EDLD+5344+Discussion+Boards


 * Week 1**

How has NCLB changed the way your school operates? We are now able to help students that do not fit into special education right away. We now update RTI weekly and more teachers are staying on top of these students to make sure they receive needed services. We have 2 resource teachers (1 for PK-1, 1 for 2-4), a reading specialist and math specialist who each work with groups, a reading assistant, bilingual resource person who visits all bilingual classes and a CEI lab for students who need help. Most students in these groups will change every 6 weeks based on various assessments (benchmarks, running records, etc.). Our school (only 9 yrs. old) was the first campus in the district to achieve Recognized & then Exemplary 2 years in a row so I think this is working!

How do your colleagues feel about the legislation? For those with students in RTI, they are frustrated because we now have to update weekly and have measurable data to back up our comments. This is something that they feel is not a high priority (teaching is) and that we are now responsible for what special ed. should be doing. Most are happy that our paraprofessionals have more training. I know a few that have gone beyond the required training and that just helps our students more. The consensus was also that we have WAY too much paperwork because we have to have backup/proof for everything!

What has been the most positive, and most negative, impact that NCLB has had on your school and its teachers? Positves: More students are able to receive the extra little help they need without either being left behind or being pushed into special education. More districts, administrators and teachers are working together to help students. Measurable data is being relied upon more than just observations. Teachers and paraprofessionals are required to have the training they need to help students succeed. Negatives: more paperwork, teachers that will not enter students into RTI because it is too much work and teachers feeling as if we are spending too much on proving students need help instead of being able to teach. Mellard, D. F.., Byrd, S. E., Johnson, E., Tollefson, J. M., & Boesche, L. (2004). Foundations and research on identifying model responsiveness-to-intervention sites. Learning DisabilitiesQuarterly, 27, 243-256.


 * Week 2 **

1. Discuss a scenario you have experienced that has blurred the line between student expression and school safety or discipline. How did your school handle the situation?

We usually do not have a problem with school safety or discipline issues since our campus is PK through 4th grade. When we had 5th graders on our campus, we did have a lot of problems with food fights during lunch. Explaining the dangers of this to them (slipping on food, damaging clothes, hurting someone), they did not listen. Administrators made each class sit on one side of the table (meaning they could not sit across from each other) and the class at the next table had to do the same (which meant you sat and looked at the back of the class in front of you). They also had 1 monitor between each of the tables. This continued until the end of the year. The 5th graders also had to sign in and out to use the restroom and eventually go as a class so the teacher could check the restroom after each use because they would either empty the soap onto the floor, rip the soap and toilet dispensers off the walls or smear feces on the walls. Needless to say, we are happy they are no longer on our campus.

At our high school, there was one student who came to school with hair down to his shoulder blades. Our dress code policy states that hair length should not touch the collar of your shirt. When asked to cut it to follow policy, he balked and spoke out about it at school. He was eventually expelled but obtained a lawyer because he claimed to wear his hair long because he was Native American. The school fought back for a while because he had done this before, they had asked that he cut it and he did so at that time. They eventually gave up and let him back into school because it was bringing too much bad press to the school.

2. Does your school, district or organization have any guidance or polices concerning employees personal use of social networking sites? Please discuss.

Our AUP has a section strictly for Electronic Media. Only teachers that have written consent from the superintendent may use electronic media and/or texting to communicate with students regarding matters within the scope of professional duties only. All other staff is prohibited. As far as personal use, the district asks that the employee be held to professional standards as if they were in public, adhere to state and federal laws and not let it interfere with their professional duties.