The State Office of Special Education will begin a series of professional development workshops on co-teaching in the St. Croix District, which will target co-teaching teams from each of the secondary schools, the district special education administrators, parents and selected district stakeholders. The initiative will be implemented in the St. Thomas-St. John District during semester two of this school year.
“A fundamental aspect of both the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and the No Child Left Behind Act is that all students have access to the same rigorous curriculum so that they can reach the high achievement expectations in the territory. Co-teaching is one such service delivery option for teaching all students with rigor and relevance, and it promotes the principles of inclusion and collaborative practice among teachers,” said State Director for the Office of Special Education Carrie Johns.
To insure co-teaching teams are prepared to implement this initiative with fidelity and that desired student outcomes are achieved, the Office of Special Education has procured the services of Dr. Deborah Harris Inc. to conduct a comprehensive professional development focused on teaching and planning in a co-taught environment. The training will take place over a four month period during which the participants will be introduced to the three major components of Revitalizing Instruction for Students and Educators.
“Component one will focus on accessing the appropriate framework for instruction; component two will focus on restructuring instruction so that teachers instruct for mastery and meaning; component three will prepare teachers to transform evaluation to match instruction; and, the fourth workshop will focus on understanding disabilities,” Johns said. “This professional development is intense, interactive and comprehensive. Additionally, coaching and support within the co-taught classrooms will be built into this professional development project.”
Johns encourages parents of secondary students to attend the informational meeting from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 20, at the St. Croix Educational Complex library.
For more information, contact Maureen Moorehead, district coordinator of special education, at 718-7997, ext. 241 or via e-mail at mmoorehead2@stx.k12.vi.
