Too much inclusion?

Rebecca,
I feel that inclusion decisions need to be made on an individual basis and not because an administrator has decided that his campus is “becoming an inclusion campus”. Research has shown that inclusion does not work for all students; that’s why we design individualized education plans and have a continuum of settings available to meet students’ needs.

First, can you call an IEP team meeting to discuss the child’s problems? Second, are you able to meet his needs? Do you have time to pull him in for instruction or do you have a teaching assistant on whom you can rely to do the supervised reading instruction? Third, is there a general education reading specialist or dyslexia specialist who may be called upon to instruct this child? This child won’t learn to read in a regular classroom and his problems, both academic and behavioral, will only worsen without intervention.

Good luck. Marge

Of course inclusion isn’t always right. Was it intended to be? Inclusion is a movement with many political undertones to it but as an instructional method, it simply doesn’t always work. To me that’s particularly apparent in reading and math classes. How does a child catch up while keeping up? When will this child’s reading skills grow and develop if his effort needs to be directed to being successful in a class well above his reading level?

Inclusion in Language Arts is a smoke and mirrors thing. You have to break the kids into groups based on their reading level which is, in effect, to create separate classes within the class.

I think that we make children perform in a reading class above their reading level is simply wrong. Have you been in touch with the student’s parents? Would they prefer him to have meaningful reading instruction? What would be your principal’s feelings? And does your schedule and the student’s schedule admit of time to offer him the instruction he needs?

That you notice this child’s dilemma is a wonderful thing and he’s fortunate to have you for a teacher. Good luck with this.

I told my principal that I will work with him one on one during the last period of the day. He dropped out of his seventh hour and now I can see him then. This is my second year teaching and I had him read for me. He had trouble with simple words, who, what, will, people…. etc. He also told me the letters u and n look the same to him. What do I do? I had him read parts of words to see his decoding skills, and he literally has none. What does this mean. His IEP doesn’t tell me too much (stuff I already know). Thanks

Rebecca,

I am a mom and really can’t help you I just want to commend you for your desire to help this kid.

I am sure you will find help and that this kid will remember you for life.

Good luck.

That he can’t read simple words can mean anything but probably means he has some kind of a decoding issue. What testing is in his file? Has a reading specialist ever seen this kid?

Some kids learn to read virtually on their own, others do it with some instruction, still others can’t even with instruction. If this kid is working one on one with you, it may be the first meaningful reading instruction he will get.

It probably also means this kid is feeling pretty bad within himself and probably has a fair bit of sensitivity around this. I’d first try to help him feel comfortable around that and reassure him of his abilities. Also remember that some people are sight readers and simply cannot “break the code”.

As to a good program to use to work with this kid… post specifically to Anitya, Robin G. or Sue J or Victoria for good advice on that.

Hi Rebecca,
I feel exactly the way you do. However, I do have a resource room with
nine children reading levels from 1st grade to 7th grade. Even in a pull out program, remediation is virtually impossible. If I want to teach any of my children to read, I have to ignore the better readers or sneak the students who need intensive instruction out of their regular classes, during lunch, after school or during homeroom. It really stinks.
I am also frustrated with my school’s version of inclusion. We lump 9-14 special ed. children in a class of 20-25 and call that inclusion. Ugh!

Rebecca, you are to be commended for your concern and for your relevant assessment of the student’s needs. Some things that I would try include thoroughly reviewing ALL his records, talking to the Spec Ed Supervisor about what can be done, talking to the student’s team and making them aware of this student’s levels, getting a psycho-educational re-evaluation for the student, including a visual-motor evaluation. Has the student ever had occupational therapy? I would also talk to the other special ed teachers and ask for ideas. Has your district had in-servicing on inclusion, that inclusion is part of a continuum of services?
I took a course, sponsored by my district, in Wilson reading and it has proven very beneficial to some of my students. Any repetitive, systematic multisensory reading system would probably be beneficial. Have you done a thorough analysis of his phonemic/ phonetic awareness? Which sounds of the alphabet does he know?
Good luck to you and your student.

Yep, sounds like my school!! I did get my principal to split the 20, 8th grade spec. ed. kids into three teams of about 4-6 kids per class. That has really helped. I found having as many as 14 was way too many for me and the reg. ed. teacher. I too become frustrated because I don’t always feel I am meeting everyone’s needs, but what else can I do? Glad to know I am not alone. We should talk more…..

Phyllis, He moved from a different school and his records have not all shown up at my school. My principal knows and said she will try to get them. I just got the book Reading Reflex in the mail. I hope that will help!! Today, I quizzed him on sounding out the alphabet. He knew all the letters but “u”.Words like “rug” take a long time for him to decode. He does it a few times one letter at a time, then he finally puts it altogether. I don’t really have anyone to ask on how to work with this, that’s why I am here. All of the spec. ed. teachers have been in spec. ed. no more than 4 years. My school does not give inservices on spec. ed. stuff. (it’s a small school, low income), I am really excited about teaching him, but I am afraid because I don’t know much and don’t want him to feel like he hasn’t accomplished anything. Not too much pressure on myself!!! Thanks for your great advice, I will talk to the principal tomorrow….

