West H.S. Special Education Dept.
Week of January 4, 2016
Revisiting Classroom Routines
Educational Leadership Pages 50-55
Most co-teachers agree that there just isn't enough time for co-teachers to appropriately and effectively preplan every aspect of every activity in every lesson. This lack of time leads co-teachers to turn to models that fail to maximize the benefits of a two-teacher classroom.
Wilson suggests that if co-teachers use their limited planning time to look at activities they routinely employ and develop new routines that make better use of both teachers, they can dramatically increase the effectiveness of their instruction with little expenditure of time.
A copy of this article is in your mailbox! (Sorry, there isn't a link available)
Professional Development Opportunities
SMART Boards 101
Participants can sign up for the PD in CiMS by searching for activity #1000021396.
The PD will be held at Hudson, Computer Lab #2.
Wednesday, Jan 13, 2016, 03:30 PM
737 East Hudson Street, Columbus, OH, United States
Special Education TBT
Department Updates
- Due to principals January 20th, and sent home January 27th.
Scheduling for 2016-17 School Year Has Begun!
- You should have received a scheduling matrix in your email to complete for each of the students on your Case Management roster.
- Please complete the matrix and return it to me by January 22nd.
IEP Day for Semester Two
- You should have received the form to schedule your second IEP day in your mailbox. If you need a copy, just let me know.
- If you took two IEP days in the fall, then you won't be able to schedule an additional day this semester.
January Special Education Department Chairs Meeting
The district Behavior Specialists recently created a "Behavioral Interventions and Supports" binder and has provided a copy to every high school. Our copy should be located with the compliance binders.
All special education teachers and tutors are required to meet with the building special education coordinator to review a draft of an IEP that we are currently writing. During this review, the coordinator will complete an 8-page review protocol from ODE. Contact Goldie to schedule your session.
All testing amendments must be completed before March 1st so that the student's test code is reported accurately to ODE.
The majority of the meeting was spent discussing requirements for Alternate Assessments. Here are a few key points:
- The testing window is from 2/22/16 - 3/24/2016
- Alternate Assessment kits will arrive in the building one week prior to the testing window. The building test coordinator will receive the materials.
- All staff who view or have access to the Alternate Assessment materials must sign a non-disclosure form.
- The same test security procedures as OGT and AIR must be followed for Alternate Assessments.
- The Alternate Assessment Coordinator for West High School is Jody Dickson. If you need to contact her with questions her cell phone number is 614-581-5665 and her email is jdickson9058.
- The district has decided to ONLY test students with 10th grade status (and upperclassmen that need to re-test). So if a student is in the 10th grade cohort but only has 9th grade status, then that student would NOT take the Alternate Assessment.
- Check testing pages before the Alternate Assessment window opens! If the student's testing page is not completed correctly in the IEP, then the student will have to test again.