Steps to Implementing a Resource Room Programme by Allyson Murray

© 2022 Allyson N. Murray B.A., B.Ed., M.Ed., MA., Cert. Ed., CCET. Special Education Diagnostician / Literacy Specialist All rights reserved. Printed in Barbados: Pennegan Academy of Learning, St. Patrick’s, Christ Church, Barbados

Steps to Implementing a Special Education Resource Room

Key Definitions

A Resource Room Programme Typically referred to as a ‘pull out programme’, the resource room is any school undertaking in which a trained professional is tasked with providing supportive educational services to students and/or colleagues.

A Resource Room A Resource Room is only one element of the Resource Room programme. It is any setting or space where a student attends to receive educational support while still receiving the majority of his/her instruction elsewhere.

The Resource Room Teacher A Resource Room teacher is an individual who has the charge of providing services to students within the student population who require educational support. This individual is also tasked with providing support to parents and members of staff as they seek to assist students. © 2022 Allyson N. Murray B.A., B.Ed., M.Ed., MA., Cert. Ed., CCET. Special Education Diagnostician / Literacy Specialist All rights reserved. Printed in Barbados: Pennegan Academy of Learning, St. Patrick’s, Christ Church, Barbados

MODEL 1 Categorical Resource Programme The services offered by this model are intended for learners who have been officially diagnosed with one of the categories of exceptionalities. The resource room teacher and supporting staff are highly trained in the specific category. You may have heard of the Autism Unit at St. Christopher Primary School or the Autism Unit at Irving Wilson School.

MODEL 2 The Cross-Categorical Resource Programme The services offered by this model are intended for learners who have been officially diagnosed with two or more categories of exceptionality. It allows practitioners to group students according to their instructional level rather than diagnostic level.

MODEL 3 The noncategorical Resource Programme The services offered by this model are intended for learners who present with mild or moderate learning challenges. The students who are seen can be taken from both the © 2022 Allyson N. Murray B.A., B.Ed., M.Ed., MA., Cert. Ed., CCET. Special Education Diagnostician / Literacy Specialist All rights reserved. Printed in Barbados: Pennegan Academy of Learning, St. Patrick’s, Christ Church, Barbados

population of the school who have been formally diagnosed with an exceptionality and from the population of the school who have never been formally diagnosed with an exceptionality. This type of programme is viewed as occupying the ‘grey’ space that exists between general or regular education and special education. You may have heard of the programmes at Springer Memorial, St. George Secondary and Grantley Adams Memorial.

MODEL 4 The Specific Skills Resource Programme This type of programmme is focused on training learners in specific skill areas- such as numeracy, reading and speech and language challenges. Most of the students seen in this room are not formally diagnosed with an exceptionality. It is therefore contrasted with the categorical/cross categorical models as they primarily serve children who have been diagnosed with an exceptionality.

MODEL 5 The Itinerant Resource Program This type of programme can be seen as a moving / roving resource room programme. The professional moves around the providing services to various schools. This is a challenging model as there is no real ‘homebase’ for the professional and he/she usually has to share a space with others.

Steps to Implementing a Special Education Resource Room

Roles of the Resource Room Teacher (1) Assessing Individual Needs

ACTIVITY Read the steps below. Copy and paste them in the correct order.

This stage is a critical one. It requires the practitioner to be strategic in developing procedures that can gather data that validates or invalidates any recommendations that are made. The hypotheses that are made about the student must be tested and reevaluated based on any data that are gathered. There are various ways to do this: pupil’s perspective research (diaries, journals, interviews); charting using graphs.

This phase sees the practitioner examining the data that are gathered in order to identify consistencies and inconsistencies of patterns of information. The data are used to suggest priorities and strategies/interventions/programmes that are likely to provide instructional support for the students. This works best if there is a team (specifically an interdisciplinary team).

This step occurs before additional information is collected. Thought is given to the student, the system and the situation and questions are collated that would help to ask the ‘right questions’ about the student and his/her environment.

This step is a critical one. It requires the administration and interpretation of appropriate procedures that can be used to gather data about the student. This is usually best executed if the practitioner has some training in special education.

