improving student learning and performance for students with disabilities 1

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Co-Teaching

Improving Student Learning and Performance for Students with Disabilities

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Michele BattinChristopher Gagliardo

Paul GilbertJoshua GilevskiYvonne Ibarra

Education, then, beyond all other devices of human origin, is the great equalizer of the conditions of men, the balance-wheel of the social machinery.

-Horace Mann

Co-Teaching: A Strategic Plan for Implementation

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First Grade (2 classes) Class one• Teacher/student ratio = 1:18• Poverty level = .67• Low income count = 12

students

Class Two• Teacher/student ratio = 1:18• Poverty level = .39• Low income count = 7

students

Kindergarten (2 classes) Class One• Teacher/student ratio = 1:21• Poverty level = .52• Low income count = 11

students

Class Two• Teacher/student ratio = 1:20• Poverty Level = .45• Low income count = 9

students

DemographicsThe co-teaching model is currently

implemented in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade classes

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Second Grade (2 classes) Class One

Teacher/student ratio = 1:19 Poverty level = .53 Low income count = 10

students

Class Two Teacher/student ratio = 1:19 Poverty level = .53 Low income count = 10

students

Third Grade (2 classes) Class One


students

This class does not use a co-teaching model.

Class Two Teacher/aide/student ratio =

2:1:19 Poverty level = .63 Low income count = 12

students

This class uses a co-teaching model.

Demographics Cont.

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Fourth Grade (3 classes) Class One


students

Class Two Teacher/student ratio = 1:25 Poverty level = .40 Low income count = 10

These two classes do not use a co-teaching model.

Class Three Teacher/aide/student ratio =


students

This class uses a co-teaching model.

Demographics Cont.

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Fifth Grade (2 classes) Class One


students

This class does not use the co-teaching model.

Class Two Teacher/aide/student ratio =


students

This class uses the co-teaching model.

Demographics Cont.

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Special Education and General Education teachers will gain capacity to collaborate and have joint ownership and accountability for

delivering instruction and assessment for the achievement and success of all students in

the general education curriculum resulting in systemic and sustainable improvement.

Cook (2004)

Vision Statement

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[School name] is committed to enabling all students to reach or exceed their potential. As co-teaching professionals, we will create

opportunities for all students to grow academically, emotionally, and socially. We continually strive to create an academic and

physical environment that nurtures and enhances the growth and development of

each student. Cook (2004)

Mission Statement

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Method of delivering services to students with disabilities or other special needs as part of the school’s philosophy of inclusion

ALL students receive improved instruction Instructional fragmentation is minimized Reduces stigma often attached to students

with disabilities Provides a supportive learning environment

Cook (2004)

Rationale

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The No Child Left Behind Act and current reauthorization of federal special education legislature have brought added pressure for educators to ensure that all students meet

higher standards. Because school reformers have set higher standards, teachers are responsible for ensuring that

students with disabilities achieve the same success as other learners. There has been an increased emphasis placed on

educating students with disabilities, and other special needs, in general education settings. Co-teaching is an educational option that meets the diverse challenges faced by educators.

Cook (2004)

Co-Teaching Overview

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Co-teaching consists of two or more educators or other certified staff who are

contracted to share instructional responsibility for a single group of students

in a classroom for specific content. The educators have mutual ownership and share joint accountability in the single

classroom or workspace. Cook (2004)

Definition of Co-Teaching

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When one teacher teaches one subject and the other teaches a different subject

One teaches while the other prepares materials or corrects student work

One teaches while the other stands by idly watching

When one person’s ideas of what and how content should be taught prevails

Assigning an additional teacher to act as a tutor sagepub.com

(2004)

Co-Teaching is NOT…

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Collaboration between general education and special education

Provides a wider range of instructional alternatives

Improved instructional practices increase students’ participation, engagement, and learning

Increased teacher-student ratio

Cook (2004)

Benefits of Co-Teaching

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District-wide/School-wide • Establish and articulate a shared vision for using co-teaching as a

method of providing inclusive programming for students with disabilities (district-wide, school-wide, family, community)

