Park Forest Elementary School

State College Area School District

MPL YEAR 3

PFE INQUIRY
QUESTION

How can we continue

to create a community
of learners that
celebrates the
inclusion of all at
PFE?

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING TEAMS

Each professional learning team chose

a different focus area in an attempt to
help answer our inquiry question
Teams met monthly
Collaborate
Explore resources
Plan implementations
Reflect

MPL LEARNING
TEAMS

Fifth Grade MPL Collaboration

Peer Supports
Literacy
Motivation and Modifications
Sustainability

5TH GRADE MPL COLLABORATION

How can we best support our students

through an inclusion model?

OUR KEYS TO SUCCESS:

PLANNING

Planning time and communication produced

adaptations and modifications

Shared plans helped support staff be able to
plan more accordingly and do successful coteaching
Focused planning on upcoming units and "Big
Ideas" (Stepwise Planning)
Started small and accomplished larger goals
(started with reading and naturally expanded
into social studies, science, and math)

OUR KEYS TO SUCCESS:

COLLABORATION

Sharing ideas across all classes with

paras and teachers has been helpful

Having successful experiences among
teachers and paras
Teachers and paras are appreciating the
process; it's building the momentum for
further inclusion

OUR KEYS TO SUCCESS:

COMMUNITY

All students are more willing to ask any adult

or peer for help.

Students are becoming self-advocates for
their learning.
There have been increased opportunities for
co-teaching.
Students labels are disappearing in the
classroom community.
All students are members of the classroom
community.

OUR KEYS TO SUCCESS:

RESOURCES

Adaptations and modifications have helped all students

English Language Learners (ELL) Overlay

Peer Supports
MPL Library at PFE
Wonder by RJ Palacio
Stepwise Process (Content Standards & Curriculum)
Supplementary aids and Services (SaS) Toolkit
Total Participation Techniques (TPT)
Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
Google Doc (Curriculum adaptations and modifications for
5th grade)
MPL Teams sharing and supporting each other.

PEER SUPPORTS

How will peer supports impact the

classroom community

LITERACY
How can we increase motivation and
enthusiasm for reading among students
and a staff at PFE?
Challenges

We found that our biggest obstacle was having to prioritize and select which

activities would be our focus for the year.

At the start of the year, we were more dedicated to reading and discussing
chapters from the book, Igniting a Passion for Reading. However, we decided
that our meeting time would be better spent planning the many events,
displays, and activities that would have the biggest impact on the children. In
essence, we decided that we wanted to focus on igniting a passion for reading
in our school.

LITERACY

How can we increase motivation and enthusiasm for

reading among students and a staff at PFE?

Successes
We were able to participate in, co-facilitate, and read aloud at the PTO Barnes

and Noble Thanksgiving fundraiser.

Produced a Three Snow Bears video read aloud and were able to contact the
PTO to obtain a copy of the book for each classroom in our school.
We created a Lifelong Learners display in the main lobby featuring teachers
favorite books and baby pictures.
Our culminating project will be unveiled on May 10th! The PFE Book Swap/
Summer Reading Kickoff Event, sponsored by the PTO, is our way of
providing the chance for all learners to participate in reading, regardless of
level or ability.
This is our way of bringing the entire PFE community together to celebrate
reading!

MOTIVATION AND MODIFICATION

How do we best modify and adapt resources

in the current curriculum, to motivate
students to work more independently and to
understand the main goal of each lesson?

Autistic Support Teacher-PFE

NATASHAS KIDSYEAR 3

Overview

Revisiting goals for this year

Following Complex Learner from Year
one
Changes in planning time, general
education, IEP planning

Goals from last year (2011-12)

Co-teaching reading with 5th gradesupporting students receiving special

education services, Title 1, ELL
Using peer supports (academics, routines,
non-structured times) Priority for grouping
students for 5th grade was familiar and good
peer supports
Decreasing instruction from 1:1 to small
group in AS room to other settings
Two more students

Using peer supports (academics, routines, non-structured times) Priority for grouping students for 5 th grade was
familiar and good peer supports

Helping peers stay on task during

reading and writing
Modeling and helping peer to participate
in choir practice and concert as well as
intramural track
Remind peer of steps in morning
routine, making sure they line up with
class and staying with the class

Decreasing instruction from 1:1 or small

group in AS room to other settings
Minutes outside of gen. ed. For Reading
instruction

45
40
35
30
25

2011-12
Column1

20
15
10
5
0

Kr

TWO MORE STUDENTS

Included in 3rd grade classrooms for

morning routines, specials, writing,
reading to self and reading with a peer,
science and social studies

SUSTAINABILITY

How do we sustain Membership, Participation, and

Learning without as much release time?

