While only one parent showed up Wednesday for a parent informational meeting on co-teaching secondary students with diverse needs, the good news is three PTA president parents were there to pass on what they learned.
Co-teaching is the coordination and delivery of effective instruction by general and special education teachers. In co-teaching, instructional strategies are used to engage all students, which isn’t possible when only one teacher is present.
The forum for parents to give input was the beginning of a series of professional workshops in the St. Croix district for special education administrators, parents, teachers and selected stakeholders.
Carrie Johns, state director for the Office of Special Education, said a fundamental aspect of both the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) 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 consultant Deborah Harris, who has been in the field of special education for 37 years and is the mother of two sons with tourette’s syndrome, conducted Wednesday’s forum at St. Croix Educational Complex library. Harris, from Atlanta, Ga., is president of the consulting company, Deborah Harris Inc.
“Students’ interest in school is determined by how their needs are met,” Harris said.
The PTA presidents added a lot to the forum, bringing up issues such as behavior problems, normal growth and hormones in junior high, and taking away labels. The whole time Harris was making notes of everything on a laptop.
Anna Petersen, PTA president for Alexander Henderson Elementary School, said she felt there weren’t enough special resource teachers.
Harris said it is not always how many educators you have but how you use them.
The training will take place over a four-month period that began Thursday, during which the participants will be introduced to the three major components of Revitalizing Instruction for Students and Educators (R.I.S.E.).
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.
District Coordinator of Special Education Maureen Moorehead said that added coaching, mentoring and support in the co-taught classrooms will also be built into the professional development project.
“Our sole purpose is the child,” Moorehead said. “We recognize for the inclusive practice to work we need to be a team.” She said they hope to get more parents and feedback. “It is important to bring in parents at this level and hear their recommendations,” she added.
The State Office of Special Education-sponsored initiative will be implemented in the St Thomas-St. John District during semester two of this school year. For more about Harris’ company and services go to www.deborahharrisinc.com.
