Classroom observations occur to document behaviors and to help provide insight to teachers. Teachers are teaching and are typically focused on the overall learning of the entire class. It is not possible for a teacher to catch all of the details of classroom while teaching. An outside observer, often a School Psychologist, can sit in the classroom and observe a student or the entire class. These insights can be used to help provide better instruction, create behavioral or academic interventions, or to document behaviors.
When do classroom observations occur?
- During a special education evaluation The classroom observation is a required component in a special education evaluation. It provides data and insight to the eligibility committee.
- Before a Behavior Intervention Plan or Functional Behavioral Assessment Classroom observations are important before implementing a Functional Behavioral Assessment or a Behavior Intervention Plan. It helps to clarify the current behaviors, identify possible triggers of the behavior, and determine the frequency of the behaviors.
- When a teacher is worried about a particular student Often a teacher will have a concern about a student and ask the School Psychologist to conduct an observation. After the observation the teacher and psychologist will meet to discuss and brainstorm strategies to assist in instruction.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Parents Helping to Prevent Bullying
Bully prevention can occur at all levels. There are system wide programs that an entire school system can adopt. There are school wide programs designed to prevent and intervene when bullying occurs. Teacher awareness and prevention techniques can be employed. There are programs that focus on working individually with the bully and the victim.
Bullying makes kids feel helpless and at times it can make parents of bullied kids feel helpless. Children who are bullied may feel scared, lonely, depressed, or angry. These are not emotions that we as parents want to see in our children. Prevention is more powerful than intervention. However, once bullying has begun, intervention needs to be immediate.
What Can Parents Do to Prevent Their Child from Bullying?
Children who have confidence and strategies to deal with bullies are less likely to be bullied. Here is a good article I found for parents called How Can Parents Help to Prevent Bullying At Their School. It demonstrates that parents can help prevent bullying before it begins. Parents who are aware of what is happening with their child can help give strategies and allows an open communication from child to parent. Additionally, it paves the way for discussions on how children can stand up to bullies and prevent something more serious.
What can a parent do when their child is already bullied?
Parents often do not know what to do, or act in ways that are not really helpful in the long run when they find out their child is being bullied. Parents are protective of their children and can act out of anger when someone hurts the one they love so much. Often parents don't begin to research ways to help bullying until after it has occurred and sometimes after it has escalated. Here is an article on bullying that gives good advice for parents when faced with bullying.
My favorite site on this topic, that I am aware of is for kids. Pacer Kids Against Bullying is kid friendly, easy to navigate, and demonstrate positive prevention and intervention techniques.
Bullying makes kids feel helpless and at times it can make parents of bullied kids feel helpless. Children who are bullied may feel scared, lonely, depressed, or angry. These are not emotions that we as parents want to see in our children. Prevention is more powerful than intervention. However, once bullying has begun, intervention needs to be immediate.
What Can Parents Do to Prevent Their Child from Bullying?
Children who have confidence and strategies to deal with bullies are less likely to be bullied. Here is a good article I found for parents called How Can Parents Help to Prevent Bullying At Their School. It demonstrates that parents can help prevent bullying before it begins. Parents who are aware of what is happening with their child can help give strategies and allows an open communication from child to parent. Additionally, it paves the way for discussions on how children can stand up to bullies and prevent something more serious.
What can a parent do when their child is already bullied?
Parents often do not know what to do, or act in ways that are not really helpful in the long run when they find out their child is being bullied. Parents are protective of their children and can act out of anger when someone hurts the one they love so much. Often parents don't begin to research ways to help bullying until after it has occurred and sometimes after it has escalated. Here is an article on bullying that gives good advice for parents when faced with bullying.
My favorite site on this topic, that I am aware of is for kids. Pacer Kids Against Bullying is kid friendly, easy to navigate, and demonstrate positive prevention and intervention techniques.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Academic Achievement Assessment vs. Classroom Assessment
Tests used in Special Education Assessment to measure academic achievement are quite different than classroom based assessment in several ways. The main differences between the academic achievement tests such as the Woodcock Johnson III or Wechsler Individual Achievement Test and classroom based assessment are the intended purpose of the test, the way it is administered, and the scores obtained.
The Purpose of a classroom assessment is to measure students learning of what is being taught in the classroom. Classroom assessments could be quizzes, chapter tests, midterms, or final exams. These tests are aligned with information learned in class.
Academic Achievement tests used in Special Education Assessment are standardized to determine how a student performs compared to other students the same age or grade nationally. The purpose is to determine if the student's performance is adequate or significantly below age/grade expectations. The tests measure basic skills rather than specific skills. For example, a task measuring spelling on a standardized academic achievement test, measures the general skill of spelling. A spelling test in class measures the ability to spell specific words that they have been practicing.
