WEBVTT
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(upbeat music)
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Welcome to "The Accessible Learning Experience,"
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where we help you turn learning barriers
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into learning opportunities.
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On this episode, we welcome
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the CITES Framework Development District partners,
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Janna Greathouse and Samantha Reid
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with Jenks Public Schools,
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and Bijul Dalal
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with Grossmont Union High School District in California.
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Janna and Bijul serve
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as their districts' Assistive Technology Lead,
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while Samantha Reid serves her district as the Edtech Lead.
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These professionals and their teams
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work with the Center on Inclusive Technology
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and Education Systems, better known as CITES,
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to try out evidence-based practices to discover
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what works when building inclusive technology systems.
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In their conversation, Maggie Pickett,
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Senior Technical Assistance Specialist
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and Project Director with CITES,
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talks with Janna, Samantha, and Bijul
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to pull back the curtain
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and share their stories about what worked
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to build and sustain inclusive technology ecosystems
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in their district.
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Here is their conversation.
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What an honor it is to elevate these stories today
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with such amazing professionals.
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This episode is actually four years in the making,
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as the work of Bijul, Janna, and Samantha
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have journeyed through
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to build inclusive technology ecosystems in their districts.
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This work started back in the winter of 2019.
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These professionals and their teams,
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along with five other districts,
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were courageous enough to buy into this concept
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that district technology systems
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should serve all students,
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including students with disabilities
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who require assistive technology
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or accessible educational materials.
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Little did we know that one month into this journey,
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that there would be a global pandemic.
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But nevertheless, these folks persisted,
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and here we are today sharing their journeys.
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So, let's get to it.
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So, I think we've all learned over the past few years
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that leadership is key.
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So let's start there.
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Bijul, your team has worked to curate a shared vision
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around inclusive technology.
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How has this changed the way you work?
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Creating a shared vision,
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it really brought our institution together.
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So, I do work for a school district. It's Grossmont,
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and typically, we operate in silos.
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The Assistive Technology Department
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is housed within the Special Ed Department,
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and then separately,
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we have an Instructional Technology Department.
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And together, our three departments came together,
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and we literally picked apart
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and analyzed our district's vision.
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And that, what we came up with,
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that was presented to the board,
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and it was ultimately approved.
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And so, what was really great was
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it was very process oriented, and it also was inclusive.
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So it included all of us through that process.
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I would also say that creating a shared vision
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has also helped our entire district
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level up technology skills to provide information,
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engagement, and assessments in multimodalities.
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Specifically, many gen ed teachers
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didn't know the connection between assistive technology
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and ubiquitous tools, such as voice typing.
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You know, sort of what starts off as assistive technology,
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like, I don't know, after like maybe five years
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or 10 years, sort of becomes like ubiquitous.
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Voice typing used to be DragonDictate,
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we'd buy it individually for kids,
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and now, everybody has access to it.
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So in many ways, assistive technology
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is sort of on the cutting edge of technology,
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even though it's individual.
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So what it allowed us to do
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was kind of spread that technology
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and make it available to all students.
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And more than anything, creating a shared vision
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really helped me work collaboratively with my colleagues.
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And what we really recognized
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was that we really like working with one another.
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As we are in an institution,
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we do operate in very distinct lanes or silos,
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but the process has helped us build relationships,
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which has led to effective collaboration.
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Creating a shared vision,
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we were able to shift the culture
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and empathetic to include all student needs
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and not just some student needs.
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So when we analyzed our vision that we had for our district,
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we did tweak it, we made some changes,
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made it relevant for today,
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we made it inclusive to include all students,
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not just some students.
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Oh, great.
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So let's take that a step further.
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Janna, when you're thinking about the need
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to build a shared mindset
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around inclusive technology practices,
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did everyone on your team already have
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that mindset established,
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or were there opportunities for growth?
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Establishing a shared mindset of inclusion
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was very important.
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With any systems change,
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it's important that the arrows
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are all pointing in the same direction
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so that our efforts don't contradict one another.
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And with this shared mindset,
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each stakeholder, in overlapping conversations
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with their different groups,
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they can then share what's happening with our work
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as well as communicate back to the leadership team
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what is happening throughout the district
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and the community, so that we might better align our efforts
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with what's already happening.
