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Case Study

SPELLING INCLUSION SUCCESS WITH FOUR C'S IN CONIFER COUNTY

Commitment
The process of inclusion began at the state and district administrative levels. Conifer County administrators decided to use the Neighborhood Inclusion Project, a model developed in collaboration with the state, through the statewide Coalition for Inclusive Education. Through the Neighborhood Inclusion Project, every community in the county developed a Pre-Kindergarten inclusion classroom. Children who would ordinarily be educated in a more restrictive environment were able to maintain a place in their neighborhood Pre-K programs, thanks to the willingness of administrators to support teacher training and development. The inclusion program began by bringing pre-K special education students into regular education Kindergarten classrooms. Additionally, Kindergarten students who were placed in Cedar Knolls School were able to matriculate into their neighborhood Kindergarten classrooms once teachers were trained and supported in the new inclusive classrooms.

Conifer County administrators and special education staff were committed to inclusion, not only in theory, but in practice as well, and they made the necessary sacrifices to build successful inclusive classrooms. For example, personnel had to be in place in order to facilitate a smooth transition. The county sent special education teachers, who were called Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) teachers out to their neighborhood schools, to observe and offer feedback and guidance to regular classroom teachers.

Weren't teachers' resentful of observers coming into their classrooms?

Naturally, at first there was a bit of confusion and resentment on the part of the regular education teachers. However, once they realized that the LRE teacher was not in the classroom for evaluation purposes, but rather to help the teacher meet the needs of all students, teachers began to welcome the addition of an informed, experienced special educator. As the Conifer County Linking Agent said, "once the LRE teacher established the fact that she is there to collaborate, and not to evaluate, things are much better. It's not about the teacher or her performance, it's about the needs of the student." Once teachers are able to work with LRE teachers, or inclusion facilitators, and are able to overcome classroom isolation, and fear of evaluation, having a classroom observer who is willing to provide direction for special education strategies, demonstrate lessons, and provide feedback becomes an asset in the classroom. Conifer County's Director of Special Education added, "Now we have teachers who are asking special educators to come in and observe."

Conifer County has committed itself to training paraprofessionals to work with children with disabilities in their general classroom settings. They arranged to train a team of teachers, (including the regular education teacher, special education teacher, paraprofessional, and "specials" teachers including art and physical education) to work together to determine accommodations, modifications, and instructional approaches that will permit the child to be successful in the general education classroom.

Specifically, Conifer County administrators and teachers believe not only in inclusion, but also in each child's involvement and progress in the general education curriculum. They are teaming and working together to create measurable goals, including benchmarks or short-term objectives, which meet the child's individual needs, and rely on the county's resources to support the progress of children with disabilities in the general curriculum, and allow them to benefit from instruction.

How does this type of collaboration affect the IEP process?
In Conifer County, administrators, as well as special and general educators believe that the IEP should be viewed longitudinally. Long-term planning over multiple years is necessary to ensure true and continued success. Conifer County is collaborating with university researchers to train paraprofessionals to adapt curricula into daily lesson plans which ensure that progress and instruction aligns with students' annual goals and objectives. As the case examples illustrate, in Conifer County the IEP is regarded as a vehicle which can be used to improve communication with parents, students, and educators regarding the critical knowledge and performance expectations for students with disabilities in relation to the general education curriculum.

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