NEW YORK UNIVERSITY
STEINHARDT SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
DEPARTMENT OF TEACHING & LEARNING
PROGRAMS IN SPECIAL EDUCATION
SPCED –GE 2508 -002 (6907) Integration Seminar in Special Education II (3) 30 hours. SPRING 2015
Instructor: Mark Alter
Tuesday: 4:55 – 6:35 PM
E-mail: Mark.Alter @nyu.edu
Office Hours by appointment: Thursday : 1:00 to 4:00
(212 ) 998 -5475
Wednesday: By appointment
Monday : 8 am to 10 am by appointment
The Henry and Lucy Moses Center for Students with Disabilities provides comprehensive services and programs for
undergraduate and graduate students with hearing and visual impairments, mobility impairments, learning disabilities
and attention deficit disorders, chronic illnesses, and psychological impairments. The Moses Center functions to
determine qualified disability status and to assist students in obtaining appropriate accommodations. 212 998-4980, 240
Greene Street, www.nyu.edu/csd.
Prerequisite: All program coursework preceding Student Teaching.
Class engages in seminar process to share, analyze, and extend students’ professional experiences, including
collaboration with other professionals and parents. Class participation, scholarly research and presentation are
CRITICAL components of the class.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Attend all classes
Actively participate – ask questions, respond to questions, share readings
Complete CLASSES assignments on schedule
Hand in assignments on time
Final Project:MULTI-MEDIA Presentation
Course expectations are:
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
Regular attendance
Participation
Regular postings to CLASSES
Scholarly approach to project
Positive Attitude and constructive criticism
Ethical treatment of peers, guests and the topic.
COURSE TOPIC: What Makes a good school?
Jim McGuire
What Makes a Good School
One test doesn't tell the tale of a school. The recent spotlight on school quality should help ensure a better
education for all students. However, using one tool, and one as limited as a one or two day test doesn't accurately
portray schools. Although test scores are important, rarely do you hear about examining all the factors that make
a school successful.
These characteristics make a school good:
1. Students Want to be There
Effective schools have a warm climate. Students feel welcome and know that the staff cares about them. Although
there is pressure to perform, it comes in a way that promotes learning, with an expectation that students will
excel and the support is provided to make it happen.
2.Highest Expectations For the School, Teachers and Students
Only the best is good enough. Quality is expected, and nothing less is acceptable. Passion for excellence is a driving
force each and every day. A good school has an involved staff working together, pushing themselves and their
students to be the best. Failure is not an option for the teacher or the students.
3. Dedicated Teachers
The best teachers work to improve their ability to teach. They read and explore the techniques used by others in a
never-ending effort to better themselves and their skill. Effective teaching demands that the teacher be
knowledgeable in the subject area. The teachers must have a detailed understanding of what is being taught.
4. Effective Discipline
Discipline should not be an issue. Students must respect others and failure to do so cannot be tolerated. Students
must understand school and class rules and expectations, and adhere to them. When discipline is necessary, it is
not vindictive, but just a consequence when a student does not do what is required.
5. There is a Variety of Instructional Techniques
No two classes, or two students are identical. An effective school has teachers that understand this and differ
instruction to best help students be the successful. Key concepts are presented in ways to enable visual, auditory,
and kinesthetic learners grasp it. Students are actively involved in learning with a variety of opportunities to
grasp key concepts.
6. Individualized Instruction and Approaches to Students
Students' abilities and needs are different. To effectively teach all students, the school staff must understand this.
The teaching and interactions with students must reflect the needs of each, with the understanding of each as an
individuals.
7. Leadership
The building principal must have the respect of students, parents, and staff with a vision, high expectations, and
the ability to help others succeed. This person must be able understand people, and motivate them, creating a
positive attitude throughout the building. Successful schools have a sense of trust built on the back of an honest
and caring leader.
Many factors go into helping a child become a productive adult, and there is no way one assessment a year can
measure success or failure. The fact that so many people believe that one test on a couple of mornings each spring
can determine school quality, teacher quality, and student learning shows an alarming lack of understanding in
what makes a good school.
Follow Jim McGuire on Twitter: www.twitter.com/jmcguire14
What Makes a School Effective?