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The awareness component is very important.
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So it feels like developing that shared mindset occurred
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during that self-evaluation process,
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this discussion opportunity.
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The self-assessments are key in another way, too.
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Samantha, your team was very open about your district
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not having a working technology plan.
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So how did the work with CITES,
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the Center on Inclusive Technology and Education Systems,
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help your team to envision and build this technology plan?
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And what's different about the way the district operates now
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with the plan than before?
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When we first started with the CITES process,
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we didn't really understand the whole scope
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of the project, the grants,
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the full scale of everything we were tasked to do.
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So we really just had to trust the process.
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CITES was telling us each step what we needed to do.
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And so we just started with the self-assessment.
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We started on the leadership.
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And so when we, as a team,
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started to go through that leadership self-assessment,
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a lot of the first questions
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were all about your technology plan.
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And we were like,
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"Well, we just don't have a technology plan."
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As a team, as the edtech team anyways,
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we kind of knew what we were doing.
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We were doing a lot of the things listed,
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but we just didn't have it written down anywhere.
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So a couple of us on the team kind of sat together,
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we did some research, we read our state tech plan,
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the national tech plan.
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We looked at different edtech plans throughout the country.
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And we were just looking at,
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"Well, what do we really want our edtech plan to do for us?"
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We didn't want it to be some 80-page document
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that nobody ever looked at, just there to say we had it.
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We didn't want it just to be a box that we checked off.
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We really wanted it to be something that we used
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to guide everything that we did,
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something that was actually a living document
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that we checked, that we updated.
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It wasn't like, "Okay, this is our three-year plan."
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No, it's like, it's something
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that gets updated every single month.
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Nothing to be printed out.
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It all lives in Google Drive.
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We started with that.
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After we finished the self-assessment,
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we picked the areas that we felt we needed to improve on,
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or the ones that we wanted to improve on first.
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And we wrote our goals,
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and that became the basis of our tech plan.
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So, after each self-assessment, we would write a goal,
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and then that would become our tech plan.
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So, each of the areas of the tech plan
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then coincided with the CITES' headers for each.
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We had our leadership, then we had teaching
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and learning and assessment and infrastructure
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and family involvement.
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So those were our sections,
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and as we continue to go through them,
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we link all of our documents as we meet.
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So it's a living, breathing document
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that everybody has access to,
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and they can look up at any time.
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And then as far as how we operate differently,
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anytime we're looking at things,
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we look at our tech plan and where does this fit in?
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Does this align with our goals for our district?
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Does it meet the accessibility standards
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that we've set for use in our district?
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So everything that we do has to line up
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with our technology plan and our goals,
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and if it doesn't, then we don't go that direction.
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So everything has to be aligned.
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Setting a foundation for leadership is key,
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but eventually, we've gotta get this stuff
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into the hands of educators.
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So Samantha, as the Edtech Coordinator for your district,
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how are you helping educators
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build their inclusive technology toolkit?
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Some of the same things that we've kind of mentioned,
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you know, with our tech tips, we have those available.
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We have a knowledge base in our district,
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so every time I do a tech tip,
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that gets added to the knowledge base.
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And then those tech tips get added to problems.
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So like, if a teacher's submitting a ticket for something,
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some of those knowledge base articles will be tagged as,
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"Hey, this is something that you can do."
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So we have that.
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Again, those one-pagers that we send out.
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We have a Canvas course,
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so all of the resources available in the curriculum
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are linked in that Canvas course,
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which every teacher in our district is in.
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So they have access to them there.
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We have some of those accessibility features
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built into our curriculum pieces
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that are right there on the Canvas course for teachers
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to look up, download.
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We're a Google district,
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so everything is in a Google Doc,
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so it's constantly updated.
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ClassLink, we have all of our announcements
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that we send out through there.
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Again, it's all linked into a Google Doc.
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We're just slowly trying to give them those tools,
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and through all of our PD that we offer,
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every class that we do on any topic,
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we incorporate accessibility just as a norm.
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It's just becoming part of our speech and technology now.
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So, if we're teaching teachers how to create a homepage
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on their Canvas course,
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we show them where to click
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on that little accessibility checker.
