Say what? Not really, but SpEd (special education) is definitely in vogue in "The County". From developmentally delayed students to students who never learned to read, the school psychologist and his minions brand these students with an IEP (individualized education plan) and group them all into SpEd.
Who gets put in SpEd? The girl with orthopedic problems, the developmentally delayed girl, the epileptic boy who suffers from absence seizures, kids with anger/behavior issues, and hundreds of kids who are in high school but cant read or read at a 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th grade reading level.
To make the task of educating "diverse learners" even more interesting, this God fearing state took hold of the gospel of "no child left behind" and went forth to make disciples with the doctrine of "inclusion". What is inclusion? It means that all of the gifted SpEd students, yes even the ones who cant read, take all of their classes with the "regular" students. Since the diversity of my classroom contains so much variety, I had to alter the complexion of my interventions. For example, with collaborative learning groups I make sure that a student who can actually read is the group reader, and a student who can listen, understand, and communicate effectively is the group presenter. Let's not forget about Billy or Suzie, that guy or gal who "struggles" with reading. His or her job is the group questioner. When Group A is stumped Billy can raise his hand for assistance from the teacher, and nobody needs to find out that Billy is in the 9th grade and reads at a 3rd grade level. Inclusion success? The jury is still out on this one.
To include or not to include, that is the question. If inclusion does not help SpEd students improve both socially and academically, then the doctrine of inclusion should be revisited. As it is, inclusion means more planning on the front end for teachers and ultimately more paperwork. This takes time, a precious commodity that teachers lack.
The struggle is real.
My mom deals with the same procedures as a Teacher's Assistant. She takes the kids in the Functional Life Skills Program (FLS) (a fancy name for Special Education here up north) to classes for "inclusion."
ReplyDeleteFirst and foremost, I must say that all of the children in the FLS program in my mom's school at least "need" to be in there. There isn't any misappropriation of students to the program simply because they are several grades behind in terms of their reading level. There is a difference between children who have special needs and children who especially need help because the education system left them behind despite the doctrine's namesake of "no child left behind."
Based on what my mom has told me, the children who do have special needs normally cannot do the work at the level that they are being included in on. As for the children who simply are behind in reading. I cannot speak for them because that is not something I have seen done before. It seems like a half-way good idea....but it probably needs help.
I know they say that it hurts children's self-esteem when you brake them up into groups based on skill level or talent, but lets be real here; Billy and Suzie know they can't read. Billy and Suzie know that the lesson plan is going over their head. Why can't Billy and Suzie have a separate "special needs" program where their needs are actually being met? No, not with the children with autism and behavioral/anger problems etc. No, not with the children who are capable of reading on their own. How about with their own class where they can finally get the chance (or a second chance) to learn how to read.
This "inclusion" essentially leaves everyone behind. Jack and Jill can't get ahead because they are helping Billy and Suzie, and Billy and Suzie aren't gaining their own independence because they are relying on Jack and Jill to give them the answers.