1) the meaning of “equitable and inclusive"

2)How equity and inclusivity are principles of IB programmes

·       the idea that inclusion is contextual

·       reducing or removing barriers to learning.

·       personalization of possible barriers to learning

·       creating optimal learning environments.

·       inclusive culture

·       inclusion policies.  

·       UDL (Universal Design Learning) principles and practices

·       pedagogical strategies to nurture inclusion.

·       inclusivity as a pedagogical approach

·       planning for learner variability and diversity.

·       the principles of assessments that are inclusive and equitable

·       validating the “why” of inclusive assessments

·       responsibilities when building an inclusive school

·       using the principles of an inclusive education to expand access

•                well-being at the heart of inclusion

•                belonging as central to being included

·       personal artifacts as launching points for implementing an inclusive IB education

a whole-school approach to delivering an inclusive IB education

Student A - ADHD diagnosis

Strengths - hard-working, excellent communicator

Barriers - ADHD difficulty with time management and note-taking.

APPROACHES

• Set up Outlook calendar with their schedule

• Use of mobile phone for audio note taking

Success is measured by formative assessment in class. Monitor and review.

Previously identified challenge: English language

Student's challenges: English language

Student's strengths: incredible content knowledge

Current access arrangements: no language support for students in the DP (barrier 4)

Optimal access arrangements: applying for extra time on IB assessments, dual language, EAL support

Trial implementation of optimal access arrangements in DP1 with IEP written by Enhanced Learning teacher.

Monitor and review summative test results and participation level in classes. Adjustments made as necessary to ensure optimal access throughout.

That is because we do not have a dual language program in DP for Chinese/English or Korean/English students.

Also, we do not have a career program pathway for students.

So, we would need to re-orient the human resources by providing more course options in the native language, and material support by training teachers or implementing a dual language or alternative curriculum.

-assessment data (what students know and do not know at or by the end of PYP 6)

-appropriately identify and communicate students with learning challenges to parents and teachers

-identify/preview new culture of learning for MYP (ie the differences between PYP/MYP routines)

-provide more language support for ELL in PYP 6

-identify markers that indicate a successful transition to MYP 1

-provides support intentionally

The school has gone for a dual language program. School routines are inflexible and school transitions are not facilitated.

There is limited participation of community as a whole in the implementation of this program.

Bias: Lack of genuine and varied measure of assessment.

Possible decision pathway:

1. Identify whether student is SEN.

2. Identify what can be done to address the barrier-Socio cultural and linguistic

3. Linguistic barrier-Removed either by increasing access to more English learning opportunities or hiring more bilingual/multilingual educators (Based on the school’s vision and direction).

4.Family awareness on the importance of education and  future opportunities it brings.  

5.Get students to engage in raising awareness alongside educators

6.improve reading in mother tongue and translated texts in English. 

Federal Law

-Access to educational and material resources to support inclusion are not available.

-Subject Content

• Relevant

• Variety

• Perpectives

Decision path to break down barrier

-Collaborative platforms of online learning communities.

-Resource replacement of equal quality linked to the community facilitating real life experiences related to content.

-

-       Number 5 Unclear routine

-       Number 6 No evidence of facilitated lesson transitions

Decision Pathway

1.     Identifying student needs (i.e. dyslexia, dysgraphia, visual-motor integration difficulties, etc.) by gathering previous information from faculty, communication with parents, observation, etc.

2.     Verifying current teaching approaches technological support and other resources we have (i.e. text-to-speech, speech-to-text, expert teachers, etc.)

3.     Create an individual case study to test initial approach using existing resources with pre-established evaluation criteria

4.     Evaluate case study effectiveness through reflection and possibly getting external advice

5.     Refine/modify the approach by gathering new resources based on reflection and evaluation using pre-established criteria

6.     Update pre-established criteria to reflect modification

7.     Create Inclusive Policy (live document) to address students technological support needs

8.     Teacher training and professional development of the modified/updated approach

9.     Implementation into the classrooms with more frequent monitoring, feedback, and reflection from teachers, students, parents and expert staff

