High-Leverage Practices for Students with Disabilities | |
Happy November! The theme for this month is based on the second high-leverage practice (HLP) from the CEEDAR Center and Council for Exceptional Children (CEC)’s publication High-Leverage Practices in Special Education: Organize and facilitate effective meetings with professionals and families. Keep reading for resources and more! | | | |
Organize and Facilitate Effective Meetings with Professionals and Families | |
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“Effective” as defined by the Oxford Dictionary (n.d.) means, “producing a successful result.” When planning and organizing any meeting, effectiveness must be considered in light of the common goal being student success. Effectiveness cannot occur, however, unless trust has been established by all parties, including (and especially) the family. The High-Leverage Practices in Special Education (McLeskey et al., 2017, p.31) suggests that four components are needed for effective meetings, “building trust, communicating clearly, listening carefully to others’ concerns and opinions, and holding a belief in equality as shown through genuine respect for others.”
Problem-solving protocols and student-centered meeting procedures may be helpful in guiding teams to arrive at consensus. Using tools like the Learning Forward (2014) problem-solving protocol is one way to ensure teams stay focused on the problem and see it through to resolution.
When consensus cannot be found, requesting a Facilitated IEP may be helpful. The Facilitated IEP process can help teams in effectively coming to consensus when creating an individualized education plan for a student. More information can be found on the Florida Department of Education (FDOE) website or by requesting a training from a local Florida Diagnostic & Learning Resources System (FDLRS) center.
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Communicating with Children who are D/HH Over the Holiday Breaks | | |
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Tech Notes will be taking a break for the holidays. Don’t worry… RMTC-D/HH will still be here to support you!
The National Center on Postsecondary Outcomes (NDC, 2019) has some quick tips for the holidays that you can provide to families that have a child who is D/HH:
- Involve them.
- Educate yourself.
- Eyeball the environment.
- Turn on the captions.
- Hire a professional.
- Use what you have.
- Play deaf-friendly games.
- Check in and ask questions.
For more information on each suggestion, refer to the article “A Holiday for the Whole Family: Tips to Include Deaf Guests” from NDC.
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RMTC-D/HH is excited to offer Thinking on THIRDSdays, a professional learning community (PLC) for all educators providing instruction and support to Florida students who are D/HH. Led by RMTC-D/HH staff, this PLC allows district personnel the opportunity to pose and respond to peer inquiries about the education, planning, programming, and needs of students who are D/HH.
When?
The next event will be November 18, 2021 from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. EST (3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. CST).
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Just a reminder… There will be no TA-Live! discussion session or Tech Notes for the month of December.
Happy Holidays!
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RMTC-D/HH Teacher Spotlight | |
Expanded Skills Spotlight
Self-Directed IEPs
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The first resource is the Standing Up For Me curriculum. This curriculum was developed in Florida and designed to advance the self-determination and self-advocacy skills of youth in exceptional student education (ESE). The 2012 version of this curriculum covers the primary, intermediate, middle and high school grades and includes classroom materials, activities, and evaluations. Training to use the curriculum can be requested from Project 10.
Each level has a unit on “Self-Directed IEP Skills” as seen in the Expanded Skills Standard SP.PK12.DH.6.4b. By the end of the unit, students are ready to participate at a grade appropriate level during their IEP. By high school, they should be able to lead and participate in the entire meeting. Students can create a multimedia presentation to help them present their IEP. Here are some examples of presentations created by students who are D/HH:
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The second resource that can be used to teach the Expanded Skills Standard SP.PK12.DH.6.4b is the I’m Determined project, a state directed project funded by the Virginia Department of Education, focuses on providing direct instruction, models, and opportunities to practice skills associated with self-determined behavior. Included in the resource are slide decks students can download and customize to present at an IEP meeting.
I’m Determined IEP Templates:
| A bonus resource for students who use hearing assistive technology (HAT), are the Phonak ‘Hearing and me’ template slide decks. Students can add these slides to their presentations to help explain their hearing journey. | |
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Resources:
In order to keep all the resources in one place, RMTC-D/HH has created a LiveBinder that is categorized by the twenty-two “High-Leverage Practices for Students with Disabilities” from the CEEDAR Center and the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC). To see the resources available by each category, check out the LiveBinder!
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Resources from the RMTC-D/HH Media and Materials Loan Library:
The below resources are from the Media and Materials Loan Library* that have relevance to the high-leverage practice "Organize and facilitate effective meetings with professionals and families."
Mom and Dad, Your Deaf Child Is Ok! (Catalog Number: 116): This DVD Mom & Dad, Your Deaf Child is O.K. includes interviews with families, both hearing and deaf, about how they dealt or are dealing with issues related to their deaf children. Researchers, administrators, and educators from deaf-related fields offer their valuable expertise about deaf children. There are six essential issues: Concerns, Cochlear Implant, Which Language?, Family Involvement, No Time, Too Busy, Too Hard, and Words of Advice.
Facilitating The Transition of Students Who Are Deaf Or Hard of Hearing (Catalog Number: 1837) by John Luckner is concise, clear, and very helpful in putting together all of the considerations for effective and beneficial transition planning. The purpose of this book is to help professionals, students, and families become familiar with how to develop and implement individual transition plans for students who are D/HH.
