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Considerations for Implementing Inclusive Preschool Programs
Vivian James, Ph. D
& Bobbie Rowland, Ph. D
Objectives of Workshop
• Identify overall process and goals for developing an Inclusive Preschool Program:
– Planning Phase– Implementation Phase– Evaluation Phase– Continuous Program Improvement Phase
Collaboration of Stakeholders
• More at Four Program
• Head Start Program
• Exceptional Children Preschool Program
• Title I Pre-Kindergarten Program
• Even Start Program
• Nonpublic Preschool/Childcare Programs
Where Should Administrators Start?
• Program Development, Evaluation & Improvement
• Teacher Development, Evaluation & Improvement
PLAN(Program &Curriculum & Assessment)
DO(Implementation & Instruction
& Staff Training)
STUDY(Program Evaluation & Child
Assessment)
ACT(Plan of Action &
Improvement)
A Dynamic Model for Educational Program Improvement
Center for Gifted Education – School of Education – The College of William and Mary
Planning Phase
• Administrative Planning
• Strategic Planning
• Interagency Agreement
• Program Planning
Administrative Planning
• Relationship building amongst administrators.
• Crosswalk different program regulations and laws.– Identify highest standard from each program and
comply across program.
• Adopt an attitude of shared “ownership” of all children
Strategic Planning
• Joint philosophy & mission statement:– Program goals & objectives– Definition of inclusion– Commitment to families
• Establish parameters for classroom configurations and staffing patterns.
Clarify Roles & Responsibilities
• Program Administrators
• Classroom, Itinerant, and Related Service Staff
• Other staff as appropriate
Interagency Agreement
• Set parameters for application & enrollment process
• Set parameters for financial responsibilities
• Set parameters for mutually agreed upon classroom configurations & staffing
Program Planning: Key Factors
• Select key classroom curriculum & child assessment instruments.
• Develop model support system for children and teachers in inclusive classes.
• Develop professional development program.
Curriculum & Child Assessment
• High fidelity implementation of research based curriculum.
• High quality teacher-child interactions.
• Meaningful child assessment which is tied to planning process.
Support Systems in Inclusive Classrooms
• B-K licensed teacher can act as the primary case manager for a child’s IEP.
• Requires intentional planning for on-going support and professional development.
Key Factors to Consider
• Teacher experience level.
• Teacher knowledge of disabilities.
• Teacher openness to including children with disabilities.
• Need for structured system for support and training
Support Systems in Inclusive Classrooms
• Regularly Scheduled Team Meetings
• Classroom Consultants
• Identify parameters for Itinerant Direct Services
• Identify, develop capacity for, and facilitate embedded and integrated therapy
• Regularly Scheduled Team Meetings
• Classroom Consultants
• Identify parameters for Itinerant Direct Services
• Identify, develop capacity for, and facilitate embedded and integrated therapy
• Regularly Scheduled Team Meetings
• Classroom Consultants
• Identify parameters for Itinerant Direct Services
• Identify, develop capacity for, and facilitate embedded and integrated therapy
• Regularly Scheduled Team Meetings
• Classroom Consultants
• Identify parameters for Itinerant Direct Services
• Identify, develop capacity for, and facilitate embedded and integrated therapy
• Regularly Scheduled Team Meetings
• Classroom Consultants
• Identify parameters for Itinerant Direct Services
• Identify, develop capacity for, and facilitate embedded and integrated therapy
• Regularly Scheduled Team Meetings
• Classroom Consultants
• Identify parameters for Itinerant Direct Services
• Identify, develop capacity for, and facilitate embedded and integrated therapy
• Regularly Scheduled Team Meetings
• Classroom Consultants
• Identify parameters for Itinerant Direct Services
• Identify, develop capacity for, and facilitate embedded and integrated therapy
• Regularly Scheduled Team Meetings
• Classroom Consultants
• Identify parameters for Itinerant Direct Services
• Identify, develop capacity for, and facilitate embedded and integrated therapy
Support Team Meetings
– Monthly team meetings for classroom, itinerant teachers and related service providers.
