Living the Speducator Dream

 Practicing Statewide Assessments with Accommodations in Small Group Here in Washington State, students take the Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBA) in grades 3-5, 6-8, and 11.  There are practice interim assessments on the SBA website , which you must have a login to access. After students are identified and their accommodations are loaded into TIDE, they are able to use accommodations while taking practice tests (interims)! This is a game-changer in preparing students for success. How do we expect them to use accommodations successfully (even if they use them in class daily with the Read&Write extension, for example), if they don't have an opportunity to practice with something that is formatted like the statewide assessment? Here's how we practice: 1. Over 2-3 opportunities, I pull them in a small group setting to walk through the accommodations and general test-taking strategies. 2. For students who qualify in math, they use the same 100s number table and multiplication...

 Read&Write  for Students  with Characteristics of  Dyslexia and Dysgraphia Why Read&Write? 1. Fosters independence And isn't that the goal? My #1 job as a special educator is to be sure that kids have tools to be successful without me - either in their gen ed classes or in the future as adults. It's important kids learn to use tools that they can use to support reading and writing tasks. 2. Gives kids access to text Across students' school days, if they can't access text (either in small group or in a general education setting), it is very difficult for them to be successful. In the gen ed setting, teachers often don't have time to read text aloud to them. Read&Write allows students to independently access texts: pdfs, Google Docs/Slides, webpages, etc. 3. Builds confidence with reading and writing tasks I've found that where students otherwise would attempt to fade into the background, Read&Write allows them access. Specifically with writing, k...

Core Content Review in Small Group/Resource Setting There are MANY ways to structure a small group resource setting. Service minutes may vary, student needs may vary, and IEP goals may vary. For my own elementary small group resource setting, in addition to providing explicit instruction on IEP goals, I feel very strongly that core content should also be reviewed. There are a few factors to consider when providing core content instruction in small group: 1- We obviously can't cover every grade level standard.  I prioritize based on what is most important, what is a foundational skill, or what may align easier to students' IEP goals. 2- As a special educator, my specialty is accommodations and modifications; I can find ways for students to access grade level content! Visuals, graphic organizers, manipulatives...these are all ways I can help students access grade level content. I love the challenge of finding effective strategies. 3- I don't expect mastery with this content...

 A Love Letter to DonorsChoose (Unsponsored!) I have created 9 projects through DonorsChoose, and ALL 9 were fully funded! The truth is that students with disabilities require special tools. Though my principal allots $200 per year for instructional supplies and resources, this money goes quickly. When I started in my current position 4 years ago, I had big visions for what I wanted students to have access to, including sensory and academic tools. Those 9 projects were funded between September 2022 and September 2023. (Not long after the final project was funded, I learned that my district does not approve of teachers submitting projects through DonorsChoose, so I stopped creating projects.) However, I'd like to share some of what I learned from the process. If your district allows use of DonorsChoose, PLEASE take advantage. What a fantastic resource! *One quick note is that all supplies  must stay at the school, even after the teacher leaves. But in my mind, this is ok! Stude...

  Special Education Case Manager  Data Collection Systems "Special Education case manager" is synonymous with detail-oriented, paperwork, and organization systems. I'm sure there are some Type Bs among us, but in Special Ed, there are always SO MANY things to juggle. Many of them are paper-based or on a spreadsheet. Here I hope to share some of the data collection systems that I have developed over the last 19 years. While I'm always tweaking the systems, for the most part, they're pretty effective (and efficient!). IEP Goal Data Collection Academic Data For academic data, I use a Google sheets document. The master tab includes a caseload list with exceptionality, teacher, and related services. Then there are 3 other tabs for testing accommodations (district-wide, statewide, and WIDA), and each student has his/her own tab with their IEP goals. This document is shared among all paras, and this is where we record student data. We aim to collect one data point for ea...

 Importance of Special Educators Building Relationships with  General Education Teachers Being a special educator can be isolating - especially if you are the only one in your building! Often, professional development or staff meeting topics don't apply to us. We are told to "join that group," even though it won't benefit us professionally. It's hard to feel like we're not on an island. For introverts like me, it can be difficult to meet people at work - especially in a new job/position/school. Also, I feel like I am on the go from the time I get there in the morning until the (late afternoon) when I leave. I often work through lunch, eating over my keyboard. Is that the right thing to do? Of course not! But there is always so much to do! As I reflect on the friends I have made across the years and across elementary, middle, and high school settings, though, I think about why it is so important to leave our comfort zones for personal and professional relations...