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It's just part of our vocabulary now in our department.
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And so we're continuing to work on that.
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And then, again, our CITES team
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is spread throughout the district.
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So there's several CITES members at each campus,
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and then they continue to have those conversations as well.
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So, it's a slow process in a large district,
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but I really feel like we've made huge headways.
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Also, we've met with the Board of Education,
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we've met with our leadership team,
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and everybody's on board with the work
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that we're doing here. Principals' meetings,
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they're all aware of the work that we're doing,
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and they're looking for those things.
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And we're starting to get to the point of,
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they're asking their teachers about accessibility.
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So, it's a process.
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I'm really excited on how far we've come
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in the three years that we've worked with the CITES team,
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but we still have work to do.
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Such a robust approach.
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So, with so many products and resources available,
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00:11:38.340 --> 00:11:40.320
how are you ensuring that families
270
00:11:40.320 --> 00:11:42.450
and educators have clarity
271
00:11:42.450 --> 00:11:45.990
on what tools are available for use within the district?
272
00:11:45.990 --> 00:11:50.990
We use the WCAG standards, the accessibility guidelines.
273
00:11:51.090 --> 00:11:53.280
We look at that and they have a rating scale,
274
00:11:53.280 --> 00:11:55.953
which is A, AA, and AAA.
275
00:11:57.870 --> 00:11:59.310
So, the first thing we look up
276
00:11:59.310 --> 00:12:01.440
is what are the accessibility standards?
277
00:12:01.440 --> 00:12:04.950
What's their rating for any tool that we're going to adopt?
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00:12:04.950 --> 00:12:08.760
And they have to be at least a AA standard
279
00:12:08.760 --> 00:12:10.380
before we'll adopt them.
280
00:12:10.380 --> 00:12:12.840
After that, we dig a little deeper and we say,
281
00:12:12.840 --> 00:12:15.510
"Okay, well these are the screen readers that our kids use.
282
00:12:15.510 --> 00:12:18.510
"So does it work with this screen reader?
283
00:12:18.510 --> 00:12:20.910
"These are some of the other tools.
284
00:12:20.910 --> 00:12:23.280
"The communication device that a student uses,
285
00:12:23.280 --> 00:12:25.290
"does it work with this communication device?"
286
00:12:25.290 --> 00:12:28.800
So, we kind of look at some of those tools
287
00:12:28.800 --> 00:12:33.743
as far as, does it have closed caption in all the videos?
288
00:12:33.743 --> 00:12:36.000
So we're looking for specific things
289
00:12:36.000 --> 00:12:38.130
to make sure that it's accessible.
290
00:12:38.130 --> 00:12:41.310
And if it's not, then we don't even consider
291
00:12:41.310 --> 00:12:44.640
as an adoption for that particular tool.
292
00:12:44.640 --> 00:12:47.550
We've done several things to ensure that families
293
00:12:47.550 --> 00:12:51.450
and educators have clarity on what's available.
294
00:12:51.450 --> 00:12:54.330
I will tell you, this is still a work in progress.
295
00:12:54.330 --> 00:12:56.010
I don't feel like we're there yet
296
00:12:56.010 --> 00:12:57.720
with everybody knowing everything,
297
00:12:57.720 --> 00:13:00.780
but we're a lot closer than where we were.
298
00:13:00.780 --> 00:13:03.120
So some of the things that we're doing
299
00:13:03.120 --> 00:13:06.600
is we do a Tech Tip of the Week every Tuesday.
300
00:13:06.600 --> 00:13:08.880
It's not always on accessibility,
301
00:13:08.880 --> 00:13:12.000
but it's on different tools that we have available,
302
00:13:12.000 --> 00:13:13.560
how to do different things,
303
00:13:13.560 --> 00:13:18.120
how to encourage our students to use different tools.
304
00:13:18.120 --> 00:13:20.190
One week was just on closed captioning.
305
00:13:20.190 --> 00:13:21.960
How do you turn on closed captioning,
306
00:13:21.960 --> 00:13:24.390
if you're watching YouTube, if you're using Edpuzzle,
307
00:13:24.390 --> 00:13:26.910
if you're using any kind of video?
