INCLUSION ACTION PLAN

By Kathy Pieschek

Current inclusion practices

I teach at Danz Elementary School which is part of the Green Bay Area Public School
District. We currently have 521 students with an 87% free or reduced lunch population and 83%
ELL population most of these being Hispanic but we also have many Hmong and Somali
students. Our school is very diverse and we offer many programs that service our bi-lingual
population, a one-way and two-way bilingual programs as well as ESL services. We are also
very accommodating to students with special needs, as we have 3 special education teachers, 2 of
whom speak Spanish and 5 para-educators that also work with students with special needs to
give added support. At Danz we have one full time English speaking speech/language teacher
and one half-time speech/language teacher that speaks Spanish. Occupational and Physical
therapists come to work at our school depending on how many students we have that need
service, on average two to three days per week. Since our school is so large and diverse we have
a student services team that consists of the principal, a dean of students, a social worker and a
guidance counselor full time and a school psychologist half-time as she is shared with another
school. To provide extra support for staff we have a literacy coach and a bi-lingual instructional
coach. For students with academic needs we have Title 1 reading teachers in English and in
Spanish as well as the Reading Recovery program. The staff has had a lot of staff development
offered in classroom management such as TRIBES, Win-Win Discipline, PBIS and currently
CHAMPS is going on this summer. These staff development opportunities have introduced us to
many different inclusion strategies and helped set up the classroom environment to be very open
and accepting of students with special needs. As you walk through our school you will already
see a lot of inclusion taking place.
The students with special needs are placed in a regular classroom for as many hours of
the day (and classes) as they are academically able to handle, based on their abilities, behaviors,
and skills. Our school has students with cognitive (severe) disabilities, emotional/behavior
disabilities, learning disabilities, and other impairments. All of the students (with any disability)
spend a significant part of the day in the regular classroom during literacy and math instruction.
Teachers are encouraged to incorporate content into literacy instruction, so students are gaining
some content as well as social skills and peer interaction while in the regular education
classroom. Special education teachers do their best to accommodate the specific needs of the
children depending on their IEP. Creating a schedule for the teachers and students can be
difficult, because we are such a large school, making it hard to coordinate schedules for students
of different ages and abilities so they can be in similar groupings. Speech and language as well
as OT/PT services are provided according to the needs of the students. Overall, I feel our school
does a pretty good job of identifying and providing services to students with special needs.

SWOT Analysis for I nclusion

Strengths:
Support Staff Title I teachers, Reading Recovery teachers, Literacy and Instructional
coaches, Student Services Team and Special Education teachers and Para-educators are
available for students with organizational or learning difficulties for tutoring, teaching,
and practice.
Grade Level Collaboration and common meeting time For 2 days a week, every week,
we have common meeting times. One of these days the regular education teachers meet
with ESL and special education staff for team planning time, here we discuss curriculum,
discipline, grading, schedules, students, and any other issues that may arise. The second
day we meet as a grade level team to plan and do grade level specific staff development
around the common core standards and our curriculum.
Bi-lingual Programs Since we have such a high bi-lingual population our school has a
One-way and a Two-way Bi-lingual Program offered in Spanish. Title 1 support is
offered in Spanish as well as Speech/Language services for the students that have very
little English language capabilities. We currently have 2 special education teachers that
are bi-lingual and 3 bi-lingual para-educators.
Boys and Girls Club Afterschool Program Every day after school students enrolled in
club (for a minimal fee) have activities after school that they participate in from 3:30-
6:00 pm. The program has an on-site coordinator and is held at our school with a large
staff of college students to supervise the children.
Staff Development Our school has offered many staff development opportunities for
teachers and other staff from classroom management to curriculum, assessments and
technology.

