High-Leverage Practices for Students with Disabilities | |
HLP7: Learning Environments | |
Happy September! The theme for this month is based on the seventh high-leverage practice from High-Leverage Practices (HLPs) in Special Education: Establish a consistent, organized, and respectful learning environment. Keep reading for resources and more! | | | |
Learning Environments for Students who are DHH | |
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"Special educators cannot “make” students learn or behave; they can, however, create environments to increase the likelihood that students do both." (McLeskey et. al, 2017, p. 56 as cited by Lewis, 2009).
Establishing a consistent, organized, and respectful learning environment for students is no easy feat. The authors of High-Leverage Practices in Special Education deemed the seventh high-leverage practice (HLP) as foundational for all other HLPs (McLeskey et. al, 2017, p. 57), meaning it can make or break all other high-leverage practices. If an environment can be the catalyst for success or chaos, it bears the question: What does a consistent, organized, and respectful classroom look like for a student who is deaf or hard of hearing (DHH)?
Language development, both in basic interpersonal communication skills (BICS) and cognitive academic language proficiency (CALP) (Cummins, 1999), is essential for students who are DHH to develop the skills to function in both academic and recreational arenas. Vocabulary instruction paired with existing knowledge is used to build and scaffold new language and concepts. BICS comes before CALP; however, with language deprivation being a common theme, students who are DHH rarely receive equitable opportunities to develop language at the foundational level in a manner comparable to their hearing peers (birth - 5) resulting in students who are DHH having a poorly-developed BICS foundation as they enter the classroom.
The academic setting naturally creates an environment for students to develop both social and academic language. This, however, heavily depends on the teacher and their ability to infuse social questions into academic instruction. This is where the teacher of the deaf/hard of hearing (ToDHH) is crucial in explicitly teaching social skills that students who are DHH may not pick up on incidentally. Though these skills may be acquired through direct instruction in a separate environment (e.g., one-on-one with the ToDHH in their room or the hallway), it may be necessary for the ToDHH to provide push-in services in order to facilitate practice in real scenarios to improve acquisition and carryover of skills.
For a deeper dive on HLP7, educators can join the TA-Live! discussion session and watch the videos:
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Florida’s Assessment of Student Thinking (FAST) & Students who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing | |
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Deaf Awareness Month is celebrated during the month of September. Hearing Like Me has written an article, “Deaf Awareness Month: 10 Things to Know About Being Deaf,” (Guth, 2020) that provides information on things to know about individuals who are deaf and hard of hearing, and also how to spread awareness regarding individuals who are DHH.
Do you have an innovative way you celebrate Deaf Awareness Month in your district or community? Share it with us in the Virtual Learning DHH Collaborative Basecamp!
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National Preparedness Month | |
“National Preparedness Month is an observance each September to raise awareness about the importance of preparing for disasters and emergencies that could happen at any time. The 2022 theme is ‘A Lasting Legacy: The life you’ve built is worth protecting. Prepare for disasters to create a lasting legacy for you and your family.’” (Ready, 2022).
Did you know that RMTC-D/HH has created a resource that provides guidance for schools and districts to prepare for emergency situations for students who are DHH, “What resources are there for emergency preparedness for students who are deaf/hard of hearing?"
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RMTC-D/HH will be offering a new professional development opportunity, Get Your Sign On for the 2022-2023 school year. This hands-on immersive experience will provide an opportunity for educators to roll their sleeves up and dive into the world of American Sign Language by collaborating with others to develop and sharpen their skills in expressive and receptive communication in ASL. Each event will take place virtually and be conducted solely in ASL. We encourage you to join us on this journey and welcome signers of any ability.
When?
The first Get Your Sign On meeting will be September 9, 2022 from 3:00 - 4:00 p.m. ET (2:00 - 3:00 p.m. CT).
| IXL: Progress Monitoring and Specially Designed Instruction | |
Please join NRSC and RMTC-D/HH for IXL: Progress Monitoring and Specially Designed Instruction professional development. IXL is a powerful online tool for assessing students and providing customized and specially designed instruction for academic areas and can activities be aligned with Florida's state academic standards. Regular education, special education, and specialized teachers of students who are DHH may benefit from IXL’s real-time diagnostic abilities to create individualized action plans aligned with state standards to close the achievement gap.
