Inclusive Learning Project

My name is Allison Kikkert and I have been teaching middle school and high school

English for the last twelve years in various schools within the Queen Creek Unified School

District. For eight years, I was the English program administrator for Queen Creek Middle

School. For the last four years, I have taught junior year English at Queen Creek High School.

Currently, I teach honors eighth grade English, tenth grade English, and tenth grade pre-AP

English at the brand-new school in Mesa: Eastmark High School. After twelve years of

experience in the classroom, I have never come across a school that doesn’t have a centralized

special education program. Eastmark High School is in dire need of a SPED program to give

students who need support the tools to succeed, such as adaptive content, one-on-one teacher

interactions, and comfortable classroom environments to maximize productive learning.

Applicant and School Narrative

After many years in the classroom, I have developed a teaching philosophy that I uphold

in all my classes: The key to successful learning is to treat every student with respect, the special

care they may need, and a safe and relaxed learning environment. In order to retain material,

students must feel that they are given equitable care through instruction. If they are struggling

and their classmates are not, they will feel disengaged and unmotivated to learn. Without a SPED

program, many students are robbed of the individualized care they so desperately need to thrive.

In addition, students who do not need a SPED program are affected with the absence of one.

Since students who need specialized support are integrated into the traditional classroom setting,

teachers may feel obligated to slow instruction or spend more time caring for a SPED student’s

needs. In turn, the average students’ learning experience may be negatively impacted as well.
 Problem-based learning is just as vital to students as a SPED program is. This method of

learning can only benefit students in the long run. Outside of the classroom, students are able to

apply these real-world learning techniques to solve life’s everyday problems. Problem-based

learning is a way for students to retain information in a realistic way, since it challenges them to

tap into their higher-order thinking. Some benefits of problem-based learning include enhanced

abilities for living in a highly technological society, leads into authentic assessment, promotes

lifelong learning, accommodates students with varied learning styles and abilities, and the

increase in cooperative learning skills and student achievement (“Why Is Project-Based,” 2007).

Integration of problem-based learning is essential to a cohesive, collaborative classroom

environment that emphasizes student achievement.

Much of problem-based learning stems off of solving issues in the 21st century, much of

which heavily relies on technology integration. Students maintain constant engagement in

problem-based activities through technology tools such as Kahoot!, Nearpod, and ClassDojo.

Technology tools like these foster functional learning in and out of the classroom. Students are

excited to interact with their classmates and the teacher all while being given immediate

feedback, which in turn promotes constructive thinking. In my own classroom, I’ve used these

technology instruments to boost classroom morale and provide students with fun and interactive

learning.

School Narrative

Including a SPED program at Eastmark High School is needed as soon as possible. SPED

programs are one of the most basic and underrated programs a school can have. Many students

rely on the services provided by these programs and need them to be successful. In Queen Creek

School District alone, 60% of households have one or more people under 18 years old, and
21.1% of those enrolled in high school. Since 2009, there are 1,334 students enrolled in a Queen

Creek district high school (Proximity, 2009). This means that with the addition of Eastmark High

School, there are even more students who may need the assistance of a SPED program. Within

my classroom alone, I have eight 504 students and eight students with IEP’s. Eastmark is a

brand-new school and will continue to grow. That being said, one can estimate that within the

school, there approximately one hundred students with some need of specialized educated. This

number will only continue to skyrocket as the school holds even more students next year. The

students need these programs, and the change depends on us!