10.  Evaluate case study effectiveness through reflection and possibly getting external advice

11.  Refine/modify the approach by gathering new resources based on reflection and evaluation

12.  Based on the wider-scale approach, work collaboratively to design inclusive summative assessments across all subject groups(MYP 1-4). Gather evidence (student condition and support needs) to submit summative assessment (e-Assessment and DP assessment) access accommodations

13.  Regular monitoring and support for teachers and students

14.  Based on external assessment data, reflect on plan and progress to make necessary adjustments

15.  When students transit from one grade level to another (especially M4 to M5 and M5 to DP), teachers work collaboratively to identify technological support needs with proposed methodologies

16.  Make updates to policy on an annual basis

17.  Repeat steps 8 to 16 until student completes the IB programme and for continuous improvement of approach within the school

1. Identifying the barriers in 2^nd story

Mental health of students facing the transition from PYP to MYP

With anxiety, fear, depression, and so on.

2. Inclusive access arrangements (Pathways)

Previously identified challenges?

- No experience in challenges

- 2 years of time which allows teachers and school to prepare for helping transition

- no need of psychological assessment

Strength and challenge

- strength: buddy system which can help students to adapt to new programme

- challenge: MYP is new programme for them, and brings a kind of fear about rigorousness of upper grade programme

What barriers need to be removed?

- emotional changes, sensitivities (harming student well-being)

What access arrangement tiried?

- Buddy system, preparation time sufficient implementing MYP programme

Trial implementation during learning and teaching

- Buddy system, inviting parents community for planning and implementing, mandatory meeting between cross-programmes teachers -> it might be effective and helpful for implementation.

Learning plans to be written?

- vertical and horizontal articulation made

Reflection

- a little of frictions between new team and the existing team in sense of culture and ethos

First of all I think you are awesome. I was wondering if you could advocate for something. I have been reading the IB S&P, in particular 0301-01-0200. It refers to structures and resources.

In the XLIS policy RTI is just mentioned in the list of Terrms used at the School. Would you please advocate to Mr. Lalor to include how the school implements RTI in the policy.

Would you also consider adding the referral process to the policy?

Thank you for your help,

Anonymous

I am writing to ask for clarification on the inclusion policy in regards to students/staff with mobility issues such as those who are wheelchair bound.

The policy does not specifically mention any accommodations for those who could suffer from exclusion in regards to their personal problems.

In order to promote inclusion for this particular group we perhaps need to mention them specifically. I believe that this would promote the widest possible access and inclusion for these particular students.

Kind regards,

Rowan Marr

We have read the policy together and we have identified areas that could be addressed I the review of this policy.

1. we need to check on the Chinese current views on Inclusion.

2. Review the rights & responsibilities.

3. Write a clause to identify the school's responsibility regarding inclusion.

4. Link the vision to the policy.

As English is our target language, it is easy to adopt a subtractive bilingualism approach where English is privileged as the sole desired language of communication. But such an approach will prevent students from becoming true IB learners (Learning in a Language Other Than Mother Tongue in IB Programmes). Instead, how can we promote the use of mother tongue AND the acquisition of English as the target language?

Best,

Ice

Greetings for the day!

I need some clarification regarding our school inclusion policy. It says that to provide opportunities for collaborative work for teachers, enhance learning and one-to-one inclusion teachers. I would like to know who are the teachers who are a part of the team and person to contact. What is the process for getting such help?

regards,

.................

Could you clarify what a successful inclusion program would look like in terms of the degree to which push in and 1:1 individual interaction is used?

Thanks,

M

To provide enough supports to students in need, the school should consider to what resources it allows learning support teachers and the other teachers to use, for examples, spaces, time, human resources, strategies, and any kind of materials. And it should provide standards about how to define the situations needing learning supports. It also should provide strategies and consultants about how to approach the situations and how to build up the relationships between stakeholders to promote or facilitate the community inclusion.

Our group reviewed the IB Inclusion Policy with scrutiny. Could we deploy more EAL support(Push-in support and WIDA test)on IBDP program as some students with language barriers(WIDA 4 or blew) will possibly even get 25% more time on IBDP exams, which could be extremely conducive to students' success for exams and even college applications.

Best,

Sky Du

A parent of one of my students has reached out to me regarding the Student Profiles that are updated by the EAL staff as mentioned in the inclusion policy. They want me to send them their child's profile. They are a new student and I'm not able to find the students profile. Are these profiles still created/updated by anyone? Am I allowed to share it with parents if I do find it?