308
00:13:26.910 --> 00:13:30.450
How can you turn on live captioning in your slideshows
309
00:13:30.450 --> 00:13:32.490
if you're doing a presentation?
310
00:13:32.490 --> 00:13:36.720
So, we do stuff like that for our Tech Tips of the Week.
311
00:13:36.720 --> 00:13:39.870
How do you run the accessibility checker in Canvas,
312
00:13:39.870 --> 00:13:41.580
which is our learning management system?
313
00:13:41.580 --> 00:13:45.240
So, just doing tips on how to use those things
314
00:13:45.240 --> 00:13:49.050
and just highlighting the importance of the fact
315
00:13:49.050 --> 00:13:52.020
that accessibility is not just for special needs students,
316
00:13:52.020 --> 00:13:54.000
it's really for all students.
317
00:13:54.000 --> 00:13:55.800
And we talk about how these tools
318
00:13:55.800 --> 00:13:59.103
can really help every student.
319
00:14:00.180 --> 00:14:01.380
You might have a headache one day
320
00:14:01.380 --> 00:14:02.520
and not want to read your screen
321
00:14:02.520 --> 00:14:04.410
and you want to use a screen reader.
322
00:14:04.410 --> 00:14:07.170
You may struggle with trying to type your thoughts.
323
00:14:07.170 --> 00:14:09.180
Your brain might work faster than your fingers,
324
00:14:09.180 --> 00:14:11.040
so why not use your voice to type
325
00:14:11.040 --> 00:14:12.510
and then you go back and edit?
326
00:14:12.510 --> 00:14:14.970
These tools that we have available
327
00:14:14.970 --> 00:14:17.520
really can benefit any student,
328
00:14:17.520 --> 00:14:20.400
and it's not just a special ed thing.
329
00:14:20.400 --> 00:14:24.393
So, really trying to spread that message across.
330
00:14:27.109 --> 00:14:29.130
For all of our adopted curriculum,
331
00:14:29.130 --> 00:14:32.910
we've created one-page guidelines
332
00:14:32.910 --> 00:14:35.340
of all the accessibility tools that are available
333
00:14:35.340 --> 00:14:37.980
in our district-adopted software.
334
00:14:37.980 --> 00:14:42.750
So like, this coming up year, we're adopting ELA,
335
00:14:42.750 --> 00:14:45.930
so we'll take all the textbooks as we start getting them
336
00:14:45.930 --> 00:14:47.130
and we'll build.
337
00:14:47.130 --> 00:14:49.290
These are built-in accessibility features
338
00:14:49.290 --> 00:14:52.020
that you should just be using on a regular basis,
339
00:14:52.020 --> 00:14:54.900
so really educating our teachers that way.
340
00:14:54.900 --> 00:14:59.900
We also do student spotlights, we do social media posts,
341
00:15:00.120 --> 00:15:04.650
we do district tech tips through our district newsletter
342
00:15:04.650 --> 00:15:06.720
that goes out monthly.
343
00:15:06.720 --> 00:15:10.470
We have Lunch and Learn times once a month
344
00:15:10.470 --> 00:15:13.620
where teachers can come in and ask any questions.
345
00:15:13.620 --> 00:15:16.530
So really, as many ways as we can think of
346
00:15:16.530 --> 00:15:18.480
to spread the word.
347
00:15:18.480 --> 00:15:20.220
Our next venture is really
348
00:15:20.220 --> 00:15:24.000
working on the family involvement piece.
349
00:15:24.000 --> 00:15:26.700
So we actually have an appointment set up next week
350
00:15:26.700 --> 00:15:29.340
with our PTA, our parent groups.
351
00:15:29.340 --> 00:15:31.650
So, we're going to now start working with our parent groups
352
00:15:31.650 --> 00:15:34.950
to make sure that our parents understand the tools
353
00:15:34.950 --> 00:15:37.020
that are available for their students to use.
354
00:15:37.020 --> 00:15:38.940
And so we're going to start there.
355
00:15:38.940 --> 00:15:40.680
We're going to look for recommendations,
356
00:15:40.680 --> 00:15:42.690
have those conversations about
357
00:15:42.690 --> 00:15:45.120
how can we as a district be more accessible
358
00:15:45.120 --> 00:15:48.930
and how can we communicate the things that we have available
359
00:15:48.930 --> 00:15:51.210
for students better to families?
