pectrum Disorder. If we want to include a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder in a general education classroom, it would help if that teacher knew what Autism Spectrum Disorder was first, right? It would be even better if that teacher knew what strategies have worked for that particular child in the past.
And don’t think you have to create the needed resources on your own. There is a growing collection of high-quality resources available online. School leaders just need to make this content and research accessible to teachers.
Embedded Within Workflow Tools Teachers Use Everyday
But access isn’t enough. Integration and interoperability are crucial for implementation of IEP’s and strategies in K–12 classrooms.
In some districts, IEPs are still kept in a filing cabinet and reviewed once per year. Even if the IEP is shared electronically, its vital information is not readily available in the tools that teachers use everyday—i.e., the learning management system (LMS). The LMS is where teachers organize curriculum; craft lesson plans; share assignments; and communicate with other educators, students, and parents. This is where content, information, and tools to implement the IEP need to live as well.
Special education has operated in a silo since its inception—different teachers, different classrooms, us versus them, etc. But now that students with IEPs are included in the general education classroom, and almost every teacher must make accommodations, modify lessons, and differentiate instruction, special education cannot be a siloed task. Schools can begin by creating a culture that equips every educator who influences the education of a student with a disability to be an active member of a student’s IEP meeting team.
To maximize workflow and access, the information within the IEP needs to be placed in front of the eyes of every teaching team member everyday—so they know the specific goals, strategies, accommodations, and modifications that work for each student.
Compliance is important and necessary, but teachers are already doing extremely hard work. It is time we give them easy access to the information they need, and leverage technology to provide them with tools to document and collaborate around this hard work in a meaningful way.