When?
Two-part series:
- September 13, 2022, 10:00-11:00 a.m. EDT (9:00-10:00 a.m CDT)
- October 4, 2022, 10:00-11:00 a.m. EDT (9:00-10:00 a.m CDT)
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In the TA-Live! series, RMTC-D/HH is diving deep into the High-Leverage Practices in Special Education from the CEC and CEEDAR Center.
Before the next scheduled discussion, participants will be encouraged to*:
*Unable to complete the homework? Please still feel free to join RMTC-D/HH staff for a discussion on resources and tools Florida educators utilize related to the HLP discussed.
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When?
September 14, 2022 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET (1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. CT). With a watch party of the homework starting at 1:45 p.m. ET (12:45 p.m. CT).
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New Teacher of the Deaf/Hard of Hearing (ToDHH) Professional Learning Community (PLC) | RMTC-D/HH is excited to announce the project will be hosting its fourth year of the New Teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Professional Learning Community (PLC). This PLC is designed to support new teachers entering the field of deaf education in the state of Florida either through a teacher prep program, completion of licensure, or transferring from out of state. Through this year-long collaboration, stakeholders will learn about instructional practices, interventions, and evidence-based resources specific to the field of deaf education used to drive student academic growth. | | |
RMTC-D/HH Teacher Spotlight | |
Expanded Skills Spotlight | |
Advocacy in Action: Listening Environments | |
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Resources:
In order to keep all the resources in one place, RMTC-D/HH has created a LiveBinder that is categorized by the twenty-two “High-Leverage Practices for Students with Disabilities” from the CEEDAR Center and the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC). To see the resources available by each category, check out the LiveBinder!
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News from the Media and Materials Loan Library
The RMTC-D/HH Media and Materials Loan Library is now shipping materials via FedEx Ground. We no longer ship materials via UPS. If you received materials via UPS in the past and still have a UPS return label you CAN still use that UPS label to return your materials to us. Please return those materials to the library as soon as possible.
If you recently checked out materials from the library a FedEx return label should have been enclosed in the box. FedEx does not automatically pick from schools like UPS did. You will now need to drop off the box with the enclosed return label attached at any FedEx Office, FedEx drop off box location, Walgreens, or Dollar General.
Thank you for your help and understanding with this change!
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Resources from the RMTC-D/HH Media and Materials Loan Library:
The below resources are from the Media and Materials Loan Library* that have relevance to the high-leverage practice "Establish a consistent, organized, and respectful learning environment."
*Florida stakeholders can borrow these and many other resources from RMTC-D/HH's Media and Materials Loan Library, for FREE. Each material comes with a return label, making even the shipping at no charge to the borrower.
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Advocacy in Action - A Self-Advocacy Curriculum for Students who are D/HH
(Catalog Number: 1938): Advocacy in Action provides tools for teachers to help students identify and develop self-advocacy skills. The text is designed to be easily individualized for each student or small group of students and for each teacher or parent.
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C.O.A.C.H.–Self-Advocacy & Transition Skills for Secondary Students who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
(Catalog Number: 1939): This book uses a problem solving model of C.O.A.C.H. – Concern- Observe- Access- Collaborate- make it Happen to address access and communication needs. The book includes: rationale for the instruction model, step by step directions, goals and activities, assessments, and reproducible worksheets. Each section addresses specific aspects of advocacy and develops underlying skills to support application.
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Building Skills for Independence in the Mainstream
(Catalog Number: 1940): Building Skills for Independence in the Mainstream was developed as a guide for DHH professionals to support their work with classroom teachers and with students to develop the skills needed for independence with hearing aids and self-advocacy.
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Steps to Assessment - A Guide to Identifying Educational Needs for D/HH Students
(Catalog Number: 1943): The focus of this guide is appropriate assessment practices for children from transition to school at age three through high school. Categories of assessment are presented, as are ways to tease out information from assessment results, to illustrate how to identify needs to support students who are DHH.
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Building Skills for Success in the Fast-Paced Classroom
(Catalog Number: 1958): The purpose of this book is to provide resources that will assist students who are DHH in optimizing their achievement through improved access and self-advocacy. It targets the “expanded core curriculum,” (known in Florida as “Expanded Skills”) or those skills that must be mastered in order to benefit from the general education curriculum.
