Hey there friends! Today we are tackling a toughie, scheduling of all of those adults in your room. If you have followed my blog for a while you probably know that when I signed up for my teaching program in special education, I had NO IDEA para-educator management was such a HUGE part of my job!  Seriously why haven’t teacher programs added this class yet!?   One of the biggest issues I have come across is scheduling all of those adults in your room to best utilize their talents and support your students.

Some of you are blessed with many paras (instructional assistants, aides, 1-1’s etc, I am including them all under the term para here).   Some of you are limited to 1 or 2 (if you have 0 and you are in special education please call your admin ASAP because something is not right!) and either way, scheduling is hard!

As you probably know, I would in an S/P class, K-6 with 5 using wheelchairs, 2 with behaviors, and 3 other significantly impacted students.  All of my students need hygiene support, and 6 needs eating support. This year I have 3 permanent paraprofessionals (2 from my County and 1 as a 1:1)  and one 1:1 provided by the district to support one of their students. When I started at this school 3 years ago, two of my paras had been in the same classroom for 20 years! That puts a lot of pressure on a relatively new teacher!  It took me a while to overcome my insecurities about being a young teacher, and I soon realized that a good relationship with your paras is more important than making sure everything is perfect with academics or data collection. I try to listen and be flexible, and if there is a project or activity they want to do or create I give them free reign.

This picture is an example of my schedule.  I try to keep One staff with 1 – 3 students (depending on needs) for two ‘shifts’; Before Lunch and After Lunch.
My Reasoning for this type of schedule (I call it, Man on Man Defense if you follow sports) :  Some students have significant behavioral, medical, or academic needs and need 1:1 support during certain aspects of the day.  Some students can be paired with Like students if they are at similar levels.  Staying with one student for a larger chunk of time helps reduce confusion of “who has Johnny right now?”, and also allows us to really focus on that student and learn more about them and their goals.

Every 3-4 months we switch up the schedule. Switching it up helps the students learn how to handle change as well as prevent staff burnout with certain more challenging students.

As many of you may know, my class has a variety of levels and learners.  We have students with little to no functional movement, students at grade level that use wheelchairs and eye gaze devices, and students with autism working on core skills.  It sometimes is difficult to design lessons with the variety of learners in mind.  What can I do that will challenge my higher learners, what can I do that some of my most limited learners can participate??

We are blessed with Unique Learning Systems in our County.  however when we first received this subscription 3 years ago, I was SO OVERWHELMED!  And if you have received Unique for your class of limited learners (or even those closer to grade level functioning) you probably were overwhelmed too!  That “Suggested Monthly Plan”, ha! How am I supposed to get through 30 lessons in a month of 16-20 school days, on TOP OF all of the feeding, medical, positioning, and toiletting support myself and my staff do in a typical day (we average 30+ diapers a day over here!). Over the years I have found a few core lessons and tips that I use every single month to allow students access to the curriculum, vocab, and lessons with less stress.   Hopefully they can help you too!

Our Unique Board shows parents and admin standards and instructional targets!

First things first, the Printing Guide:
The Unique Printing Guide is found at the bottom of the Monthly Lessons Page.  On the 7th of each month, the following Month is able to view.  This is great for prep time especially if you have access to a Print Shop.  Some districts have a Print Shop at their District Office that prints flyers, booklets, etc for various people at the D.O.  If your admin is willing, ask for Print Shop to print your lessons for you.  My Print Shop prints Our 2 Monthly Books and Binds them for us! They use cardstock so they last longer, and my class library gets bigger! Use the Printing Guide and Highlight or circle the pages you want printed out of the Large “All Lessons” PDF File, and send both (electronically) to your Print Shop!  Helped cut down on prep time and my ink usage.  My Printing Guide looks something like this when I send it in.