Perhaps we could maintain these profiles on managebac for teachers and parents to view through their own logins?

Looking forward to hearing back from you,

Kind regards,

X

Culture 1.1: The school implements and reviews an access and/or admissions policy that clearly describes
the conditions for participation in the school’s programme(s). (0301-01-0100)

I looked into the school's website to read the admission policy and could not find it in the policy section.

Is our admission policy available to educators and staff for transparency? Or could the inclusion policy include a section that clarifies how inclusive practices at XLIS are present from the start of the admission's process?

Dear IEP Team,

I hope this message finds you well.

I wanted to inquire about the possibility of obtaining additional background information regarding our students at the start of the academic term? Is it helpful for us to access more information from parents or the PR to better understand our students' backgrounds and specific needs.

Additionally, we are eager to enhance our ability to support students with special needs effectively. Hence, I'm wondering if it's possible for us to receive training on the identification of special needs students and the implementation of strategies to better assist and collaborate with these students.

Regards

I think we need the expertise of our English language acquisition teachers, Michelle, and Wally in order to figure out the specific details but I will do what I can here to continue the conversation.

A response to intervention (RTI) program is a way to ensure we promote access to the curriculum to students on an as-needed basis. Sometimes it is called a multi-tiered system of support (MTSS). It promotes inclusion on the basis of academic outcomes. Are all our students learning? Out of the students who are not learning, what level of support do they need and how can we provide it to them?

The exact implementation differs from school to school but usually starts with tier 1 which involves the classroom teacher trying to meet the needs of all students. This is done through what experienced teachers might just call “good teaching”. Specifically for us, this should look like teaching using the IB’s Approaches to Teaching which is cross-program. Are we differentiating for students? Are we using an inquiry-based approach? Are we teaching for conceptual understanding? And so on. However, not all students will respond adequately. As such, close progress monitoring is required – especially for students who may be particularly at risk of not doing well in a particular subject. This is where tier 2 intervention comes into play: any student who is not currently performing adequately may be referred to tier 2.

Tier 2 involves small group instruction. In some schools, this looks like push-in support by a specialist teacher (for example an English language acquisition teacher). I think we currently do this to whatever extent we can. Some schools choose to do pull-out small-group instruction (for example 10 weeks of math instruction targeted to filling prior knowledge 3 times a week for 30 minutes each time). My first school used this pull-out small-group approach to great effect. Students come in years “behind” and manage to get to “grade level”. The specifics do not matter so much as the dynamic response: are we intervening to the level that is appropriate to the students? How much support do students need and of what kind? This should be planned in close collaboration with the classroom teacher and the support teacher. But some students will have needs that are better met in 1-1 settings. These students will benefit from tier 3 intervention.

Tier 3 intervention involves even smaller groups or 1-1 instruction. How exactly this should look like I think will need to be figured out on a student-by-student basis with guidance from Wally.  

Overall, I think the move towards a more flexible schedule for students in MYP will be necessary. How we can make that happen is beyond my knowledge but I think Jaimala’s and Bella’s expertise in setting up the schedule can help us here.

I’ve attached some background reading here as well.

RTI programs specifically target students’ academic needs regardless of whether they stem from cognitive or behavioral causes. I think a separate approach is needed for students with physical needs.  

Best,

Ice

Resources

http://www.rtinetwork.org/learn/what/whatisrti

https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED526858.pdf

• What does this goal mean to you?

• How would you like to demonstrate your understanding of the goal?

• Can you give me an example of how you will structure your (e.g.video)?

• What are the benefits of your chosen mode of expression?

• What might be another form of expression and how might it benefit?

What is your understanding of equitable assessments?

How will you design equitable and inclusive assessments?

Quote: Assessment should be to check what students know rather than what they do not know.

Question: How can we make our assessments valid and accessible?

• Robust evidence suggests that there is a link between physical activity and well-being—this is a key area that schools and interventions should explore

• Young people benefit

  from seeing themselves as part of a team; they can benefit from competition when it is team-based rather than focused on individuals

I believe this basketball tournament connects to both of these points from the article; therefore, connects to student well-being.