Hi everyone,
I work in an urban school setting where approximately 85% of our students receive a free breakfast. The new law states that "sugar" must be the second ingredient on the cereal that students are given to eat. However, when I walk into the school the cereals they are given are full of sugar and food coloring. I think it would be advantegeous for a committee to identify more healthier cereals than they are giving the students. Sometimes, students get munchkins for breakfast which are covered with sugar!!! Are we really doing our students just by feeding them these ingredients early in the morning? How is this effecting our students which have diagnosis of attention deficit disorders???? Do you think they have problems sitting still after digesting such a meal??? I heard a nutritionist on the radio state that these cereals are very hard on a students' stomach so early in the morning .............I was wondering if their are any other schools experiencing the same concerns as I have for the breakfast program. I guess I should be happy they are even receiving a free lunch.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Alternative placements are costly
Hi everyone,
I case manage a group of high school students who are attending Out-of-District placements due to their inappropriate behaviors exhibited within the public school settings. These are alternative placements that may be within a forty-five to fifty mile radius of our public school. However, most of these schools tuition rates are off the board when compared their counterparts in public schools. For example, the local school may spend approximately $7,000 to $8,500 for one student per year. At the alternative school they charge the district from $36,000 to $42,000 per student. This is an astronomically difference. When I visit these alternative placements the services are not the great. Most of the time students are off task because of their behavior; attendance is very poor. I am currently dropping alot of students who are over 16 years of school because they refuse to attend on a regular basis. Some students have missed over 30 days this school year and still think they should accumulate credits when they are not there to do the work. I was wondering if anyone else is seening the same problem within their district. It is amazing how much money we waste on students who really do not attend school regularly. I feel we should have another plan so that these students can enter other programs that may hold their interest; such as votech or job training programs............Let me know what you think!!!
I case manage a group of high school students who are attending Out-of-District placements due to their inappropriate behaviors exhibited within the public school settings. These are alternative placements that may be within a forty-five to fifty mile radius of our public school. However, most of these schools tuition rates are off the board when compared their counterparts in public schools. For example, the local school may spend approximately $7,000 to $8,500 for one student per year. At the alternative school they charge the district from $36,000 to $42,000 per student. This is an astronomically difference. When I visit these alternative placements the services are not the great. Most of the time students are off task because of their behavior; attendance is very poor. I am currently dropping alot of students who are over 16 years of school because they refuse to attend on a regular basis. Some students have missed over 30 days this school year and still think they should accumulate credits when they are not there to do the work. I was wondering if anyone else is seening the same problem within their district. It is amazing how much money we waste on students who really do not attend school regularly. I feel we should have another plan so that these students can enter other programs that may hold their interest; such as votech or job training programs............Let me know what you think!!!
Can the teacher be at fault???
Hi everyone,
Here is a situation that I feel the teacher may be at fault. There is a student in the school I am assigned who has previously had some emotional problems in the classroom setting. However, the student has had two successful years with little interruptions during instructional time and few suspensions. This school year the teacher who was not in the school the last two years reviewed the students file because the teacher has been having some problems controlling the student in the classroom setting. The student was recently suspended but the teacher stated she does not know why. Also, the student is not failing academically she is experiencing success. However, the teacher states she had modified the work and gave the student the grades she did not deserve. As a learning disabilities teacher consultant I can only go by the information and data that I receive from the teacher. It is difficult for me to believe that a experienced teacher does not know it is unethical to give grades to students if they have not earned them. If the student is trying and does not have the ability due to cognitive deficiencies then that is understandable. However, this child may not be able to be classified because her grades indicate her behavior is not impeding her learning!!! What should the child study team do for this child if she can not be classified??? Do you think the teacher is making a good decision here???
