If You Can't Graph It, It doesn't Count

To adapt a phrase by Tom Cruise’s Jerry Maguire, “Show me the data!”  Schools have become data-driven organizations.  We can no longer just say, “Johnny can’t read.”  We have to prove it.  And we have to clearly identify where the problems are through error analysis.  Does “can’t read” mean he can’t sound out words, doesn’t read fluently, or doesn’t understand what he read?  Is the content unfamiliar?  The reading level too high?  Is he a sight-reader?  Does he have working memory issues?  How does his inability to read play out in other subject areas?

Data can answer all of these.  But you have to know what to collect, how to collect it, how to graph it, and how to interpret it.  Should I use frequency data, latency, interval?  How many data points do I need to identify a trend?  And who has time to do all that? 

In the era of Responsiveness to Intervention, Child Study Teams, and clearly defined accountability standards for kids with disabilities, we have no choice but to use data to make sound educational decisions.  Looking at grades, test scores, and work samples won’t cut it.  Unfortunately, most of us are pretty uncomfortable with data collection and statistical analyses.

You don’t need a degree in Statistics to use data to your advantage.  Take a look at the online learning module offered by PLC Consultants.  It could be just what you or staff needs to take the guesswork out of data.

Assistive Technology

Therapists of all kinds in school settings “get” Assistive Technology (AT). Occupational therapists use adapted toys and modify school tools like scissors, pencils and crayons.  Special grips, braces, and weights help kids be more successful with school tasks.  Behavioral therapists employ weighted vests, soft brushes or squishy balls to soothe anxious or distracted kids.  Speech/language pathologists use switches, communication boards, and computers to support the communication needs of kids with disabilities.  Physical therapists’ vans are loaded with walkers, standers, chair wedges, and equipment that support large muscles for mobility and stability.

Assistive Technology makes advances every day.  It’s hard to keep up.  And if you’re a classroom teacher, knowing how to match the right tool for the right task to the right student, the challenges are compounded.  Most teachers use some form of AT without even realizing it.  Those colored overlays you use for struggling readers:  AT.  That large-print book for the kid with glasses:  AT.  The spell-checker that you provided to the kid finds editing more trouble than it’s worth:  AT.

With so many options available, it’s hard to know what tool, system, or program is best.  But there are several really good formats to guide you and the educational team through the process of selecting the right form of AT.  We have to take prerequisite skills, parent wishes, learning goals, budgets, and most importantly, the student’s needs and abilities into account. 

Chances are good your staff would benefit from a PLC about Assistive Technology.  Take a look at the online learning module offered by PLC Consultants.  It can put a spotlight on real answers to real problems with real kids. 

The Inclusive Classroom

Most everybody agrees with the idea of inclusion, but not everyone agrees on what inclusion looks like or how it’s implemented.  Research bears this out: most teachers believe inclusion is a good thing for students with disabilities; AND most teachers feel they lack the skills, support, or materials to make inclusion work in their classroom.

Many of us point to what we cannot change: staffing levels, equipment availability, improved facilities (“if only we had more fill in the blank”).  So we’re forced to think creatively in order to get kids with disabilities actively involved in the learning.  That likely means we need to change things up.  Universal Design for Learning (UDL) constructs suggest that we can change three things: (1) how we turn students on to the learning (engagement and motivation); (2) how we present the information (instruction); and (3) how students show what they know (expression).

But that’s not always easy.  Some of us thrive in a classroom of “controlled chaos” where students are participating in a variety of activities simultaneously.  Others prefer what appears to be a more structured approach.  If we are to include children with disabilities in our classroom and we are expecting them to do more than just be a physical presence, we need to stretch our imaginations and our boundaries. And maybe we need to be willing to take risks, fail, and try again.

Developing a truly inclusive classroom is hard work.  But others have done it successfully and we can too.  There’s no reason to reinvent the wheel when we have our collective expertise and creativity to rely on and to share.  PLC Consultants’ Module 5: The Inclusive Classroom provides the vehicle for ongoing, meaningful, and productive collaboration in a secure environment where sharing successes AND failures are an important part of the learning process.  Take a look.