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PART 4: ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Community Resources 2

Co-Teaching Tips 3

Data Collection 4

Glossary and Acronyms 6

2009-2010 Staff 10

Teaching Assistants 13

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COMMUNITY RESOURCES

At times, a parent or teacher may ask the contact teacher for information regarding resources in the community. It is important that the contact teacher talks with the school counselor prior to suggesting any of these services. A referral process often needs to be completed for many of these resources. Your school counselor will be familiar with this process. Positive Solutions 686-7824 Behavioral Health Services of South Georgia 247-4440 Easter Seals 387-0505 Jacob’s Ladder Therapeutic Riding Center 794-1188 Ray City Clothes Closet and Food Bank 455-4411 Berrien County Health Department 686-5411 Department of Family and Children Services 686-5568 Health Plus 686-6979 Greenleaf Center 1-800-247-2747 Al-Anon 1-800-568-1619 Berrien County Hospital 543-7100 Victim’s Assistance Program 686-7856 Youth Empowerment Services-YES 686-6576 Georgia Relay Service for the Deaf 1-800-255-0135 National Society for Down Syndrome 1-800-221-4602 Valdosta Food Bank 244-267 Children’s Medical Services 245-4310 Nashville Alternative Service Center 686-2078 Georgia PINES 1-800-522-8652 LIONS Club 686-5948 Nashville Head Start 686-3085 Alapaha Head Start 532-5222 Pre-K Parent Coordinator-Robbin Lanier 686-7438 The Haven 244-1765 Kids Korner 686-7977 Helping Hands 686-2750 Ray City PreK 455-5933 Babies Can’t Wait 1-800-247-6538 Migrant Education Agency (MEA) 546-3248 Berrien County Schools Special Education Services and Supports 686-6567 Valdosta State University-Exceptional Students 333-5932 Department of Vocational Rehabilitation 386-3522 Valdosta Technical Institute 333-2100

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CO-TEACHING TIPS

1. All students have two teachers. Neither is referred to as “my co-teacher.” 2. Both teachers teach all students and are responsible for the success of all students. 3. Never refer to students as “your students” or “my students.” They are “our students.” 4. Maintain a positive professional atmosphere in the classroom at all times. 5. Discuss any differences of opinion with each other not with other faculty and staff members. 6. Maintain confidentiality regarding students (grades, labels of exceptionality, personal situations).

7. Both teachers should discuss and implement an agreeable classroom management system (structure,

rewards, consequences for inappropriate behavior, etc.) 8. Keep general expectations, procedures, daily routines, and other “housekeeping” duties consistent. 9. Co-Plan, Co-Plan, Co-Plan, at any and every opportunity. 10. All teaching materials and resources must be made accessible to both teachers. 11. Share teaching and the grading process to allow both teachers to become familiar with all students’

strengths and weaknesses. 12. Both teachers are responsible for teaching the entire class period. The instructional time is not a

break time for either teacher. 13. The expertise of each teacher is needed for the success of all students. Sharing respect and treating

each as equals provides an appropriate model of co-teaching for the students. 14. Students with special needs should not be grouped together in the classroom. Observers should not

be able to identify which students have special needs. 15. Small group instruction is beneficial for all students and is not limited to certain students. 16. Neither teacher in the co-teaching model of delivery will be treated, viewed, or considered as a

“glorified” teacher assistant.

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DATA COLLECTION

Please see your department head for guidance regarding data collection at your school.

Data collection refers to the method for continuously monitoring and documenting student progress. It should be specifically linked to instruction in the classroom and to IEP goals. Data should be presented and linked to instruction at all IEP meetings, particularly annual reviews when goals are reviewed and proposed for the next school year. The collection process does not have to be formal, but summative and formative data should be collected for each student. Summative data is collected at an end point when little can be done to remediate. However, formative assessments provide indicators along the way that allows a teacher to reteach and adjust instruction to the learning of the student. While summative data can be important, the formative data is instructionally critical. Data should be collected regularly on a schedule consistent with the type of data collected and the information needed. For example, writing samples could be collected monthly as indictors of progress in written language. On the other hand, data collection for reading fluency may be collected weekly or every 3 days to show effectiveness of a particular intervention. Older students can learn to monitor their individual progress, which is often a motivator for learning. Keep the data in a data collection folder for easy access. Some examples of data collection are:

1. STAR testing 2. DIBELS 3. Accelerated Reading 4. Report Cards 5. Progress Reports 6. Checklists 7. Carry Cards 8. Teacher Notes 9. Behavior Logs 10. Anecdotal Records 11. Portfolios 12. Writing Journals 13. Task Analysis Sheets 14. SRI 15. Ganske 16. Student work samples (weekly tests, spelling tests, writing activities) 17. Saxon Assessment Documentation Sheet 18. Reading inventories 19. Saxon grade placement tests 20. WADE (Wilson) 21. Edmark Student Booklet 22. Approved teacher-made data collection forms (Department Head will need to approve these)