Weaknesses:
Scheduling Being a large school, it is difficult to schedule with so many classrooms and
different teachers involved. (some students are pulled from the classroom for many
different services such as speech/language, OT/PT, special education and then trying to
place students with similar needs together, etc.)
Limited Resources Resources are limited because of education budget cuts and of the
high poverty in the area. Time is the biggest resource that teachers need, we have so
much time taken up with meetings, paperwork, grading assessments and preparing
lessons that we do not have adequate time to explore options in teaching strategies and
technology.
Lack of Parent Support Parent support is limited because of the high poverty rate and
language barriers.
Assistive Technology Writing and reading technologies seem to be limited in our
school, not sure if this has been explored enough as an option in the district.

Opportunities:
Staff Collaboration We have some going on, but it is possible there could be more
collaboration and co-teaching to use more strategies for inclusion to connect students
with special needs to those students in the regular educational setting. Teachers that have
attended the trainings can share and even demonstrate strategies or activities for inclusion
and disability awareness with others on staff.
Boys and Girls Club Afterschool Homework Support The Boys and Girls Club
Afterschool Program could have additional staff that would be available, where students
would be given the opportunity to get extra help on homework and complete extra
reading or math practice.
Assistive Technology With the addition of more computer programs, resources, and
technology like i-pads to our school, students would be able to better succeed. Various
software programs could be available to assist the students with reading, writing, math
and homework.

Threats:
Administration Support Due to our declining test scores administration feels we need to
spend all or our time in literacy and math related activities and keep our focus on the
Common Core Standards to teach curriculum and test prep.
Title I Money The Title I money available to the school district varies, depending on the
needs within the school. With budget cuts to our school district we may no longer be
able to keep the number of support staff we now have and money for technology would
not be available.

Stakeholders

The stakeholders would be the same as most any elementary school.

ALL Students with Special Needs
ALL Students without Special Needs
ALL Parents of Students at Danz School (with or without Special Needs)
Elementary Principal
Regular Education Teachers at Danz School
Special Education Teachers LD, CD and EBD
Support Staff including Student Services team, para-educators, playground supervisors,
etc.
Elementary Literacy and Instructional Coaches
Elementary Title I Teachers English and Spanish
Boys and Girls Club Staff


I nclusion Action Plan Goals

Goal #1: Teachers will explore and use assistive technology in the classroom.

Recommended
Strategies/Activities
Current % Goal % Materials/Resources
Needed? (What?)
Who will
Implement?
(Who?)
Target Date for
Implementation
(When?)
Evaluation
(Did it
happen?)

Goal #2: To explore and introduce to staff strategies and activities they can use with students for
inclusion of students with special needs and to raise disability awareness.
Using different types
of computer
software and i-pads
the teachers will be
able modify and
make
accommodations for
students with special
needs. Teachers can
explore the different
software options for
both computers and
i-pads and use these
with students to
practice skills taught
in the classroom.
These programs and
assistive technology
will assist students
with reading, writing
and math.

Currently
0% of the
Danz
Elementar
y School
teachers
use any
assistive
computer
programs
on the i-
pads.
Only
about 30%
use other
computer
software
specificall
y to
support
students
with
special
needs.


My goal is
that 100%
of Danz
teachers
will use
computer
programs,
assistive
technolog
y and i-
pads, in
the
classroom
to support
students
with
special
needs.
There will need
to be computers
and i-pads
available, as well
as headphones.
The i-pads have
been purchased,
and the teachers
will need to be
trained in the
computer
software
programs in the
use of the i-pads
and its features as
well as time to
explore apps for
the device.
The school
principal,
media
specialist and
all elementary
teachers at
Danz
Elementary
School.
To be
implemented
in the fall of
2012-2013
school year.

