Including Special Education
Students in Algebra 1 and
Algebra 2
Lisa Miller
Napa High School
lzmiller@nvusd.k12.ca.us
Agenda
1. Why is this important?
2. Accommodations:
-
Special Ed specific
Good for all students
3. Other Helpful Strategies:
-
Differentiation
Progress Monitoring
4. IEP’s
5. Access to Common Core
6. Co-teaching
Why Is This Important?
Napa High Math Data
Year
Number of Students in
Special Ed Math Classes
2007-2008
100
2012-2013
15
Number of Students in
General Algebra
CST Percent Proficient
Percent Tenth Graders
Passing CAHSEE Math
150
35
17%
80%
27%
88%
Why Is This Important?
Types of Special Ed Students in Math
1. Students who have a disability in math
2. Students who have good math skills, but are
in special education because of a
language/reading/writing disability
3. Students who don’t do “school” well –
homework, attendance, effort in class, etc…
Accommodations – Special Ed Specific
• Preferential Seating – Sit up front:
- Often easy to follow
-Obstacle - too many students may have
this accommodation:
- Special education, English Language Learners,
AVID students, football players.
Accommodations – Special Ed Specific
• Use of Notes for Classroom Test
– Agreement with student – Take the test the first
time without notes. If student doesn’t do well, he
or she will get to use notes on the retake.
– If there is enough practice in class, notes are not
often necessary.
– On Report Card – the grade is reported with
accommodations if notes are used.
Accommodations – Special Ed Specific
• Reduced/Shortened Assignments:
– Tell students the problems they must finish.
– Have extra credit for students who finish early.
– Usually once students get started, they are okay.
It is getting them started that is crucial.
• Use of Calculator – still take integer time tests,
but untimed. Try a number line and
multiplication table first.
Accommodations – Good For All
Students
• Use assignment
notebook planner
• Communicate with
parents
• Note Taking
SupportCues/prompts/
reminders to stay on
task
• Instructions
repeated/rephrased
Accommodations – Good For All
Students
• Check for
Understanding
– before
beginning
independent
work or
homework.
• Guided Practice
Bottom Line of Accommodations
• Following the accommodations is just good teaching.
• What do parents really want? They want their child
to be successful.
Differentiation
First level of reteach:
- Use a no stakes or low
stakes quiz to see which
students need help with
which learning outcomes.
- Should happen in the
regular classroom during
the regular school day.
- Should happen before the
unit assessment.
Differentiation
• Students have multiple opportunities to
demonstrate mastery.
• Students are required to show they have
relearned the material before they retake the
assessment:
– Participate in a reteach session.
– Make corrections on original assessment.
– Complete a practice test and review answers with
a teacher or peer tutor.
Progress Monitoring
Students will be more engaged in the learning
and feel more successful if they can monitor
their progress.
-
Time Tests
Homework
Unit Check Off
Grade Reflection
Integer
Time
Test
Grade Report
IEP’s
• The obstacle is that if you have many special
education students it takes time to fill out
appraisal forms and to go to IEP meetings.
• Communicate with case carriers regularly.
• Communicate with parents.
Common Core
Model a real world
situation using an
algebraic
expression.
Common Core – Math Practices
Students create their own real
world problems and create
their own equations.
Make it accessible:
- brainstorm topics
- write examples together as
a class
- allow students to work
with a group
- …then have students write
and solve their own
problems.
Common Core – Use Real World Data
Is this relation a function?
x
13,400
14,000
14,000
35,200
y
36
30
40
23
Co-teaching
• Most Crucial – Both teachers agree on and follow
through with what they believe about how
students should be treated.
• Both teachers need to back each other up in the
classroom.
• Both teachers need to be seen by the students as
teachers.
• Both teachers should plan together and share the
grading, student follow ups, and whatever else
needs to be done to help the students be
successful.
Two Co-teaching Models
• Complementary:
• Challenges
• benefits
• Side by Side:
• It works very well
when teaching
students two
different ways to
solve a problem.
Opportunities with Co-teaching
1. When one teacher is
instructing, the other
teacher can observe
the students.
1. Differentiation – This
should happen often
and be fluid. It should
be based on specific
skills that students
need extra help with.
Opportunity