Dr. Larry Lezotte was one of the pioneers of the Effective Schools movement, which began in 1966 in response to
a controversial report written by sociologist James Coleman. Coleman’s report stated that schools could do little
to support students’ academic achievement, because achievement was predominantly related to the
demographics and socioeconomic class of the surrounding community.
Lezotte's Effective Schools research, articulated in his 2010 book What Effective Schools Do, aimed to prove that
schools could have a significant positive impact on their students’ achievement regardless of other circumstances.
At its heart, Lezotte’s research stressed the seven “Correlates of Effective Schools.” These factors were
characteristics of effective schools across the racial and socioeconomic spectrum. To be an effective school, a
school must:
Be a Safe and Organized Place
An effective school must first be a place where students can feel safe, physically and emotionally. It must be a
supportive community where kids—and teachers—of all backgrounds can focus on learning. To create a climate
of safety, halls and classrooms must be free of behavior like fighting, bullying, and harassment. That said, a safe
environment is not created merely through punishment.
A 2011 study by Michael Thompson, researcher and director of the Justice Center at the Council of State
Governments, shows that suspension and expulsion as discipline for “discretionary violations” actually do more
harm than good for the individual student. They also damage the sense of community within the school. Students
who receive suspensions and expulsions for discretionary violations are three times more likely to end up in a
juvenile detention center the following year, and an authoritarian system creates an oppressive atmosphere
where learning and school effectiveness are impaired.
To achieve a safe environment where kids are free to reach their potential academically, Thompson advocates for
schools to focus on preventing misbehavior by implementing school-wide “positive behavior interventions.”
According to Thompson, these interventions should stress social skills and emotional learning, to teach students
conflict resolution and cultural understanding.
Lezotte advocates similar methods of positivity. According to Lezotte, teachers, parents, and other mentors need
to encourage a learning environment in school-age kids by treating schools as “sacred places.” How society values
school as a whole culture has everything to do with how students will engage with their own education. When
students regard school as an institution with higher respect, they will enter the school with attitudes more
conducive to learning, Lezotte says.
Set High Expectations for Students
Effective schools expect students to succeed. Because of that, students at these schools learn more. Psychology
researcher Robert Rosenthal conducted an experiment in the 1960s where teachers were given a class of
randomly selected students, and were told that these students’ IQ test scores indicated that they had a high
potential for growth that school year. When they took the IQ test again at the end of the year, the results showed
that “the kids actually got smarter when they were expected to get smarter by their teachers,” says Rosenthal.
Students in classes where the researchers didn’t plant these expectations did not show the same dramatic
improvement. This happened because teachers gave more praise, remedial instruction, and opportunity for
classroom participation to the students who were perceived as more capable. Students in turn found the lessons
more interesting and approachable.
Teachers at effective schools genuinely believe that every kid has the raw materials to be a successful student,
according to Lezotte’s research. In a practical sense, this means that effective teachers make a conscious effort to
give equal opportunity for all students to respond during class, provide thoughtful feedback to every student, and
are willing to re-teach concepts that students have not mastered.
Have a Relatable Leader
In an effective school, the principal is a “leader of leaders.” He or she is not just an authority figure, but also a
“coach, partner, and cheerleader,” says Lezotte. A leader of leaders does not operate in a top-down authority
structure, but realizes that the best solutions come from a collaborative effort.
According to Lezotte, to show the kind of leadership that inspires and creates an enriching community in the
school, the principal must be visible. She must be accessible not only to teachers but also to the student body—
walking the halls, cheering at games, and supporting extra-curricular events. It is also the principal’s
responsibility to assess data about school effectiveness and implement strategies to address areas that need
improvement.
Principal Robert Mastruzzi from John F. Kennedy High School in the Bronx, New York, was an example of a
principal who motivated staff and students to achieve their potential, writes Sara Lawrence in her 1983 book The
Good High School. While teachers praised his contagious energy and students were comfortable around him
because of his warm personality, these weren’t the only reasons he was a great leader. Mastruzzi’s greatest
strength was his vision for the school. His passionate belief that the students “are all winners” fueled his
educational philosophy. “Each year I tell the faculty to increase their expectations of students. You ask for more
and you get more,” Mastruzzi says. Lawrence writes that his willingness to innovate was moderated by a sense for
what wasn’t working, and he met challenges by listening to his colleagues’ perspectives before making changes.