Toward Competent Practice: Conversations with Stakeholders (Catalog Number: 1865) by Anna Witter-Merithew and Leilani J Johnson will serve as a resource for working interpreters, interpreter educators, student interpreters, and consumers of interpreting in shaping a future that is desired and supported by the field. It invites readers to reflect on the critical issues impacting the field of interpreting, and to work from a problem-solving interest cycle and a research interest cycle.
C.O.A.C.H. - Self Advocacy & Transition Skills for Secondary Students who are D/HH (Catalog Number: 1939) by Lynn Price uses a problem-solving model of C.O.A.C.H. – Concern - Observe - Access - Collaborate - make it Happen to address access and communication needs for students who are D/HH. The book includes: rationale for the instruction model, step-by-step directions, goals and activities, assessments, and reproducible worksheets. Each section addresses specific aspects of advocacy and develops underlying skills to support application.
*Florida stakeholders can borrow these and many other resources from RMTC-D/HH's Media and Materials Loan Library, for FREE. Each material comes with a return label, making even the shipping at no charge to the borrower.
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Deafverse World Two
The National Deaf Center on Postsecondary Outcomes (NDC) has launched World Two of Deafverse, the first-ever American Sign Language (ASL) accessible online game for teenagers who are deaf/hard of hearing. Deafverse is a free, choose-your-own-adventure game that is equally focused on both skill-building and fun. This latest addition, which focuses on job readiness and related skills, builds upon the unique deaf-centered online gaming experience that began with Deafverse World One: Duel of the Bots.
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LSLS Mentorship
Hearing First is offering one year of 1:1 mentoring by a Listening and Spoken Language Specialist (LSLS) professional using video observation and live interactive sessions for one year. The application* is due by November 22, 2021.
*Please note, membership is required before completing the application. Membership is free. For more information, please see the flyer.
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Parent Advocacy App
The Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center at Gallaudet University, the American Society for Deaf Children, Hands & Voices, and the National Association of the Deaf created the Parent Advocacy app for families of children who are deaf or hard of hearing attending IEP meetings, 504 meetings, or other meetings. It provides support to help families understand their child’s rights and to prepare them to work with the school in the best interest of their child. The app is available on Google Play and the Apple App store.
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Virtual Information Sessions
Students and their families can join RIT for any of their remaining virtual information sessions to learn how their unique environment provides opportunities for students who are deaf/hard of hearing. Sessions are being held throughout November and December.
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Programs and Summer Camps
The RIT/NTID Outreach office offers a variety of programs throughout the year and summer camps for students who are D/HH. The next event is a virtual science fair for the Egg Drop Competition November 15 - December 3, 2021.
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RMTC-D/HH provides Tech Notes as a free resource to teachers, professionals, and parents around the state in order to pass along potentially useful information and expand the knowledge and opportunities available to educators and families of children who are deaf/hard of hearing. This email was funded by the Florida Department of Education Bureau of Exceptional Student Education through federal assistance under the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA), Part B funds. The information included does not reflect any specific endorsement by any parties involved. | | |
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References:
Florida Department of Education [FDOE]. (n.d.). Dispute resolution systems. Retrieved November 1, 2021. https://www.fldoe.org/academics/exceptional-student-edu/dispute-resolution/
Florida Department of Education [FDOE]. (2016). A parent’s guide to the facilitated IEP process. Diane Wilkins Productions. https://youtu.be/C-bFi_zUuuA
Florida Diagnostic & Learning Resources System [FDLRS]. (n.d.). Home. https://www.fdlrs.org/
Fried, J. and Hansson, D. (2018). It doesn't have to be crazy at work. Harper Business.
IRIS Center (n.d.). High-leverage practices. Resources. https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/resources/high-leverage-practices/
Learning Forward. (2014, February). Problem-solving protocol. The Learning Forward Journal, 35(1) 63-64. https://learningforward.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/tool351.pdf
McLeskey, J., Barringer, M-D., Billingsley, B., Brownell, M., Jackson, D., Kennedy, M., Lewis, T., Maheady, L., Rodriguez, J., Scheeler, M. C., Winn, J., & Ziegler, D. (2017, January). High-leverage practices in special education. Arlington, VA: Council for Exceptional Children & CEEDAR Center. https://ceedar.education.ufl.edu/hlps/
National Center on Postsecondary Outcomes [NDC]. (2019, November 20). A holiday for the whole family: Tips to include deaf guests. https://www.nationaldeafcenter.org/news/inclusive-holidays
Oxford Advanced American Dictionary. (n.d.). Effective. In Oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com dictionary. Retrieved November 1, 2021, from https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/effective
Phonak. (n.d.). 'Hearing and me' template. Retrieved November 1, 2021. https://www.phonak.com/us/en/hearing-aids/hearing-aids-for-children/classroom-resources/hearing-and-me.html
Project 10: Transition Education Network. (2012). Standing up for me [curriculum]. http://project10.info/SUFM.php
Virginia Department of Education. (n.d.). I’m determined. Retrieved November 1, 2021. https://www.imdetermined.org/
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Suggested Citation:
Resource Materials and Technology Center for the Deaf/Hard [RMTC-D/HH]. (2021, November). HLP2: Effective meetings. Tech Notes. https://www.rmtcdhh.org/tech-notes-archive/
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