This site was made possible by Xerox Corporation’s Social Service Leave program and by the many individuals and corporations who have provided financial support to Project Connect.

For Educators...

LDA Life and Learning Services is a valuable resource for Rochester area educators who are seeking ways to best meet the needs of their students with learning disabilities. Specially created for you, this section of LDARochester.org strives to provide information about the latest research, strategies, issues, and legislation affecting your work.

Whether you are a general education teacher, a special education teacher, school administrator or CSE chair, come here for information about:

Laws Governing Education of Students with Disabilities
IDEA and General Education Teachers
Implications of Response to Intervention (RTI)
Educators' Role and Responsibilities
Collaboration and Co-Teaching
How to take a Leadership Role
Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Methods and Strategies

Because the general educator's role is more important than ever in the lives of learners with disabilities, there are specific steps general education teachers should take in order to be better equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills:

Step 1: Know the Law

The details of laws and what they require can sometimes get lost in translation. To best empower and protect yourself and your students, read and familiarize yourself with the actual law and updates to it. You will find the following helpful information at the website for National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities.

The Law - Read the statute passed by Congress in December 2004.
Final regulations for IDEA 2004, published in August 2006
Summaries and insight into what's new, what's the same, what it all means
Publications and products reviewed by the Office of Special Education Programs to assure their consistency with the IDEA 2004 statute
Training Materials on IDEA

IDEA and General Education Teachers The Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) was passed by Congress in 1975 to guide how states, schools, and teachers provide special education services to children with disabilities. IDEA is a federal law designed to ensure that learners with disabilities receive free and appropriate education.

IDEA is not the sole responsibility of special education teachers. General education teachers are important partners, along with parents, administrators, health care professionals, and special educators, in meeting the needs of and facilitating learning for the student with disabilities.

Implications of Response to Intervention (RTI)
The role of the general education teacher has become even more crucial in the 2004 reauthorization to IDEA with the introduction of Response to Intervention (RTI). RTI is intended to create a more seamless partnership between general and special educators. Specifically, RTI calls for:

Implementation in general education of instruction and interventions based on sound research
Assessment of students' responses to these interventions
Use of the assessment data to make decisions about whom to serve and whether to continue current forms of instruction or employ other methods and techniques

Step 2: Know Your Role and Responsibilities

The role of the general education teacher with students with learning disabilities is clear. Teachers should:

Provide direct or indirect special education services to students identified with learning disabilities.

Provide consultation and share expertise at the school-wide level.

Participate on planning teams to support other teachers as school-wide models of RTI are planned and implemented.

Step 3: Collaborate

LDA's Project Connect, which was the impetus for creation of this on-line resource for the Rochester community, was sparked by a meeting of local educators, pediatricians and parents who recognized a detrimental gap in communication/understanding among the various "players" who address the needs of children with learning disabilities. It is critical for general education teachers to work with parents, physicians, special educators, administrators, and community agencies such as LDA Life and Learning Services to best meet the needs of learners who struggle.

Some Insights on Collaboration (Knackendoffel and Robinson, 1992)
Collaboration indicates a team approach and a substantial degree of communication, but it also allows each profession and community to be one in itself. Knackendoffel and Robinson (1992) define collaboration as an ongoing process whereby professionals with different expertise voluntarily work together to create solutions to problems that are impeding student's success, as well as to carefully monitor and refine those solutions. They highlight beliefs that must be central to a collaborative relationship:

Those involved in collaborative relationships must believe that all participants have equal status, that all participant have something to learn about working with children, and that services offered for children improve as educators work together rather than in isolation.
Collaboration is enhanced by trust, respect, openness, and clear communication among the participants.

Co-teaching
Many general education teachers are being called upon to co-teach one or more classes with a special education teacher. Working collaboratively with a co-teacher has many benefits for teachers and students alike. Research indicates that collaboration enhances the expertise of all teachers and often serves to make up for a lack of experience and preparation (Titone, 2005). There are several different co-teaching models: parallel teaching, station teaching, one teach/one assist, team teaching. The best co-teaching teams work in a way where it is almost imperceptible to observers who the general education teacher is and who the special education teacher. Recommendations for best practice include:

Arrange a common planning time for general education and special education teachers.
Be flexible.
Be willing to take risks.
Clearly define roles and responsibilities of teachers and assistants.
Communicate.
Avoid segregating students by ability level unless absolutely necessary.
Both teachers should work with and support all students in the classroom as much as possible.