– Develop agendas which include:• Individual case studies & problems• Brainstorming for solutions• Timelines for implementing suggestions• Method of reporting back to the team
Coaches/Consultants
• Regularly scheduled observations and meetings with classroom teacher
• Formalize way to documents visits
• Assist with:– Training- IEP writing– Meeting- LEA meetings– Families – communicating with families
Classroom Teacher StrategiesActivity Based Intervention
• Child-directed transactional approach
• To develop functional skills– Routine activities,– Planned activities,– Child-initiated activities
Activity Based Intervention
• Embeds intervention goals in:
– Routine activities,– Planned activities,– Child-initiated activities
Embedded & Integrated Therapy
• When therapy and specialized instruction occur in the classroom with other children usually present, and in the context of ongoing routines and activities.
• Specialized providers model how to implement goals in classroom.
Administrative SupportEmbedded Therapy
• Plan for scheduled collaboration/consultation time between related service providers & classroom staff.
• Ensure training for related service providers.
• Formalize process for documentation of efforts.
Professional Development Program
• General Program Requirements.
• Inclusion Program Needs.
• Support System Staff Needs.
• Collective Needs of Teaching Staff: Trends from Assessment of Teacher Performance.
General Program Requirements
• High quality implementation of researched-based classroom curriculum.
• Authentic, on-going assessment processes.
• Foundations, Early Learning Standards and Early Childhood Development.
Inclusion Program Needs
• Activity Based Intervention
• Disability Specific Training
• Positive Behavior Support
Support System Staff Needs
• Embedded & Integrated Therapy Training.
• Coaching/Consultation Skills Training.
• Disability/Therapy Specific Training.
Individual Staff Development Process
• Performance Appraisal Ratings
• Self-assessments
• Coaching observations
• Independent Growth Plans
Study & Evaluation of Program
• Identify trends from the individual Teacher Performance Assessments to establish program level staff development goals.
• Identify trends from individual Child Assessments to establish program level staff development & continuous improvement program plan.
Models for Measuring Child Outcomes for Program Evaluation
Head Start must report child outcomes tied to program evaluation; program specific measures.
Exceptional Children Program required to document child outcomes; state wide measurement process tied to authentic, on-going assessment measures.
• Adopted the Child Outcome Summary Form measurement model
ACT: Continuous Improvement
• Program, Teacher & Child Outcome Assessments
– Guide program development– Guide continued professional development– Guide focus of a Continuous Improvement
Plan for the Program from one year to the next.
PLAN(Program &Curriculum & Assessment)
DO(Implementation & Instruction
& Staff Training)
STUDY(Program Evaluation & Child
Assessment)
ACT(Plan of Action &
Improvement)
A Dynamic Model for Educational Program Improvement
Center for Gifted Education – School of Education – The College of William and Mary
Teacher Performance Assessment Process
• ECERS and ITERS- minimum
• Need to Assess Teachers:– Knowledge: a responsive environment.– Knowledge: child growth & development.– Knowledge & application: authentic, on-going
child assessment.– Knowledge & ability to foster: child self
regulation.
Historical Overview:Pre-K & Ktg. Teacher Performance
Appraisal Instrument1950’s through the 1980’s
• Public and Private efforts to establish appropriate criteria for evaluating teachers of young children.
• 1953 – NC Kindergarten Association founded.
• 1969 – NC Public Kindergartens opened, pilot project offered full day, school day long classrooms.
• 1974 – NC Kindergarten Association becomes NCAEYC.
Historical Overview
• 1985 - NC TPAI for K-12 teachers was developed.
• 1985 - NAEYC established a national, voluntary accreditation system to set professional standards for early childhood education programs, and to help families identify high-quality programs (NAEYC, 1985).
