Inclusive Arlington Tauna Szymanski and Alison Barkoff Arlington - - PDF document

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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

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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?

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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

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What is inclusion?

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What is inclusion?

• A value

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What is inclusion?

• Students with disabilities receive the

support they need in regular, age‐ appropriate classes in their neighborhood schools

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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

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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

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“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

Why inclusion?

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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

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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

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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.”

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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

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Best practices

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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

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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

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What does the law say?

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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

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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

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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

• r 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

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What does the law say?

• S.S. v. Springfield Public Schools (MA)
• Nov. 12, 2014 Guidance from US Departments
• f 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

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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

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“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)

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Inclusion is a civil right

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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

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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

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Inclusion in Arlington

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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

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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

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Inclusion in Arlington

• Arlington values
• School Board: APS “is a diverse and

inclusive school community, committed to academic excellence and integrity”

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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)

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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

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Contact us/Learn more:

Email: arlingtoninclusion@gmail.com Web: http://www.arlingtonsepta.org/ inclusion‐task‐force/ Facebook: Arlington Inclusion Task Force Twitter: @ArlInclusion

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