Monthly Checkpoints
By now, you have (hopefully) used the GPS in Unique to create Profiles for your students.  They basically tell you what level your teaching should be (1-3).  A GREAT tool, especially for IEP’s, is the Monthly Checkpoints.  We administer them at the beginning and end of each month as a pre-test and post test.  The Goal would be that if the student is exposed to the materials, core vocab, images and lessons, that they would score higher on the post test and show learning growth!  Now I’m not 100% sure of how accurate those results are at level 1, since the concepts are very basic (WH questions and counting) with errorless trials and prompting available.  But how cool as a parent to get this graph at an IEP?!
You can print out the questions and make them into manipulatives for students who need larger visuals or the ability to choose.  I print and velcro mine and administer on a felt board.  You can also use an I-pad or computer for higher level learners and set it up on internet enabled eye gaze devices!

Lessons 1-4 Books and Comprehension Questions

We use both Monthly books and the Level 1 Comprehension Questions in our classroom.  I have the Books printed but you can have them projected on your screens or download the power-point at the bottom of the Monthly Lesson pages (the power points have a much better audio voice telling the story!). I print the Level 1 comprehension questions and print an extra copy to make Icons for manipulatives. During our Circle I read the book and ask the questions using 2-3 icon responses depending on the students’ Levels. This helps them to get familiar with the characters and concepts for the month as they are referenced in the Pre/Post tests. The level 2/3 Pre and Post tests even have a content understanding section based on the books. The books come in 2-3 levels (usually E-F/D and B/A) so you can modify.  We switch the books every day.  Sometimes it can get boring and repetitive so I try to add in activities like Matching, Who Has X, Vocab etc when reading the books.  Repetition is good for our learners! There are usually some comprehension fun worksheets at the end of the Lesson 2/4 as well for table time!

Lessons 12 Vocabulary

This one is pretty simple, I print the Picture/Word cards for the month. Each day we go through them by asking students to “Find X” from a field of 2-3.  Then I ask for them back through “Who has the word X?”  We practice these words writing them out, tracing, creating and matching through the month! We also use lesson 18, Vocab sort as a fun activity.  You can keep these if you laminate them or print them as a cut and paste activity. They are also able to be used in student view electronically!

Lessons  6/7 9/10

These lessons practice Core Vocab Words and Rhyming words.  I only print the tracing sheets and the vocab match.  Then I print the icons and make it into a matching workbook.  I try to make them re-usable so that my students can use them to practice core vocab for years to come.  The rhyming words aren’t as big of a focus but are fun reading practice!

Lesson 19

Number Sense is usually a LOT of worksheets so you really need to determine what is appropriate for your students.  I usually Print the first section of worksheets and modify or print as worksheets as necessary. This is usually just a supplement of the number skills we work on in class.

Errorless learning in math skills

News 2 You

While we don’t focus on News 2 You in my class, it has some great resources for classrooms, I can almost argue that just by itself it can be used in a classroom.   I download the Holiday adapted reading and create Holiday activities based on it. I love how all of the articles have picture based levels to aid visual learners.  The articles change each week based on current events and there are many many worksheets and activities to go with them.

Other Helpful Hints!

Symbolstix is what we use as our icons in our classroom now.  They are just as expansive as Boardmaker, my only issue is that the tools to create your own boards are a little limited. I like that they directly correlate to our curriculum.

There is an aspect called Joey’s Locker that contains fun games for students to access on an I-Pad or Chromebook!  And students can access the lessons on their own by setting up a student view on Tablets or Chromebooks. This, as well as projecting on an Apple TV or Smartboard can help save a LOT of paper in your lessons! We do not have a lot of Tech in our classroom, I use a Computer screen during circle time but it works!

Benchmarks (found in GPS) are tests that measure basic skills such as matching, letter ID, etc.  You can retake the tests as often as you wish for each student and set targets and base learning goals off of the results!

The lessons are revamped but repeated every 3 years.  This means you can save all of your materials and you will most likely be able to use them again!  I have filed mine away to hopefully make prep easier in the future. And there are lessons like Science Experiments and recipes that can be used year round!