360
00:15:51.210 --> 00:15:54.210
So, we're really looking to partner with our families
361
00:15:54.210 --> 00:15:57.150
to continue the work and the process.
362
00:15:57.150 --> 00:15:58.260
So, that's our next goal,
363
00:15:58.260 --> 00:16:00.600
and our tech plan, which brings us full circle
364
00:16:00.600 --> 00:16:01.950
back to the first question.
365
00:16:01.950 --> 00:16:04.680
Bijul, you all took a different approach
366
00:16:04.680 --> 00:16:07.140
at Grossmont Union High School District.
367
00:16:07.140 --> 00:16:09.960
Describe your SPED Tech Team
368
00:16:09.960 --> 00:16:12.900
and how it provides development for staff.
369
00:16:12.900 --> 00:16:14.790
How did you decide what important knowledge
370
00:16:14.790 --> 00:16:17.580
and skills for educators in your district,
371
00:16:17.580 --> 00:16:19.170
what skills they need to have?
372
00:16:19.170 --> 00:16:21.600
So, in terms of professional development,
373
00:16:21.600 --> 00:16:23.520
our Assistive Technology Department,
374
00:16:23.520 --> 00:16:26.700
we meet directly with students, and we push into classes.
375
00:16:26.700 --> 00:16:30.390
So, we really have a sort of boots-on-the-ground perspective.
376
00:16:30.390 --> 00:16:32.730
We also provide training to support staff
377
00:16:32.730 --> 00:16:35.220
and teachers throughout the year at In-services.
378
00:16:35.220 --> 00:16:38.040
But this year, because of the enormous teacher shortage,
379
00:16:38.040 --> 00:16:39.393
we do a road show.
380
00:16:41.533 --> 00:16:43.500
So, instead of the teachers coming to us
381
00:16:43.500 --> 00:16:45.240
to learn about professional development
382
00:16:45.240 --> 00:16:47.100
and assistive technology,
383
00:16:47.100 --> 00:16:51.060
what we do is we meet with teachers on their site
384
00:16:51.060 --> 00:16:52.350
during their prep periods.
385
00:16:52.350 --> 00:16:55.110
So essentially, what we'll do is we'll go to a school site,
386
00:16:55.110 --> 00:16:57.750
and we have teachers sign up on their prep period
387
00:16:57.750 --> 00:17:00.150
and we teach them either what we think they need to know
388
00:17:00.150 --> 00:17:01.860
or what they would like to know
389
00:17:01.860 --> 00:17:04.920
to support students in their classroom.
390
00:17:04.920 --> 00:17:07.560
We have professional development that is live,
391
00:17:07.560 --> 00:17:08.580
it's in person.
392
00:17:08.580 --> 00:17:11.970
We also do professional development over Zoom,
393
00:17:11.970 --> 00:17:16.680
and we do hybrid for varying times and lengths and content.
394
00:17:16.680 --> 00:17:18.900
So, we really try to keep professional development
395
00:17:18.900 --> 00:17:21.780
as flexible and just in time
396
00:17:21.780 --> 00:17:24.210
for teachers' schedules as needed.
397
00:17:24.210 --> 00:17:27.090
So, within this context, how are you supporting students
398
00:17:27.090 --> 00:17:30.060
with more complex learning support needs?
399
00:17:30.060 --> 00:17:32.220
The way that our district supports students
400
00:17:32.220 --> 00:17:37.170
with complex learning needs is really, really dynamic.
401
00:17:37.170 --> 00:17:39.750
I mean, this is something I'm really, really excited about.
402
00:17:39.750 --> 00:17:42.480
I would honestly say our district is on the cutting edge
403
00:17:42.480 --> 00:17:44.760
of supporting students with complex needs.
404
00:17:44.760 --> 00:17:47.580
We have one of the highest refugee populations
405
00:17:47.580 --> 00:17:49.320
in the entire state of California.
406
00:17:49.320 --> 00:17:51.330
We also are a preferred district for students
407
00:17:51.330 --> 00:17:53.700
with disabilities who come from military families.
