Moore School Using Data to Plan for Student Achievement By Mrs. Betler rentwood Borough SCHOOL DISTRICT NEWS
M O O R E
Moore School Using Data to Plan for Student Achievement By Mrs. Betler rentwood Borough SCHOOL DISTRICT NEWS
Brentwood Borough School District
If your child has come home recently and talked about their flex groups you may have wondered how the students are assigned to those groups or even what do they do during that time. In all of our grades we have been focusing on using data in order to help our students succeed. To that end, this school year we have expanded the use of the Measures of Academic Progress or MAP assessment from kindergarten through second grade to now include third through fifth grades at the elementary level.
The MAP assessment is given three times per year, at the beginning of the year, in January, and in April or early May in order to gauge student growth and achievement in reading and mathematics. The MAP tests in reading and in mathematics are reviewed together with the DIBELS( Dynamics Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) results, and classroom progress. Grade level teams of teachers along with the special education teachers, the reading specialist, the enrichment and English as a second language teacher meet to discuss all of the students and to work on a plan to meet their individual needs. Student
It’ s All in the Transition By Dr. Winiarski
In the area of special education, we talk about and plan for two big transitions in students’ lives: for five-year-olds we plan for transition from Early Intervention / Preschool to Kindergarten( school-age programming), and for 17-18 year olds we plan for the transition from school to work or life after graduation.
Traditionally, Early Intervention has referred to services for youngsters from birth to age 5. There has been an increased focus on providing services to students who show signs and symptoms of disabilities at very young ages. Think about Early Intervention as a program which targets symptoms of a disability while the child is very young with the goal that these interventions will address any deficits and will lessen or even negate the need for more involved interventions when the child is older.
Allegheny Intermediate Unit 3 is the agency that works with students with disabilities under the age of 5. These Early Intervention programs evaluate young children and develop educational plans to address delays. These plans are similar to the IEPs used in school-age programs. Prior to registering their child for kindergarten, parents are invited to meet with Early Intervention staff and staff from the school where the child will be attending kindergarten. At this meeting information regarding the student’ s specific
62 BRENTWOOD-BALDWIN-WHITEHALL
SPECIAL EDUCATION
groups are created based off of the discussion and students are divided up between teachers to work on various skills during their flexible group time.
In some grades, the teachers regroup the students and then divide them between the grade level teachers. In other grades additional personnel may be used to further group the students. Depending on the skills being instructed groups may be working on phonics, comprehension, novel studies, math fact fluency or even geometry or probability. Another positive aspect of the flexible group time is that students get to interact with peers and teachers that they may not see outside of lunch or recess.
Although the way that the groups are divide may vary from grade to grade one thing is consistent- the use of data to identify student needs and to make plans for student achievement! The teachers will continue to review data and to make the necessary adjustments to the groupings so that every child receives instruction that builds upon their skills and helps them increase their achievement.
challenges and needed supports are shared. This information is shared with the school district staff so the district can prepare for the student, review all information, conduct any evaluations that may be needed, and put in place the supports and services the student will be needing when he / she comes to kindergarten. This sharing of information and collaboration allows for a seamless system of supports that start on Day One of kindergarten and allow the student to begin their school career in a positive way.
Another big transition schools plan for in a student’ s life is the transition to life after high school. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act( IDEA) requires schools to incorporate a set of coordinated goals and activities into student IEPs that address a student’ s desired post-school outcomes. IEPs for all students over age 14 contain goals and activities relative to what a student would like to do after high school in terms of their education, employment, and independent living.
It isn’ t enough to simply be aware that teenagers need guidance to transition successfully from high school to the next phase of young adulthood; concrete action steps must be taken to guide and prepare teens for college and / or a career, and for independent living. Without this guidance, students with disabilities often flounder in high school and beyond.