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Program Evaluation:
Houston Baptist University Educational
Diagnostician Practicum
Ronnetta Sims
Houston Baptist University
Presented to:
Dr. Diane Reed
Competency 003
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Table of Contents
Statement of the Purpose
P. 3
List of Activities Completed
A.
B.
C.
D.
Strategies Used
P. 3
Professional Growth Needed in Order
to Complete the Project Tasks
P. 4
Management of Project Resources P.4
Possible Project Impact
PP.4-5
Review of Literature
A.
The Proposed Project’s Strategies
are Important Factors in Increasing
Student Achievement
PP.4-5
Evaluation of the Project
A. Survey
B. Graph
Results
P. 6
P. 6
PP. 7-8
Conclusion
P.8
Reflection
PP.8-9
References
P. 10
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Statement of the Purpose
The aim of this project is to determine general and special
education teachers’ perceptions on co-teaching.
I have come to
learn at my campus that there is a need to create the
opportunities for general and special education teachers to
collaborate to address the best practices to meet the needs of
special education students included in general education
classrooms. Throughout my teaching career I have noticed that
rather than having the general educator instruct an entire class
alone, incorporating a special educator in the classroom is more
beneficial to enhance the lessons according to the students’
needs, managing behaviors, and overall improvement of academic
success.
This is why decided to do my project on providing
opportunities for general and special education teachers to coteach and collaborate.
Strategies Used To Invite Participation
Participants in this Project were general and special educators
at Foerster Elementary.
The survey to measure teachers’
perceptions was sent to teachers who consented to participate by
clicking on an embedded link that took them to the survey.
Support groups included the campus staff and the educational
diagnostician.
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Professional Growth Needed in Order to
Complete the Project Tasks
Professional growth needed for me to complete this project
include studying the effectiveness of
co-teaching to address the inclusion of students with
disabilities.
Additionally, I also need to identify further
steps needed to make co-teaching successful in at my campus.
Resources
The resources needed for this project are a computer and survey.
I have attached a copy of the survey.
Possible Project Impact
The Proposed Project’s strategies are
important factors in increasing
student achievement
The project in question may have a very positive impact on the
general educator, since including students with disabilities can
be overwhelming for the general educator who is responsible for
making necessary accommodations for all of their students.
This
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project may also increase collaboration and communication among
all members of the team to ensure that the needs of all students
are met. Additionally, this opportunity of inclusion often
allows teachers to learn from each other in an environment that
is most often highly beneficial for all students. When students
are included in the general classroom, they associate more with
their same-age peers.
Before two people begin their journey as co-teachers, it is
suggested that they both attend professional development,
according to Idol in 2006 (p. 90). Access to materials,
professional development, collaboration time, and support of
administrative staff are all elements that must be in place in
order to create a successful co- teaching environment (Solis,
Vaughn, Swanson, &McCully, 2012). If administrators support coteachers and stop by the classroom to ensure successful
implementation, co-teaching is more likely to be a success.
Austin (2001) argues, offering feedback to one’s partner,
sharing classroom management, providing daily mutual planning
time, and using cooperative learning techniques are perceived to
be important in co-teaching practices (p. 254). This helps the
general educator create a lesson that is mindful of all
students, and allows the special educator to contribute
appropriate accommodations to the lesson.
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Foerster Elementary Survey Feedback



40% Agreed that students in special education benefited from coteaching, indicating the reason for this being more social
interactions, and exposure to the regular curriculum while
receiving extra help
40% Agreed that students in general education benefit from coteaching
20% Undecided
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Results
Forty percent of the participants either agreed that the
students in special education benefited from co-teaching,
indicating the reason for this being more social interactions,
and exposure to the regular curriculum while receiving extra
help. Some participants implied that only if co-teaching is
implemented properly would students in special education
succeed. Participants also commented that the 2 teachers can
work out a respectful give-and-take. Adding that the students
without IEPs can benefit as well from having another teacher
(not an aide or assistant, though aides of course can be
valuable) actually teaching. It is important to note this
participant is the same one that indicated how little the
administration participates once the co-teaching placements are
assigned. Almost the same exact breakdown was given when
participants were asked if students in general education benefit
from co-teaching.
Forty percent indicated they agreed. The
literature review indicates that one of the most important
elements of successful co-teaching is receiving professional
development before beginning the co-teaching experience.
Participants expressed concern about no related professional
development had been organized to promote this instructional
strategy.
I have come to determine that adding more
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professional development opportunities pertaining to
collaborating and co-teaching will have a positive result on
student achievement.
This will in turn reflect on the campus
report card data and will help the school improve their SPED
data indicators on the PBMAS.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the addition of professional development
opportunities, collaboration and co-teaching among the general
and special education teachers will be very beneficial for
Foerster Elementary students and staff.
If this new system gets
implemented the school will obtain a greater chance to increase
their special education students’ success.
Reflection
After completing this project, I have come to understand the
importance in conducting surveys, and the relevance of providing
professional developments on teacher collaboration and the
success that can be achieved if everyone follows the plan to
improve student success on their campus.
This activity was very
beneficial and gives me more ideas for future use with my future
career.
The completion of this project has given me great
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insight on how much more our team can be effective when we
collaborate.
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References
Austin, V. L. (2001). Teachers’ beliefs about co-teaching.
Remedial and Special Education, 22,245-255.
Embury, D. C. &Kroeger, S. D. (2012) Let's ask the kids:
Consuming constructions of co-teaching. International
Journal of Special Education, 27, 102-112.
Idol, L. (2006).Toward inclusion of special education students
in general education. Remedial and Special Education, 27,
77-94.
Solis, M., Vaughn, S., Swanson, E., & McCulley, L. (2012).
Collaborative models of instruction: The empirical
foundations of inclusion and co-teaching. Psychology in
Schools, 49, 498-510.
Tremblay, P. (2012). Comparative outcomes of two instructional
models for students with learning disabilities: inclusion
with co-teaching and solo-taught special education. Journal
of Research in Special Education Needs,1-8.