Steps to Implementing a Special Education Resource Room

Card 2 Sample Declaration of Exceptionalities Form

*Insert school/institution’s letter head Declaration of Exceptionalities Form Insert name of school is committed to assisting students with exceptionalities in solving problems that may affect their study and school life. All personal information provided will be kept confidential. Please return to insert name of principal of insert name and address of school. Section A: Personal Information Student’s Name:_________________________________________________ Parent’s Name:________________________________________ Contact Number: ____________________________ Personal Email ___________________________________________________: Address:_________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________

Section B: Category of Exceptionality ⃞Orthopedic impairment ⃞ Chronic Illness ⃞Autistm

⃞Visual impairment

⃞Specific Learning Difficulty ⃞ Deaf-Blindness

⃞Multiple disabilities impairment ⃞Other health impairment

⃞ Deafness

⃞Developmental Delay (DD) ⃞Speech or Language

⃞Hearing impairment

⃞Attention Deficit /Hyperactivity Disorder (ADD/ADHD)

⃞Traumatic brain injury (TBI)

⃞Emotional disturbance (e.g. Depression, Anxiety Disorder, Bipolar Disorder) ⃞Other (please specify)

________________________________________________________________________ Section C: Details of Condition / Assistance Request Please describe the degree of your special need, and any assistance that may be useful for your course of study. Please also include any services provided to you by other educational institutions. ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ © 2022 Allyson N. Murray B.A., B.Ed., M.Ed., MA., Cert. Ed., CCET. Special Education Diagnostician / Literacy Specialist All rights reserved. Printed in Barbados: Pennegan Academy of Learning, St. Patrick’s, Christ Church, Barbados

________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________

Section D: Details of Evidence Provided (please tick as appropriate) ⃞Psychologist’s report

⃞Letter from medical practitioner

⃞Other(please specify)_______________________________

Section E: Declaration (delete as appropriate)

The information given on this form (and related documents) regarding my child/ward’s exceptionality are accurate and can be used by personnel at name of school for the planning and provision of equipment and learning support for students with exceptionalities.

Signature of Parent / Guardian:_______________________________________

Date:________________________

Steps to Implementing a Special Education Resource Room

Card 4 Referral Form- Resource Room

REFERRAL FOR THE RESOURCE ROOM PROGRAMME Reference Number:______________________________ Referral made by:_______________ Date:___________ Referral taken by:_______________Date:____________ Has the parent been consulted? Yes___ No___ Date:________ STUDENT INFORMATION ____________________________________________________________ Surname

First

Middle

Date of Birth: ________________________ (yy/mm/dd) Address:___________________________________________________________________________ Name of Mother:_________________________ Name of Father:________________________ Name of Guardian:___________________________ Address of Parent/Guardian (if different from previous): __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ Telephone: Mother (h):___________ (c):____________ Father (h):___________ (c):____________ Teacher:______________________________________ Form/Class:________________________

School Attendance: regular____ irregular____ non-attendance _____ The student has had his/her: Vision checked: yes___ no___

Hearing checked: yes___ no___

Presenting Problem: __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ Tick as applicable: 1. Area(s) of specified difficulty/challenge Spelling

____

Reading

____

Oral Language

____

Written Language

____

Comprehension

____

Is the learning difficulty compounded by behavioural/emotional challenges? Yes_____

No_____

Involvement with outside agencies: Children’s Development Center ___ Probation Department ____ Juvenile Liaison Scheme ____ Child Care Board ____ Child Guidance Clinic ____ Private Support Services ____ Edna Nicholls Center ____ Welfare Department ____ Other ____

Attached reports: Psychological ___ Edna Nicholls ___ Children’s Development Center ___ Medical ___ © 2022 Allyson N. Murray B.A., B.Ed., M.Ed., MA., Cert. Ed., CCET. Special Education Diagnostician / Literacy Specialist All rights reserved. Printed in Barbados: Pennegan Academy of Learning, St. Patrick’s, Christ Church, Barbados

Guidance Counsellor ___ Other _________________________

Intervention strategies used in the class to date: Teacher/student conference ___ Repositioning of student in class ___ Extra-time to complete assignments___ Parent/teacher conference ___ Modified class/homework assignments ___ In-class support ____ Other (specify) _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ Effectiveness of strategies used: _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ Principal’s signature:________________

Date:_____________

Parent’s signature:__________________

Date:_____________

Resource Teacher’s Signature:_____________ Date:_____________

Steps to Implementing a Special Education Resource Room

Card 1 Sample Permission Letter

*Insert details as appropriate for your institution. School’s / Institution’s Letterhead Date: To: Parents/Guardians of student(s) being referred for referral to the Resource Room Dear Parent/Guardian,

Your daughter/son/ward has been recommended for a special programme to assist with his/her reading. Your cooperation is essential and your permission to continue further testing and evaluation is appreciated.