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Steps to Success
(Catalog Number: 1959): Steps to Success: A Scope and Sequence of Skills for Students who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing: Perception, Processing, Self-Knowledge, and Advocacy Development Steps to Success Revised and Expanded is an instructional model for students who are deaf or hard of hearing in grades kindergarten through 12. It is designed to develop skills that will enable a student to be an effective listener, a successful communicator, a proficient reader, and a knowledgeable consumer of goods & services related to hearing needs.
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Florida Summit on Childhood Deafness
The Florida Summit on Childhood Deafness will be held November 10-12, 2022 at the Westgate Lakes Resort in Orlando, Florida, with an option for pre-conference attendance on November 9, 2022 at the same location. Professionals supporting students who are deaf and hard of hearing are encouraged to attend including (but not limited to) teachers of the DHH, SLPs, audiologists, educational leaders, interpreters, paraprofessionals, general education teachers, assistive technology specialists, early interventionists, and pre-service educators. Registration is opening soon! For more information, email FLSummitDHH@gmail.com.
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Florida Hands and Voices
Florida Hands & Voices is rebooting! Be on the lookout for training and collaboration opportunities from parent and Executive Director, Camille Smith. Florida Hands & Voices is planning to officially relaunch in September 2022, with a primary goal of reaching and connecting families that have children who are deaf and hard of hearing.
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Upcoming Events: Save the Date!
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September 9, 2022: Get Your Sign On
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September 13, 2022: IXL Progress Monitoring & Specially Designed Instruction (Part 1)
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September 14, 2022: TA-Live! HLP7
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September 21, 2022: WWE - Watch Your Students Grow: Progress Monitoring (Part 1)
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October 1, 2022: It’s a Deaf Thing in Lakeland, Florida
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October 4, 2022: IXL Progress Monitoring & Specially Designed Instruction (Part 2)
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October 6, 2022: Expanded Skills CoP
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October 14, 2022: Get Your Sign On
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October 13-16, 2022: Southeast Regional Institute on Deafness (SERID) in Altamonte Springs, Florida
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November 3, 2022: Expanded Skills CoP
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November 7, 2022: DeafTEC Math Conference in Rochester, New York
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November 11, 2022: Get Your Sign On
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November 10-12, 2022: The 2022 Summit on Childhood Deafness with pre-conference options available November 9, 2022
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January 15-April 15, 2023: Supporting Success for Children with Hearing Loss Virtual Conference
Check out the RMTC-D/HH 2022-2023 Calendar for more upcoming events!
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RMTC-D/HH provides Tech Notes as a free resource to teachers, professionals, and families around the state in order to pass along potentially useful information and expand the knowledge and opportunities available to educators and families of children who are deaf/hard of hearing. This email was funded by the Florida Department of Education Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services through federal assistance under the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA), Part B funds. The information included does not reflect any specific endorsement by any parties involved. | | |
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References:
Cummins, J. (1999). BICS and CALP: Clarifying the distinction. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED438551.pdf
Guth, D. (2020, September 11). Deaf awareness month: 10 things to know about being deaf. Hearing Like Me. https://www.hearinglikeme.com/deaf-awareness-month-10-things-to-know-about-being-deaf/
McLeskey, J., Barringer, M-D., Billingsley, B., Brownell, M., Jackson, D., Kennedy, M., Lewis, T., Maheady, L., Rodriguez, J., Scheeler, M. C., Winn, J., & Ziegler, D. (2017, January). High-leverage practices in special education. Arlington, VA: Council for Exceptional Children & CEEDAR Center. https://highleveragepractices.org/
Kennedy, M. J., Hirsch, S.E., Peeples K. N., Romig, J. E., Mathews, H. M., Rodgers, W. J. (2018). High-leverage practice #7: Establish a consistent, organized, and respectful learning environment. https://highleveragepractices.org/hlp-7-establish-consistent-organized-and-respectful-learning-environment
Ready (2022, July 29). National preparedness month. U.S. Department of Homeland Security. https://www.ready.gov/september
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Suggested Citation:
Resource Materials and Technology Center for the Deaf/Hard [RMTC-D/HH]. (2022, September). HLP7: Learning environments. Tech Notes. https://www.rmtcdhh.org/tech-notes-archive/
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