• 1986 - Plaza Road pilot PreK project in CMS started with Title I funding
PreK/K Task Force for Program Development
• 1988 – Taskforce began.
• The Task Force began to define “ Developmentally Appropriate” Programs.
• Members included:– Early Childhood teachers– Principals and supervisors– University, College, and Community College faculty– DPI personnel.
More Taskforce Accomplishments
• Synthesized a list of competencies necessary for teachers of young children.
• Revised the 1985 NC TPAI for K-12 teachers to be appropriate for Early Educators - EC TPAI.
• 1989 - Broader statewide implementation of the pilot PreK Title I project.
Historical Overview:
• 1992 - NC ASCD Report - “A Call for Leadership” was published.
• 1992 - B-K License (Guidelines and Competencies) received State approval.
• 1994 - B-K Higher Education Consortium was formed.
• 1997 - “NC Guide for the Early Years” was published.
Historical Overview:
• 1997 - Revision of the EC TPAI by B-K Higher Education Consortium to be more inclusive (children with and without disabilities and other special needs).
• 2000 - TPAI for K-12 teachers revised (TPAI-R) to reflect current research and standards in teaching.
• 2000 - School Readiness in North Carolina – Strategies
for Defining, Measuring, and Promoting Success for All Children – Report of the Ready forReport of the Ready for School Goal TeamSchool Goal Team was approved by the NC State Board of Education and published.
Historical Overview:
• 2000 - NC School Readiness Assessment
• 2000 - NC Star Rated License System for Child Care and Family Child Care Homes was initiated.
• 2001 - North Carolina’s Kindergartens and Schools Technical Report published.published.
Historical Overview:
• 2001 North Carolina Birth-through-Kindergarten Standards were developed and approved.
• The standards included the following:
– A revision of the 1992 B-K License Guidelines and Competencies.
– An outline for the process of licensure.
– A definition of successful teaching performance.
Historical Overview:Where Have We Come From?
• 2004 - Pilot Study to Validate the EC TPAI (now PKKTPAI).
• 2005 - Early Learning Standards for North Carolina Preschoolers and Strategies for Guiding Their Success (“Foundations”) approved and published.
• 2006 - PKKTPAI approved by NC State Board of Education.
Program & Teacher Assessment:The Latest News
• 2007 - PKKTPAI statewide training begins to support TLU
• 2007 – State Board of Education (SBE) adopts NC New Professional Teaching Standards and a new evaluation system
• 2008 – SBE convenes teacher education panels to revise all teacher education standards, including B-K
PKK TPAI Major FunctionsPKK TPAI Major Functions
• Major Function 1: Facilitates Growth Development and Learning
• Major Function 2: Provides Developmentally Appropriate Learning Environment
• Major Function 3: Fosters Self-Regulation in Children
• Major Function 4: Implements Developmentally Appropriate Assessment Strategies
• Major Function 5: Effectively Communicates & Participates within the Educational Environment
PKK TPAI PKK TPAI Information for ProgramsInformation for Programs
• Research based instrument
• Holistic rating system
• Assesses pre-k teaching practices
• Allow for teacher self assessment
• Identifies areas of best practices
• Informs the IGP development
Model for Teacher Evaluation & Development Process
• TLU team model using the PKK TPAI– Teacher conducts self assessment– Evaluator measures teacher progress– Administrator acts as a team member– Mentor gives guidance through the
independent growth plan process
Model for Teacher Evaluation
• Results of this model indicates:
– Teachers increased professionalism– More developmentally appropriate practices– Facilitated sharing of ideas– Better prepared teachers for the evaluation
process
PLAN(Pre-service and Professional Development
Training)
DO( Implementation of Curricula, Child
Assessment, Inclusion Practices in the Classroom)
STUDY(Self-Assessment, Teacher
Assessment, Child Assessments)
ACT(Plan of Action: Independent
Growth Plan)
A Dynamic Model for Teacher Improvement