I do agree with Phyllis Wilson reading is a great program but it does require (a lot of ) training. Look into Project Read and Recipe for Reading. They are both multi-sensory approaches and easier to figure out without the training piece. I wish I had more to offer- good luck! Cynthia

Rebecca,

It’s great that you have an opportunity to work with this student one-on-one 7th period. I have used Reading Reflex and found it quite effective. Follow the book’s instructions and you should be on your way. I have taught RSP for many years, but then have also stayed home with my own children who have needed help with reading also. I was trained in the Singerland technique, but am interested in the Wilson Reading now. But for you, the need is immediate. So do your best with what you have. I’ve also found public libraries to have some resources. Plus your district should have someone to give you support. Try to make slow steady progress, and don’t set the expectations too high. Be an encourager even for the tiniest increments of improvement. Then seek the high interest/low vocab books that he can read. Good luck.

Reading Reflex is a good program. I am using it with several students this year, including a 10 year old non-reader. I only have a few minutes a day with him (he is a regular ed student in an inclusion second grade where I have 5 special ed students), but he is now sounding out three-letter words. Doesn’t sound like much, but for him it’s a big accomplishment. At first he refused to attempt to read a very simple beginning first grade book A couple of days ago he read a book (with some help) and just beamed, saying, “This is fun!”

The advantage of Reading Reflex is that it is easy to use, doesn’t require a lot of training, and is effective - sometimes very quickly, depending upon the degree of disability. Let us know how your student progresses.

Pat

I agree with you. I teach at the high school level and we are going to full inclusion next year. The ninth graders I am teaching right now barely read above third grade level. I know they will eventually drop out of school if frustration level rises.
tammy

that schools, esp. mid/high, are STILL trying to do the full inclusion thing!
Scary.

I read your message about inclusion with great interest. Two weeks after the beginning of school the special director announced that she and the principal had decided that we would begin inclusion the following week. Our training consisted of one 45 minute video. Neither the regular ed. teachers nor I am happy about the fiasco that resulted. I teach in a middle school and now have a mixed group of EBD and SLDs with behavior plans(10 students) who move from class to class with me. The principal told me that she did not want to hear about any problems with it and the special ed. director won’t return phone calls. I prefer to call it “delusion”. I am very sad and depressed about what has
happened.
Liz

Rebecca,
I feel that inclusion decisions need to be made on an individual basis and not because an administrator has decided that his campus is “becoming an inclusion campus”. Research has shown that inclusion does not work for all students; that’s why we design individualized education plans and have a continuum of settings available to meet students’ needs.

First, can you call an IEP team meeting to discuss the child’s problems? Second, are you able to meet his needs? Do you have time to pull him in for instruction or do you have a teaching assistant on whom you can rely to do the supervised reading instruction? Third, is there a general education reading specialist or dyslexia specialist who may be called upon to instruct this child? This child won’t learn to read in a regular classroom and his problems, both academic and behavioral, will only worsen without intervention.

Good luck. Marge

Of course inclusion isn’t always right. Was it intended to be? Inclusion is a movement with many political undertones to it but as an instructional method, it simply doesn’t always work. To me that’s particularly apparent in reading and math classes. How does a child catch up while keeping up? When will this child’s reading skills grow and develop if his effort needs to be directed to being successful in a class well above his reading level?

Inclusion in Language Arts is a smoke and mirrors thing. You have to break the kids into groups based on their reading level which is, in effect, to create separate classes within the class.

I think that we make children perform in a reading class above their reading level is simply wrong. Have you been in touch with the student’s parents? Would they prefer him to have meaningful reading instruction? What would be your principal’s feelings? And does your schedule and the student’s schedule admit of time to offer him the instruction he needs?

That you notice this child’s dilemma is a wonderful thing and he’s fortunate to have you for a teacher. Good luck with this.

I told my principal that I will work with him one on one during the last period of the day. He dropped out of his seventh hour and now I can see him then. This is my second year teaching and I had him read for me. He had trouble with simple words, who, what, will, people…. etc. He also told me the letters u and n look the same to him. What do I do? I had him read parts of words to see his decoding skills, and he literally has none. What does this mean. His IEP doesn’t tell me too much (stuff I already know). Thanks

Rebecca,

I am a mom and really can’t help you I just want to commend you for your desire to help this kid.

I am sure you will find help and that this kid will remember you for life.

Good luck.

That he can’t read simple words can mean anything but probably means he has some kind of a decoding issue. What testing is in his file? Has a reading specialist ever seen this kid?

Some kids learn to read virtually on their own, others do it with some instruction, still others can’t even with instruction. If this kid is working one on one with you, it may be the first meaningful reading instruction he will get.