Recommended
Strategies/Activities
Current % Goal % Materials/Resources
Needed? (What?)
Who will
Implement? (Who?)
Target Date for
Implementation
(When?)
Evaluation
(Did it
happen?)
Regular
education
teachers, special
education
teachers, student
services staff,
instructional
coaches and Title
I teachers will
work together to
present strategies
and activities at
collaboration and
Currently
about 50%
of the
teachers
that have
been
trained in
strategies
of
TRIBES
and Win-
Win for
inclusion
The goal
is to have
100% of
the staff
participate
in
activities
or
strategies
of
inclusion
and
disability
Time will be the
biggest resource
needed to explore,
practice and
present the
strategies or
activities. (We
have many staff
members with
great ideas being
used throughout
our school my
hope is that when
Staff members
will work
together to
present a strategy
or activity at
meetings on a
revolving
schedule.
To be
implemented
in the fall of
2012-2013
school year.




Goal #3: To develop a Homework Club for students at Danz School. (Starting with students with
special needs and students in the Boys and Girls Club Afterschool Program and expanding as
interest grows).

staff meetings to
their peers so all
staff have more
inclusion
strategies and
activities to use
with their
students.
Disability
awareness
activities can
also be
demonstrated or
practiced with
staff so they can
be used with
children to raise
awareness of
students with
disabilities in the
regular
classroom.
Having learned
these strategies
will help
teaching staff
with discipline,
relationships,
and academic
work, allowing
students with
special needs to
be included in
the regular
classroom.
in the
classroom.
Many of
the
teachers
trained
use these
strategies
sporadical
ly.
awareness
in our
school.
The staff
can then
use some
of the
same
activities
and
strategies
with their
students.
these strategies are
shared and/or
demonstrated
more teachers will
begin using them
in their
classrooms.
Financial
resources might be
available to bring
in speakers or
trainers that could
possibly assist
with introducing
new strategies and
techniques.
Recommended
Strategies/Activities
Current % Goal % Materials/Resour
ces Needed?
(What?)
Who will Implement?
(Who?)
Target Date for
Implementation
(When?)
Evaluatio
n
(Did it
happen?)
Students will be a Currently, The goal is All Boys and The principal and To be









Reflection

I feel this action plan will greatly impact all students at Danz Elementary School, but be
especially beneficial to the students that are struggling and to students identified with special
needs. My goals focus on staff development in the areas of inclusion strategies and technology
as these are something all teachers have expressed an interest in for our Title I goals in our
part of a
Homework Club,
which a teacher(s)
will supervise and
other staff
members will
assist students as
they:
1. Give extra help
on homework.
2. Do extra
reading or math
practice and
activities, based on
their reading levels
and math skills.
3. Do extra
practice activities
on the computer
using reading,
writing or math
programs.

