My students go to inclusion for library, gym, and music. Since I teach upper grades, I have a difficult time doing inclusion for academic areas since the gap between the general ed curriculum and what we are working on seems to just keep getting bigger. I love to do reverse inclusion (gen ed students come into my classroom for activities), inclusion for special events (DARE, field trips, parties), and other hands-on activities when they come up. I want to make all inclusion important and meaningful.
My students go to specials with their grade level and an aide. It can be tricky to coordinate this all but you can if you get organized!
Make an Inclusion Schedule and Post It: My schedule is posted with all my other schedules on a centrally located bulletin board. We need easy access to this schedule. Even at the end of last year, I couldn’t tell you my inclusion schedule off the top of my head even if you offered me free money.
Check in with the Specials Teachers Regularly: I use a collaboration log so I can make sure I haven’t gone an embarrassingly long amount of time without seeing how my kids are doing. Some teachers are hesitant to approach me with issues and I find it better to go to them.
Take Data: You may by now be realizing a theme here with my embarrassing data obsession. It’s my ABA background, I swear. So here is where I post my inclusion data sheet – right near the door with a pencil velcroed to the bottom (of course!). So when my aides come back from the class they can quickly and easily put down their data.
Make the Data Easy to Take: In inclusion we keep track of the amount of prompts the adult needed to provide the student. I love data sheets where you can circle the prompt degree instead of writing it in – so much faster! Especially in the hustle and bustle of our afternoon! You just need to write the date, the class, and circle the prompt level. Done!
Here is a freebie paraprofessional data sheet. You can write in the number of prompts that you would consider min, moderate, or max – since that may depend on your student or class!
Here are the downloads:
Paraprofessional Data Sheet – Word
Paraprofessional Data Sheet – PDF
Happy inclusioning 🙂
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Thanks so much for this. It’s super helpful. I’m working on getting my aides to “buy in” to data collection. I suppose being up front and setting up the routine from the start of the year is the best way to have aides get in the habit of taking data regularly.
That’s true but better late than never! 🙂 Hope it goes well!
I love this post- it sort of validates what I have been thinking about when my students go out and when I need to have them! I struggle daily with “are they out because parents want them out, or are they out because that is really what is best for their skills!” ugh! There is no Autism Unit/Classroom “manual” for me to really go by- I want to be better, and do what’s best for my kids, but sometimes, I feel like that doesn’t mesh with parent wants for their child :/ This post speaks to me!
How do you make inclusion/scheduling decisions when you hit a roadblock with parents? They want more time with class, you know they aren’t there yet :/ Does that make sense?
Hey Karly! I would invite parents to observe you class and really spell out what instruction they will be missing by attending so much out of class time. Always focus on “we are working towards that” attitude. The idea of pulling them away from their gen ed class is to focus on building skills that will allow them to rejoin that class in a more appropriate (socially, academically, functionally) in the future. Hope this helps!
Yes- that is a great idea! I’d love to have them observe! Sometimes, the “words to use” are best when I can collaborate! In our world, we need to support each other when we can, and always put kids first! 🙂 Thanks Sasha!
No problem! Hope the suggestions helped & let me know how it goes 🙂
Are these designed to track overall prompting or specific goal areas (e.g. initiating peer interaction vs. prompts to stay on task, following routine etc.) ?
We focus on specific goals areas based on IEP goals but could be used for overall prompting as well. Hope this helps!
Your data sheets are super helpful! Do you have a the data sheet that is shown above the paraprofessional data sheet to download? Thanks!
Hi Sarah! I don’t have that specific one – only the variation in the post. Sorry! 🙁