With the release of the spring 2011 Ohio Achievement Assessment (OAA) and Ohio Graduation Test (OGT) scores, most districts were confronted with this uncomfortable fact:  They failed to meet Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) proficiency requirements for their students with disabilities.  And as a result, district and school report card ratings “slipped.”

 

Improving the performance of students with disabilities (SWD) is a serious challenge to districts and schools, especially since AYP goals increase dramatically from year to year.  For instance, acceptable SWD performance level on the 7th grade math OAA for 2010-11 was 68.4% proficient.  This year this subgroup must meet a 78.9% proficiency level.  For 2012-13, the proficiency level jumps to 89.5%.  These increases will, to say the least, require dramatic, and in today’s climate suspicious, improvements in performance.

 

Just a few weeks ago, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced that he will “unilaterally override” AYP performance goals under No Child Left Behind, which mandate that 100 percent of students be proficient in math and reading by 2014.  Duncan told reporters that he was acting because Congress had failed to rewrite the Bush-era law, which he called a “train wreck”.

 

 

But even with these alternative and arcane methods for meeting AYP requirements, most districts and schools will still struggle to meet AYP requirements over the next three years. What are schools to do?  Start by not blaming special education teachers.  This is a teaching problem not a teacher problem.  In order for students with disabilities to make AYP a system change is necessary-not a teacher change.  We need a collaborative system that includes strong regular classroom instruction, researched based intervention for skill deficits, and back up plans that address barriers to learning.  Here are four system changes all schools need to make:

 

 

We can sometimes forget that special education teachers are first and foremost teachers. They are the experts in intervention and support.  However, these experts often find themselves in the role as classroom aide.  In this role they help students maintain focus, follow class directions and instructions, complete assignments as well as provide accommodations and modifications. Supporting inclusion in this way is and will continue to be an important part of meeting student’s needs and allowing students to access core curriculum. However, an inclusion model alone does not address skill deficits that prevent success in the first place.

 

No student has ever been taught to read by having an intervention specialist whisper in their ear during regular classroom instruction! When intervention specialists provide direct instruction to correct skill deficits, students become readers and thinkers and better students. Every student has the right to learn how to read. For students who are not responding adequately to regular classroom instruction, the opportunity for intensive specialized instruction with the intervention specialist must be in place.  When special educators establish themselves as experts in intervention and support, they become more valuable to the general education teacher. In this manner we are honoring both the skill of the teacher and the needs of the students.

 

Students who lack foundational skills in literacy are often viewed as lazy, incapable, and unmotivated.  To make stronger students we need to make stronger readers. Knowing how to read may be the ultimate “power standard”. The time required to provide intensive reading instruction must become a priority within the daily schedule. As reading skills improve, struggling students become more confident, allowing them to participate more meaningfully in class, attempt grade level tasks independently, and demonstrate increased stamina.

 

It is imperative to expose SWD to grade level standards, material and conversations. Remember, that a non-reader is not a non-thinker. Educators cannot wait until students learn to read to teach them grade level content.  Poor readers are often tracked into low performing groups, reducing opportunities for exposure to grade level vocabulary and grade level thinking. Poor readers need opportunities to hear grade level text, complete grade level work, and participate in collaborative groups. To honor students they must receive corrective instruction as well as opportunities to fully participate within the classroom.

 

 

We need to ensure that special education is not a watered down version of the curriculum.  Expectations for students with disabilities are often lower than for typical students. Students that are significantly below grade level may show great progress, yet may not be narrowing the achievement gap that exists for them. We need to maintain a high level of expectation for students with disabilities. While accommodations, modifications and supports are critical to leveling the playing field for student with disabilities, high stake testing is the same for all. We must keep in mind the rigor needed to successfully complete grade level tasks. All students and all teachers must experience what proficient grade level work looks like.  To honor the curriculum special education and regular teachers need to provide models of proficient work and scaffolding opportunities for students with disabilities.

 

 

In order for students with disabilities to be successful, external and internal barriers to learning must be addressed. In the classroom, struggling students are often impacted by one or all of the following internal barriers: a lack of foundational skills, focus, attention, and/or stamina. In addition, external barriers also exists that impact a student’s ability to be successful.

 

We must address the internal barriers to learning in order to enable students to access and benefit from core instruction. Lagging skills in the areas of foundational skills, attention, focus and stamina may cause students to appear lazy, unable to follow directions, off task, and/or unable to initiate or complete assignments in a timely manner. The inability to read on grade level is often the biggest barrier to success.  When a student is not able to read on grade level work may take to two to three times as long to complete.  Classwork and assessments become a source of frustration.  Students often give up, not reading any or all of a text, guess at answers or just quit altogether.  As a result, assessment data may not give an accurate picture of the student’s abilities. SWD will continue to need frequent checks to follow class instruction and remain on task. Class work and assessments may need to be chunked, directions broken into simple steps, and additional time given for students to process information.