Summary of findings of Special Education Referral at the
Overseas School of Colombo
This is a summary of interviews done with two regular teachers at OSC and The Head of Special Education Dept. Following are the questions that were asked.
- How do you identify a student for special education?
Teachers are
constantly on alert for students that may need intervention. They identify
students with behavioral needs, organizational, it could be attention deficit
or language problems. They would also be aware of modification required for students
who come in with an IEP and be ready to make accommodations.
- What are signs of a struggling student
They would recognize through
all of the above and other aspects such as homework completion, assignments not
handed in on time, MAP scores are also referred to when checking the records of
student performance.
- Are there alternate methods of
instruction tried out before referring the student for special education? If
yes, what are they?
Teachers are aware of
the Response to Intervention and try varied methods of differentiation to
encourage all learners in the classes. It’ll not necessarily be only for
students with learning issues but it would also cater to students who are gifted
and talented and the entire population in the class.
They will try, If push
in is already in place, leveled reading, grouping, chunking of work, read aloud
groups are done during class. But if it is a class that there is no extra
support, then similar methods are tried such as grouping students and other
methods that have worked in the other
classes are practiced, but teachers find it difficult to manage the reading
groups alone. Vocabulary provided for the topic, specialized seating are all
methods tried before referral.
- Do you communicate with the parents address concerns? And discuss
support mechanisms?
Parents are always
looped in during the process. Initially they’re informed of concerns, they are
given suggestions for assisting the student and kept informed via e mail of progress
made. The 3 way conferences are used to communicate concerns .Parents can also
access Managebac to see student progress. They are involved in every step of
the process.
- How do you collaborate with
other teachers in regards to a student of concern?
The OSC’s Special
education policy states the need for collaboration and communication between
subject teachers and homeroom teacher. Variety of intervention methods are
discussed and shared as to what works with particular students.
- Who takes responsibility for the progress of the child before and after
the referral?
The referral process
is similar to the RTI in US. The school tries
all learning support strategies so that students will be successful .Thereafter
once referral is made the Learning Support team joins in and they work with the
teachers to make sure the IEP is being carried out.
- What is the school
administration's directive for special education?
The school administration
tries to make it as inclusive a possible so that students with disabilities are in the
least restrictive environment so that the students are in the class with their
peers.
- What provisions are made for
students identified for special education?
The school believes
that differentiation can make a big difference, in many ways not only do
students with disabilities but for all students. The product could be oral vs.
written, differentiation more important for those gifted and talent and well as
those with disabilities
- What forms of social, emotional support and services are provided at the pre referral stage?
The student counselor is a part of the Student Services Team [SST] and when students of concern are taken up, if there are any social, emotional type issues that a student needs counseling services it is provided even at pre- referral stage
- Is there a time frame to complete the referral process before a student begins a Learning support program?
There should be systems in place ,that monitor the progress of that student .Definitely within a quarter the referral process would give a good picture of the student.
Interview of two regular
teachers who have referred students, for their perspective on the referral
process.
Interview 1-
Britton Rheims- MYP/ DP Math Coordinator
- How do you identify a
student for special education?
With many years of experience
in Special education and coming from the US system, awareness of the students
learning is key for Mr. Rheims. A student’s behavior patterns, difficulties in
understanding basic math vocabulary would alert him about a probable need for
intervention.
- Are there alternate
methods of instruction tried out before referring the student for special
education? If yes, what are they?
He said “I try
everything possible-if what I’m doing is not right for them, I would try differentiation
in ways of how it looks, maybe it is more vocabulary that they need", he tries varied methods of instruction before
collecting data from other teachers. Specialized seating, such as seating the
student closer to the board, Seating with another student would be some his
methods.
- Do you communicate with the parents address concerns? And discuss support mechanisms?
If it’s something solvable through the class
system it’s tried first. During the3 way conference he shares with parents his
observations in class, and what interventions have worked. This alerts the
parents as to what the child would need. If after trying variety of methods,
more serious academic issues persist
and needs are significant then parents are contacted to discuss whether further
testing would be required.
- How do you collaborate with other teachers in regards to a student of concern?
When there are
students of concern, he collaborates with the homeroom teacher to alert into
gathering data on that student to see if they need help in other subjects as
well. There should be a some sort of committee [general education teachers]
that will decide the response to intervention. After varied methods have been
tried then the teachers decide whether the RIT [Response to intervention]has
worked, or is there consistency in student problems. Ex: 6th grader- MATH
issues- Homeroom teacher and math teacher collaborate to collate information along
with EAL teacher to assist in providing necessary accommodation
The full audio recording can be listened to on this link Britton Reihms Recording
Interview 2:Clover
Hicks- MYP Science Teacher
- How do you identify a
student for special education?
