Elective Course Proposal

Peer to Peer Support (LINKS)

District Name:______

Name of Course: Peer to Peer Support (LINKS)

Course Description: Peer to peer Course Credit Programs represents one model of 21st Century instructional design that incorporates applied (experiential) learning in a non-traditional manner. A peer to peer program is a strategy for providing ongoing support and modeling from one non-disabled pupil to a pupil with an individualized education program (IEP). It encompasses both the academic and social domains. Benefits are derived by both pupils. (Michigan Department of Education, Pupil Accounting Manual, November, 2012)

Department: Certified teachers at appropriate grade levels MUST be teachers assigned to an elective peer to peer course/credit program. Depending on the optional model(s) implemented, the teachers may be in special education or general education programs.

Models of Implementation of Peer to Peer Support Elective Courses:

Model1:

Model 1:General Education Elective
Special Education Teacher - General Education Certified in the Grade Level of the Elective
Educational Environment: Special Education
TEACHER OF RECORD – SPECIAL ED TEACHER
  • Attendance
  • Provides Training
  • Facilitates Case Conferences
  • Gives Grades for Peer to Peer Student
/ STUDENT WITH IEP – SPECIAL ED CLASS
PEER TO PEER STUDENT – GENERAL ED ELECTIVE
  • Supports Student with IEP in the Special Ed Classroom
  • Reports to Special Ed Teacher for Attendance

Model2:

Model 2: General Education Elective
Peer to Peer Support Teacher – Certified in the Grade Level of the Elective
Educational Environment: General Education
TEACHER OF RECORD – PEER TO PEER TEACHER
  • Attendance
  • Provides Training
  • Facilitates Case Conferences
  • Gives Grades for the Peer to Peer Student
  • Supervision – Coordinated with General Ed Teacher of Pupil with the IEP
/ STUDENT WITH IEP – GENERAL ED CONTENT COURSE
PEER TO PEER STUDENT – GENERAL ED ELECTIVE
  • Supports Student with IEP in the General Education Classroom
  • Reports to Peer to Peer Teacher for Attendance

Model3:

Model 3: General Education Elective –
General Ed Teacher – Also Teaching General Ed Content Course
Educational Environment: General Education
Exception: General Ed Teacher will Instruct, Assess, and Assign Grades for Two Separate Inter-related Courses at the Same Time
TEACHER OF RECORD – GENERAL ED TEACHER
  • Attendance
  • Provides Training
  • Facilitates Case Conferences
  • Gives Grades for the Peer to Peer Student
General Ed Teacher is also teaching the content course / STUDENT WITH IEP – GENERAL ED CONTENT COURSE
PEER TO PEER STUDENT – GENERAL ED ELECTIVE
  • Supports Student with IEP in the General Education Classroom
  • Reports to General Ed Teacher for Attendance

Model4:

Model 4: General Education Elective
Special Ed Teacher – Also Teaching Special Education Program
Educational Environment: Special Education
Exception: Special Ed Teacher will Instruct, Assess, and Assign Grades for Two Separate Inter-related Courses at the Same Time
TEACHER OF RECORD – SPECIAL ED TEACHER
  • Attendance
  • Provides Training
  • Facilitates Case Conferences
  • Gives Grades for the Peer to Peer Student
Special Ed Teacher is also teaching the special education program / STUDENT WITH IEP – SPECIAL EDUCATION PROGRAM RECEIVING INSTRUCTION
PEER TO PEER STUDENT – GENERAL ED ELECTIVE
  • Support Student with IEP in the Special Education Program
  • Reports to Special Ed Teacher for Attendance

What Model will the District Use: ______

Peer to Peer Support Responsibilities: The Peer to Peer Support Student is assigned to the program 5 days a week during their scheduled class period. He/she follows the same schedule for one semester or trimester. The primary responsibility of a Peer to Peer Support Student is to model age appropriate behavior for the student with the I.E.P. The Peer to Peer Support Student may provide peer support to his/her assigned student in the areas of organization, social skills, and academics during the scheduled class period. The LINKS student is expected to participate in training, follow school and classroom expectations, journal daily, complete a semester-end project, and will participate in case-conferences throughout the semester. Peer to Peer Support Students receive ½ elective credit after successfully completing a semester of participation as a peer to peer support.