Another difference is the way in which the tests are administered. Classroom assessments are typically given to the entire class. They way in which it is administered is up to the classroom teacher or administrator. The teacher can offer accommodations if necessary, read tests aloud, or allow calculators.
Academic achievement assessments are standardized and the examiner must follow specific instructions and may not deviate in any way. The tests are administered one on one. No accommodations, extra help, or extra explanations of any item are allowed. Some tasks may be timed and there is no flexibility in those time limits. Some may feel that it is not fair to not allow accommodations. However, one must understand that the purpose is to see what a student can do without accommodations. It is a way to prove that accommodations are necessary in the classroom and determine if special education is needed.
Scores in classroom assessment follow the school's grading scale. Your score is based on how many you answer correctly. Answer all of the questions correctly, you get 100%. The score obtained represents how many items were correct.
Scores in academic achievement tests are norm referenced, meaning the scores represent the comparison to the average range. The number of answers correct (raw score) will be compared to performance of the students the same age that were administered this assessment during standardization. A score of 100 is average. It does not mean that one got every item correct, only that the performance is average compared to others the same age.
The Purpose of a classroom assessment is to measure students learning of what is being taught in the classroom. Classroom assessments could be quizzes, chapter tests, midterms, or final exams. These tests are aligned with information learned in class.
Academic Achievement tests used in Special Education Assessment are standardized to determine how a student performs compared to other students the same age or grade nationally. The purpose is to determine if the student's performance is adequate or significantly below age/grade expectations. The tests measure basic skills rather than specific skills. For example, a task measuring spelling on a standardized academic achievement test, measures the general skill of spelling. A spelling test in class measures the ability to spell specific words that they have been practicing.
Another difference is the way in which the tests are administered. Classroom assessments are typically given to the entire class. They way in which it is administered is up to the classroom teacher or administrator. The teacher can offer accommodations if necessary, read tests aloud, or allow calculators.
Academic achievement assessments are standardized and the examiner must follow specific instructions and may not deviate in any way. The tests are administered one on one. No accommodations, extra help, or extra explanations of any item are allowed. Some tasks may be timed and there is no flexibility in those time limits. Some may feel that it is not fair to not allow accommodations. However, one must understand that the purpose is to see what a student can do without accommodations. It is a way to prove that accommodations are necessary in the classroom and determine if special education is needed.
Scores in classroom assessment follow the school's grading scale. Your score is based on how many you answer correctly. Answer all of the questions correctly, you get 100%. The score obtained represents how many items were correct.
Scores in academic achievement tests are norm referenced, meaning the scores represent the comparison to the average range. The number of answers correct (raw score) will be compared to performance of the students the same age that were administered this assessment during standardization. A score of 100 is average. It does not mean that one got every item correct, only that the performance is average compared to others the same age.
Monday, September 14, 2009
School Counseling vs. In-Depth Psychotherapy for Children
This article was written by a guest blogger from www.goodtherapy.org
One of the staples of elementary schools across the country and around the world is the school counselor, a typically friendly and approachable figure who offers a space to talk about any problems or concerns and provide advice. School counselors are also usually found in junior high and high schools, and may in these later years focus more on guiding the course of academic schedules and helping out with college applications and other materials than with addressing emotional and mental concerns.
These familiar figures can be of great benefit to children as they grow, learn, and develop social skills, but they differ greatly from trained psychotherapists, who can provide in-depth treatments that go beyond the classroom. It can be difficult to determine whether a child would best benefit from consulting with a school counselor or working with a professional psychotherapist, but understanding the differences between these positions and their possibilities can serve as a good starting point for a sound decision.
School counselors typically are trained in a profession such as social work, or may even specialize in a field like child development or early education. While such fields and academic disciplines vary greatly from the distinct studies accumulated over the course of earning a psychology degree, they are capable of preparing counselors with important knowledge about children and their interaction with the environment, especially within the context of schools.
Counselors, being a part of the school staff, are usually able to mediate with other students in cases of conflict, and can approach teachers and other personnel about any problems that come up, whereas child therapy professionals are strictly committed to confidentiality, and work individually with the child –and sometimes, with the child's family-- rather than their social and scholastic contacts. School counselors may not be able to address emotional or behavioral concerns with the background and depth provided by a child therapy professional, but they can help approach basic issues in school throughout the day, and their open availability may prove comforting to children.