Please complete the attached permission slip and return it to the school as soon as possible. This is especially important if you do not wish to have your child/ward participate in the testing activity.

Yours faithfully Principal’s name CUT HERE I _________________________________________ parent/guardian of ______________________________________ have been informed and counselled about my child/ward’s referral for individual testing and evaluation using appropriate instruments.

Please tick the appropriate box:

I give my consent for the necessary assessment. I do not give my consent for the necessary assessment. Signature of parent/guardian: __________________________ Date:______________ © 2022 Allyson N. Murray B.A., B.Ed., M.Ed., MA., Cert. Ed., CCET. Special Education Diagnostician / Literacy Specialist All rights reserved. Printed in Barbados: Pennegan Academy of Learning, St. Patrick’s, Christ Church, Barbados

Steps to Implementing a Special Education Resource Room

Background Information for Educational Evaluation Form

BACKGROUND INFORMATION FOR EDUCATIONAL EVALUATION Please complete the following questionnaire as fully as possible. CHILD’S NAME:_____________________________________________ DATE OF BIRTH: ____________________________________________ MOTHER’S NAME:_____________ FATHER’S NAME:_________________ ADDRESS:__________________________ ADDRESS:_______________________ TELEPHONE:_______________ TELEPHONE:______________________ Name of person completing questionnaire:_________________________ Relationship to child:______________________ What do the child’s parents see as the problem? ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________ Who suggested an evaluation to be done? ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ____________________ FAMILY INFORMATION Other children in the family: Boys Age __________________________ __________________________

Girls Age ___________________________ ___________________________

Did any of these children have a problem in school? (explain) ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________ Did any other relative(s) have a problem in school? (explain) ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ DEVELOPMENTAL HISTORY Were there any problems associated with: Pregnancy ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ______________ © 2022 Allyson N. Murray B.A., B.Ed., M.Ed., MA., Cert. Ed., CCET. Special Education Diagnostician / Literacy Specialist All rights reserved. Printed in Barbados: Pennegan Academy of Learning, St. Patrick’s, Christ Church, Barbados

Birth and early infancy ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ____________________ Please state the age at which the child: Sat up:________________ Said single words:___________________ Walked:______________ Spoke in phrases:____________________ Was toilet trained:_______________ Please state any illness(es) the child has had, and at what age(s): ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ____________________

Is the child on any prescribed medication? (explain) ___________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ Does he/she appear to have any problems with: Hearing:________________Seeing:_______________________ Eating:_________________Sleeping:______________________ Describe any habits the child may have (e.g. thumb sucking) ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ Has this child’s development been different from other children in the family? ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ SCHOOL HISTORY Present Grade:________ Has any grade been repeated?_______ Please name all schools attended with dates: ______________________ From____________ to _____________ ______________________ From____________to ______________ ______________________ From______________ to _____________ Does the child have problems with: Reading_____________ Mathematics __________ Spelling_____________ Writing_____________ Is he/she: Restless______ On good terms with: teachers ___other children ___ Able to concentrate:_______ Easily managed at school ____ Easily managed at home ________ © 2022 Allyson N. Murray B.A., B.Ed., M.Ed., MA., Cert. Ed., CCET. Special Education Diagnostician / Literacy Specialist All rights reserved. Printed in Barbados: Pennegan Academy of Learning, St. Patrick’s, Christ Church, Barbados

Has the child ever had any special services in school? ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ Please give any other information concerning school which you feel may be helpful ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ RELATIONSHIP WITH CHILD Do you and your spouse agree on the nature of the child’s problem?

Briefly describe how you and your spouse get along with the child?

How is the child punished, and for what reasons?

How is the child rewarded, and for what?

Additional information which you feel may be helpful

The information you have given will be helpful toward making a fair assessment of the child. Thank you for providing this background.