Not all examples listed above provide quality information. While all can provide a form of information, not all provide information with enough integrity to make educational decisions. Know what contributes

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to the data and how it is compiled. For example, report card grades may tell you if the student is “passing” or “failing” a particular subject or class. But, the report card grades will not tell you if the student has missing assignments, if the poor grades are quiz or daily grades, if behavior or effort contributes to the grade, if there are skill deficits that need to be addressed, etc. Grades are not typically quality indicators. You should know that some assessments usually score “high” such as STAR testing and may indicate an inflated level of achievement. DIBELS measures only certain aspects of basic reading skills and does not measure whether or not a student can read for information (comprehension). Know your assessments, evaluations, and other data. Know the benefits and the disadvantages. Know that the information you collect actually measures progress toward specific goals and can tell you whether the instruction you are providing is contributing to the desired and expected progress. Organize your data collection into formats (charts, graphs, work samples) that can be shared with the student, parents, and other educators as visuals of the narrative/ discussion in IEP meetings. Data collection should reflect the present levels of performance and progress toward IEP goals. Collected data can indicate whether certain assistive technology supports are providing the intended assistance or whether the Behavior Intervention Plan is leading to improved outcomes. Data can also show whether testing accommodations are sufficient or could be reduced. Data can support instructional decisions. Little accountability is associated with how a teacher “feels” or “thinks” about a student’s progress. But, thoughtfully collected and documented data provides a powerful testament to what is happening in the classroom.

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GLOSSARY Accommodations: Changes or adaptations in teaching methods, classroom arrangement, classroom routines in order to help a child of children benefit from instruction. Assistive technology (AT): Any item a child needs to increase, maintain or improve how the child does in school. AT includes low-tech and high-tech items, from a calculator to a computer. AT also can mean services a child needs to help in choosing, getting, or using the item. Babies Can’t Wait (BCW): Georgia’s early intervention program, which provides supports and services to children with special needs (birth to age three) and their families. Behavioral Intervention Plan (BIP): The IEP Team makes a plan to help prevent problem behaviors. The plan helps a child learn new appropriate behaviors. A positive behavior plan is not a list of punishments. The plan uses information from a functional behavioral assessment. Child Find: A continuous process of public awareness activities, screening and evaluation desiged to locate, identify, and refer as early as possible all young children with disabilities and their families who are in need of series and supports. Consent: The parent tells the school in writing the parent understands and agrees to what the school plans to do. The consent form says the parent understands consent is voluntary, and the parent can take it back at any time before the school does what it plans to do. Parents can revoke the consent, but it does not cancel what the LEA has already done. Data Collection: Collection of specific information about a student’s development, academic progress, or behavior through assessment, observation, parent interview, etc. Data Analysis: Review of data to pinpoint trends, patterns, etc to use in making decisions regarding classroom strategies, accommodations, etc. Evaluation: When a professional gathers information about a child to decide if the child qualifies for special education or the kind and amount of services the child needs. Evaluation can be testing, observing, or talking to people who work with the child. Evaluation Report: The IEP team gathers all evaluation information about a child who is being evaluated. They work together to write a final report about the evaluation. The report includes whether the child qualifies for special education. Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE): Every child who is eligible for special education must receive a FAPE which means the school cannot charge for the child’s education, and that education must enable the child to be involved in, and make progress in, the general education curriculum. Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA): The IEP Team finds out what makes the child keep doing problem behaviors and how to help the child learn how to behave differently. General education curriculum: The curriculum taught in the regular education classroom.

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GLRS: Georgia Learning Resources System is a network of 17 centers throughout Georgia that provide training and resources to educators and parents of students with disabilities Home-based schooling: Parents choose to teach their child at home instead of sending their child to school to learn basic subjects. Homebound schooling: When the child’s IEP Team decides it is appropriate, the school teaches a child at home. The IEP Team’s decision must be based on the child’s needs according to specific guidelines for Hospital/Homebound services. Individualized Education Program (IEP): The plan developed by the child’s IEP team which indicates the child’s annual goals, and specifies the special education and related services which the child will receive. Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act, 2004 (IDEA): This is the law that governs how states and public agencies provide early intervention, special education and related services to children with disabilities. It addresses the educational needs of children with disabilities from birth to the age of 21. Itinerant instruction: Instruction that is provided by staff traveling to multiple schools or school districts and offer services in such areas as Visual Impairment, Hearing Impairment, Orientation and Mobility, Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, etc. LEA representative: A person on the IEP Team who has knowledge about, and can commit the school’s resources so that the child receives the IEP services. All IEP meetings must have an LEA representative. Least Restrictive Environment (LRE): LRE is a concept referring to the extent of removal of a child from education with children who do not have disabilities as little as possible. Placement: The range of available options that includes regular classes, special classes, special schools, home, hospitals, and institutions for the delivery of the child’s IEP services. Related Services: Things a child may need to benefit from special education. They are included in the IEP. Examples of related services are occupational therapy and physical therapy. RESA: Regional Educational Service Agency. CPRESA: Coastal Plains RESA serves Berrien County and is located in Lenox, GA. Response to Intervention: A multi-step approach to providing services and interventions to students who struggle with learning at increasing levels of intensity. The progress students make at each stage of intervention is closely monitored. Results of this monitoring are used to make decisions about the need for further research-based instruction and /or intervention in general education, in special education or both. Special Education: Specially designed instruction to meet the unique needs of a child with a disability. The services are provided at no cost to the parents. The services can be provided in many different settings.

