Tuesday Open Thread
I was reading an article at Edutopia about resources for teachers with readers at different ability levels and they were recommending this software, Rewordify.
Boston schools are taking a bold step - new maps. Worth thinking about in terms of using the racial equity lens and the (hopefully) soon new ethnic studies curriculum.
Thoughtful article from the New York Times on implicit bias of overweight children and adults.
Interesting story in the Times this morning about the scramble to fill teacher positions in district throughout the state, especially for Special Education.
What's on your mind?
What's interesting is that you don't have to download anything:Rewordify.com is powerful, free, online software that improves reading, learning, and teaching. This site can:
- Intelligently simplify difficult English, for faster comprehension
- Effectively teach words, for building a better vocabulary
- Help teachers save time and produce engaging lessons
- Help improve learning outcomes
The site is a web app, which is great for you, because you get almost-daily site updates automatically—so you can read and learn, not download and install app updates.And:
Rewordify.com requires no personal information. Student accounts are completely anonymous and cannot post or share anything.Anyone ever use this?
Boston schools are taking a bold step - new maps. Worth thinking about in terms of using the racial equity lens and the (hopefully) soon new ethnic studies curriculum.
Thoughtful article from the New York Times on implicit bias of overweight children and adults.
Decades ago, researchers found that weight-based bias, which is often accompanied by overt discrimination and bullying, can date back to childhood, sometimes as early as age 3.Bellevue parents are trying to find reforms for oversight of high school athletics. From the Tri-City Herald:
The prejudiced feelings may not be apparent to those who hold them, yet they can strongly influence someone’s behavior. A new study by researchers at Duke University, for example, found that “implicit weight bias” in children ages 9 to 11 was as common as “implicit racial bias” is among adults.
Angry Bellevue residents who accused the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association of racism, intimidation and harassment have asked the Legislature to impose some control on the organization that oversees high school sports in Washington state.Seattle Schools announced that later this month that they will be filing a friend of the court brief in the McCleary case. Surprisingly Superintendent Reykdal of OSPI is not.
Interesting story in the Times this morning about the scramble to fill teacher positions in district throughout the state, especially for Special Education.
In Washington state, one in five principals last fall said they were in a "crisis mode" as they tried to find enough teachers to fill every classroom.How to solve that issue of Special Ed teachers? A new law will allow new rules to be written by OSPI on how school districts prepare paraeducators as well as simplify how those paraeducators could become teachers.
What's on your mind?
Comments
Interesting article that ties into neighborhood schools and equity.
Poor Me
Sped Staffer
DWE
Just Foolish
Details matter
Just Foolish
On the other hand, some of the best Special Ed teachers I know started as paraeducators. If they've been working in a strong classroom, they've essentially had a multi-year apprenticeship. Even the best teacher training programs don't cover all the minutiae of running a self-contained class, and honestly, that knowledge is a lot more valuable than taking a statistics course or doing a lit review.
Chip
Sure some IAs are fantastic working with autistic students were expectations are different then let's say a very bright student with EBD or SLD. You see those are the students that need the teachers that are highly skilled. I would suggest the requirements to teach special ed be increased and that unlike in Gen ed the SPED teachers must be experts in a focused area of need. Having a teacher who works with low incidence students suddenly take on SLD students is likely to fail, it just doesn't work and isn't fair to the teachers or students.
You have pointed out one of the known short comings of the special educational career path, lack of training. Skipping formal training in exchange for on the job experience only works in a few rare situations.
Just Foolish
I would also like to see some of them have time to spend as specialists in gen ed classrooms to help gen ed teachers be more successful addressing the sped students they have.
-HS Parent
I agree with you on a lot. As a SpEd teacher, it would be great if there were more specific training for the assorted settings. That being said, when I started my SpEd program, I would have sworn up, down, and sideways that I wanted a Resource Room position. But I spend some time subbing, and discovered that I'm a great fit for the Behavior classes and I'm just about to start my first year in one. If I'd taken an RR-specific program, I know I would have missed out, and I would hope that five years from now, I could say that my students would have missed out as well. For what it's worth, the issues you cite are the reasons I didn't apply in Seattle, despite the large number of openings.