• Plan professional development for administrators and school-based staff

• Establish clear goals and expectations• Establish clear roles and responsibilities• Establish effective methods of communication• Establish timeline for implementation• Establish procedures for monitoring and evaluation of co-teaching

model• Establish procedures for measuring student outcomes and

achievement• Establish a school-based instructional leadership team

Maryland State Department of Education (2011)

Development

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• Determine Readiness and Needs District-wide/school-wide Skills and knowledge of administrators, teachers, related service

providers, and support staff Resources (staffing, instructional, space, budget) Scheduling and staffing assignments Assess students’ strengths and needs to ensure appropriate

placement in co-teaching classes Co-Teaching Team• Commit to a vision of co-teaching as a method for delivering instruction

to students with disabilities• Identify roles and responsibilities• Establish classroom procedures• Design lessons and assessment• Identify professional development needs• Plan collaboratively Maryland State Department of Education (2011)

Development Cont.

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Initial and Ongoing• Administrators, principals, teachers and support

staff participate in professional development• Research based related to using co-teaching as an

instructional delivery model• Driven by professional development standards• Related to five approaches of co-teaching• Based on student characteristics and needs• Based on teacher characteristics and needs


Professional Development

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District-wide/School-wide• Provide collaborative planning time• Arrange schedules to accommodate co-planning and

co-teaching• Class composition/Appropriate student grouping

(proportion of students with disabilities per class, number of classes, types of disabilities)

• Provide continued professional development based on teacher/student needs

• Allocate necessary resources for instruction, progress monitoring and assessment


Implementation

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Co-Teaching Team• Participate in professional development• Choose appropriate approaches based on student needs• Plan and deliver co-taught lessons that provide access

to general education curriculum inclusive of accommodations to meet student needs

• Conduct progress monitoring and data collection • Communicate with parents


Implementation Cont.

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District-wide/School-wide• Review data to determine if co-teaching model is effective• Review data to determine if co-teaching model should be

expanded• Ensure data is being used to improve instruction in co-taught

classrooms• Assess impact of co-teaching on student achievement• Conduct classroom observations for fidelity• Evaluate effectiveness of professional development and plan

for ongoing development• Identify strengths and weaknesses (planning time,

scheduling, classroom composition, teaching teams)


Monitoring & Evaluation

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Co-Teaching Team• Monitor student performance• Analyze data to assess student achievement and established

outcomes • Determine if established lesson outcomes are being met• Determined needs for ongoing professional development• Identify and problem-solve barriers• Determine parity in planning and responsibilities• Make adjustments as needed• Communicate results


Monitoring & Evaluation Cont.

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Co-teaching team members must make decisions by utilizing a cooperative process. Interactions are important for co-teachers, as

they must decide how often they need to meet and how much school time they will

need to interact. Co-teachers should develop a communication system, such as a log book,

when formal meetings are not scheduled.

Cook (2004)

Co-Teaching Responsibilities

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Administrator• Provide the necessary training and professional

development opportunities for co-teachers to successfully implement co-teaching model

• Provide regularly scheduled meetings for co-teachers and assist with the development of timelines and priorities

• Assign co-teachers who share similar educational philosophy and teaching style

• Provide direct support to co-teachers, problem-solve day-to-day struggles

• Be a proactive supporter of co-teaching

Cook (2004)

C0-Teaching Responsibilities Cont.

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General Education Teacher• Open communication• Responsible for instructional delivery as decided by both co-

teachers• Equally responsible for the learning of all students to whom

he/she is assigned• Must achieve a distribution of leadership functions and

ensure all students are learning• Monitor the success of the co-teaching service of delivery

and the achievement of the lesson’s learning goals• Individual accountability by acknowledging the importance

of his/her individual actions and how those actions affect the success of the co-teaching model

Cook (2004)

C0-Teaching Responsibilities Cont.

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Special Education Teacher

Co-Teaching Responsibilities Cont.