Steps to Implementing a Special Education Resource Room

Card 6 Informal Observation Checklist- Early Childhood

DEVELOPMENTAL CHECKLIST – SCHOOL AGE CHILD’S NAME: ___________________________________ Date: __________________ DATE OF BIRTH: __________________________________ PARENT OR GUARDIAN: ___________________________ Rater: __________________

Behaviours Motor Ability: mature motor control,  Skips,  broad jumps,  good sense of balance; can stand of one leg for 10 sec; walk on 10ft beam  Skilled at using scissors and small tools  Can catch small balls  Throw ball (15ft)  Throw to a target  Copying designs and shapes a square and a triangle., letters and numbers  Colour within a space Language:  talks clearly (in sentence),

Rating Yes Yes Yes

 No  No  No

Yes

 No

Yes Yes Yes Yes

 No  No  No  No

Yes

 No

Yes Yes

 No  No

Comments

     



uses adult speech sounds, has mastered basic grammar, relates a story, reading picture reading holds books correctly able to learn difference between left and right can begin to understand time and the days of the week

Self-Help:  can tie shoelaces  dresses himself,  eat without spilling  toilet trained  washes hands without assistance Cognitive:  Count to 20  One to one correspondence  Know at least 4 colours  Fix a 4-12 piece jigsaw puzzle  can print name (may reverse printed letters (b/d)  engage in imaginative play

Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

 No  No  No  No  No

Yes

 No

Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

 No  No  No  No  No

Yes Yes

 No  No

Yes Yes

 No  No

Yes

 No

Yes

 No

Steps to Implementing a Special Education Resource Room

Card 7 Informal Observation Checklist- Reading

INFORMAL OBSERVATION CHECKLIST The following are some things you might observe during informal observations. Under each heading are just a few key behaviours which might indicate that a particular problem exists. What are some other behaviours which you have observed in each of those areas? Please list them under the appropriate heading. Reading - Informal Observations Visual Difficulties 1. Visual discrimination problems a. The child confuses letters or words which appear similar. b. The child fails to note internal detail and confuses words such as beg for bog. c. The child fails to see general configurations of words such as ship for snip. 2. Rate of perception is slow a. The child is a word-by-word reader b. The child hesitates at each word c. The child fails to recognize pictures or words presented at a rapid rate 3. Difficulty following and retaining visual sequences a. The child fails to duplicate patterns from a model— distortions of order occur. © 2022 Allyson N. Murray B.A., B.Ed., M.Ed., MA., Cert. Ed., CCET. Special Education Diagnostician / Literacy Specialist All rights reserved. Printed in Barbados: Pennegan Academy of Learning, St. Patrick’s, Christ Church, Barbados

b. The child may reproduce a sequence when a model is present but cannot revisualize the sequence from memory. 4. Visual memory difficulties a. The child fails to remember what he/she wore the previous day. b. The child fails to remember words seen previously. 5. Visual analysis and synthesis a. The child fails to divide words into syllables b. The child fails to put words back together which have been divided into syllables 6. Prefers auditory activities a. The child memorizes stories that have been heard but cannot read the story Auditory Difficulties 1. Auditory discrimination a. The child fails to hear similarities in words which have the same beginning, medial, or ending sounds. b. The child fails to hear the double sounds of consonant blends such as rust and reads and spells it as rut. c. The child fails to discriminate short vowel sounds heard in isolation—the child recognizes the differences in the words pin, pen, pan when seen but not when heard in isolation. d. The child cannot think of rhyming words. e. The child cannot listen for prefixes and suffixes and think of other words with similar endings. © 2022 Allyson N. Murray B.A., B.Ed., M.Ed., MA., Cert. Ed., CCET. Special Education Diagnostician / Literacy Specialist All rights reserved. Printed in Barbados: Pennegan Academy of Learning, St. Patrick’s, Christ Church, Barbados

Steps to Implementing a Special Education Resource Room

Card 3 Referral Form- Clinical Psychologist

Lateefah Hinds, Bsc. (Hons.) Msc. (Dist.) Clinical Psychologist Suite 102 Devlind, Lower Black Rock St. Michael Tel: 246-834-4345

PSYCH SOLUTIONS - REFERAL FORM Client’s Name: __________________________________________________________ D. O. B: ____________________________ Age: ________________________________ Gender: _____________________________ Tel: _________________________________ Address: __________________________________________________________________ Next of Kin: __________________________ Relationship: _________________________ Address (if different from client): ________________________________________________

PSYCHOLOGICAL SERVICES REQUESTED (select each which is applicable).