408
00:17:53.700 --> 00:17:56.070
And we have a number of Title I schools.
409
00:17:56.070 --> 00:17:57.660
What I'm trying to say with all of this
410
00:17:57.660 --> 00:18:01.230
is that we have a very high-needs population.
411
00:18:01.230 --> 00:18:05.040
That said, we use eye gaze technology for students.
412
00:18:05.040 --> 00:18:08.370
For example, there's one student that comes to mind,
413
00:18:08.370 --> 00:18:11.160
his name is Yohan. He's an Iraqi refugee.
414
00:18:11.160 --> 00:18:13.290
He had systematically been excluded from school
415
00:18:13.290 --> 00:18:14.940
his entire life.
416
00:18:14.940 --> 00:18:16.650
He never went to school in his home country,
417
00:18:16.650 --> 00:18:18.660
never went to school in a refugee camp.
418
00:18:18.660 --> 00:18:20.400
He landed in our district,
419
00:18:20.400 --> 00:18:21.840
and the teachers could see
420
00:18:21.840 --> 00:18:24.180
he had so much more to say and express.
421
00:18:24.180 --> 00:18:26.820
And through a really long process,
422
00:18:26.820 --> 00:18:28.830
I would say approximately 18 months,
423
00:18:28.830 --> 00:18:32.370
we were able to get an eye gaze system for him.
424
00:18:32.370 --> 00:18:33.960
And I kid you not,
425
00:18:33.960 --> 00:18:37.890
he appears at the high school's talent show
426
00:18:37.890 --> 00:18:40.560
and what he does is he tells jokes.
427
00:18:40.560 --> 00:18:42.240
He's in gen ed classes;
428
00:18:42.240 --> 00:18:43.380
he absorbs information.
429
00:18:43.380 --> 00:18:45.810
I think one of the most phenomenal things is
430
00:18:45.810 --> 00:18:49.110
he uses his eye gaze equipment to teach his parents English
431
00:18:49.110 --> 00:18:50.850
because his parents only speak Arabic.
432
00:18:50.850 --> 00:18:52.140
And that's just one example.
433
00:18:52.140 --> 00:18:55.230
We also have students like-- Joseph comes to mind,
434
00:18:55.230 --> 00:18:58.020
who uses a switch to activate a camera,
435
00:18:58.020 --> 00:19:00.870
so that way he can participate in the photography class.
436
00:19:00.870 --> 00:19:03.540
So he uses his switch to take pictures.
437
00:19:03.540 --> 00:19:06.120
We also have students, like Layla comes to mind.
438
00:19:06.120 --> 00:19:09.450
She uses her switch to turn on a hose
439
00:19:09.450 --> 00:19:11.220
so she can water the garden.
440
00:19:11.220 --> 00:19:13.530
These are just some small ways
441
00:19:13.530 --> 00:19:15.630
that students with complex needs
442
00:19:15.630 --> 00:19:17.610
are supported in a classroom.
443
00:19:17.610 --> 00:19:19.860
But we also have students who,
444
00:19:19.860 --> 00:19:23.130
they will use an AAC device,
445
00:19:23.130 --> 00:19:24.990
or some sort of communication device,
446
00:19:24.990 --> 00:19:28.170
in order to communicate more than just their needs at wants,
447
00:19:28.170 --> 00:19:31.260
because it can't start and stop there.
448
00:19:31.260 --> 00:19:32.820
But they're able to communicate
449
00:19:32.820 --> 00:19:35.430
and have conversations with others,
450
00:19:35.430 --> 00:19:38.760
or make preferences, or take turns,
451
00:19:38.760 --> 00:19:41.850
or tell each other jokes and be conversational.
452
00:19:41.850 --> 00:19:43.440
Our district is a high school district,
453
00:19:43.440 --> 00:19:46.410
so that social element, no matter who the student is,
454
00:19:46.410 --> 00:19:48.390
is entirely important.
455
00:19:48.390 --> 00:19:49.800
It amazes me.
456
00:19:49.800 --> 00:19:52.110
We had one student, I remember, AJ.
457
00:19:52.110 --> 00:19:57.110
He had a very specific laptop with his needs on it.