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Co-teachers must plan together. The following are topics for co-teachers to discuss:• Instructional content and teachers’ expectations for all students• Format of the instruction and planning, includes who will do which part

of the planning and instructional delivery• How to create parity in the classroom• Organizing space for students and teachers• Instructional routines, division of teaching chores (grading, preparation,

etc.)• Classroom management and discipline procedures • Safety issues for all students• Open communication, feedback process• Evaluation procedures, how student outcomes will be assessed • Personal issues that might affect teachers’ relationship in the classroom • Establish what the definition of “help” is in the classroom Cook (2004)


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Both teachers must…• be responsible for planning, delivering and assessing instruction• identify and design accommodations and/or modifications for all

students• manage behavior and intervene with appropriate interventions as

needed• be familiar with various assessment procedures and formats• work together to design data collection procedures and to determine

how data will be collected and analyzed• be involved in meetings and conferences related to students’

instructional programs• make a commitment to openly and regularly share information and to

discuss issues related to the instructional programs for students in their class

• advocate for all students

Louisiana Department of Education (2011)


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One Teach, One Observe• One teacher observes and gathers data related to student

engagement in the learning process during instruction.• Both teachers analyze data together to guide future

instruction.• Use in new co-teaching situation, when questions arise

about students, to check student progress, or to compare target students to others in class.

One Teach, One Drift• One teacher is responsible for teaching, the other circulates

and assists students as needed.• Use when lesson is best delivered by one teacher, when one

teacher has particular expertise, in new co-teaching situations, or when student work needs close monitoring.

Cook (2004)

Co-Teaching Approaches

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Parallel Teaching• Both teachers are teaching the same information but class is

divided and lesson is taught simultaneously.• Use when lower adult-student ratio is needed to improve

instructional efficiency, to foster student participation, or when using drill practice, re-teaching, and test review.

Station Teaching• Teachers divide content and students, students rotate from

one teacher to another and to an independent station.• Use when content is complex but not hierarchical, when

lessons include review, or when several topics comprise instruction.

Cook (2004)

Co-Teaching Approaches Cont.

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Alternative Teaching• A small group of students works with one teacher,

larger group works with the other.• A large group completes planned lesson, small

group completes an alternative lesson or same lesson at a different level.

• Use when students’ mastery of concepts taught varies, when high levels of mastery are expected for all students, when enrichment is desired, or when some students are working in a parallel curriculum.

Cook (2004)


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Team Teaching• Both teachers deliver same instruction at the same

time.• Each teacher speaks freely during large-group

instruction.• Instruction is a conversation, not turn-taking.• Use when two heads are better than one or experience

is comparable, when instructional conversation is appropriate during lesson, when teachers have considerable experience, or when a goal of instruction is to demonstrate some type of interaction to students.

Cook (2004)


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Benefits of co-teaching …

• “The students benefit from two different teaching styles; multiple learning modalities are hit. I also think that you have a stronger curriculum because you have two experts teaching the same curriculum and the benefit of their knowledge together. Both teachers ‘hover’ on students that seem to need it most, especially students who are not ‘identified’ but are close.”

• “There are two teachers with a similar number of students that a regular classroom has, if it’s handled properly.”

• “Students who are not necessarily identified as special needs but have more needs than regular education students actually get the benefits that special needs students would get, and they get that extra support.”

Testimonials

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• “Reduced stigma on special education students in a true co-teaching model, not just as a consultant. As a consultant, kids don’t view you as the teacher, they view you as a helper. Both classes move between classrooms, it’s not just special education students, it’s both ways.”

Negatives of co-teaching…

• “Lowest students who are identified don’t benefit as much as they would from small group instruction. The highest students are sometimes held back and expected to partner with children who have special needs.”

• “Difficulties if you don’t choose who you co-teach with, because some teachers are really inflexible. Teachers are control freaks.”

Testimonials Cont.

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Cook, L. (2004). Co-teaching: principles, practices, and pragmatics. Retrieved from http://www.ped.state.nm.us/seo/library/qtrly.0404.co-teaching.lcook.pdf

Louisiana Department of Education. (2011). Louisiana’s co-teaching resource guide. Retrieved from http://www.lasig2.org/files/FINALco-teaching_Guide.pdf

Maryland State Department of Education. (2011). Collaborative development and implementation stages of the co-teaching frame-work. Retrieved from http://mega-2011.tadnet.org/uploads/file_ assets/attachments/86/original_133-Using_State_Per_Dev-Inclusive_Practices_Sorin_-_4.pdf?1311171001

What is co-teaching? (2004). Retrieved from http://www.sagepub.com/upm_data/6847_villa_ch_1.pdf

References

improving student learning and performance for students with disabilities 1

Documents

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students kindergarten

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poverty level

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