I've been teaching in the RCSD for many years, and I agree that we need to closely scrutinize the system when it comes to the designation of students in need of special education services. There's a huge difference between a child with developmental disabilities and one with oppositional-defiant disorder. And teachers need more information about their students' issues, but often all we get is "other health impairments," as Ms. Hallmark notes. But we also need to look at what we've done when it comes to classroom support. We've moved from a co-teacher model to a consultant teacher model, and nobody will ever be able to convince me that this wasn't a cost-cutting move. As a general education teacher, I've gone from planning with a special education colleague, teaching with that colleague, and assessing with that colleague to having another teacher drop into my classroom to work with the eight or nine students designated as special ed. We have no common planning time other than that time we voluntarily give up to "consult." We don't have the opportunity to develop working relationships over time, as we are paired arbitrarily from year to year. It's frustrating in the extreme to spend a year working with a colleague to develop a solid, effective approach for students only to find yourself working with someone else the following year. The whole system is broken, and we--the frontline--are never asked for our input as to how to fix it.
Re: “Frustrated board wrestles with special ed”
I've been teaching in the RCSD for many years, and I agree that we need to closely scrutinize the system when it comes to the designation of students in need of special education services. There's a huge difference between a child with developmental disabilities and one with oppositional-defiant disorder. And teachers need more information about their students' issues, but often all we get is "other health impairments," as Ms. Hallmark notes. But we also need to look at what we've done when it comes to classroom support. We've moved from a co-teacher model to a consultant teacher model, and nobody will ever be able to convince me that this wasn't a cost-cutting move. As a general education teacher, I've gone from planning with a special education colleague, teaching with that colleague, and assessing with that colleague to having another teacher drop into my classroom to work with the eight or nine students designated as special ed. We have no common planning time other than that time we voluntarily give up to "consult." We don't have the opportunity to develop working relationships over time, as we are paired arbitrarily from year to year. It's frustrating in the extreme to spend a year working with a colleague to develop a solid, effective approach for students only to find yourself working with someone else the following year. The whole system is broken, and we--the frontline--are never asked for our input as to how to fix it.