All in all, Unique Learning System is a great resource for Special Education Classrooms, but it should be taken at face value, as a resource to help cut down on prep time.  It may NOT fit all of your student’s needs and you may still need to modify and accommodate the lessons to fit your students. If you’re just starting out, pick and choose a couple of lessons to focus on that you think will benefit your students most.  It will take time to get in the swing of things so don’t expect to be able to do EVERYTHING right away!  Even a little bit for your students is better than nothing at all!

Leave a Comment with any questions, tips or tricks you have for implementing in your classroom!

Differentiation is one of the most common skills teachers need to have and need to develop.  Sadly, it is a skill that can get -forgotten- as demands on teachers increase.  For some it comes as second nature. Other teachers have to work a little harder at it, but like with all things teaching- it is a skill you can hone and practice and keep getting better at.

Differentiation is the overall teaching strategy that when effectively implemented includes varying assessments, gathering background data on your students, offering choices, and other things that just help you differentiate automatically. It doesn’t have to be as rough as creating 2-3 levels of worksheets for different students, and luckily, some software that schools use for reading and math differentiate automatically based on students’ performance on a brief assessment.

My special day class has students who are mainstreaming into general education classrooms.  Often there is a major disconnect between these two classes in terms of what can and cannot be done. More often than not, when a students is assumed that he/she can’t do something, or isn’t up to that level, the response is usually something like”Well they just don’t have to do that part,” or “He can skip it and do something else,”.  I’m sure guilty of it, I mean, who has the time to change your worksheet/paper/project for every little different student that walks into your room.   Well, YOU DO!  I’ve found from working with GE teachers and my knowledge of my student’s abilities provides the basic recipe for some quick “down and dirty” differentiation that takes no time at all.

Lets take this common 4th grade vocabulary worksheet.  You have a class of 28 and a special needs student is in your class for this hour of the day. Here are some Easy quick ways to differentiate. ***Disclaimer: I always send my mainstream kiddos with an aide for behavioral or limited motor reasons. If you don’t have a trained paraprofessional, you could always use a parent helper or peer tutor, even just a student in the class that always gets done quickest!**

For Students With Limited Mobility (cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, paralysis etc)
Limited mobility can present with learning disabilities or without. If the student has a device to aide in speech, you simply need a scribe to help with reading the paper and recording answers.  If there is no speech device you may have to resort to a more limited form of communication such as a 2-3 response answer or even a simple Yes/No.For example, I have one student who is below average grade level but mainly in our class because she has quadriplegic spastic cerebral palsy. She has limited ability to move her arms but prefers to to make choices. She can do a yes by looking up and a no by lowering her head and slightly shaking it.
For her with this worksheet you could differentiate many ways, but the easiest, fastest way I have found is with flashcards.
For question 1- I would write ‘tonite’ ‘tonyte’ and ‘tonight’ on two flashcards and place in front of her. I would ask “Which is the correct way to spell the word?”, have her choose, and scribe her answer (Which means if she gets it wrong, then she gets it wrong! It feels weird as adults writing down the wrong answer and we can get tempted to want to correct, but just like the rest of the class, save the corrections for the teacher unless asked otherwise). This can be done with every sentence mistake.  You can make this easier by making “correct” and “incorrect” cards or even “yes” and “no” cards asking questions like “Is this word correct?”

Learning Disability
Learning disabilities can take many different forms and have multiple levels. You can have a 4th grader at a 2nd grade level or a Pre-Kinder level with a qualification of Learning Disabilities. Some simple modifications for this type of activity could be as simple of having them find only 1 mistake in the sentence or choosing what mistakes they find: “Find a spelling mistake” or “Find a punctuation mistake”.  For lower academic levels you could have the students practice their handwriting by rewriting the sentences as corrected by peers. You could also have them pair up with a buddy and help them by working on it ‘together’, peers make the best teachers!