There are students who
are already identified as those who need support and they come in with an IEP. Apart
from them students are identified as needing support when comprehension problems arise, verbal communication
issues, attention to task , basic organizational skill are an issue. The
academic scores and MAP scores also matter but they are not the only measure.
If they are having difficulties expressing themselves as to what they are
learning in class it is an indicator to be on alert.
- Are there alternate
methods of instruction tried out before referring the student for special
education? If yes, what are they?
It all depends whether
the class has extra support. If push in is already in place, leveled reading, grouping,
chunking of work, read aloud group are done during class. But if it is a class
that there is no extra support, then similar methods are tried such as grouping
students and other methods that have
worked in the other classes are practiced, but find it difficult to manage the
reading groups alone.
- Do you communicate with the parents address concerns? And discuss support mechanisms?
Parents are contacted
when a student has consistently missed assessment deadlines or non-submission;
homework is not submitted or scored lower than expected. They’re never directly
told that the child is having serious issues until it has been established.
Concerns are also expressed to parents during 3 way conferences. For Ex. A
child in class had attention issues and questioned the parents if they saw the
same thing at home. When discussed the parents indicated that the child does
the homework in various places in the house, with T.V and other distractions.
Hence suggestions are made to the parents to have set place and time, away from
distractions to support the student learning.
- How do you
collaborate with other teachers in regards to a student of concern?
Communication
definitely happens between teachers. They share their ideas on dealing with
various kids who are having issues, and see if similar methods work for the
others.
- Should there be a time frame to complete the referral process?
The process should be rolling,
there should be adequate time frame that allows the teachers to try out the
varied methods of instruction, and give ample time for the student absorb the learning.
However there are instances where the students have not had any intervention
for a whole year and have missed out on support due to not speeding up on the
support process. Hence a time frame would be useful to move in as soon as
possible with the appropriate intervention strategies.
Interview
Special Education Administrator about referrals for special education.
Myrle Wasko- Head of Learning Support
- How is a student identified for special education referral?
There are a variety
ways a student is identified for support
- Records form
previous support services- Evaluation is done as to what services the student received
and how best it would fit our program.
-The teachers recognize
difficulties and try various strategies and if the strategies are not working
then the referral process begins rolling.
- Who takes responsibility for the
progress of the child before and after the referral?
The referral process
is similar to the RTI in US. We try all
learning support strategies so that students will be successful .Thereafter
once referral is made the Learning Support team joins in and they work with the
teachers to make sure the IEP is being carried out.
- What is the school
administration's directive for special education?
It is to make it as
inclusive a possible in the so that students with disabilities are in the least
restrictive environment so that the students are in the class with their peers.
- What provisions are made for
students identified for special education?
It varies according
needs of the particular students. Here Differentiation
can make a big difference, in many ways not only do students with disabilities but
for all students. The product could be oral vs. written, differentiation
more important for those gifted and talent and well as those with disabilities
- What is the level of parent involvement
in referral process and special education?
Parent permission is
sought during the pre-referral process. The families are involved in the team
process ,parents and families are informed
of the evaluation, they are informed in creating the learning plan and
participating throughout the process
- If the student comes to school with data from a previous assessment
what procedure does the school follow?
When Students move in
from new environment, give them adjustment time and see if the results are
still valid or not and see whether the recommendations would fit into the
program and check to see that the students can be served.
- What forms of social, emotional support and services are provided at
the pre referral stage?
The student counselor is
a part of the Student Services Team [SST] and when students of concern are
taken up, if there are any social, emotional type issues that a student needs counseling
services it is provided even at pre- referral stage
- Is there a time frame to complete the referral process before a student
begins a Learning support program?
There should be
systems in place ,that monitor the progress of that student .Definitely within a
quarter the referral process would give
a good picture of the student.
The full interview can be watched on Interview with Head of Special Education at OSC
Analysis
At OSC it is clear
that the regular education teachers are aware of children needing support in the
classroom and they put their best effort in making the differentiation strategies
work for the children. As to how the referral process works is set out in the
school policy for Special Educational Needs Policy. This has been streamlined
in the current year to enable teachers to try all options before the
intervention from the Learning Support team.
However as mentioned
some teacher find it difficult to differentiate in groups without assistance. There lies a gap in support. But as to how
they approach the parents is good practice in keeping them informed of their
child’s progress through meetings and e mail. The teachers have collaborated in
bringing solutions to students with needs, and many strategies have proved to
be effective before more serious measures would have to be implemented.
The use of ICT integration
is commendable at OSC and it is definitely moving toward a fully inclusive
school. The culture being giving the students the least restrictive environment
will definitely bring about definite changes in the future.
