Identifying and Helping Struggling Students in the Classroom
Signs that a Student is Struggling
Foushee, R. D., & Sleigh, M. J. Going the Extra Mile: Identifying and Assisting Struggling Students. Retrieved August 07, 2017, from http://www.psychologicalscience.org/teaching/tips/tips_0203.cfm
Guide for Teachers to Use to Identify Struggling Students. Retrieved August 7, 2017, from http://www.ettac.org/images/Teacher_Checklist_for_Reading_Lab.pdf
Life circumstances impeding learning
Lack of awareness and/or comprehension of teacher expectations
Student is reading/writing below grade level
Poor/inadequate study habits
Student avoids answering questions and/or reading out loud
Documented learning disabilities
Student exhibits anxiety about attending school
Documented physical disabilities
Students show signs of addiction or psychological impairments
ex. Death, divorce, poverty, abuse
Obstacles to Helping Struggling Students
The State of LD: Identifying Struggling Students. Retrieved August 07, 2017, from http://www.ncld.org/identifying-struggling-students
Parents refuse help
Students are mislabeled as misbehaved/trouble makers
False positives/ false negatives in evaluations
Getting Started
10 Basic Steps in Special Education. Retrieved August 07, 2017, from http://www.parentcenterhub.org/steps/
Step 4. Child is found eligible for services.
Step 5. IEP meeting is scheduled.
Step 3. Eligibility is decided.
Step 6. IEP meeting is held and the IEP is written.
Step 2. Child is evaluated.
Step 7. After the IEP is written, services are provided.
Step 1. Child is identified as possibly needing special education and related services.
Step 8. Progress is measured and reported to parents.
Step 9. IEP is reviewed.
Step 10. Child is reevaluated (at LEAST every 3 years)
Child Find
Referral or request for evaluation
Integrate!
Here are some tips for methods I hope to employ to empower special education students in my classroom:
Don't lower expectations. Students know when they're receiving different treatment and it can cause them to become discouraged and disengaged
Organize classroom to meet student needs. I would like to use flexible organization that allows me to move furniture (and students) to different stations depending on their needs.
Rework assignments. While I'm not going to lower expectations, I want to make sure that all students are getting the resources they need to make sure that they are mastering the subject. For example: Some students may need more time with tests, quizzes, and assignments. Another example: Stations would allow all students to experience the subject matter in different ways. I would then evaluate the individuals' performance and see what works for both the class and the students.
Collaboration: As a new teacher (and, of course, moving forward with my career), I want to make sure that I'm not missing any opportunities to expand my knowledge and toolbox of methods to help reach all students, including those with special needs.