Cheryl M. Jorgensen, Ph.D. (2015). http://www.cherylmjorgensen.com

Planning Full Participation & Learning for Students with Complex Support Needs in a General Education Classroom

Inclusion in a general education classroom means more than just being physically present. It means presuming students’ competence, welcoming them as valued class members, supporting their full participation in general education instruction based on the common core curriculum, supported by effective collaborative teaming and administrative leadership. These “core elements” of inclusion are depicted in the following graphic.

These forms support the full participation planning process and should be used by students’ teams when they have regular instructional planning meetings. The forms expand as you type and you can customize them for your student’s specific needs.

Form 1: Unit Learning Objectives and Assessment Plan

Completing the form answers two questions: “What do we want this student to know and be able to do after the unit is over and how will we assess him/her?” and “What are the general supports this student needs to have access to instruction, interactions, and environments?” The term “centers” can be used instead of “units” for preschool or early elementary students. This form has 2 parts. Part I of this form guides the team to identify the student’s learning objectives from the gen. ed. curriculum, related IEP goals (that are not representative of gen. ed. learning standards), and any assessment adaptations the student will need. This part of the form should be created for EACH UNIT IN EACH GEN. ED. subject. The gen. ed. teachers supply the info for Column 1 and the whole team discusses and determines what goes in Columns 2-4.

Part II of this form is a list of general supports that need to be in place no matter what the activity or environment. You can think of this as "management needs" or general accommodations/modifications and should consult 2 sources to help fill it out: 1) the student’s IEP (accommodations and modifications pages most likely) and 2) input from all service providers. This SECOND part should only need to be created ONCE. Give all team members this part of the form as a visual checklist for the supports that need to be in place in every classroom, every learning environment, amd every social situation.

Form 2: Routines Based Participation Plan.

Completing this form answers the question “What supports does this student need to fully participate and learn in frequently occurring general education instructional routines taught by the general education teacher in the general education classroom?” This form needs to be created for each of the recurring instructional routines that the student’s teacher/s use/s such as whole class discussion, whole class lecture with note-taking, guided reading, small group discussion or cooperative work, research or reading with note-taking, writing, presenting, doing math problems, etc. For Part I of the form, ask the gen. ed. teachers what "participation" in each routine looks like for the TYPICAL STUDENTS. This info goes in Column 1 and is the reference point for what the focus student’s participation should look like. Then the rest of the columns in Part I represent the supports the student needs to fully participate and learn in that routine. Part II of this form guides planning and programming AAC devices and low-tech communication materials. Part III of the form guides planning for the accessible instructional materials the student needs in the instructional routines.

Cheryl M. Jorgensen, Ph.D. (2015). http://www.cherylmjorgensen.com

FORM 1: Unit Learning Objectives, Assessment, & General Supports

Part I. Learning Objectives & Assessments

Student: ______Subject: ______Unit: ______Dates: ______

Class Learning Objectives / Student’s Learning Objectives[1] from General Education Standards / Other Learning Objectives from IEP / Assessments (e.g., quizzes, tests, presentations, projects, homework)
Big Ideas:
Vocabulary:
Knowledge/Facts:
Skills:

Cheryl M. Jorgensen, Ph.D. (2015). http://www.cherylmjorgensen.com

Part II. General Supports and Management Needs (Customize the Headings for the Student)

Sensory (including vision & hearing) / Behavior / Medical / Equipment (wheelchair, mounts, walkers, seating)

Cheryl M. Jorgensen, Ph.D. (2015). http://www.cherylmjorgensen.com

FORM 2: Participation & Learning Support Plan for [FILL IN BLANK] Routine[2]

Student: ______Subject: ______Unit: ______Dates: ______

Part I. Supports Summary

What are Typical Students DOING to Participate in this Routine? / What Supports Does the Student with the Disability Need to Fully Participate in the Same Instructional Routines?
For Each Entry Put the Initials of the Team Member Responsible.
Accessible Instructional Materials
(If AIM needed put a “check mark” in this column and record specifics in Section III). / Communication Supports
(If student uses augmentative communication, record specifics in Section II). / Assistive Technology / Peer Supports

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Cheryl M. Jorgensen, Ph.D. (2015). http://www.cherylmjorgensen.com

Part II. Vocabulary for Augmentative Communication (What are Typical Students Communicating About?)

Target
vocabulary
word / Is it already on the device?
Where is it? / Will student use this vocabulary general communication after the unit? / What are already existing words that can be used to describe the target vocabulary word?
Are these words that can be used for other activities? / Should target word be programmed on to device?
If yes, where should it go? / Sentence starters? / Put vocabulary word on light tech format?

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Cheryl M. Jorgensen, Ph.D. (2015). http://www.cherylmjorgensen.com

Part III. Accessible Instructional Materials (For Each Entry in the “Student” Row Put the Initials of the Team Member Responsible)

Text / Worksheets / Tools/Technology/Software / Graphic Organizers/Paragraph Frames/Sentence Starters
Class
Student

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[1] If student is taking the general assessment, the learning objectives should be the same as in Column 1. If student is taking the alternate assessment the learning objectives can be reduced in depth, breadth, and/or complexity. In other words, they can be modified.

[2] Complete a support plan for all the regularly occurring general education instruction routines. Add specifics or modify during weekly team planning meetings.