458
00:19:57.330 --> 00:20:01.170
And three times in one year,
459
00:20:01.170 --> 00:20:04.840
he ran over his own laptop cord
460
00:20:05.767 --> 00:20:07.050
and severed it.
461
00:20:07.050 --> 00:20:09.300
And one of my colleagues made the comment
462
00:20:09.300 --> 00:20:11.040
and said, "You know, that's AJ.
463
00:20:11.040 --> 00:20:14.100
"He's hanging out with his friends between classes
464
00:20:14.100 --> 00:20:16.560
"and then he's trying to motorize as fast as he can
465
00:20:16.560 --> 00:20:19.680
"to his class, and of course, he's going to run over his cord."
466
00:20:19.680 --> 00:20:21.390
And it was like something you would imagine
467
00:20:21.390 --> 00:20:23.250
any typical student doing.
468
00:20:23.250 --> 00:20:24.900
You know, they're hanging out with their friends
469
00:20:24.900 --> 00:20:26.430
and then, of course, they're running to class
470
00:20:26.430 --> 00:20:27.840
when they hear the bell ring.
471
00:20:27.840 --> 00:20:30.210
AJ was no different, his cord just got in the way.
472
00:20:30.210 --> 00:20:31.590
So those are just a few ways
473
00:20:31.590 --> 00:20:34.590
that we support students with complex learning needs.
474
00:20:34.590 --> 00:20:36.810
I would also say that we really strive
475
00:20:36.810 --> 00:20:39.600
to support students in the least restrictive environment.
476
00:20:39.600 --> 00:20:42.153
So even if a student has a complex learning need,
477
00:20:43.276 --> 00:20:46.470
they are in dance, or photography,
478
00:20:46.470 --> 00:20:48.910
or PE, in some way
479
00:20:50.410 --> 00:20:52.170
that shows integrity to the class,
480
00:20:52.170 --> 00:20:54.600
not in a way that is token.
481
00:20:54.600 --> 00:20:57.030
And what we do is we try to find the technology
482
00:20:57.030 --> 00:20:59.493
and adapt it to meet the needs of the student.
483
00:21:01.043 --> 00:21:04.560
All right, let's talk assessment for a minute.
484
00:21:04.560 --> 00:21:06.270
Janna, your team knew
485
00:21:06.270 --> 00:21:07.830
that you had some connections to make
486
00:21:07.830 --> 00:21:10.200
in order to get a full understanding
487
00:21:10.200 --> 00:21:14.130
of how assessment operated within your district.
488
00:21:14.130 --> 00:21:16.830
So, how did you go about gaining a person on your team
489
00:21:16.830 --> 00:21:20.760
that brings that perspective around high stakes assessments,
490
00:21:20.760 --> 00:21:22.710
but also formative assessments?
491
00:21:22.710 --> 00:21:26.820
So to get a full understanding
492
00:21:26.820 --> 00:21:31.593
of the work in the district that related to assessment,
493
00:21:33.060 --> 00:21:36.510
we definitely have to make some connections.
494
00:21:36.510 --> 00:21:41.130
And when we were first introduced to the self-assessment
495
00:21:41.130 --> 00:21:44.883
related to inclusive practices in assessment,
496
00:21:46.470 --> 00:21:48.750
we were embarking on testing season.
497
00:21:48.750 --> 00:21:51.840
And so our assessment coordinator was,
498
00:21:51.840 --> 00:21:53.703
as you might imagine, very busy.
499
00:21:54.540 --> 00:21:59.170
We did invite her director to meet with us at that time,
500
00:22:00.030 --> 00:22:03.600
and she was able to help us feel better informed
501
00:22:03.600 --> 00:22:07.560
when it came to scoring our self-assessment.
502
00:22:07.560 --> 00:22:11.730
But most recently, our assessment coordinator
503
00:22:11.730 --> 00:22:15.120
accepted an invitation to participate on our team
504
00:22:15.120 --> 00:22:16.740
beginning in the fall.