Here is a situation that I feel the teacher may be at fault. There is a student in the school I am assigned who has previously had some emotional problems in the classroom setting. However, the student has had two successful years with little interruptions during instructional time and few suspensions. This school year the teacher who was not in the school the last two years reviewed the students file because the teacher has been having some problems controlling the student in the classroom setting. The student was recently suspended but the teacher stated she does not know why. Also, the student is not failing academically she is experiencing success. However, the teacher states she had modified the work and gave the student the grades she did not deserve. As a learning disabilities teacher consultant I can only go by the information and data that I receive from the teacher. It is difficult for me to believe that a experienced teacher does not know it is unethical to give grades to students if they have not earned them. If the student is trying and does not have the ability due to cognitive deficiencies then that is understandable. However, this child may not be able to be classified because her grades indicate her behavior is not impeding her learning!!! What should the child study team do for this child if she can not be classified??? Do you think the teacher is making a good decision here???
school uniforms
Hi everyone,
What do you think about school uniforms??? Our district has recently changed to school uniforms in the last three years. First the Board of Education held several hearing about the uniforms and how they were going to mandate that students wear them. Some parents did not like the idea and a past employee had a big article published in the paper and wanted parents to rebel against the idea. However, the uniform policy was instituted. The K-8 graders started in 2006-2007. The preschoolers and high school started in 2007-2008. The entire district is wearing uniforms and it has not presented a major problem. Staff members are supportive by buying some items and donating them to the clothing closet. My niece moved into the district and her family did not buy an item because their was plenty in the clothing closet. If you move in district you have two weeks to purchase the uniform or get the uniform from the closet if it is available. As students leave to go to the high school they donate their uniforms back to the school. Also, at the high school level teachers volunteer to take the old uniforms donated home and wash them and re-package them for students attending the high school next school year. The uniform controversy seems to be working for everyone so far. My sister recently visited the district and made a comment about how nicely the students looked as they worked down the hallway. She could not believe their were no "baggy pants" even with teenagers in the schools. What do you think about uniforms are the right for every district??? They sure help our students improve their image.
What do you think about school uniforms??? Our district has recently changed to school uniforms in the last three years. First the Board of Education held several hearing about the uniforms and how they were going to mandate that students wear them. Some parents did not like the idea and a past employee had a big article published in the paper and wanted parents to rebel against the idea. However, the uniform policy was instituted. The K-8 graders started in 2006-2007. The preschoolers and high school started in 2007-2008. The entire district is wearing uniforms and it has not presented a major problem. Staff members are supportive by buying some items and donating them to the clothing closet. My niece moved into the district and her family did not buy an item because their was plenty in the clothing closet. If you move in district you have two weeks to purchase the uniform or get the uniform from the closet if it is available. As students leave to go to the high school they donate their uniforms back to the school. Also, at the high school level teachers volunteer to take the old uniforms donated home and wash them and re-package them for students attending the high school next school year. The uniform controversy seems to be working for everyone so far. My sister recently visited the district and made a comment about how nicely the students looked as they worked down the hallway. She could not believe their were no "baggy pants" even with teenagers in the schools. What do you think about uniforms are the right for every district??? They sure help our students improve their image.
re-evaluation testing
Hi everybody,
It is getting close to the end of the first part of the school year. Our district is trying to decrease classification as mandated by the state. However, this is presenting a problems with our staff members. Since we are re-evaluating almost every student only one staff member along with a teacher is making the decision whether to keep students classified under their current classification status. However, my co-worker decided to keep a student classified by the testing data did not warrant the classification or placement. However, the teachers complained and the way the student functioned in the classroom setting academically assisted the co-worker in making this decision. This was not a good decision because the director of Special Education sent a memo to the superintendent and asssistant superintendent to state this worker did not follow the law. This was upsetting because we are suppose to advocate for the students but political issues often cloud those decisions. I try to talk to the co-worker about being careful when you make such decisions and make sure you follow the laws of special education. Oftentimes. instead of using data-driven information child study team members will use what someone say. We have to make sure we are following the laws and that we are not classifying students by going through the back door. Let me know if others are following the same decisions????
It is getting close to the end of the first part of the school year. Our district is trying to decrease classification as mandated by the state. However, this is presenting a problems with our staff members. Since we are re-evaluating almost every student only one staff member along with a teacher is making the decision whether to keep students classified under their current classification status. However, my co-worker decided to keep a student classified by the testing data did not warrant the classification or placement. However, the teachers complained and the way the student functioned in the classroom setting academically assisted the co-worker in making this decision. This was not a good decision because the director of Special Education sent a memo to the superintendent and asssistant superintendent to state this worker did not follow the law. This was upsetting because we are suppose to advocate for the students but political issues often cloud those decisions. I try to talk to the co-worker about being careful when you make such decisions and make sure you follow the laws of special education. Oftentimes. instead of using data-driven information child study team members will use what someone say. We have to make sure we are following the laws and that we are not classifying students by going through the back door. Let me know if others are following the same decisions????