Applied for an Educational Initiative grant from the district to

support having a limited number of guest teachers to
provide MPL members with planning time
MPL team members acknowledged that they have a much
better understanding of everyone's roles, the language.
Because the groundwork has been established, they will
need less release time.
Ongoing communication will be encouraged through a
variety of formats - googledocs, emails, face-to-face, and so
on
Focus of selected faculty/staff meetings

2011-2012

Primary

Milutinovic

Hopkins

McGarry

Stroschein

Ondik

Wilson

Khayat

Gilson

4tchrs

3tchrs

4tchrs

3tchrs

7tchrs

4tchrs

3tchrs

3tchrs

8 students

9 students

11 students

7 students

14 students

8 students

10 students

7 students

Kindergarten
Roe

1tchrs

Puglese-Para

Weigard-Para

LS

LS

5tchrs

9tchrs

5 paras

5 paras

0 students
Valent

2tchrs
3 student

4 students
Mattivi

Guidance

2tchrs

Keen
Title 1

8tchrs

15 tchrs

Hoffman
Enrichment

16tchrs

15tchrs

Upper Intermediate
Reitz

4tchrs
10 students
Cullin

4tchrs
12 students

8 tchrs

Vogt
AS

5tchrs

Cody

Shares paras

6 paras

5 paras

SLP

SLP

4 tchrs

3tchrs

11tchrs

Biss
Title 1

Huntington
ELL

Spooner
ES

Patrick

Cassell /
Lansford/
Para

Lallemont-Para

AS

OT

3 tchrs
7 students
Vision

1 students

Tomasko

1
2 students

Bowman

Hartman

Goldkrantz

Lutz

White

Meyers

DelReal

5tchrs

7tchrs

7tchrs

7tchrs

8tchrs

4tchrs

3tchrs

12 students

9 students

16 students

13 students

11 students

10 students

4 students

Intermediate

1
2

2012-2013

Primary

Milutinovic

Hopkins

Tomasko

Ondik

Wilson

Khayat

Gilson

1 tchrs

2 tchrs

2tchrs

2tchrs

2tchrs

2tchrs

1tchrs

1 students

11 students

7 students

7 students

8 students

3 students

3 students

Kindergarten
Roe

1 tchrs

Puglese-Para

Simpson-Para

LS

LS

6tchrs

8tchrs

3 paras

6 paras

RTII
Lunsford, Biss, Nyman, Titman

22tchrs
21 Reading
8 Math

1 student
Valent

1 tchrs
4 students

Huntington
ELL

Hoffman
Enrichment

13 tchrs

15tchrs

Spooner
ES

S
Stroschein

2tchrs

2 tchrs

Shares paras

2 students
Mattivi

Guidance

1 tchr

SLP

Upper Intermediate

Cullin

1tchrs

AS

7tchrs

6 tchrs

6 paras

6 paras

SLP

4tchrs
5 students

Vogt
AS

Cassell Para

Reitz

OT

4 students
Cody

2 tchrs
5 students

Vision

2 students

McGarry

3
4 students

Bowman

Hartman

Goldkrantz

Lutz

White

Meyers

DelReal

3tchrs

4tchrs

4tchrs

4tchrs

4tchrs

2tchrs

3 tchrs

3 students

10 students

8 students

9 students

9 students

4 students

4 students

Intermediate

REVISITING PFES VISION

Year 2
Back to the Future Protocol

Year 3 - Revisiting future goals Weve made progress in these

areas
Flexible grouping
I see more push in supports from specialists rather than pull out
Increased opportunities for communication and collaboration throughout

the day
For fifth grade

Sense of belonging is a priority for students and staff alike

Higher participation and motivation of the learners
All children feel important, and are being considered
I see peer supports being an integral part of the classroom
Support staff feel that they can help any child whoever needs help, not

just identified children in the classroom

We use person first language

REVISITING PFES VISION

Year 2
Back to the Future Protocol

Year 3 - Revisiting future goals These are still goals

Heterogeneous groups working within the classroom
Specialists are in the kindergarten classroom helping with centers

instead of students being pulled out all the time

Increased opportunities for communication and collaboration
throughout the day
I see everyone being on the same page about what the childrens
needs are (paras, teacher, parents)
Class sizes are smaller
Students are involved in learning activities based upon their interests
All supports help everyone so that you cant tell who the supported
kids are
Teachers have a stronger understanding of ways to differentiate

REVISITING THE SURVEY

I believe every student regardless of disability, should have a chance to participate in the general education classroom

2010
2012

REVISITING THE SURVEY

A student with multiple disabilities can benefit from participating in the general education classes, with necessary supports
70
60
50
40

2010
2012

Percentage 30
20
10
0

Disagree

Agree
Teacher Response

Strongly Agree

REVISITING THE SURVEY

I could successfully include any student given the appropriate supports
70
60
50
40

2010
2012

Percentage 30
20
10
0

Disagree

Agree
Response

Strongly Agree

CHALLENGES

Fixed Mindset vs. Growth Mindset

Time for Collaboration
During school day was not ideal because it

took teachers and staff away from students

Balancing learning needs with LRE

Carrying out implementation plans

FUTURE GOALS

Time for collaboration

Regularly scheduled collaboration time

between gen. ed. teacher and special ed.

Teacher
Double Edged Sword

Google Site to make work public

Finding ways to sustain progress, planning,
resources, etc.
Explore the idea of expanding collaborative
team to other grade levels

FUTURE GOALS

Special Thanks to
PaTTAN
Pat Moore Director of Special Education
Donna LeFevre Retired PaTTAN Consultant
Sharon Leonard Current PaTTAN Consultant
Professional Learning Team Members