Who can be a Peer to Peer Support Student? Students interested in being a Peer to Peer Support Student select Peer to Peer Support as an elective during the scheduling process. Peers will be selected on a first come/first serve basis through availability of placement in the program. The ultimate goal is to have a cross-section of students representing a variety of personalities and skills serving as peer to peer supports which better represents the microcosm of communities at large.This means that LINK students may be high-achieving students (honors students), general classroom students, students with mild disabilities, or students who are at-risk due to their academic or behavioral needs (e.g., alternative education students). This allows the student with an I.E.P. the experience of diversity needed for successful participation in adult life.

“For low-achieving students in particular…the opportunity to practice [academic strategies] through teaching them to others, may also promote increased engagement and learning. Students more readily acquire academic content when they must explain it to others and are responsible for ensuring another’s learning” (Carter & Kennedy, 2006, p. 287).

Benefits: The Peer to Peer Support Program provides many opportunities for general education students, as well as the students with an I.E.P. Students learn to relate to people with different needs and develop an increased understanding of individual differences. Encouraging student responsibility is also an added benefit of the program.

Diversity is present in every public school district in our nation. We support and celebrate diversity through a variety of instructional support programs, including specialized program for students with disabilities.

IDEIA (2004) requires that local school districts consider ‘portability of supports and services’ that appropriately and routinely support individual students with disabilities in less restrictive environments. This mandate does not minimize the need for individual educational plans or supports required by students with disabilities to meet goals and objectives. It does recognize that exposure to legitimate curriculum enhances learning for all students. A commitment to implement this law requires a fresh look at how placement decisions for students with disabilities are made.

Students enrolled in the Peer to Peer Support Program work collaboratively with a student (or students) with an I.E.P. on common goals. Peer to Peer students act as peer models and mentors, not caregivers, teachers, or substitute paraprofessionals. They participate alongside the student with an I.E.P. to support active engagement and understanding of the expectations in the instructional environment. As such, participation and modeling is valued as an important and valid instructional variable for the student with the I.E.P. Of additional importance is that a strong predictor in whether a student will or will not model another is similarity to the model. In this way, same and cross-age peers serve as better models than adults.

The reciprocal benefits to the Peer to Peer Support students are numerous and include the use of the Peer to Peer Support Curriculum. Applied as part of a participation model, the curriculum offers opportunities for the learning and application of skills that promote responsibility,collaboration, leadership,and empathy, among others.The planned sequence of activities in the curriculum supports LINK students in becoming better problem solvers and communicators who are able to successfully interact with a wide variety of people. Further benefits include increased attendance and grades and decreased behavioral referrals for students who are participate as LINKS.

Curriculum: Description of the Curriculum

There are four levels in the curriculum for Peer to Peer Support Students. Each level contains multiple AIM Modules on the characteristics of students with ASD and strategies that work with students with ASD. The modules are organized into levels with each levelprogressively more difficult than the previous one.

Level 1 (Basic) and Level 2 (Intermediate) are designed to meet the needs of Peer to Peer Support Students in Grades 6th = 12th. Level 3 (Advanced 1) and Level 4 (Advanced 2) contain modules considered to have more difficult concepts and are designed to meet the needs of Peer to Peer Support Students in Grades 9th- 12th grade, although Peer to Peer Support Studentsin 6th - 8th Grade could take modules in Level 3 and 4 with instructor permission.

The organization of these levels of curricula provide a single point of entry for a first time peer to peer support student regardless of their grade.The curriculum can be taught in a direct instruction format or can also be used as an online class. Below are the instructions for teaching using either format.

Directions for Teaching the Peer to Peer Support Curriculum using Direct Instruction:

What Is Meant By “Direct Instruction”? Direct instruction most often takes place in a traditional classroom. The students meet for a regularly scheduled class period throughout the semester or trimester, with one or more teachers instructing on a topic. Direct instruction most often has hard copies of textbooks and/or handouts that the student is able to read from. Direct instruction can be supplemented with informational articles, videos, special speakers, etc.