It probably also means this kid is feeling pretty bad within himself and probably has a fair bit of sensitivity around this. I’d first try to help him feel comfortable around that and reassure him of his abilities. Also remember that some people are sight readers and simply cannot “break the code”.

As to a good program to use to work with this kid… post specifically to Anitya, Robin G. or Sue J or Victoria for good advice on that.

Hi Rebecca,
I feel exactly the way you do. However, I do have a resource room with
nine children reading levels from 1st grade to 7th grade. Even in a pull out program, remediation is virtually impossible. If I want to teach any of my children to read, I have to ignore the better readers or sneak the students who need intensive instruction out of their regular classes, during lunch, after school or during homeroom. It really stinks.
I am also frustrated with my school’s version of inclusion. We lump 9-14 special ed. children in a class of 20-25 and call that inclusion. Ugh!

Rebecca, you are to be commended for your concern and for your relevant assessment of the student’s needs. Some things that I would try include thoroughly reviewing ALL his records, talking to the Spec Ed Supervisor about what can be done, talking to the student’s team and making them aware of this student’s levels, getting a psycho-educational re-evaluation for the student, including a visual-motor evaluation. Has the student ever had occupational therapy? I would also talk to the other special ed teachers and ask for ideas. Has your district had in-servicing on inclusion, that inclusion is part of a continuum of services?
I took a course, sponsored by my district, in Wilson reading and it has proven very beneficial to some of my students. Any repetitive, systematic multisensory reading system would probably be beneficial. Have you done a thorough analysis of his phonemic/ phonetic awareness? Which sounds of the alphabet does he know?
Good luck to you and your student.

Yep, sounds like my school!! I did get my principal to split the 20, 8th grade spec. ed. kids into three teams of about 4-6 kids per class. That has really helped. I found having as many as 14 was way too many for me and the reg. ed. teacher. I too become frustrated because I don’t always feel I am meeting everyone’s needs, but what else can I do? Glad to know I am not alone. We should talk more…..

Phyllis, He moved from a different school and his records have not all shown up at my school. My principal knows and said she will try to get them. I just got the book Reading Reflex in the mail. I hope that will help!! Today, I quizzed him on sounding out the alphabet. He knew all the letters but “u”.Words like “rug” take a long time for him to decode. He does it a few times one letter at a time, then he finally puts it altogether. I don’t really have anyone to ask on how to work with this, that’s why I am here. All of the spec. ed. teachers have been in spec. ed. no more than 4 years. My school does not give inservices on spec. ed. stuff. (it’s a small school, low income), I am really excited about teaching him, but I am afraid because I don’t know much and don’t want him to feel like he hasn’t accomplished anything. Not too much pressure on myself!!! Thanks for your great advice, I will talk to the principal tomorrow….

I do agree with Phyllis Wilson reading is a great program but it does require (a lot of ) training. Look into Project Read and Recipe for Reading. They are both multi-sensory approaches and easier to figure out without the training piece. I wish I had more to offer- good luck! Cynthia

Rebecca,

It’s great that you have an opportunity to work with this student one-on-one 7th period. I have used Reading Reflex and found it quite effective. Follow the book’s instructions and you should be on your way. I have taught RSP for many years, but then have also stayed home with my own children who have needed help with reading also. I was trained in the Singerland technique, but am interested in the Wilson Reading now. But for you, the need is immediate. So do your best with what you have. I’ve also found public libraries to have some resources. Plus your district should have someone to give you support. Try to make slow steady progress, and don’t set the expectations too high. Be an encourager even for the tiniest increments of improvement. Then seek the high interest/low vocab books that he can read. Good luck.

Reading Reflex is a good program. I am using it with several students this year, including a 10 year old non-reader. I only have a few minutes a day with him (he is a regular ed student in an inclusion second grade where I have 5 special ed students), but he is now sounding out three-letter words. Doesn’t sound like much, but for him it’s a big accomplishment. At first he refused to attempt to read a very simple beginning first grade book A couple of days ago he read a book (with some help) and just beamed, saying, “This is fun!”

The advantage of Reading Reflex is that it is easy to use, doesn’t require a lot of training, and is effective - sometimes very quickly, depending upon the degree of disability. Let us know how your student progresses.

Pat

I agree with you. I teach at the high school level and we are going to full inclusion next year. The ninth graders I am teaching right now barely read above third grade level. I know they will eventually drop out of school if frustration level rises.
tammy

that schools, esp. mid/high, are STILL trying to do the full inclusion thing!
Scary.

I read your message about inclusion with great interest. Two weeks after the beginning of school the special director announced that she and the principal had decided that we would begin inclusion the following week. Our training consisted of one 45 minute video. Neither the regular ed. teachers nor I am happy about the fiasco that resulted. I teach in a middle school and now have a mixed group of EBD and SLDs with behavior plans(10 students) who move from class to class with me. The principal told me that she did not want to hear about any problems with it and the special ed. director won’t return phone calls. I prefer to call it “delusion”. I am very sad and depressed about what has
happened.
Liz