Through a series of sessions with a psychotherapist, children and their families can benefit from child therapy in meaningful and lasting ways that may not be as deeply understood by school counselors. With a highly trained knowledge not only of child development but of the history and practical applications of the field of psychology itself, professional therapists are often able to discover the deep causes of emotional, mental, and behavioral concerns in children, and can develop methods of achieving recovery as well as create tools that the child can use to help foster their own happiness and well-being throughout life.
A quick trip to the school counselor enables you to sooth a number of common childhood upsets, and establishing a bond can lead to greater confidence and the establishment of positive support at school; on the other hand, child therapy professionals are able to provide a deeper and broader approach to issues beyond the expected purview of friendly school office staff.
One of the staples of elementary schools across the country and around the world is the school counselor, a typically friendly and approachable figure who offers a space to talk about any problems or concerns and provide advice. School counselors are also usually found in junior high and high schools, and may in these later years focus more on guiding the course of academic schedules and helping out with college applications and other materials than with addressing emotional and mental concerns.
These familiar figures can be of great benefit to children as they grow, learn, and develop social skills, but they differ greatly from trained psychotherapists, who can provide in-depth treatments that go beyond the classroom. It can be difficult to determine whether a child would best benefit from consulting with a school counselor or working with a professional psychotherapist, but understanding the differences between these positions and their possibilities can serve as a good starting point for a sound decision.
School counselors typically are trained in a profession such as social work, or may even specialize in a field like child development or early education. While such fields and academic disciplines vary greatly from the distinct studies accumulated over the course of earning a psychology degree, they are capable of preparing counselors with important knowledge about children and their interaction with the environment, especially within the context of schools.
Counselors, being a part of the school staff, are usually able to mediate with other students in cases of conflict, and can approach teachers and other personnel about any problems that come up, whereas child therapy professionals are strictly committed to confidentiality, and work individually with the child –and sometimes, with the child's family-- rather than their social and scholastic contacts. School counselors may not be able to address emotional or behavioral concerns with the background and depth provided by a child therapy professional, but they can help approach basic issues in school throughout the day, and their open availability may prove comforting to children.
Through a series of sessions with a psychotherapist, children and their families can benefit from child therapy in meaningful and lasting ways that may not be as deeply understood by school counselors. With a highly trained knowledge not only of child development but of the history and practical applications of the field of psychology itself, professional therapists are often able to discover the deep causes of emotional, mental, and behavioral concerns in children, and can develop methods of achieving recovery as well as create tools that the child can use to help foster their own happiness and well-being throughout life.
A quick trip to the school counselor enables you to sooth a number of common childhood upsets, and establishing a bond can lead to greater confidence and the establishment of positive support at school; on the other hand, child therapy professionals are able to provide a deeper and broader approach to issues beyond the expected purview of friendly school office staff.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Triennial What?
This word gets thrown around in Special Education. If your child is in special education, you need to know what a triennial evaluation is and what it means for your child.
What is a Triennial Evaluation?
Every three years a committee must convene to determine if the current disability category is appropriate. School systems are required to complete this review and if needed complete the triennial evaluation within three years from the original eligibility date. Three years from the initial eligibility is the triennial. Parents are invited to attend this review that will occur a few months before the triennial date. Schools will review previous evaluations, current academic data, and the present IEP. If there is enough data to support that the student continues to meet the criteria, or if there have been no significant changes, the committee may determine the student to be continued eligible for special education and related services. Often the school will recommend a full evaluation. This may be due to procedures within the school. For example, some schools require that a full evaluation be completed every three years, or at least on the first eligibility date. If there have been changes, or document progress, a full evaluation or testing in particular areas may be recommended.
Can the school take my child out of special education at any time?
Once a student is identified as a student with a disability who is eligible to receive special education and related services, they continue to be eligible until it is determined that they no longer meet criteria. Typically an evaluation will occur, followed by an eligibility meeting to determine if the student is still eligible for special education services. Parents must sign to dismiss from special education. If parents do not sign, the current IEP will remain in effect. Schools are permitted to go to Due Process if a parent will not sign, but they do not always do this. There is a lot of debate as to whether schools should have the right to terminate services without parent permission. Voice your opinion on this thread from LDHelpOnline.
What role does a parent play in the Triennial Review Process?
Parents do have input in the review process. If the school does not want to test, but the parents wish for the triennial evaluation to be completed, the parent should make this request. Testing can not be conducted without signed parent permission.
See Also:
A Parent's Guide to Special Education Assessment
Special Education Resources for Parents
What is a Triennial Evaluation?
