2015 TASH Conference

This session demonstrates how an administrator and team of special education teachers are developing an inclusive high school campus. TASH has provided decades of leadership in inclusive education for students with significant disabilities and this presentation supports the 2015 conference theme that progressive leadership generates change within our communities. In this presentation we will demonstrate how individual student needs are addressed through leadership in the following domains: collaboration and co-teaching with general education teachers, developing Common Core curriculum supports and adaptations for students with significant disabilities, and supporting students? social needs through a variety of peer supports. OBJECTIVES: There is limited research in the areas of administrator and teacher leadership for inclusion (Billingsley, 2007), yet we know through our practice in special education that without leadership, progressive change in our classrooms and schools does not occur. On our high school campus, special education teachers, led by the department chair, and administrators have developed a trusting relationship that values collaboration between general education and special education, provides resources to meet professional development needs, and supports advocating for our students? needs at the district level. Participants in this session will use the strategies for developing inclusive opportunities shared in the presentation to help meet the needs of students at their unique school sites. After this session, participants will be able to: 1) Identify strategies to develop collaborative relationships between administrators and teachers to further inclusive education at their school site, 2) Summarize different co-teaching strategies presented and discuss how to implement co-teaching at their school, 3) Use tools presented to design age-appropriate, curriculum adaptations for students, and 4) Demonstrate how to implement peer supports for their students in either general education classes or extracurricular activities.