505
00:22:16.740 --> 00:22:17.710
I will say
506
00:22:19.230 --> 00:22:23.613
that my path and the path of the assessment coordinator,
507
00:22:24.810 --> 00:22:28.170
our paths have crossed much more frequently this school year
508
00:22:28.170 --> 00:22:30.540
than any other school year,
509
00:22:30.540 --> 00:22:34.380
particularly because we are collaborating more
510
00:22:34.380 --> 00:22:37.863
on test accommodations and universal supports.
511
00:22:39.600 --> 00:22:43.740
And I attribute that collaborative growth almost entirely
512
00:22:43.740 --> 00:22:45.393
to our work with CITES.
513
00:22:46.770 --> 00:22:51.770
We have, I think, recognized the roles that we play
514
00:22:52.440 --> 00:22:54.480
and the importance of our roles
515
00:22:54.480 --> 00:22:58.740
and the importance of working together to make sure
516
00:22:58.740 --> 00:23:02.520
that our students are accommodated appropriately
517
00:23:02.520 --> 00:23:04.470
when it comes to testing.
518
00:23:04.470 --> 00:23:06.870
The concept behind continuous improvement
519
00:23:06.870 --> 00:23:08.340
is that we're always using data
520
00:23:08.340 --> 00:23:11.100
to consider how we can improve our efforts, right?
521
00:23:11.100 --> 00:23:13.980
So Janna, how are you attempting to further a culture
522
00:23:13.980 --> 00:23:17.610
of inclusion and acceptance for students with disabilities
523
00:23:17.610 --> 00:23:19.020
in your district?
524
00:23:19.020 --> 00:23:22.590
In attempting to build a culture of inclusion
525
00:23:22.590 --> 00:23:25.800
and acceptance for students with disabilities,
526
00:23:25.800 --> 00:23:29.910
we have partnered with our communications team
527
00:23:29.910 --> 00:23:34.910
to plan regularly scheduled social media posts.
528
00:23:35.190 --> 00:23:39.060
And these posts are highlighting some of our students
529
00:23:39.060 --> 00:23:42.450
who rely on technology resources
530
00:23:42.450 --> 00:23:44.850
to participate in school,
531
00:23:44.850 --> 00:23:48.033
either academically, socially, or both.
532
00:23:49.530 --> 00:23:52.680
We have currently
533
00:23:52.680 --> 00:23:55.830
only had one student story go out,
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00:23:55.830 --> 00:23:59.400
but we have many students on deck
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who are ready to share their stories as well.
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One of the other things that we're doing
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to build this culture of inclusion
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and acceptance is to provide training
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to our general education teachers
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on tools that we have available in the district
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that historically maybe have only been offered
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to our students with disabilities
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or to our language learners.
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And so far, the response has been tremendous.
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Our general educators, I think, have been looking for things
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like this that they can provide to all of their learners
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to just help better support them in their classroom
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and in their academics.
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We are thrilled you all could share time
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and space to help us elevate these stories today.
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So, if you're listening and thinking,
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"Wow, I want to know more about these teams
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"and what they've done, their journeys,"
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we've got you covered.
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So both Jenks Public Schools
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and Grossmont Union High School District
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have their own stories highlighted on our website,
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cites.cast.org.
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On these pages, you'll find images of the beautiful people,
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audio clips from our interview,
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resources, including Jenks' technology plan, and more.
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Links to these stories can be found in the show notes.
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And while you're there,
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be sure to check out the rest of the website,
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which is the CITES Framework.
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The self-assessments these folks have talked about
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that helped guide their work, as well as guides,
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are there to help you get started on your journey.
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And they're all available to you for free.
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So we hope to see you over there.
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And remember, the future is inclusive.
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(upbeat music)
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Thanks for tuning in to this episode
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of "The Accessible Learning Experience,"
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brought to you by the National Center
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on Accessible Educational Materials at CAST.
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You can find us on the web at aem.cast.org.
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There you'll find show notes
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00:26:04.410 --> 00:26:08.040
with link to all of the resources mentioned on each episode.
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Thanks again for listening,
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and remember, accessibility is everyone's responsibility.
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(upbeat music)
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The contents of this podcast were developed
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under a cooperative agreement
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00:26:30.240 --> 00:26:32.400
with the US Department of Education.
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However, those contents do not necessarily represent
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the policy of the US Department of Education,
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and you should not assume endorsement
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by the federal government.