CASE STUDY/CONFERENCE WORKSHOP
A case conference is a planning session at which team members articulate an issue about a student and develop strategies based on evidence to help that student.
Characteristics of a case conference include:
Chairperson designated who is responsible for making sure that appropriate staff and materials will be present at conference and that there is a clear agenda
Staff member designated to begin the meeting by presenting the issues that will be discussed
Involvement of all individuals who can supply pertinent information
Available written data on student ready for review at conference
Focus on the whole child
MUST be evidence-based
MUST result in a clear plan of action
MUST include follow through and re-examination at the next team meeting
(There must also be long term follow up to examine if plan is working. Mid course corrections (formative assessment) to improve plan’s effectiveness must be made when appropriate.)
If exacerbating situations exist – poor nutrition, living in a shelter, drug problems, etc. - these should be brought to the table in a helping atmosphere.
Discussion MUST NOT devolve into a complaining session.
Follow-Up Meeting:
Feedback on how things are progressing
Change in strategies implemented when appropriate to improve effectiveness
There must be a person designated to make sure that the plan is effectively implemented and that necessary follow-up occurs. This staff member would report back on implementation and effectiveness at the second team meeting and would be responsible for long term implementation and follow-up.
Materials to include:
Permanent record
Cumulative record
Core Academic Data
Attendance record
Special Needs Information
Information on family situation
Health information
Any material indicating learning issues and behavioral problems
Reports from teachers – academic and behavioral
Samples of student performance
If a meeting with a parent is to occur, there needs to be a pre-mini conference to prepare for that meeting.
Teaching Strategies:
Fish Bowl
Look at case studies in small groups
4 small groups looking at the same case
Each small group puts strategies it develops on newsprint
Large group then comes back together
Information that groups have developed will then be used to outline and define what an effective case conference looks like.