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Student placements
Hi everyone,
I work in an urban district that houses six elementary schools and one high school in South Jersey. Our district is small compared to others in our area. We may service approximately thirty-five hundred students. I have worked in this district for the last twenty-two years. I was a special education teacher for cognitive impaired students for over thirteen years. The grade levels were from second to fifth graders. I am still in the field of special educaiton. I am currently a learning disabilites teacher consultant at the elementary level. I am responsible for assessing students to determine their achievement levels in reading, mathematics, oral language and written language. My job is to report to Child Study Teammembers on the functioning and instructional levels of students I assess. The team can consist of a special or regular educaiton teacher, psychologist, social worker, speech-language pathologist, occupational therapist, and physical therapist.
The district currently has approximately eleven percent of its student population classified. The state is currently challenging our district to declassify students as needed and those we classify should go into inclusive classroom settings if at all possible. At this time I am having an issues with how we place students into inclusive classroom settings. In our district we have two teachers in the inclusive classroom settings. The number of special education students within a inclusive classroom is usually eight or less students. However, there is no limit to how many regular education students can be in the classroom. In our district the inclusive classroom may have twenty students; some may be even smaller. Here is the major problem. We are putting special education students in inclusive setting who are reading two or more years below grade level. For example, if you are teaching third grade you may get a student who is reading at the Kindergarten level. This student may not know letter sound associations. In a fifth grade classroom you may get a student who can read but comprehends nothing he or she has read. This student may be functioning at a third grade instructional level in reading. At times teachers know students will get frustrated and refuse to do work if it is to difficult for them. I would like to know from educators if you feel this is the least restrictive environment for the students? Can special and regular education teachers make the accommodations and modifications each student needs in order to experience success in reading? Which teacher should be responsible for teaching these students? How can the parent be more involved? Should these students be transferred to self-contained classrooms where they may be able to get more one-to-one attention? Do teachers feel they can really service these students effectively? Lastly, how does this relate to the No Child Left Behind Act? Please feel free to express your opinion about student placements in inclusive classroom settings.............
I work in an urban district that houses six elementary schools and one high school in South Jersey. Our district is small compared to others in our area. We may service approximately thirty-five hundred students. I have worked in this district for the last twenty-two years. I was a special education teacher for cognitive impaired students for over thirteen years. The grade levels were from second to fifth graders. I am still in the field of special educaiton. I am currently a learning disabilites teacher consultant at the elementary level. I am responsible for assessing students to determine their achievement levels in reading, mathematics, oral language and written language. My job is to report to Child Study Teammembers on the functioning and instructional levels of students I assess. The team can consist of a special or regular educaiton teacher, psychologist, social worker, speech-language pathologist, occupational therapist, and physical therapist.
The district currently has approximately eleven percent of its student population classified. The state is currently challenging our district to declassify students as needed and those we classify should go into inclusive classroom settings if at all possible. At this time I am having an issues with how we place students into inclusive classroom settings. In our district we have two teachers in the inclusive classroom settings. The number of special education students within a inclusive classroom is usually eight or less students. However, there is no limit to how many regular education students can be in the classroom. In our district the inclusive classroom may have twenty students; some may be even smaller. Here is the major problem. We are putting special education students in inclusive setting who are reading two or more years below grade level. For example, if you are teaching third grade you may get a student who is reading at the Kindergarten level. This student may not know letter sound associations. In a fifth grade classroom you may get a student who can read but comprehends nothing he or she has read. This student may be functioning at a third grade instructional level in reading. At times teachers know students will get frustrated and refuse to do work if it is to difficult for them. I would like to know from educators if you feel this is the least restrictive environment for the students? Can special and regular education teachers make the accommodations and modifications each student needs in order to experience success in reading? Which teacher should be responsible for teaching these students? How can the parent be more involved? Should these students be transferred to self-contained classrooms where they may be able to get more one-to-one attention? Do teachers feel they can really service these students effectively? Lastly, how does this relate to the No Child Left Behind Act? Please feel free to express your opinion about student placements in inclusive classroom settings.............
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