
A4: we need to be aware of issues of disproportionality in SPED, but we can’t let it get in the way of children of color getting the services if they need them. My fellow white privileged parents get their kids evaluated without any questions or pushback #EduColor
I'm sorry to hear this, Shelby. Was admin able to help? Too often, principals and VP's don't necessarily see this as their role, but I would argue this is where leadership can really make a difference for a child. #EduColor
In reply to
@Sneffleupagus, @MoniseLSeward, @EduColorMVMT, @lkstrohecker, @calliembush
A1: I've served a large number of students with IEPs in my classroom and learned a lot about SWD and IDEA from my friends who were in self-contained classroms as well as co-teachers in my school. #EduColor
A4: With conversations, we have been able to have conversations where SWDs are included in broader conversations about equity. There is always room for additional work: Which Ss are id'd as SWD? What exceptionalities? How does family efficacy play into this? #EduColor
This was 5-6 years and another school ago, but I don't remember admin helping at all. We had suddenly turned into a majority Latinx school overnight and there were some very steep learning curves. #EduColor
In reply to
@Dale_Chu, @MoniseLSeward, @EduColorMVMT, @lkstrohecker, @calliembush
Right now my school/system is having a conversation about discipline and race discrepancy. The discussion about #sped and race took place some year ago with a lawsuit. #MadatoryPD#Educolor
A4: What little I was able to do at my last school was advocating for SWD to receive access to our school Collaboratory. Some of their teachers were hesitant at 1st, but realized hands on learning and collaboration was very beneficial for their students. #Educolor
Have to leave a bit early. :( Thanks for the amazing chat! So grateful to be able to connect with so many remarkable people, doing amazing work for kids! Have a great night everyone, will def be scrolling #educolor later to catch the rest.
Here's a recent piece on 504's, but the idea is similar with more affluent parents seeking them to ensure their kids can get accommodations for testing https://t.co/HU0PWvei3S#EduColor
I see this sometimes too. Sometimes looking for something to get more time to make an A instead of because the student really has deficiencies. May settle for a 504 if can’t get and IEP #Educolor
A4: We have had conversations and moved to including SWDs in broader conversations about equity. There is always room for additional work: Which Ss are id'd as SWD? What exceptionalities? How does family efficacy play into this? #EduColor#Educolor
a5. I've had the opportunity to teach in inclusion classrooms and am thankful for that chance. I learned so much from our SWD, they made me a better teacher. I very much enjoyed my time I with @RumleyAu's class and hope I can find a way to get in there more this year. #educolor
My son’s district classified him as 504 so that he can be tested as gifted. I tried to share with them as a fellow teacher that there is a such thing as twice exceptional. #mythbuster#educolor
A5 This is my first year coteaching, and my coteacher is new. Still trying to get a rhythm. Ss are great, but we are still trying to find the best strategies that work for our kids. #EduColor
Every child has special abilities and special needs. When we focus on educating with that in mind instead of focusing on labels, every student will succeed. #EduColor
Q4. Unfortunately, those conversations aren't happening where I am, either. The anti-racism work I do is with the organization @bordercrossers. We conduct anti-racism training for educators & touch on the intersection of race & ability, but keep the focus on race #educolor
#EduColor A1: I trained with my SPED colleague on effective coteaching strats in Y1 @ a new school & #SIOP for Y2. As a general ed sci teacher committed to #equity that was HUGE! It reassured me that I made the right choice to move to that district to be an "inclusive EarthSci T
A5 One question I often hear about co-teaching in an inclusion classroom is how to make co-planning work. Questions also often arise about the responsibilities of each teacher—and the emphasis on "our kids," not "your kids" and "my kids." #EduColor
Ahh, I hate that it had to come to that! This is such a critical conversation that we can't let it be a retroactive one. People in positions of power have to be intentional about making this a priority. #EduColor
A5 I did co-teach and with two different teachers the experiences were completely different. We really had to focus on working as one and complementing each of our expertise areas #educolor
But look at who is doing the referring. What are their teaching styles like? Little patience? Expect complete silence? 100% compliance? *We* have some issues that cause kida to get referred.
#EduColor
I have taught co-taught classes since my 1st year (now year 10) My thoughts are... The selection process should be just that a process. Just throwing Ss in a room won’t work. Consider # of Ss, needs, and time of day. I could write all day about this.#Educolor
Paras. There was always one designated to the inclusion classrooms without any real indication of what they we supposed to do, and "inclusion" classes were all students w/504s or IEPs, and maaaybe 1-2 gen.eds. #EduColor
A6 @ncldorg will have free resources for K-12 #gened teachers to support students with learning and attention issues in 2019, but some resources for now: (1/2) #educolor
A4:I do think we could always use more discussion about how to best serve SWD...Our school has been talking about building relationships with our students and I think this is extremely important for our SWD. They have to trust you in order for them to learn from you. #educolor
#EduColor A3 Our SWD is diverse racially the perception is not the same mainly because there are multiple designations for it. It is strange b/c the biggest challenge is not OVERrep in SPED but UNDERrep in GT & AP/Honors by race
