Austin's Movie wins a National Award!!

Here's the latest from Tim Nagae, filmmaker mentioned in an earlier post:

Dear Friends:

I would like to inform you that "Austin's Movie" won a national award for film and TV programs called, the "Accolade Award - the Award of Excellence: short documentary." The Accolade's website is www.theaccolade.net and they are going to post the name of "Austin's Movie" on this site soon.

There is another one above the "Award of Excellence," called "Best of Show." But there was no Best of Show for TV programs for this time, which means the "Award of Excellence" is supposed to be the best....? By the way, "Haley and Madonna" won the 2004 Best of Show 4 years ago. If "Austin's Movie" won the Best of Show, a short clip of the movie would be posted on their website, though. But I'm very very happy with this award!

This is a great honor to me, Austin, Austin's family, those who were involved in the production of "Austin's Movie," especially John Sauve, Donna, Matt, CTN and WFUM that broadcast the program. And of course, Lucy for inspiring me to make this movie. Thank you for supporting the production of "Austin's Movie"!

Sincerely,

Tim Nagae

P.S. As always, the link to the promo video of "Austin's Movie" is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FShuvD8MGGY

Manipulatives as Standard Accommodation

Okay, I am not as political and sometimes not quite as cerebral as Kath, but my brain does seem to churn out a lot of thoughts. Here's one of the latest:
On standardized assessments, such as our friend the MEAP, some students qualify for a calculator correct? Well, one of our teachers was presenting on Algeblocks last week, and I had a thought: what if Algeblocks or AlgebraTiles were a standard accommodation?

Students would have to know how to use them independently and they have no labels, so there would be no outside assistance or influence. AlgebraTiles or something like them could even be printed as one extra page. Students who operate in the abstract wouldn't need them and wouldn't use them. Those who are not operating at that level may have an actual scaffold and be able to show their comprehension on an assessment.

I am completely aware that this is not a likely reality, but I continue to wander in the world of what if.... on this one!

LDA of Michigan President Posts Question About "Full Continuum"

I was able to post a question for the November 24th weekly chat about Designing and Delivering Quality Special Education, hosted by EPE Research Center and Education Week.

picture source:
http://www.edweek.org/rc/articles/2008/10/27/special_education_in_america.html,
accessed 12/1/08

Question from Kathleen Kosobud, Doctoral Candidate, Michigan State University (and President, LDA of Michigan):

With the increased focus on inclusive practice, many parent groups fear that "individualized" education will no longer be realized for children with "high incidence" or "mild" disabilities. What would you say to those who are concerned about "preserving the full continuum"?

George Theoharis:

The fear of decreased individualization is common, but unfounded. As with good inclusive practices we keep students with mild disabilities and their needs as central to planning. We cannot forget that removing students from the learning environment does not equal needs being met.

We have years of experience and research to show us this. The trick is to differentiate and plan for students needs upfront. One real example of this is when I am doing a presentation with teachers, I ask a few of them to go to the back of the room to get some remedial help on differentiating curriculum. The very act of standing up and leaving to learn in an area that is difficult for them causes them to feel anxious, and stigmatized. They feel very unprepared to learn in the new environment. Yet, this is what we ask our struggling learners to do everyday.

Another way to look at the continuum is not about spaces (4 walls) instead it is about intensity of services. And the law demonstrates that if services are portable, they should be brought to the child (emphasis added).

For more of this discussion, see Designing and Delivering Quality Special Education, November 24, 2008 with guests:

• Nancy Reder is director of Government Affairs for the National Association of State Directors of Special Education, an organization working with states to improve outcomes for students with disabilities.
• George Theoharis, a former teacher and principal, is a professor in the Department of Teaching and Leadership at Syracuse University, where he studies classroom inclusion practices and other special education issues.