State a Clear Mission
“Vision animates, inspires, transforms purpose into action,” says Warren Bennis, a pioneer in the field of
leadership studies. An effective principal must uphold a vision for the school and clearly articulate it to so
teachers, administration, and parents can be united in striving for higher achievement.
In What Effective Schools Do, Lezotte points to principals' vague goals or interest in maintaining the status quo
as common pitfalls of less effective schools. He says administrations are often unwilling to dedicate the resources
and effort it takes to follow through on vision-driven change.
An effective mission emphasizes innovation and improvement in providing learning for all—students and
educators of all backgrounds. The principal can make a mission effective by being persistent and energetic in
sharing her vision with faculty, students, and parents to unite their goals. All of these members of the community
must commit to this mission and take responsibility for its impact on the curriculum and learning environment.
Teachers especially should translate this mission so that it’s pertinent to how they teach their classes, Lezotte
writes. When the curriculum is designed with the mission in mind, it becomes easier to identify gaps in students’
education and address the deficiencies. The school begins operating as one effective organism instead of a loose
network of individuals with their own agendas. The mission becomes an ideal that guides everyone’s efforts on a
daily basis.
Monitor Students’ Progress
Lezotte’s research into the values of effective schools found that students who were regularly tested on their
academic progress were more successful than those who weren’t. Frequent teacher-written evaluations give
teachers the information they needed to make changes if some or all students weren’t mastering class material.
While effective schools use assessments, Lezotte believes teachers can and should assess the students’ learning
more holistically and less formally than standardized exams—relying less on multiple-choice tests and giving
more attention to portfolios and presentations. Students should also be encouraged to monitor themselves by
keeping progress charts and revisiting graded assignments.
Provide the Opportunity to Learn
Students tend to learn the things they spend the most time on. Teachers at effective schools are aware of limited
instruction time and create a syllabus with that in mind. Keeping the mission at the forefront, teachers must
create a syllabus that allows for not just all material to be covered, but also for it to be mastered, within the time
constraints of the class. The syllabus must be flexible enough to allow re-teaching when the students are having
trouble with certain key concepts.
In effective schools, teachers must sometimes practice “organized abandonment” when approaching their lesson
plans. If students aren’t mastering fundamental skills like reading, then teachers and schools may have to
abandon lower-priority learning experiences until students are caught up to the appropriate standards. While
organized abandonment is essential for true learning in limited timeframes, Lezotte and others advocate for more
time spent in school in general, starting that schools could be more effective with shorter vacations and longer
school days.
Build a True Partnership Between Home and School
The most effective schools have what Lezotte calls an authentic partnership with parents. At the most basic level,
Lezotte says, teachers and staff must be able to rely on parents to get their children to school on time and
regularly, and parents must be assured “that their children are entering a safe and caring place.”
But a true home and school partnership goes much further. Teachers and parents work together to help kids get
the most out of their assignments. Parents devote time to tutor their children, and teachers provide clear
directions for how parents can help in a productive way. This strategy is most effective when teachers and
parents have an open line of communication and can share notes on the student’s progress.
According to Lezotte, effective schools go beyond purely academic matters when it comes to bridging home and
school. In the most effective relationship between home and school, parents and other community agencies work
together to address problems that are not uniquely school-based, says Lezotte. Drug use, bullying, and gang
activity “are all serious problems where the school can contribute to the solution, but the school can’t solve them
alone.” In an ideal situation, the community as a whole works as a team to tackle these issues and create a better
environment for learning, and a better society.
Spring 2015 Class Project:
This semester we will study what makes a good school and an effective school? We will have the chance to study
this question by conducting a ‘real’ quality evaluation at a school! Three groups will visit the Opportunity Charter
School and conduct a quality review. Staff from the school will meet with us at NYU and discuss their school and
how to conduct a quality review. Team members will visit the school and conduct a review. The Final Project) will
be a multi media presentation addressing the question What makes a good school an effective school?
