|
Site Story: The Challenge of Implementation in a Small Site
Most of the 25 to 30 students in this EBD/Transition program have some type of diagnosed mental
illness such as depression, Tourette syndrome, autism, or obsessive-compulsive disorder. The skill levels and IQs range from borderline (mild mental impairment—MMI) to
extremely gifted. Students are between the ages of 15 and 22. Some students have earned all their high school credits but have chosen to defer their diplomas while developing
more transition skills. Most have not graduated from high school and will be enrolled in the program from one to four years, depending on their needs, achievements, and
attendance.
The program has three self-contained classrooms, each with 8 to 10 students, one licensed teacher,
and one paraprofessional. In addition, there is one full-time work coordinator, one full-time social worker, and one due-process lead/social worker. The typical school morning
teaches classroom transition skills such as real life or consumer math skills, writing for the world of work, employability skills, apartment search techniques, social skills,
cooking, and driver education. The afternoon has a heavy vocational emphasis with some students taking classes at a technical college, many holding competitive jobs, and
others volunteering and working in supportive environments.
The Barriers
In a world of smooth integration of graduation standards into the curriculum, the teachers would
simply match what they are doing in the classroom with the standards. In some areas of transition, this happens easily. For example, one of the Physical Education and Lifetime
Fitness standards requires students to create a post-secondary education plan, to develop job-seeking skills, to assess post-graduation needs, and to take part in
job-shadowing experiences.
Unfortunately, not all of the High Standards integrate this well. There are several reasons why.
First, transition programs have historically not offered courses in biology, chemistry, physics, or U.S. history. Second, the staff is not licensed in many of these content
areas: therefore they are not trained to teach and evaluate students in them. Finally, the needs of many of the students do not make integration of High Standards easy. Most
of the students are struggling to pass the basic skills test in math.
Integrating the Standards
The graduation standards journey began by reviewing student skill levels. The majority performed
well below their grade level in basic skill areas of reading, writing, and math. Therefore, it was not surprising that they struggled with the Basic Standards tests in all
areas.
As a result, basic skills became the focus of the graduation standards efforts. For 40 minutes per
day, students were grouped by basic-skill rather than social-emotional need. Classes were offered in all basic-skill areas, teaching skills needed to pass the Basic Standards
tests.
In addition to teaching basic skills, the site staff also focused on the High Standards. Unlike the
Basic Standards that fit with the skill levels of the majority of the students, they found the High Standards to be more of a challenge to integrate. Several teachers looked
at the existing curriculum and wrote performance assessments to meet the High Standards.
What Was Learned
It is important to keep in mind not only which standards match the goals of the program, but also
the skill levels of the students. Therefore, IEP teams must determine the level at which a student will be held accountable in the graduation standards. In instances where
students are capable of working on the High Standards in content areas that have not been included in the program curriculum, sites might look to itinerant educators, distance
learning, or community resources to help deliver the standards.
Regardless of the barriers programs face when trying to integrate the graduation standards in small
special-education program, decisions should be guided by the needs of the students. By focusing on a piece of the puzzle, a program can improve the quality of education.
|