Sensory Processing/Autism/ADHD
There are so so many sensory strategies for general education classrooms that I couldn’t possibly list them all here.  Children with Autism are usually seeking out or avoiding sensory experiences and the best way to find out which one your student is is to check the IEP or ask the special educator or OT that works best with the child.  Some options include: Printing on different colored paper, masking so only one question shows up at a time, larger sensory friendly pencils or pens, typing as an option instead of printing, working outside, alone, or with a peer, a sensory friendly seat such as lined with tennis balls or having a band tied around the legs for bouncing, a standing desk, headphones to block ambient talking and noise or provide soothing music.  There is so much more you can try!

Sure, you may get the occasional ‘neurotypical’ kiddo asking about why Johnny gets special treatment.  You can give them the whole ‘because I said so’, or you can point them to this graphic.  It’s a great tool to explain the difference between equity and equality and to explain that one day hopefully your classroom will reach the goal of removing barriers to learning altogether!

It is hard to believe that this is my fourth year as a teacher for special education, and my 6th in the field.
As an aide, I have worked in district Special Day Class, a Non-Public School for Autism, a Non-Public School for ED and severe behaviors, and as a teacher in a Self Contained High Behavior Autism Program, a higher functioning district Middle School SDC (with periods and grades and subjects, eek!), and currently in a County Special Day Class for Severely Handicapped students.
I can’t say that I actively enjoyed one more than the other these past 6 years because one of the best parts of special education is that every job is so so different! And each comes with its own challenges and rewards.
For example, in one previous setting, my aides and staff were amazing and so much fun to work with, but we had such high aggressive/self injurious behaviors we had to go into restraint 1-3 times per day. It was exhausting and I ended up using a lot of sick days just to recover mentally and physically from the day before.
This is only my second year with the county, and to be honest due to our life constantly moving between the Bay and the Valley, my second year teaching consistently anywhere!  And year two has come with just as many ups and downs.

The Ups:
Include working with the same staff (or mostly the same) and building a relationship with them.
Getting to know the kids better, working with the same kids and families for more than one year is great building consistency and for knowing what works best with them.
Getting to expand upon work, schedules, and new ideas brought into the class in the last year. It is nice to continue working on new curriculum, assessments and goals and really see progress as the years go on.
No big shake ups! As much as a secretly love re-organizing and rearranging classrooms, there was definitely way less stress this year knowing that

The Downs:
Having the same students means knowing what to expect, which can be good or bad if you have students with behavioral issues. For example, Knowing that a parent won’t come to an IEP gives you a good idea of what to expect out of them all year. Knowing that “Johnny” has marathon blowouts in his diaper every other day makes you a little hesitant to come to work when its your toileting day!
Schedule Shake Ups/Staff issues- Just because you are now here for your second year does not mean that things are going to change any more significantly than they had before. Issues that were unresolved or swept under the rug last year will not magically get better this year.
More expectations/less expectations.  In some ways, when you get in the swing of things, it leads to you expecting more from your staff and self, such as knowing what data to take to get great results. In other ways it can lead to complacency and laziness which I especially can fall guilty of.  Now in my 18th week of pregnancy, there was a 4-6 week period where I was just exhausted and did not want to work on any new stuff.  Movie Fridays occasionally happened on Wednesday afternoons and paperwork got a bit behind.

I tend to lean towards the moving and challenging myself in all aspects of life.  While I’m not sure whether I will stay in SH forever, learn more about BCBA, go for my admin credential, or even move into general education some day, I am so glad for this opportunity to be teaching students I love in a supportive and upbeat classroom for the second year.

It seems strange to have been a teacher for almost 3 years now, but in 3 different settings. While I am always up for a new challenge (and secretly love all of the organizing and classroom rearranging that comes with the change), there have been some drawbacks to go along with the positives of job change. So I thought for my first post in a while, I would highlight some.