about 30
% of the
student
body of
Danz
School are
enrolled in
the
Afterscho
ol
program,
but very
few do
homework
there as
they are in
rooms
with many
other
activities
going on
at the
same time.
hard to
judge, but I
would hope
that at least
50% of the
students in
our school
would use
the
Homework
Club at one
time or
another
throughout
the school
year.
Girls Club
staff working
in the program
should have
training in
intervening
and assisting
the students
with their
specific needs.
Individual
teachers will
need to create
their own class
requirements
for homework
and
Homework
Club staff can
consult them if
needed. A
teacher(s)
would need to
be hired for
the hours of
the Homework
Club program
to coordinate,
oversee and
assist in the
program.
Boys and Girls
Club coordinator
would look at
financial resources
and hire a
teacher(s) to
facilitate the
Homework Club.
(In the past there
has been a teacher
hired as a
school/club liaison,
but the job
description has not
been clearly
defined.) Given
the bi-lingual
population at the
school I would
recommend that
the teacher also be
bi-lingual.
implemented
in the fall of
2012-2013
school year.
school-wide learning plan. Being a school with a high poverty rate many of our families do not
have computers in the home and technology is a big motivator for the students. Most of the
teachers will receive or have received an i-pad to be used in the classroom for the coming school
year. My hope is if we offer the teachers staff training hours in a job-a-like setting more teachers
will see and share how they use technology in the classroom and give teachers more time to
explore apps for learning purposes. Just having one i-pad in the classroom will be a benefit for
the struggling learners and the students with special needs to provide that extra practice on skills
they have that need more development. There are also some computer programs such as Co-
Writer, WordQ, Kidspiration, and others researched in the class that we could explore to help our
struggling students. At Danz School we have many great initiatives going on I feel this plan
will easily be incorporated into the existing learning plan to help support our students.
Every year we do have staff turnover and new teachers coming in and I feel that we all
need to have common goals and practices to best support our students. The staff that has been at
our school for a few years, about 50%, have been trained in some inclusion and engagement
activities and use them sporadically. My goal is to have teachers share what they are doing at the
different grade levels and how they have incorporated these activities into their daily lessons. If
we all agree to share some of our strategies and activities we will have more ways to make our
lessons engaging for all learners and inclusion will be better for all students. Technology could
be used here as well, we could show a short video clip of our students so others can see the
activities used in a classroom setting. I love hearing about or seeing what others are doing as
most of my best ideas have come from other teachers. This course has made me realize that our
staff needs to do more to raise disability awareness in our staff and students, we need to assure
that all students fell included and an integral part of the class. Many of the ideas we read about
or viewed can be adapted and used to raise awareness of our students with special needs and how
they are a part of our school. The students would gain a better understanding of the struggles
others face when they have a disability and be more accepting and empathetic as a result. If we
set aside a few minutes each week to share and maybe even practice a strategy then we will be
able to incorporate these into our plans and use them with our students. We are already attending
meetings two days each week, at least one of these days we could spend five or ten minutes
learning something that would be useful in our classrooms. This will not only make for
engaging and inclusive lessons in our classrooms, but just think of the inclusion and
collaboration that could go on with the school staff as well. We have a large teaching staff and
each teacher would not have to do it more than 2 or 3 times during the school year.
My last goal is for a Homework Club to be developed at our school. I see this taking
place after school in conjunction with the Boys and Girls Club Afterschool Program. Currently
there is about one-third of the student body that attends the program which runs from 3:30-6 pm
at our school. Many of the students that attend have no one at home afterschool, and many times
no one that could or would help them with homework. I feel that if we could spend part of the
time at Boys and Girls Club as part of a Homework Club with teachers and club staff to assist
them the students would be more likely to complete the work. Even if students have no
homework they could spend time reading, doing math practice or games, or work on computers
for extra practice. The target population would be struggling students and students with special
needs, but it need not exclude any student that on a particular day needs extra support on
homework activities. I feel if we inform parents of the Homework club they may encourage
their children to stay on a particular day to have the teachers and/or staff help with difficult
homework assignments. If we target struggling students (including those with special needs) and
encourage them to attend the Homework Club they could receive the extra support they need.
Title 1 teachers and literacy coaches could also support students in the Homework Club as they
have a more flexible schedule and can adjust their work day.
The goals I have outlined in this plan for my school can be easily implemented with very
little time and effort to put into place. So many of the teachers want to use the technology to
support student learning and they are also looking for ways to engage and include all students.
In my opinion the i-pad is a good tool for students with special needs as so many educational
apps are available at little or no cost, and they are easy to use and very portable. In my district
teachers need to fulfill a number of staff-development hours so why not use them in being
trained and in exploring the use of technology in the classroom. Being a high-poverty school,
classroom management is always a struggle, lets use some of our time at meetings productively
and introduce and/or practice a few strategies to make our lessons engaging so all of our students
feel accepted and a vital part of the classroom. If we raise disability awareness and do more
inclusion strategies in the classroom all of our students will benefit. Finally, to keep our students
in the classroom and taking part in more of the activities we need to offer the support they need
at another time. I think the Homework Club provides the perfect opportunity to do just that.
Students can spend some quality time in small groups with trained staff completing homework or
practicing skills to benefit them in the classroom. All of my goals fit very well with our existing
services and programs for students with special needs, they offer support for the students as well
as training for the staff.