February 7, 2007

WHAT WE ARE LEARNING
Sherri Miller, WCPSS Instructional Services – For the past eight years, WCPSS Special Education Services has provided special education teachers with reading training and reading resources in order to meet the needs of students with disabilities.  Years ago, special education teachers did not receive sufficient undergraduate level training necessary to teach students with persistent reading problems, hence the start of the Special Education Reading Initiative in 1998.  The initiative was about increasing the knowledge of all special educators regarding effective reading instruction.  The initiative also moved us to selecting reading resources that fit with what the research reveals about meeting the needs of students with reading difficulties.  The Special Education Reading Team, now a part of the Literacy Department, and members of Special Education Services has provided on-site support for teachers throughout Wake County as they implement these resources. 

Special Education Teachers have the opportunity to learn more about reading through trainings such as Reading Clusters Expanded and Foundation Level Training.  They also have available to them specific program trainings such as Corrective Reading, Reading Mastery, Wilson, and Edmark to name a few.  Each school has a designated Reading Contact who is invited to monthly sessions on reading and writing instruction and is expected to share information from these sessions with special education colleagues back at the school.

Since the fall of 2000, Wake County has been a Best Practice Center as part of the North Carolina State Improvement Project Grant (NCSIP) funded through the US Dept. of Education.  The purpose of the project is to significantly improve the performance of students with persistent reading difficulties.  As a center we provide extensive training in reading, implement research-validated reading resources, and collect data from demonstration site classrooms where visitors can see effective instruction.  Data collected from the centers across the state have shown that knowledgeable teachers using research-validated resources can make great strides in improving students’ reading skills.  What we are doing in Wake County has dramatically improved reading test scores for our students with disabilities since 1998.

Kevin Steidinger, who is the Reading Contact at Combs Elementary, has been an active participant in our reading trainings and is currently one of our demonstration site teachers as part of NC SIP. 

KEVIN STEIDINGER IS A CROSS-CATEGORICAL LEVEL I TEACHER AT COMBS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Steidinger has been teaching for 17 years, the last three at Combs. He was a 2006 finalist for Wake County Teacher of the Year. He is a National Board Certified teacher. He was honored as the 2000-01 Professional of the Year by the Arc of Wake County. His philosophy of teaching is that every child should be treated with dignity and respect, especially students with developmental disabilities. He seeks to provide his students with typical experiences and natural consequences, allowing them to take the risks that other students their age experience.

Steidinger says oftentimes teachers and families are tempted to shelter students with developmental disabilities and create an environment in which their choices are predetermined and their surroundings tightly controlled. "By establishing an environment of respect and having solid relationships, I am able to challenge my students academically, socially and emotionally," said Steidinger. "My classroom provides a safe, nurturing environment in which students are willing to take risks to reach their potential."

Principal Muriel Summers says Steidinger is a model for others. "Mr. Steidinger's constancy of purpose and steady passion for those he serves simply will not allow him to adopt any sort of negativity," said Summers. "His gift is knowing and doing, rather than simply believing. These are the keys to accomplishment, no matter your circumstances."

IN MY CLASSROOM
I am eager to begin each day as a Special Education teacher at A. B. Combs Elementary.  Why, after 18 years, am I still excited about teaching?  Because I’m teaching struggling readers to read!  After 14 years of teaching at the high school level, I moved to Combs when my own children started kindergarten.  The change rejuvenated my teaching.  For years I had seen high school students struggle in their classes due to deficiencies in reading.  Now, I am in a position to build students’ reading skills early enough to make a real difference.

When I started, my knowledge of reading instruction was very limited, so I participated in a number of outstanding staff development workshops given by the Special Education Services Reading Team.  The staff developments were informative, relevant, and well presented.  The workshops gave me a solid base on how to implement comprehensive reading instruction.  In addition, these workshops provided the training to put into action a Direct Instruction program, Reading Mastery, used in many Wake County special education classrooms. 

The Reading Mastery program provides direct, explicit, and systematic instruction.  This system has been essential in the development of my students as readers.  As my knowledge and confidence have grown, I’ve been able to expand on the lessons provided by the program, adapting activities based on student abilities and creating word games to keep students engaged.  I have added lessons in phonemic awareness, manipulation/substitution of phonemes, comprehension, onsets/rimes, etc.  This approach has allowed my students to build their skills and confidence as readers.  They are attempting increasingly difficult texts and-best of all- experiencing the joy of reading.

Establishing a reading-friendly environment takes time, and progress can be slow at the beginning, but once a firm foundation is established, the students really take off. Observing this transformation has been the most satisfying experience I’ve had as a teacher.  I am in awe of the effort my students give and the gains they have made.  Teaching kids how to read makes coming to school exciting and rewarding, even after 18 years!

-wcpss-

The Classroom Connection is published electronically monthly for everyone interested in the Wake County Public School System. Is what you read in this edition helpful? What information would you like to see in future editions? Contact me by calling 850-1829 or e-mailing bposton@wcpss.net.

Bill Poston
Wake County Public School System
Communications Department
3600 Wake Forest Road
Raleigh, North Carolina 27611

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