Inclusive Arlington Tauna Szymanski and Alison Barkoff Arlington - PDF document

09/23/2015 Inclusive Arlington Tauna Szymanski and Alison Barkoff Arlington Inclusion Task Force September 21, 2015 ASEAC Meeting Overview • What is inclusion? • Why inclusion? • Best practices • What does the law say? • One vision for inclusion in Arlington 2 1

09/23/2015 Background • ASEAC’s charge: – Help APS best address students who have learning challenges or other disabilities that affect their access to education • How do we best educate students with the most significant challenges? – Self ‐ contained/resource classrooms? – With the rest of their peers? 3 What does inclusion look like? • Thasya: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u ‐ h66_0EE5k • Axel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyOK ‐ q_gGGE • Samuel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1J5tlUa 658 4 2

09/23/2015 What is inclusion? 5 What is inclusion? • A value 6 3

09/23/2015 What is inclusion? • Students with disabilities receive the support they need in regular, age ‐ appropriate classes in their neighborhood schools 7 8 4

09/23/2015 What is inclusion? • U.S. Department of Education – Full inclusion = placement of a student with a disability in a regular class 80% or more of the day • Not more costly than providing separate special education programs 9 What is inclusion? • Not a new or radical concept – Strongly endorsed by the federal government • SWIFT: www.swiftschools.org – Many school districts around the country have eliminated self ‐ contained classrooms and fully include ALL students • In VA: Montgomery County • In MD: Baltimore City, Alleghany County, Cecil County, Queen Anne’s County, Howard County 10 5

09/23/2015 “We know that when students with disabilities are held to high expectations and have access to the general curriculum in the regular classroom, they excel.” — U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan 11 Why inclusion? 12 6

09/23/2015 Why inclusion? • Children with disabilities – Higher reading and math scores – Better social and communication skills – Fewer referrals for disruptive behavior – Higher graduation rates – Greater likelihood of independent living after graduation 13 Why inclusion? • Children without disabilities – Test scores for the whole class rise in classrooms with fully included special education students – Promotes compassion and understanding of differences and natural human diversity 14 7

09/23/2015 Why inclusion? • Research on effects of segregation and isolation: – Make people feel angry, resentful, frustrated, hurt, different, inferior, worthless, unwanted, unaccepted, and ashamed • SWIFT Purpose Statement: “Inequality in education hurts.” 15 Research • The research on this issue is not just one or two studies – it is OVERWHELMING • Did you know…. – Not a single evidence ‐ based research study supports self ‐ contained classrooms – In other words, self ‐ contained classrooms are simply not evidence ‐ based 16 8

09/23/2015 Best practices 17 Best practices • Individualized supports and accommodations provided in the classroom, including OT, speech, social skills • Co ‐ teaching • Differentiated instruction • Universal Design for Learning (UDL) • http://swiftschools.org 18 9

09/23/2015 Not ‐ so ‐ best practices • Dumping students without providing the means for them to succeed – Physical presence is not sufficient • Expecting all students learn the same way • Watering down the curriculum • Not presuming competence – Presuming competence is the “least dangerous assumption” • Providing little or no training 19 What does the law say? 20 10

09/23/2015 What does the law say? • Individuals with Disabilities Education Act – Requires that children with disabilities be educated in the “least restrictive environment” – Schools must consider placement in general education, regardless of severity of disability – Standard for denying inclusion is very high: • Student can only be placed in a self ‐ contained classroom when (s)he cannot make educational progress, even with the use of all necessary supplemental supports, aids and services 21 What does the law say? • Americans with Disabilities Act – Prevents disability discrimination by state and local governments in all services and programs – Requires services in the “most integrated setting” appropriate – Requires “equal opportunity” to benefit from and reach the same level of achievement in public programs – Must make “reasonable modifications” when necessary to meet these obligations 22 11