I think that what I'm envisioning is a paraeducator, with multiple years of experience in a setting, who has the skills for dealing with the kids (despite the utter lack of training offered), and WANTS to take on the extra work of being the teacher, but maybe hasn't because they're worried about cost, or fitting in the classes, or feels they have other barriers standing in their way. In which case, they take the classes needed to teach the legalities, IEP writing, etc., and have had an extended student teaching experience. Plus, an experienced para in a "hard" classroom knows what they're getting in to.
-Chip
Yep. Those pesky, undeserving, in-bright students. Oh yeah. The students with Autism. Now the students with EBD or SLD need specialized teachers unlike those Autism students who are fine with IAs... because why? They're so hopeless to begin with?
Gee. Haven't we heard the illiterate bashing of Autistic students here before?
Its Old
sardine
Well just to let you know an IA was beaten so severely by an autistic student that she had to be hospitalized. IAs are placed in very difficult situations when working with students. Some autistic students need more than just a weight vest to calm them down.The vast majority of special ed students just need help with academics but 20% need much more and 7% probably should not be at SPS.
I've seen how SPS thinks all IAs are interchangeable which is a dangerous mistake.
Just Foolish
Your numbers make no sense. Why should 7% of Sped students be shipped off? Where should they be sent? The cost of out of district placement is at least 300k. If we did that, there would surely be less for academic help. Btw, academic tutoring is not a requirement of special ed. There's no science disability or history disability. Special ed is not the service that is going allow any kid to ace subjects, and therefore there's never going to be the super-history sped teacher (or IA). It makes no sense. The state sets up certification processes to teach in a wide variety of situations. Nobody would sign up for limited specialization certification, and no district would want to hire people that it could only use for limited purposes. All students, regardless of where they are educated in public schools, get teachers with fairly general certifications. And, that's a good thing. Can you imagine the quality of applicants if a history-visual-perceptual-disorder certificated teacher was required? What about when the next DSM shows up and there are 20 new disorders, and 15 removed? Are we supposed to change certifications? What would happen to Aspergers Certified professionals now? Aspergers was removed as a distinct disorder from the DSM 5. Your comments are predictably Just Foolish.
Another Sped Parent
It's a hot potato issue that many teachers know of. Yes I'm sticking with 7% of SPED students do not belong in the gen ed setting.
Just Foolish
Another Sped Parent
We are not talking about lunch, we are talking about the safety of students and teachers, including the ASD students. Only a fool would believe SPED teachers or IAs should be placed at risk in a general ed or even a self contained classroom. I think your emotions cloud your judgment, it's heartbreaking but even worst when innocent people are attacked.
Just Foolish
ANother Sped Par
SPED Parent.
Getting back to the original point, IAs need to be trained in dealing with the various disabilities both physical and mental. How is it possible to find people willing to do this work for the low wages they are paid? I would think many IA positions should include hazard pay and others not.
Just Foolish
-Good Times
Yes IAs are in the union. More ignorance from Just Foolish. It's a branch of SEA, and they have their own elected union rep. Here's some actual information Paraprofessional Collective Bargaining agreement are listed here. Believe it or not, subs are unionized too. Not sure what the union has to do with anything. The students the district serves come as they are, and there's not much anybody can do about that, including the SEA.
Another Sped Parent
https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/seattleschools/jobs/1830234/arbor-heights-special-education-assistant-ise-203-days-1-0
Not a lot of education going on. No wounder they can't find people.
PBJ
Read the contract, maybe I'm misinterpreting the meaning. I was never in a union nor was I asked to join one. Things might have changed, so tell me where can I find the IA contract with SPS?
As far as I remember the pay is very low. IAs many times are treated as "inferior" in comparison to the other certified teachers. No paid sick days and holiday breaks are unpaid (Christmas break, thanksgiving, spring break). No opportunities for bonuses.
Yes. IAs are paraprofessionals.
No. Every contract cycle includes contracts for all union employees. Google SEA paraprofessionals CBA
Yes. You don't have to join, most IAs are badgered by the building SEA rep to join. If you do join you pay dues. If you don't join you pay a negotiation fee which is deducted from your paycheck. The cost to you is the same.
Yes. Pay is low, but bennies are good. Healthcare, retirement, hours the works.
Current IA