SFUSD Mission Statement

Access and equity: . . . ensuring every student has access to high-quality teaching and learning.

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Student achievement: . . . that support every student in reaching their potential.

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Equity: . . . removing the predictability of success or failure that currently correlates with any social or cultural factor.

history

How we got here

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Why is there currently a predictability of outcomes

For sped, ell, low SES, trauma-impacted students?

• The “Ugly Laws” (1800s-1970s)
• Separate SpEd classrooms
• Access as an afterthought, not a guiding principle
• History of anti-immigrant sentiment, exclusion, racism
• Current policies on ELPAC scores/access to mainstream classes, arts and enrichment
• Belief that the students/families/communities are to blame
• Belief that the problem is unsolvable, so we “accept it” and shake our heads
• Lack of awareness about toxic stress and ACEs

ACE: Adverse childhood experiences,

a.k.a.toxic stress

Adverse Childhood Experiences, or ACEs, are potentially traumatic events that occur in childhood (0-17 years) such as:

• experiencing violence, abuse, or neglect
• witnessing violence in the home
• having a family member die by suicide
• growing up in a household with substance misuse, mental health problems, or instability
• parental separation or incarceration of a parent, sibling, or other member of the household.

Early adversity has lasting impacts

on brain and body

Adverse Childhood Experiences have been linked to

• chronic health conditions, diabetes
• Depression, suicide and PTSD
• Substance abuse, unsafe sex
• risky health behaviors, unintended pregnancy, pregnancy complications
• early death

As the number of ACEs increases, so does the risk for these outcomes.

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significance

How many students are affected?

How many students are affected?

In the U.S. today:

7.0 million, or 14% of all students receive disability services

5.0 million, or 9.5% of all students are English language learners, in CA: 19.3%

47% of all school-age children in the United States have experienced at least one adverse childhood experience

22% of all school-age children have two or more ACEs.

This is also happening to young children:

35% of all children had at least one ACE by the time they were in kindergarten

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13 disability categories and their frequency

• Specific learning disability 39.5% (includes dyslexia)
• Speech or language impairment 17.9%
• Other health impairment 13.8% (includes ADHD)
• Autism 8.2%
• Intellectual disability 7.1%
• Emotional disturbance 6.0%
• Other disabilities 7.4% (includes multiple disabilities, orthopedic impairment, hearing impairment, traumatic brain injury, visual impairment (including blindness), deaf-blindness, deafness.

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Current trends and what’s on the horizon

• Full Inclusion
• Co-teaching with paraprofessionals or SpEd teachers
• Mainstreaming ELLs below level three
• State-wide screenings for ACEs
• Trauma-Informed Teaching PDs

How to serve

All of our students

“Ask not if the student is good at music,

find out how music can be good for the student.”

Accommodations (504)

Accommodations are supports that help the student reach the SAME ACADEMIC GOALS as the general population. This means that this student is most likely on DIPLOMA TRACK. Examples:

• More time on playing tests
• A seat in a certain proximity to the teacher
• Noise dampening headphones
• Instrument modified with technology
• Physical supports (modified playing style to accommodate a prosthetic)
• A separate test taking room (your office/neighboring classroom)

Modifications (IEP)

Modifications are supports that help the student reach the THEIR OWN ACADEMIC GOALS, as determined by the IEP team including a special education teacher, case worker, parents, teachers and the student. This means that this student is most likely on CERTIFICATE TRACK. Examples:

• Modified tests (ex: less choices on a multiple choice test)
• Re-designed worksheet to access CORE CONTENT
• Student-specific goals during class activities (ex: more/less constraints on improvisation exercise)
• Simplified instrument (ex: violin with less strings)
• Technology solution, iPad program, partner with tech company

ACCOMmODAtions and modifications benefit everyone

• Daily schedules posted
• Visual aides, graphic organizers
• Kinesthetic and tactile activities
• Humor (a brain in pain can’t learn)
• Multi-Sensory and multi-modal methods of teaching new content
• Allowing processing time
• Peer-practice time, peer-critique instead of solo in front of class
• More structure/less structure
• Assistive technology, creative use of low tech aides, i.e. color overlays…
• Small group work (with intentionally curated groups, created by the teacher)

Universal design for learning

• Multiple means of representation
• Multiple means of engagement
• Multiple means of expression
• Addressing standards with all students in mind from the outset of lesson planning
• PROVIDING OPTIONS FOR:

Multiple means of representation

Perception:

• Offer ways of customizing the display of information
• Offer alternatives for auditory information
• Offer alternatives for visual information

Language & Symbols:

• Clarify vocabulary and symbols, clarify syntax and structure
• Support decoding of text, mathematical notation, and symbols
• Promote understanding across languages
• Illustrate through multiple media

Comprehension

• Activate or supply background knowledge
• Highlight patterns, critical features, big ideas, and relationships
• Guide information processing and visualization
• Maximize transfer and generalization

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Multiple means of engagement

Access: Provide options for Recruiting Interest

• Optimize individual choice and autonomy
• Optimize relevance, value, and authenticity
• Minimize threats and distractions

Build: Provide options for Sustaining Effort & Persistence

• Heighten salience of goals and objectives
• Vary demands and resources to optimize challenge
• Foster collaboration and community
• Increase mastery-oriented feedback

Internalize: Provide options for Self Regulation

• Promote expectations and beliefs that optimize motivation
• Facilitate personal coping skills and strategies
• Develop self-assessment and reflection

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Multiple means of action & expression

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Physical Action:

• Vary the methods for response and navigation
• Optimize access to tools and assistive technologies

Expression & Communication:

• Use multiple media for communication
• Use multiple tools for construction and composition
• Build fluencies with graduated levels of support for practice and performance

Executive Functions:

• Guide appropriate goal-setting
• Support planning and strategy development
• Facilitate managing information and resources
• Enhance capacity for monitoring progress

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Yes, you will need to change, take risks, make mistakes, ask questions and keep growing

IEPs inform standards, lessons, assessments and supports

Addressing students needs

Visual aides, and games! Games! games!

Kinesthetic Aides/Group composing

Language supports....

....they work!

Examples of exemplar and average assessments

Examples: modified assessments

conclusion

Looking toward the future

Students first! A challenge for you...

• Your job is to find out what instrument the student wants to play and make that possible.
• “Being good at” an instrument, sometimes just means “has had access to”. The roots of music education in public schools is about providing access to everyone to something that historically only certain classes/genders/races of people have had access to. Our job is provide access.
• Think of the student first!

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‘Student-first’ terminology

When writing about students who use supports of different kinds- for example on your EdTPA- try to rely more on student-first language. Such as “students using supports for a visual impairment”, “students with autism”, “students impacted by trauma”, “students learning English”, “students using a wheelchair”, or “students using literacy supports”.

Asset-based thinking and language

To serve all our students, we have to change the way

we think and speak about them:

Instead of thinking of a student as an English language learner, which focuses on the deficit, think of being bi-lingual as an asset, and appreciate how hard the student is working to learn in a second language.

Instead of thinking of a student with a learning disability as slow, or a drag on the class, think of them as someone who will show the class how to see/hear/play things differently, and will help you all grow.

references/links!

SFUSD Mission Statement: https://www.sfusd.edu/about/our-mission-and-vision

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CAST.org, read more about the UDL: http://udlguidelines.cast.org/

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ELLs and teacher support: https://www.colorincolorado.org/

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CalEdFacts: https://www.cde.ca.gov/ds/sd/cb/cefelfacts.asp

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ACEs and it’s impact, from Dr. Nadine Burke-Harris:

https://centerforyouthwellness.org/translating-aces-science/

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Characteristics of an inclusive classroom, from Inclusion Quality Mark:

https://iqmaward.com/uncategorized/characteristics-of-an-inclusive-classroom/

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Incredible video about Learning Disabilities (you will need to log in with your student ID# MUST WATCH!!!!

http://library.sfsu.edu/find-articles-more-databases

Book References

Special Education in Contemporary Society, 6th Ed. Robert Gargiulo, Emily Bouck

An Attitude and Approach for Teaching Music to Special Learners, Elise S. Sobol

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Teaching English Language Learners, A Differentiated Approach. Rothenberg and Fisher

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Understanding Language and Literacy in the Classroom, Xiao-lei Wang

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The Deepest Well, Dr. Nadine Burke-Harris, Surgeon General of California

Trauma-Sensitive Schools for the Adolescent Years: Promoting Resiliency and Healing, Grades 6-12. Susan E Craig

Culturally Responsive Teaching and The Brain: Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor Among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students, Zaretta Hammond