Step 4: Be a Leader

General education teachers have more opportunities and resources available than ever before to support all learners in their classrooms. Get involved in your building and district and take the lead in creating curriculum, instructional strategies, and assessments that take the whole child into account and benefit all learners equitably. To become such a leader, the Council for Exceptional Children recommends that you:

Study IDEA and RTI on your own
Attend local, regional, or state conferences and training workshops such as those provided by LDA Life and Learning Services.
Contact local support and information centers like LDA Life and Learning Services for up-to-date information and support.
Visit "model schools" or "master teachers" in your area where you can see and study best practices with learners with learning disabilities.
Endorse relentless professional development for all personnel involved with students with learning disabilities.
Share your expertise in instructional methods and strategies used to teach struggling students. Collaboration with other members of the faculty and staff is key.
Promote the use of scientific data to monitor your school's RTI program and determine whether it is being implemented successfully.

Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment: Methods and Strategies for the General Educator Working with Students with Learning Disabilities

Curriculum
Instruction
Assessment, Grading and Testing
Behavior Management

Curriculum

There are many good, reputable organizations with sites that include complete lists of curriculum resources for general and special education. Here are some of them:

National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities

Instruction

All learners deserve methods and strategies that best suit their individual talents and strengths, as well as their challenges. Educators should avoid creating a classroom where the expectations and teaching methods for learners with disabilities are radically different than those for the general education learners. More Info

It is both salutary and gratifying to note that in the future, integrated special education will become better, and easier to accomplish, as all education becomes special education, i.e., as we move more and more from lockstep teaching to individualization of the learning-teaching process. As all education becomes special … integration will no longer present the problems it does today.
-- W. Wolfensberger, 1972

General Principles to Observe
Educator Sue Watson reminds us that there are many practical strategies that are effective in the classroom. It is up to the classroom and special education teacher to ensure that appropriate strategies are being used in the classroom to assist individual learning styles and provide success to all students with special needs. It is recommended that a multi-modal approach be used, visual, auditory, kinesthetic and tactile for optimum success.

Set and maintain high expectations for all learners. Lowering expectations for learners with learning difficulties does not empower them or facilitate learning.
Instead, use a wide variety of teaching methods and a good number of scaffolding techniques.

Time Management and Transitions

Space short work periods with breaks.
Provide additional time to complete assignment.
Allow extra time for homework completion.
Inform student with several reminders, several minutes apart, before changing from one activity to the next.
Reduce amount of work from usual assignment.
Provide a specific place for turning in assignments.

Presentation of Materials

Modify expectations based on students needs.
Break assignments into segments of shorter tasks.
Give alternative assignments rather than long written assignments.
Provide a model of end product.
Provide written and verbal direction with visuals if possible.
Break long assignments into small sequential steps, monitoring each step.
Highlight to alert student attention to key points within the written direction of the assignment.
Check that all homework assignments are written correctly in some kind of an agenda/homework book. Sign it and have parents sign it as well.
Number and sequence steps in a task.
Provide outlines, study guides, copies of overhead notes.
Explain learning expectations to the student before beginning a lesson.
Make sure you have the students' attention before beginning a lesson.
Allow for student to use tape recorders, computers, calculators and dictation to obtain and retain assignment success.
Allow oral administration of test.
Limit the number of concepts presented at one time.
Provide incentives for beginning and completing material.

Resources
LD Online
LD Online provides a wealth of materials for and about students with learning disabilities. You'll find articles about specific instructional strategies and techniques for this population, including:

General classroom instruction, accommodations
Teaching phonological awareness, reading
Teaching spelling
Teaching oral and written language
Teaching organization, active reading/ listening, and study skills
Teaching mathematics
Teaching social/ behavior skills

TeachingLD
TeachingLD is a service of the Division for Learning Disabilities (DLD) of the Council for Exceptional Children. DLD is the largest international professional organization focused on Learning Disabilities. The purpose of TeachingLD is to provide trustworthy and up-to-date resources about teaching students with Learning Disabilities. In addition to serving as a resource for members of DLD, TeachingLD.org publishes content about assessment, instruction, and policy related to Learning Disabilities. Readers can find information about curriculum-based measurement for monitoring student progress; teaching methods such a co-teaching and direct instruction; and current issues such as response-to-intervention models.

http://specialed.about.com/cs/teacherstrategies/a/Strategies.htm

Assessment, Grading and Testing

Making accommodations in assessment, grading, and testing is an important part of supporting students with learning disabilities. Frequent, well-planned, appropriate assessments should be used to monitor students' understanding as well as the effectiveness of instruction. Especially when working out new accommodations for students. More Info

Behavior Management

Many general education teachers struggle with behavior issues when working with students who have learning disabilities. As with any student, developing rapport with students and a safe, comfortable learning environment are the first steps. Application of the resources, instructional, and assessment strategies listed above will help to avoid many behavior problems. The following strategies also will be helpful: More Info