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Fall / Winter 2008
| The Power of Peers at Emerald Cove Middle School |
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Emerald Cove Middle School (ECMS), in Wellington, FL opened in the Fall of 2007 as an inclusion-ready school. The principal, Dr. Nancy Lucas, asked the Palm Beach County FIN team to provide training for the staff on inclusive best practices. Before the students arrived during the fall of 2007, teachers learned many ways to support the wide range of students with disabilities who were enrolled at the school. Each staff member reflected that inclusion was a priority topic, and so it began.
The ESE and general education teacher teams throughout the school embraced the philosophy of "our" students, not "your" students or "my" students. Two teachers who represented this shift in thinking are Mrs. Gerard, a teacher of students with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Mrs. Cahl, a teacher of students with intellectual disabilities. Following is their story of how peer supports truly can make a difference:
“The Social Inclusion Project Club" was a HUGE Success. The students in Mrs. Cahl’s and Mrs. Gerard’s classes gained many important skills this year through bonding and building friendships with general education students. We paired five general education students with one child with a disability to be their friendship mentor. The 25 general education mentors sat with them at lunch, said 'Hi' to them in the hallways, modeled how to build upon friendships created during monthly club activities, and encouraged them at Special Olympics events. The students went on many fun social trips into the community: Lion Country Safari, Rapids Water Park, and the Silver Screen Movie Theater. They also participated together in many naturally-occurring school functions: dances, recreation nights, and sporting events.
We finished off the year at our End of the Year Awards Dinner at Red Lobster. The parents of the general education students took great pride in watching their children receive awards for caring, kindness, and showing compassion for others. The parents of the students with disabilities showed great pride in their children's social/emotional growth through participating in this project. Some students received awards for most improved social/personal student, funniest student, etc. and all went home with a smile on their face"!
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Students with ASD playing table games with their peer buddies. |
Students with ASD at Autism Walk with peer buddies and chaperones. |
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Students with ASD and intellectual disabilities enjoying watersports with their peer buddies. |
Student with intellectual disabilities playing table hockey with their peer buddies. |
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Students with ASD watching a track meet with their peer buddies. |
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Submitted by: Marilyn A. Schiavo, PBC FIN Facilitator
October 2008
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| Broward County's You Make a Difference Award Winners |
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The Florida Developmental Disabilities Council (FDDC) sponsors the You Make a Difference Award to recognize educators who demonstrate excellence in the practice of educating students with developmental disabilities in inclusive settings. The FDDC is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to support innovative initiatives that enhance independence, productivity, inclusion, and self-determination of individuals with developmental disabilities in all facets of community life.
We are happy to announce that there were three 2007-2008 You Make a Difference Award winners from Broward County Public Schools! They are Gayle Moscatello, Kindergarten Teacher, from Silver Ridge Elementary in Davie, and the team of Corrie Anderson-Lohr, ESE Teacher for students with autism, and Sheree Schulson, 4th Grade Teacher, from Parkside Elementary in Coral Springs. These outstanding educators were recognized in June during a statewide awards luncheon sponsored by the FDDC and again by Broward County's School Board on September 23, 2008. The Florida Inclusion Network is very proud of their efforts and commitment to include all students into their school community!
Gayle Moscatello was nominated for the You Make a Difference Award by Silver Ridge Principal, Marion Gundling. She teaches an inclusive kindergarten class of 15 students, three of whom receive ESE services. Mrs. Moscatello believes that all students can be successful, vital members of her classroom community and holds high expectations for each of her kindergartners.
Mrs. Moscatello is quick to share that her success in the classroom is the result of a collaborative effort. Through collaboration with the speech/language pathologist, occupational therapist, ESE teacher, ESE specialist, vision teacher and paraprofessional, she is able to adapt instruction and activities to meet the needs of all students in the classroom. A quote from parent Beth McCullough's award nomination support letter says it all: “Mrs. Moscatello is a fabulous teacher and a leader in her field. Her experience, insight, and ability to focus on each child’s strengths are demonstrated by the success of her students”.