Every three years a committee must convene to determine if the current disability category is appropriate. School systems are required to complete this review and if needed complete the triennial evaluation within three years from the original eligibility date. Three years from the initial eligibility is the triennial. Parents are invited to attend this review that will occur a few months before the triennial date. Schools will review previous evaluations, current academic data, and the present IEP. If there is enough data to support that the student continues to meet the criteria, or if there have been no significant changes, the committee may determine the student to be continued eligible for special education and related services. Often the school will recommend a full evaluation. This may be due to procedures within the school. For example, some schools require that a full evaluation be completed every three years, or at least on the first eligibility date. If there have been changes, or document progress, a full evaluation or testing in particular areas may be recommended.
Can the school take my child out of special education at any time?
Once a student is identified as a student with a disability who is eligible to receive special education and related services, they continue to be eligible until it is determined that they no longer meet criteria. Typically an evaluation will occur, followed by an eligibility meeting to determine if the student is still eligible for special education services. Parents must sign to dismiss from special education. If parents do not sign, the current IEP will remain in effect. Schools are permitted to go to Due Process if a parent will not sign, but they do not always do this. There is a lot of debate as to whether schools should have the right to terminate services without parent permission. Voice your opinion on this thread from LDHelpOnline.
What role does a parent play in the Triennial Review Process?
Parents do have input in the review process. If the school does not want to test, but the parents wish for the triennial evaluation to be completed, the parent should make this request. Testing can not be conducted without signed parent permission.
See Also:
A Parent's Guide to Special Education Assessment
Special Education Resources for Parents
Thursday, August 20, 2009
August 2009 Newsletter
The August Newsletter (Back to School Edition) has been sent. Sign up to receive future newsletters, so you don't miss anything. Don't worry about junk mail! I'll never send more than one email a month and I'll never give your address away.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
5 Ideas to Ease "Back to School Anxiety"
Summer is coming to a close quickly and it's Back to School time again. You see it in all the stores, you hear about it in the commercials, and you can sense the "end" is near. For some children this comes with a dose of anxiety. Not all children love getting prepared for a new school year. Not all children look forward to starting over with a new teacher and class. Many children have fears and nervousness associated with transitioning back to school.
Ways to help ease your child's anxiety:
1. Keep your own anxiety in check: Even if you don't say a word, they can feel your anxiety. If you are stressing, it's likely to rub off on your child. It can reinforce their own fears. Let them know that you trust them and that you will get through it together. Do what you need to do to ease your own anxiety, which will in turn help your child.
2. Get Familiar: One of the best ways to address fear of the unknown is to become more familiar with it. Go to the Open House or take your child with you to registration. Another possibility is to call ahead on a teacher workday, explain that your child is feeling nervous, and ask if you can bring her in to meet her teacher and see her room.
3. Have a trial run: The day before the first day of school, set the alarm. Get up and get ready, establishing the morning routine. Get everyone out the door on time, with the packed backpack. Walk to the bus stop or drive on in to school, waving as you pass it.
4. Talk: Provide a safe place to talk about fears, hopes, and joys associated with fear. Leave the judgment out of it, and allow him to share his true feelings. Having an outlet to talk about it, can relieve some of the tension. If you are unable to be this person (due to your tendency to apply pressure or get easily upset), make sure there is someone he can talk to.
5. Get help if needed: If her anxiety is extreme or lasting for a long time, seek help. A good first step is to talk to your doctor or the school guidance counselor. They can refer you in the right direction.
Related Posts:
Back to School Survival Guide for Parents of a Child Who Struggles
Anxiety in Children
Ways to help ease your child's anxiety:
1. Keep your own anxiety in check: Even if you don't say a word, they can feel your anxiety. If you are stressing, it's likely to rub off on your child. It can reinforce their own fears. Let them know that you trust them and that you will get through it together. Do what you need to do to ease your own anxiety, which will in turn help your child.
2. Get Familiar: One of the best ways to address fear of the unknown is to become more familiar with it. Go to the Open House or take your child with you to registration. Another possibility is to call ahead on a teacher workday, explain that your child is feeling nervous, and ask if you can bring her in to meet her teacher and see her room.
3. Have a trial run: The day before the first day of school, set the alarm. Get up and get ready, establishing the morning routine. Get everyone out the door on time, with the packed backpack. Walk to the bus stop or drive on in to school, waving as you pass it.
4. Talk: Provide a safe place to talk about fears, hopes, and joys associated with fear. Leave the judgment out of it, and allow him to share his true feelings. Having an outlet to talk about it, can relieve some of the tension. If you are unable to be this person (due to your tendency to apply pressure or get easily upset), make sure there is someone he can talk to.
5. Get help if needed: If her anxiety is extreme or lasting for a long time, seek help. A good first step is to talk to your doctor or the school guidance counselor. They can refer you in the right direction.
Related Posts:
Back to School Survival Guide for Parents of a Child Who Struggles
Anxiety in Children
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