□ Family/Group Therapy □ School/Educational Assessment □ ADHD Assessment □ Personality Assessment □ Behavioural Assessment □ Court/Police Evaluation □ Other (Specify) □ Individual Therapy

__________________________________ Describe the presenting problem (include information on the client’s personality and behaviour). Also give a brief history of the presenting problem(s). Include hospitalizations, medications, prior diagnosis, and prior therapeutic intervention: __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ _______ ___________________________________________________________________ © 2022 Allyson N. Murray B.A., B.Ed., M.Ed., MA., Cert. Ed., CCET. Special Education Diagnostician / Literacy Specialist All rights reserved. Printed in Barbados: Pennegan Academy of Learning, St. Patrick’s, Christ Church, Barbados

ACTIVITY 12 year old Shanico exited primary school without taking the common entrance examination. He lives with his mother- who dedicates much time to her job as a street sweeper. There are no books in Shanico’s home. This is because his mother is renting a room in a 12 person space they share with other non-nationals. Shanico’s attendance at school is sporadic. He can only go when he does not have to ‘watch’ his little brothers and sisters. At school he enjoys PE because it gives him an opportunity to play his favourite sport. He does not care for any other subjects. Shanico was born prematurely and, at 4 ft (98 lbs) is much smaller than boys his age. The lunch times that he spends at school usually see him by the principal’s office. This is because he has the habit of grabbing his classmate’s lunches and running. Please see a sample of Shanico’s work overleaf.

Content Strand: Writing Think carefully about these goals and objectives. Select those that would be appropriate for Shanico. Include those that you believe are missing. (Are there any foundational skills that should be addressed first?) Content Strand: Writing Annual Goal ________ will increase writing skills to ________ (grade/proficiency level) in the area(s) of ___________ (ideas and Content, Organization, Voice, Word Choice, Sentence Fluency and Conventions) as measured by __________ (State Scoring Guide, analysis of writing samples, diagnostic survey, spelling inventory). Objective #1 Use descriptive words for more colorful writing. Objective #2 Use descriptive phrases to create a picture in writing. Objective #3 Use descriptive language appropriate for text and reader interest. Objective #4 Use more than one resource to increase written vocabulary (e.g., charts, Thesaurus, etc.). Objective #5 Use many resources to improve clarity and effectiveness of writing for classmates and teachers. Objective #6 Edit writing to include using new words, familiar words in a differenct way, and colorful expressions, to paint a picture in the reader's mind. Objective #7 Edit writing to use powerful, active verbs. Objective #8 Select appropriate language, approach, form and style for purpose and audience.

Annual Goal___________ will increase writing skills to ___________ (grade/proficiency level) in the area(s) of _________ (Ideas and Content, Organization, Voice, Word Choice, Sentence Fluency and Conventions) as measured by __________ (State Scoring Guide, analysis of writing samples, diagnostic survey, spelling inventory). Objective #1 Write a main idea with some supporting details on a topic. Objective #2 Research and write to convey understanding of a topic using at least one resource. Objective #3 Write clear, focused main ideas and supporting details on a topic. Objective #4 Write a multiparagraph passage to develop a topic using details, examples, and illustrations. Objective #5 Revise writing for development of main idea with supporting details. Objective #6 Research using verifiable sources to develop and support topic. © 2022 Allyson N. Murray B.A., B.Ed., M.Ed., MA., Cert. Ed., CCET. Special Education Diagnostician / Literacy Specialist All rights reserved. Printed in Barbados: Pennegan Academy of Learning, St. Patrick’s, Christ Church, Barbados

Objective #7 Research and write to convey a thorough understanding of a topic using two or more resources. Objective #8 Include some relevant facts and details on a chosen topic. Objective #9 Convey clear, focused main ideas and supporting details on a topic for a variety of audiences and purposes. Objective #10 Include appropriate facts and details on a chosen topic. Objective #11 Use writing to generate a learning log and journals to record new information. Objective #12 Use writing to generate diagrams, learning logs, journals, note taking, outlines, and summaries.

https://www.bridges4kids.org/IEP/iep.goal.bank.pdf