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Supplementary Aids and Services: Services and supports provided in regular education classes and other settings to help a child with a disability be educated with children who do not have disabilities as much as is appropriate. Transition: Transition is the term for preparing a child for life after high school. Transition planning is a required part of every child’s IEP starting at age 14. Transition planning is also required for every child moving from Birth to Three Programs to a school’s Early Childhood special education. Sometimes transition planning happens when a child moves from one grade to the next, or one school to the next. Transition can also mean moving from one class to the next class in school. Georgia Alternate Assessment (GAA): State guidelines for testing children with disabilities who cannot take the regular required state tests. Acronyms: ADD Attention Deficit Disorder ADHD Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder AR Accelerated Reader AT Assistive Technology ATCC Assistive Technology Consideration Checklist AUT Autism BIP Behavior Intervention Plan BOE Board of Education BPS Berrien Primary School BES Berrien Elementary School BMS Berrien Middle School BHS Berrien High School CRCT Criterion Referenced Competency Test DIBELS Dynamic Indicator of Basic Early Literacy Skills DOE Department of Education D/HH Deaf/Hard of Hearing EBD Emotional/Behavioral Disorder EIP Early Intervention Program ELA English/Language Arts ELL English Language Learner EOCT End-of-Course Test ESOL English Speakers of Other Languages ESY Extended School Year FBA Functional Behavioral Assessment GAA Georgia Alternate Assessment Gen. Ed. General Education GHSGT Georgia High School Graduation Test GHSWT Georgia High School Writing Test GKIDS Georgia Kindergarten Inventory of Developing Skills GPAT Georgia Program for Assistive Technology GPS Georgia Performance Standards HI Hearing Impaired H/V Hearing/Vision IDEA Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

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IEP Individualized Education Plan ITBS Iowa Test of Basic Skills ITP Individual Transition Plan LEA Local Education Agency - The local school system LRE Least Restrictive Environment MID Mild Intellectual Disability MOD Moderate Intellectual Disability NCLB No Child Left Behind NOS Not Otherwise Specified NRT Norm Referenced Test OCD Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder OHI Other Health Impaired OI Orthopedically Impaired OT Occupational Therapist PDD Pervasive Developmental Disorder SESS Special Education Supports and Services PLAAFP Present Levels of Academic and Functional Performance PSC Professional Standards Commission PT Physical Therapy PTSD Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder RVI Related Vocational Instruction SDD Significant Developmental Delay SI Speech Impaired SID Severe Intellectual Disability SLD Specific Learning Disability SLP Speech/Language Pathologist Spec. Ed. Special Education SPED Special Education TBI Traumatic Brain Injury YES Center Youth Empowerment Services

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2009-2010 STAFF DIRECTORY

BOARD OF EDUCATION 686-2081 Superintendent Paula Raley Accounts Payable Rita Whilden Benefits Coordinator Lynn Hall Curriculum Director Dr. Lilli Drawdy Federal Programs Director Debbie Strickland FTE Coordinator Vanessa Conley Payroll Coordinator Bonnie Watson Personnel Director Dr. Florence Moffett Social Worker Cindy Perryman Technology Director Greg Fiveash Testing Coordinator and Pre-K Director Maria Bennett TRANSPORTATION 686-2527 Transportation Director Michael Powe SPECIAL EDUCATION SUPPORT AND SERVICES 686-6567 Special Education Director Dr. Doris Mann ESOL Coordinator 504 Coordinator Gifted Coordinator School Psychologist Mary Lang Secretary Marie Atkins Occupational Therapist Debi McTurk

dmcturk@bellsouth.net Physical Therapist Amanda Miller amandadeloachmiller@gmail.com

BERRIEN PRIMARY SCHOOL 686-7438 Principal Gail Melton Assistant Principal Tim Hughes Special Education Department Head Angie Griscom Speech Department Head (all schools) Janice Joiner Literacy Coaches Peggy Gaskins