The Quality Review Rubric assesses school systems, structures, and practices across ten indicators within three
Quality Categories. The three categories and ten indicators are below:
I. Instructional Core across Classrooms
Curriculum (1.1)
Pedagogy (1.2)
Assessment (2.2)
II. School Culture
Positive learning environment (1.4)
High expectations (3.4)
III. Systems for Improvement
Leveraging resources (1.3)
Teacher support and supervision (4.1)
Goals and action plans (3.1)
Teacher teams and leadership development (4.2)
Monitoring and revising systems (5.1
This semester three groups will conduct a quality review for three Indicators selected by the School: See
the chart below with your group assignment and Indicator.
Indicator 1.1 -- Curricula
Indicator 1.4 -- Positive Learning Environment
Indicator 3.4 -- Culture of Learning (High Expectations)
NAME
Ackerman
Brennan
Cuellar
Torrico
De Sio
Demilio
Ehrenberger
Hoffman
Kim
Kolbert
Lakhdhir
Metzner
Rhodes
Walsh
GROUP
TASK
Emily Ann
Emily Rowe
Claudia
Group 1
Group 1
Group 1
Curricula 1.1
Curricula 1.1
Curricula 1.1
Christine Louise
Michelle R
Emily
Rochelle Sloane
Esther
Jackie Tracy
Alina
Jason Stanley
Alyssa Marie
Margaret Larkin
Group 1
Group 2
Group 2
Group 2
Group 2
Group 3
Group 3
Group 3
Group 3
Group 3
Curricula 1.1
Positive Learning Environment
Positive Learning Environment
Positive Learning Environment
Positive Learning Environment
Culture of Learning 3.4
Culture of Learning 3.4
Culture of Learning 3.4
Culture of Learning 3.4
Culture of Learning 3.4
1.4
1.4
1.4
1.4
Quality Review:
The Quality Review is a one or two day school visit by an experienced educator to New York City schools. During
the review, the reviewer visits classrooms, talks with parents, students, teachers, and school leaders, and uses a
rubric to evaluate how well the school is organized to support student achievement.
The Quality Review was developed to assist New York City Department of Education schools in raising student
achievement. The process is designed to look behind a school’s performance statistics to ensure that the school is
engaged in effective methods of accelerating student learning.
Before a reviewer visits a school, the school’s leadership completes a self-evaluation based on the Quality Review
rubric. Reviewers draw upon this document and other school data during conversations they have with
principals, teachers, students, and parents during the school visit. Reviewers have these conversations to develop
a well-rounded perspective of the way in which schools use information about outcomes to guide teaching, set
goals for improvement, and make adjustments (e.g. to the curriculum or via the use of resources).
After the site visit, the school receives a Quality Review Report that is published on its DOE website. The process
will assess all indicators of the Quality Review rubric, but the Quality Review Report will formally report on five
indicators of the rubric (1.1, 1.2, 2.2, 3.4, 4.2). Reviews will culminate in indicator ratings for these five areas and a
written report, but it will not yield an overall rating. The report provides the school community with evidencebased information about the school's development and serves as a source of feedback for the school leadership to
improve the school's support for students.
REQUIRED READING: 2014-15 Quality Review Documents for Reviewers
Reviewer Handbook
This document, updated for 2014-15, explains Quality Review policies and procedures for
reviewers.
http://schools.nyc.gov/NR/rdonlyres/5CC3B3DF-49BF-4BA6-AFD00FE6BFBDC3E1/0/ReviewerHandbook1415.pdf
Quality Review - New York City Department of Education
schools.nyc.gov/.../tools/review/
New York City Department of Education
The Quality Review is a tool that the Departmentof Education uses to measure how effectively schools are
organized to improvestudent achievement.
Find a School's Quality Review ...
Find a School's Quality Review Report ... type a partial
name ...
Resources for Schools
2014-15 Quality Review Documents for Schools ...
Quality Review
The Quality Review is a one or two day school visit by
an ...
Rubric
The 2014-15 Quality Review (QR) rubric continues to
have ten ...
Quality Review Rubric
The 2014-15 Quality Review (QR) rubric continues to
have ten ...
More results from nyc.gov »
Resources for Reviewers
Resources for Reviewers ... This document, updated for
2014-15 ...
Required Supplementary Reading
1) Test Scores Sink as New York Adopts Tougher Benchmarks ...
www.nytimes.com/2013/.../under-new-standards-students-see-sharp-decli...