09/23/2015 What does the law say? • US Department of Justice found Georgia in violation of the ADA for its statewide educational program for students with disabilities (GNETS) – Students unnecessarily segregated in separate schools or classrooms; lack of services and supports for them in neighborhood schools for inclusion – Students denied equal educational opportunity through GNETS’ less rigorous curriculum, inferior facilities (lack of library, labs, gyms), and lack of access to specials and extracurricular activities 23 What does the law say? • S.S. v. Springfield Public Schools (MA) • Nov. 12, 2014 Guidance from US Departments of Justice and Education highlighting separate and independent obligations under IDEA and ADA around effective communication for students with disabilities • Sept. 14, 2015 Policy Statement from US Departments of Education and Health and Human Services on Inclusion in Early Childhood Programs 24 12

09/23/2015 What does the law say? • Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act – Prevents discrimination on the basis of disability in all services and programs receiving federal funding – Similar obligations to Title II of the ADA and IDEA’s FAPE standard • Workforce Innovation and Opportunities Act – Focus on preparing students with disabilities for competitive, integrated employment – Requires opportunities for transition age youth including internships, summer jobs, etc. – Schools can no longer contract with sheltered workshops and youth under 24 must be provided experiences with real work before can enter sheltered workshops 25 “We conclude that in the field of education, the doctrine of ‘separate but equal’ has no place.” — Brown v. Board of Education , 347 U.S. 483, 495 (1954) 26 13

09/23/2015 Inclusion is a civil right 27 Inclusion is a civil right • Students should not have to earn their way into a general education classroom. It is a civil right. • US Supreme Court has said segregation of people with disabilities violates their civil rights and causes harm by: 1. “Perpetuating unwarranted assumptions that persons so isolated are incapable or unworthy of participating in community life” 2. “ Severely diminishing the everyday life activities of individuals,” including participating in school, working, being part of a family and developing social contacts 28 14

09/23/2015 Inclusion is a civil right • Excluded students are relegated to a devalued social role and taught dependence and subordination • Inclusion in schools is part of a broader civil rights movement for inclusion of people with disabilities in all aspects of society – Inclusion in school is key to preparing youth with disabilities for independent living, employment, building relationships with non ‐ disabled peers, and learning to make decisions and self ‐ advocate 29 30 15

09/23/2015 Inclusion in Arlington 31 Arlington Inclusion Task Force • Formed in June 2014 • Now 120 parents, teachers, community members • Goals: – Inform about the research and best practices for educating students with disabilities – Collaborate with APS • Disability focus, but relevant to English ‐ language learners, gifted students, others 32 16

09/23/2015 Task Force Activities • Community Outreach – Public speakers – Meetings with School Board members, APS senior administration, principals, PTAs – Facebook and Twitter • November 14 Inclusion Workshop (SEPTA ‐ funded) – save the date! • Statewide Task Force: Including Me in Virginia 33 Inclusion in Arlington • Arlington values • School Board: APS “is a diverse and inclusive school community, committed to academic excellence and integrity” 34 17

09/23/2015 Inclusion in Arlington • School Board priorities for this year: – Differentiation of instruction – Support strategies to improve student outcome • APS focus on educating the “whole child” – Developing empathy, becoming global citizens and leaders • High expectations • 2013 PCG Evaluation of APS Special Ed Programs – Arlington Tiered Systems of Support (ATSS) 35 Our vision • In 5 years, schools, principals, students, parents will be excited about educating students with significant disabilities in the general education setting with the supports they need to succeed • Have seen some real progress over the past year – Parents reporting more opportunities they didn’t have previously – School district is bringing a consultant on board to help teachers who request hands ‐ on support – Creation of a Work Group on Inclusive Practices 36 18

09/23/2015 Contact us/Learn more: Email: arlingtoninclusion@gmail.com Web: http://www.arlingtonsepta.org/ inclusion ‐ task ‐ force/ Facebook: Arlington Inclusion Task Force Twitter: @ArlInclusion 37 19