Margo Mathis

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BPS SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHING STAFF Angie Griscom - Department Head Interrelated Janice Joiner - Department Head Speech/Language Pathologist Carol Hughes Preschool Handicapped Julie Smith Interrelated Missy Tucker Interrelated Michael Willis MOID/SID/PID BERRIEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 686-2939 Principal Angie Lovein Assistant Principal Belinda West Special Education Department Head Sam Roberts MOID/SID/PID Department Head Michelle Epps BES SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHING STAFF Michelle Epps - Department Head MOID/SID/PID Sam Roberts - Department Head Interrelated Debbie Browning Interrelated Orlene Harris Interrelated Cletia Mansfield Interrelated Rachel Railey Interrelated Regina Richardson Speech/Language Pathologist Crystal Webber Speech/Language Pathologist Melissa Williams Interrelated BERRIEN MIDDLE SCHOOL 686-2021 Principal Ross New Assistant Principal Robin Clanton Special Education Department Head Jamie Taylor Academic Coach Brenna Taylor BMS SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHING STAFF Jamie Taylor - Department Head Interrelated Dot Grant Interrelated Tom Lucas MOID/SID/PID Janet Moulton Interrelated Krystle Sapp Interrelated Drew Tankersley Interrelated Melissa Thomas Interrelated Brian Simmons Interrelated

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BERRIEN HIGH SCHOOL 686-7428 Principal Todd Bateman Assistant Principal Donya Gillespie Special Education Department Head Judy Player Academic Coach Michelle Garner Graduation Coach Kim Warrick BHS SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHING STAFF Judy Player - Department Head Harris Donaldson MOID/SID/PID Clifford Fedd Interrelated Donna Herrin Interrelated Matt Kimbrell Interrelated Mallory O’Brien Interrelated Jack Wilkerson Interrelated BERRIEN ALTERNATIVE SCHOOL Kelvin Blackshear Interrelated COUNTY-WIDE SPECIAL EDUCATION STAFF Krystal Gaither Speech/Language Pathologist Shae Groom Speech/Language Pathologist Marshan Sullivan Speech/Language Pathologist Cindy Tyus Visual Impairment/Blind Jo Wilson Deaf/Hard of Hearing

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TEACHER ASSISTANTS Teacher assistants may have several titles such as paraprofessional, instructional assistant, teacher’s aide or para-educator. In the Berrien County School System, we prefer to call these valuable assets to instruction “teacher assistants”. Teacher assistants provide supportive instruction (formerly known as inclusion) for students. What are some of the roles and responsibilities of teacher assistants?

providing instructional support (small group, one-on-one, etc…)

supervising students

assisting with classroom management and monitoring student behavior

accommodating/modifying materials

implementing behavior management plans

monitoring hallways, bathroom breaks etc…

collecting data on students

providing personal care assistance

scoring tests and completing other clerical duties

preparing classroom materials as requested by supervising teacher

consulting with supervising teacher

attending meetings

understanding and following instructions

maintaining a professional attitude

arriving to assigned class on time

remaining in assigned class the entire time

remaining on-task during the work day

respecting/adhering to confidentiality policy

completing other duties as assigned Who supervises and supports teacher assistants? Teacher assistants are supervised and supported by the teacher that he/she is working with directly. Clear communication and a good working relationship between teachers and teacher assistants are essential. Any difficulties should be discussed and resolved by the teacher and teacher assistant. If a resolution is not reached then the special education department head should be contacted to determine if the principal/assistant principal should be involved. Schedules for teacher assistants are developed by the school’s administration and the special education department head. What are some important classroom responsibilities for teacher assistants? It is imperative that teacher assistants are punctual, and that they remain in their assigned classes for the entire class period. Teacher assistants should be knowledgeable about the subject matter that is being taught and should request clarification when necessary. Teacher assistants should work with all students, being careful to not identify or single out students with special needs. Students with special needs should not be grouped together in the classroom. They should be disbursed in a normal fashion in the general education setting. Any contact with students’ parents will be made by the supervising teacher. Discipline should also be carried out by the supervising teacher. Verbal threats such as “I am going to call your mother“ do not have a place in the supportive classroom and are never made by a teacher assistant.

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CONFIDENTIALITY Teacher assistants are held to the same confidentiality policies as teachers, administrators and other staff members. This includes keeping confidential student information such as test scores, family information, medical history, and other information related to school services. Teacher assistants do not discuss students with people who are not involved directly with the students’ education. Examples of Breaching Confidentiality:

calling parents to discuss students

discussing students in the grocery store (anywhere)

talking about students in the hallway with other teachers/students

talking with teachers about students when the teacher does not teach them

discussing test scores, health, discipline etc... with anyone besides the supervising teacher