Aug 7, 2013 - The number of New York students passing state reading and math exams ... Editorial: New
York's Common Core Test Scores (August 8, 2013) ... students, New York City almost matched the state's
performance as a whole. ... were deemed proficient, and 6 percent of students with disabilities passed.
2) NYSED News - New York State Education Department
www.oms.nysed.gov/press/grades-3-8-assessment-results-2013.html
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 7, 2013 ... This year's state assessments are the first for New York
students to measure the ... King emphasized that the results do not reflect a decrease in performance for
schools or students. ... 5% of students with disabilities met or exceeded the ELA proficiency standard; 7%
of students ...
3) NYSTCE Program Update - New York State Teacher Certification ...
www.nystce.nesinc.com/NY_annProgramUpdate.asp
The New York State Education Department (NYSED) and the New York State ... teacher performance
assessment (edTPA™), an Educating All Students Test, ... Test development schedule; Draft frameworks
and test designs updated 8/6/2013 ... Physical Education Test Design and Framework; Students With
Disabilities Test ...
4) Creating Artificial Student Failure in New York @nysed @nysut ...
atthechalkface.com/2013/.../creating-artificial-student-failure-in-new-yor...
Jun 15, 2013 - Thank you for your e-mail concerning the June 2013 Regents ... This panel defined the
achievement levels necessary for students who take the ..... Especially for students with disabilities or
emotional problems, teaching them ...
5) Yearly Testing - Student Achievement Resources - New York City ..
schools.nyc.gov › Performance & Accountability › Yearly Testing
On June 17, 2013, the NYC LOTE (Languages Other than English) exams will be ... Some students with
disabilities are eligible to take New York State Alternate ...
6) Memo #1 Test Accommodations 2012 - 2013 - New York City ...
schools.nyc.gov/NR/rdonlyres/...0206.../MEMO120122013ver2.pdf
Aug 27, 2012 - Division of Academics, Performance and Support (DAPS). SUBJECT: Test Accommodations
and Procedures for Students with Disabilities, ...
7) The Performance of Students With Disabilities on New York's ...
www.rand.org › Reports and Bookstore › Drafts
by D Koretz - 2001 - Cited by 10 - Related articles
This report explores the performance (i.e., completion rates and scores) of students with disabilities in a
field test of the revised New York State Regents ...
8) Continuum of Special Education Services - New York City ...
schools.nyc.gov/NR/rdonlyres/C7A58626.../ContinuumofServices.pdf
outcomes for all students with disabilities, including students with severe disabilities. .... In an effort to
enable all students to meet New York City Performance ...
9) Performance Patterns for Students with Disabilities in Grade 4 ...
ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs/projects/project.asp?ProjectID=158
It finds that the percentage of students with disabilities scoring proficient increased over time and that the
proficiency gap between this subgroup and general ...
10) State Assessments and Students with Disabilities
mw.k12.ny.us/district.cfm?subpage=42
New York State School Report Card ... In order for students with disabilities to be prepared to take the
revised Regents examinations, it is ... The performance of students with disabilities will be monitored
throughout the intervening years to ...
11) The New York State Alternate Assessment for Students with Severe ...
www.p12.nysed.gov/assessment/nysaa/archive/brochure/broch.htm
measures student progress toward meeting the alternate performance indicators ... Two federal laws
require that students with severe disabilities are assessed.
SEE on line Classes for additional readings
Class meetings occur both face to face and online. The primary course requirement is
the Quality Review Project. During the class we will break into groups. Interaction
with your group is essential. There are expected group activities both online and face
to face. You will have your material read for edits and approval as well as read by
other members of the groups. You will read for content accuracy and relevance. Also,
during the class, there will be guests and discussion on various aspects of research,
issues and practice that will be discussed. You will need to come prepared with
questions and information from your readings. If available, you should bring your
laptop as a resource .
Course Schedule:
1/29 Discussion of Quality Review & Project
2/5 Discussion with Staff from Opportunity Charter School
2/12 What is an Effective Teacher or effective teaching & learning?
2/19 What is an Effective School?
2/26 Field.. Quality Review
3/5 In class workshop
3/12 Revisit what is an effective school?
