I Plan
A. My school has been classified at needs improvement for the last five years. Our test scores indicate that regular education students are meeting the standard set forth by No Child Left Behind. It is a subgroup of special education students that are falling below the standard. We need to form a collaboration committee to help support special education students through inclusion in the regular education classroom.
1. The committee will begin by analyzing subject area(s) in which the special education students need the most help.
2. Once the subject area need is determined the committee will seek out regular education and special education teachers that are willing to collaborate.
B. Invite the state board of education consultant to meetings so that he can shed additional insight into improvements we may wish to make in regards to the needs of the special education students.
C. Set measurable goals and objectives.
II Do
A. Pilot test collaborative classrooms in at least one grade level. Since students must pass reading and math on the Criterion Referenced Competency Test to progress to high school, the grade of choice to implement collaboration would be 8th grade.
1. The collaborative teachers will continue to examine weaknesses of the students.
2. Once all curricular weaknesses are gleaned then planning material to improve the weakness can begin.
III Check
A. As we implement collaboration or inclusion, we will need to frequently assess how things are going.
1. Collaborative committee will meet monthly to evaluate how things are going.
2. Questions that need to be addressed are
a. How are things working?
b. Is there anything we can do better?
3. Examine test scores at end of year to determine how the students were affected by collaboration.
IV Act
A. If all is working according to the plan then it should become part of the schools improvement plan.
B. If the plan is working on some ways and not others then will we need to go back to the step 2 and try plan “B”.