Drawback 1: Classroom Clean out
While change can be a good thing, too much of a good thing can be overwhelming. As it was in my new classroom. The last teacher in my room had been there for over 30 years. 30 YEARS! That’s a long tenure for teachers to teach at all, let alone in special education. I am in awe. IDEA was barely passed back then! I can’t even imagine the things that she had to deal with. While this was great continuity for her kiddos and her aides, she kept a lot of the past in that small little portable. We spent our full two prep days at the beginning of the school year reorganizing, rearranging and trashing bags after bags of old, broken, outdated stuff. There is still a drawer in my teacher desk full of useless forms (like old power points from a 2001 training) and documents from 2006 and before. I had to stop myself from continuing the cleaning process into the school year and focus on actually teaching! But while organization is one of my strong suits, I would love to stay in a classroom long enough to not have to worry about cleaning and organizing every year.

Drawback 2: New Staff
The biggest drawback in my book is working with new staff. Not just aides, although since you work with them every day it is the hardest transition. The aides in my current classroom are great people, so kind and generous, some have been there over 18 years!  They have been great tolerating some changes to their day and the classroom operations, and I have had to change myself and my teaching and delegating ways to fit the staff.  It’s a PROCESS. And it takes TIME. They know the students better than I do, yet I am also the teacher and have learned a lot of different, new, and exciting strategies I am ready to try. You need to build working, collaborative relationships with your administrators, program specialists, and multiple therapists. One of the harder ones in a county setting is building relationships with the general education teachers on the site. Since we are not employed by the same group, I don’t get their emails, their training, or any real time with their teachers. Which means that opportunities building relationships with the general educators is few and far between.

Drawback 3: No Two Districts are Alike
No two districts are alike. And that goes double for county programs. For those unaware, when a student doesn’t fit into the special education programs that a district offers due to severity of condition, medical needs, or severe behaviors, the student is often referred to the county. Each district is different in what it offers. And each county is different in what classrooms it offers. Sacramento almost exclusively has SH (severely handicapped) and ED (emotional disturbance) classes with a few others mixed in.  If the child is too severe for the county, usually because of behaviors, than they would most likely be refered to a nonpublic school setting. I will be doing a post later on describing some CA programs in more detail. While it is pretty amazing the amount of variety in the special education teaching setting, it can be confusing moving from district to district to county. Everyone has different computer systems, IEP set up and processes, curriculum, admin procedures etc. It can be confusing and often aggravating doing something ‘right’ according to your last district and having it be so wrong!  It’s just one more thing to get used to.

Drawback 4: New Kids (and Families)
I love getting and meeting new students. In my book, one of the best parts of special education is figuring out the students, their likes and dislikes, and getting to know their quirks and what makes them smile. It is a huge downside leaving my previous students and families, especially when we are just getting into a rhythm and getting to know each other better.  I can always tell that the parents are never happy to have to get to know new teachers each year and I know that its a huge bummer for the kids having to fall into a new routine and a changing curriculum.

I could go on an on about the differences in my past three programs (and more if you count my time as an aide). I am grateful for the opportunities to work in such different settings and experience so much, but I am also very happy to be in one place (for now!)

Sadly, I have to give up my job at my Middle School to move 🙁 J got a job and we are moving so that we can finally live together for our first year of marriage! I will definitely miss everyone and my wonderful students. However, I am very excited about my new job with the County! It is in a Severely Handicapped classroom at an elementary school. Although elementary is not my forte, I am so happy to get back to students with more significant disabilities. As much as I loved my students and getting a chance to do common core and curriculum, my heart truly loves art, music, functional skills, independent living skills, and community based instruction! Plus from what I understand from the principal of my program, since the county deals with mostly special education, the resources available and training for staff is much more applicable than at a district where more of the teachers teach general education students.  I am a little nervous about the new staff, a few of the aides have been there for 10+ years! And also about the logistics of working in a county classroom in a district run campus. Hopefully there will be a lot of integration and inclusion.  More posts to come once the stress of the move passes!