Schools

Education Budget: Teaching for the 21st Century

As the budget talks continue, Patch will be exploring the use of technology and the part it plays in today's education.

 

Education Overhaul is the cry throughout the hallowed halls of schools and Departments of Education throughout the country. According to Dr. Gary Chesley, Superintendent, Bethel is a forerunner in 21st Century Education, but what does that really mean? What are the children learning and how is it so different from all of the generations before? And how will the budget effect education in the next year?

 Liz DiBiase is supervisor of Special Education for grades Pre-K- 4th at the  Looking at the budget projections for 2012-2013, there is a call for two new teachers and two paraprofessionals.

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 Sitting in the conference room of the Berry School, DiBiase said, “We have two ABA (Applied Behavior Analysts) providers in pre-school. Right now there are 12 special education kids who need support in order to be in mainstream classrooms.”

 Of the twelve, only two have to share a support person.

Find out what's happening in Bethelwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

 DiBiase explained the need for additional staff. “It's more about the new kids coming in. As these kids move up, their providers go with them. There are some in pre-school without a provider, and many of these new students are coming into the schools with greater needs. They could still use more adult supervision.”

 From birth to three, special needs students have always had access to state run programs, DiBiase said. “But that is changing. Services used to be free but now the programs are accessing insurance funds and charging for their programs. It has caused some parents not to send their children and now many are coming in lacking skills,” she said.

 DiBiase said there is no one reason, but the Berry School is seeing more children with severe disabilities and greater complexities. “If we don't have more para-professionals, the children will suffer. For some children, this is their first learning experience outside the home.”

 In the three and four year old programs, the ratio of special needs to mainstream students is as high as 50-50, but in many cases is 70-30 or 60-40, with the weight on mainstream. DiBiase said that the ratio is as it should be.

 “You want to keep a certain balance because the special needs kids learn from the mainstream kids, and vice versa. The mainstream kids develop compassion and come to appreciate diversity and differences. They learn to be friends with all different kinds of people, and they learn that everyone is special,” DiBiase said.

 Public schools like Berry are mandated to care for any special needs child from ages 3 to 21, DiBiase said. Disabilities can be severe or mild, easy to identify and some, not so much. The school has children with language disabilities, motor concerns, speech, and medical needs.

 DiBiase said that the Berry staff is very dedicated. “They are all very experienced with special needs. It creates a good foundation for skills for kindergarten. You can see some of the kids are adding and others who are matching their colors and numbers.”

 Whether mainstream or special ed, all children participate in the same curriculum to the best of their ability. The display boards in the room show paper cut outs of hot chocolate with marshmallows. Some children wrote an equation on the cups, some have only written numbers, but all participated in the project.

 “The challenge is to make sure all of the children of varying abilities are taught to their own level. We have two children with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs, which are required by federal law for all children who have special learning needs) and we have four others who are struggling or have different levels of learning. For instance, we have a little girl who doesn't speak English,” explained Kristine Vichiola, who has been teaching four year olds in the Bethel schools for three and a half years.

 The little girl who speaks another language is very shy, yet she is still able to participate in the classroom by using an iPad to communicate. DiBiase said that the girl can point to pictures if she needs help or has the answer to a question.

 “The iPad gives her more confidence,” Vichiola said. “She can still do the weather, the calendar, and she can count.”

 For children with autism, the iPad is an effective teaching tool that uses games to reinforce skills, and allows children to develop independently. Vichiola said, “We have the kids on lap tops once a week, and that is something to see! It helps them with their pre-k reading skills.”

 Comparing teaching methods to when she first came to Bethel almost four years ago, Vichiola said, “We were using paper handouts, and using the computer mostly for printing. With Smart Boards and computers, we have access to more real life pictures, rather than cartoons.” 

To demonstrate the children's enthusiasm for the Smart Boards, which are like projectors but more interactive, Vichiola asked the children to return to the circle. As soon as they saw the Smart Board being used, they came running.

 “The kids understand it, and they haven't had it that long,” Vichiola said. “It's instant and the visuals are incredible. I could sit at a table and teach but they would not be very focused. With the Smart Board, they are there 100 percent.”

 Liz DiBiase wrapped up the tour. She said, “There is so much that goes into planning and curriculum. The children learn so much within the context of play. They develop the skills they need for life.” (See photo gallery.)

 “The special education children can become more independent and go further with their mainstream peers,” DiBiase explained. “We plan for the group regardless of ability and how much each child gets out of the activity. There is an autistic child in the class who came in not speaking at all. Now he is speaking a few words at a time and participating in the lessons.”


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