3/19 Spring Recess
3/26 Project preparation (4/2-4/30 individualization)
4/2 TBA
4/9 TBA
4/16 TBA
4/23 TBA
4/30 TBA
5/7 Project Presentation
5/14 Project Presenation
Opportunity Charter School:
• The Opportunity Charter School - insideschools.org
insideschools.org/component/schools/school/1391
Insideschools.org
Opportunity Charter School is committed to "inclusive" education--teaching both ... individual
attention helped her do better at Opportunity than her old school.
• Welcome - The Opportunity Charter School - M279 - New ...
schools.nyc.gov/SchoolPortals/...
New York City Department of Education
Visit our main website: www.opportunitycharter.org Directory of New York City Charter Schools.
• Opportunity Charter School - New York, NY - Education ...
https://www.facebook.com/.../Opportunity-Charter-School/20308844637...
Recent; 2014; 2013; 2012; 2011; Founded. Opportunity Charter School is on Facebook. To connect
with Opportunity Charter School, sign up for Facebook today.
• Manhattan's charter school accused of using disciplinary ...
www.nydailynews.com/.../manhattan-opportunity-charter-sch...
Daily News
May 19, 2010 - The City's Special Commissioner of Investigation is charging the Manhattan's
Opportunity Charter School crossed the line Opportunity Charter ...
• Opportunity Charter School | New York City Charter School ...
www.nyccharterschools.org/content/opportunity-charter-school
Opportunity Charter School. 240 West 113th Street, 4th floor. New York New York 10026. United
States. Borough: Manhattan. Neighborhood: Harlem. CSD: 3.
COMMON CORE CURRICULUM
Forty seven States have signed on to a national common core curriculum.This will have a major
impact on public schools and will require a shift in focus and a need for massive professional
development.The change will help level the playing field and should help children who move or
transfer to another school district or State
How will the common core impact services for children with disabilities? There will need to be
an effort to incorporate common core content in the IEP process. Special education staff and
parents will need information and training on this shift. Teacher training programs will need to get
on board.States will need to ramp up professional development.
Application to Students with Disabilities
Students with disabilities students eligible under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
(IDEA) must be challenged to excel within the general curriculum and be prepared for success in
their post school lives, including college and/or careers.
These common standards provide an historic opportunity to improve access to rigorous academic
content standards for students with disabilities. The continued development of understanding
about research based instructional practices and a focus on their effective implementation will
help improve access to mathematics and English language arts (ELA) standards for all students,
including those with disabilities.
Students with disabilities are a heterogeneous group with one common characteristic: t
he presence of disabling conditions that significantly hinder their abilities to benefit from general
education (IDEA). Therefore, how these high standards are taught and assessed is of the utmost
importance in reaching this diverse group of students.
In order for students with disabilities to meet high academic standards and to fully demonstrate
their conceptual and procedural knowledge and skills in mathematics, reading, writing, speaking
and listening (English language arts), their instruction must incorporate supports and
accommodations, including: supports and related services designed to meet the unique needs of
these students and to enable their access to the general education curriculum.
An Individualized Education Program (IEP): which includes annual goals aligned with and chosen
to facilitate their attainment of grade level academic standards.
Promoting a culture of high expectations for all students is a fundamental goal of the
Common Core State Standards. In order to participate with success in the general curriculum,
students with disabilities, as appropriate, may be provided additional supports and services, such
as: Instructional supports for learning based on the principles of Universal Design for Learning
(UDL) which foster student engagement by presenting information in multiple ways and
allowing for diverse avenues of action and expression.
According to IDEA,an IEP includes appropriate accommodations that are necessary to measure
the individual achievement and functional performance of a child UDL is defined as “a
scientifically valid framework for guiding educational practice that (a) pro
vides flexibility in the ways information is presented, in the ways students respond or demonstrate
knowledge and skills, and in the ways students are engaged; and (b) reduces barriers in
instruction, provides appropriate accommodations, supports, and challenges, and maintains
Instructional accommodations changes in materials or procedures which do not change the
standards but allow students to learn within the framework of the Common Core.
Assistive technology devices and services to ensure access to the general education curriculum and
the Common Core State Standards. Some students with the most significant cognitive disabilities
will require substantial supports and accommodations to have meaningful access to certain
standards in both instruction and assessment, based on their communication and academic needs.
These supports and accommodations should ensure that students receive access
to multiple means of learning and opportunities to demonstrate knowledge, but retain the rigor
and high expectations of the Common Core State Standards.