The dynamic duo of Parkside Elementary's 4th grade teacher Sheree Schulson and ESE teacher Corrie Lohr are Broward County's other award recipients.
Ms. Schulson and Ms. Lohr believe that, in order for inclusive education to be successful, all students must feel comfortable and part of a learning environment. When the children with disabilities feel safe and accepted among their peers, then academic learning begins. The process used to achieve this was multi-layered and included a multitude of academic and non-academic activities. Students participated in activities to develop relationships among peers during and outside of the school day. The culminating activity was a showcase of performances filmed and premiered during a red carpet event. Songs, music, poetry, and artwork were presented, and captured the “See How We Fit Together” experience. The project was a success and celebrated the uniqueness of all participants!
Ms. Schulson and Ms. Lohr list the following benefits of their inclusive practices:
friendships were developed,
independence and academic achievement were enhanced,
students with autism gained communication skills, and
students with physical challenges were motivated to navigate stairs.
And another great outcome: Their success has motivated others teachers to develop inclusive practices!
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Sheree Schulson works with students at Parkside Elementary |
Corrie Anderson-Lohr works with students at Parkside Elementary |
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Sheree and Corrie visit NASA with their students! |
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Submitted by: Barbara Krakower, FIN Facilitator, Broward County Public Schools
October 2008 |
Inclusion at Piedmont Lakes Middle School |
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During the 2006–2007 school year, the Piedmont Lakes Middle School (PLMS) ESE and administrative team decided to be proactive by initiating an inclusion model for their students with varying exceptionalities. Many of these students have multiple disabilities, including language impairments, specific learning disabilities, and autism spectrum disorders.
In the spring of 2007, Mr. David Magee, Principal, and his leadership team attended a Flexible Scheduling workshop to learn ways to better support students with disabilities to be included in general education classrooms. The first step was for the team to individualize the placement of 270 students with disabilities (22.5% of the school population) into general education classrooms. The goal was to match not only students to teachers but to ensure that the ratio of students with and without disabilities was satisfactory in each classroom.
Next, during the summer of 2007, six teams of general (core academic) educators and eight ESE teachers attended a Collaborative Teaching workshop at their school. This training provided opportunities for general education and ESE teachers to share teaching styles, grading systems, classroom procedures, and learning expectations. They examined support facilitation and co-teaching models and decided which would work best in given situations. By the end of the training, two mindsets had merged into one working model that would benefit students with and without disabilities. Before the school year began, a positive tone had been set and the groundwork for teaching and learning had been laid.
Although it was not an easy transition, ESE teachers were learning how to manage and provide flexible supports to their students in general education classes. Even though the original plan was to implement a co-teaching model, budget cuts forced Piedmont Lakes to transition to a support facilitation model. At the beginning of the second grading period, general education and ESE teachers were provided with substitutes so they could meet to plan lessons, share information about specific student supports, and discuss ways to implement accommodations. This second meeting was helpful because teachers were now familiar with their students and their needs.
The students who had been in a self-contained setting the year before showed signs of elevated self-esteem as they learned to self-advocate. This mind-frame set a tone for the entire school which was reflected by a change in Level Three Discipline by 240 less referrals than recorded during the previous school year. However, two challenges remain: One, it is often difficult for the students to carry a heavier workload, and two, it is often a struggle for students to utilize organizational tools. Several workshops were held during the school year for the general education and ESE teachers to brainstorm strategies to help students become more successful in those areas. As a result, Piedmont Lakes has seen significant learning gains on the Florida Comprehensive Achievement Test: 2% in Reading, 4% in Math, and 5% in Writing!
PLMS is committed to the belief that progress is a process. The administration, faculty, and paraprofessionals continually seek to improve presentation of curriculum in such a way that all students are part of the learning team.
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6th grade Language Arts Teacher, Karen Bell and Support Facilitator, Dara Kaasa were nominated for Orange County Co-teachers of the 2007-08 school year! |
6th grade Mathematics Teacher, Erin Russell and Support Facilitator, Erma Braithwaite-LaMotte |