The instructor that wishes to teach using a traditional approach like direct instruction will find all necessary materials on the START website - . Once you are on this website, click on “Peer To Peer Supports” and you will see both the Internet modules and the Direct Instruction Modules.

  1. Using the “Internet Module Master Planning Document” as a suggested guide, decide what level/module will be the starting point for the class.
  1. Find the “hard copy” corresponding to the title on the “Master Planning Document”. For example, if the class is a beginning class, with most or all of the students having little or no knowledge about ASD, a look at the “Master Planning Document” shows Level 1 as a beginning training module: “Characteristics of ASD”. The instructor would go to the folder titled “Level 1 Basic Training”, open the folder and click on “Characteristics of ASD”. This is a MS Word document that can be printed, copied, and handed out to the students to work from.
  1. Teach from this document, keeping the class together at the same pace. The advantage of this approach is that students may ask questions which will allow the instructor to answer them fully and even allow for classroom discussion.

The instructor may also print out extra articles to read, show relevant videos, or even assign research on a related topic which can be found in the “Video and Other Internet Resources” folder. All of these resources are located on the GVSU/START website. There is a quiz at the end of each training unit for the students to take.

Note: The START website will be updated regularly as new training modules become available. Please plan to check back periodically.

When the instructor is confident that all students have mastered the material, the next training unit in Level 1 may be printed out and taught in a similar fashion, and so on.

Directions for Teaching the Peer to Peer Support Curriculum Online:

These directions apply to the use of the internet training modules for training LINKS. Computers with internet connection will be necessary. If internet connection is not available, the instructor should go to Directions and Ideas for Direct Instruction.

  1. Open the document: “Internet Module Master Planning Document 2.4”
  1. Note that this is a listing of currently available internet modules for training LINKS. There are four levels of difficulty which are arranged in a suggested order. The LINK instructor should use their own discretion as to which modules are used and how they are assigned. Pupil Accounting has no instructions or guidelines in this area, which allows for maximum individuality and creativity for the LINK instructor.
  1. Decide which module you would like to select. The very first module in Level 1 is unique. The direction below will take you to a module developed by the Indiana Resource Center for Autism. All remaining internet training modules will take you to AIM – Autism Internet Modules.
  1. Roll the cursor over that title, depress your control key (PC), or the command key (Mac) and the cursor will turn to a hand. Right click.
  1. You will now see a web page titled AIM – Autism Internet Modules
  1. Use of these modules requires you to register (create username and password – be sure to save these)
  1. Once registered and/or when you enter these in the future, it will take you to a page titled: Module Navigator
  1. Scroll down to the alphabetical list of all current and upcoming modules, and click on this
  1. Locate the title of the training module you are looking for and click on that title
  1. You now should be on the training module you are seeking. LINK students can now read/listen to the introduction, read the summary, and click on the arrow at the bottom directing them to the next page. In some modules, there is a pre-test the student should take, click on submit and view their score. Go back to the training module, read the material, and take the post-test. Click on submit, receive your score, and turn this in to your LINK instructor as directed by them.

Course Syllabus: Whether you choose to implement online or direct instruction teaching modules, a course syllabus must be provided to each student schedule for Peer to Peer Support. Below is an example syllabus.

______District Proposed Syllabus below

District Proposed Syllabus Attached

Course Catalog Description:

This program is designed for general education students interested in learning about students with I.E.P.’s, and about individual students within ______School District. The students work together in an integrated, positive fashion, to promote socialization, independence and strong friendship bonds that last throughout high school and beyond.

“LINKS is about creating connections within a diverse group of students and ensuring that all students are acknowledged for what makes them different and what makes them and all of us the same.”

Potential activities may include; attending general or special education class with an identified peer, attending LINKS scheduled meetings, 1:1 meetings with LINKS coordinator, curriculum materials.

This is a general elective course that awards credit as approved by the Michigan Department of Education and a grade to general education student.

Prerequisite: Approval of Instructor

______District Proposed Course Catalog Description Below:

What funds, if any, will be used to initiate this course?

___District

___Grant

___Other

Describe how the funds will be used:______

Staff preparation:

START Two Day Peer to Peer Support Training

Observation of other Peer to Peer Support Programs

START Leadership Day and other update trainings

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