Severna Park Middle School

Technology Integration in Language Arts for

Special Education Students

Severna Park Middle School

Technology IntegrationStrategic Plan

Michele English

Why technology integration?

6th grade Special Education students have demonstrated consistent growth on MSA Reading tests.

7th and 8th grade Special Education students have not demonstrated consistent growth on MSA Reading tests.

The “Matthew Effect” (Stanovich, 1986)

Stronger readers become better readers and poorer readers “become more frustrated and fall further behind.” (Hasselbring and Goin, 2004)

Year Grade 6 Grade 7 Grade

8

2009 90.9 72.4 66.7

2008 75.9 75.7 68.2

2007 62.5 51.7 55.6

2006 51.6 55.3 61.3

2005 63.8 60.5 35.0

2004 51.2 53.3 39.1

Numbers represent percentages of Special Education students that have scored proficient or advanced on Reading MSA from 2004 through 2009

Digital Voice Recorders (DVR) with Voice to Text (VTT) Software

Will be integrated into Language Arts co-taught Special Education classes

Compact and user friendly

Supported by Research

“…assistive technology services provide assistance so that the student is successful in the use of the assistive technology device...”

(Dyal; Carpenter and Wright 2009)

Supported by Research(continued)

The use of assistive technology is designed to “improve individual outcomes,” and it may be “utilized to meet annual yearly progress of students with disabilities.”

(Dyal; Carpenter and Wright 2009)

Benefits of the DVR

Increases reading fluency rate and improves reading comprehension

Increases vocabulary

Enhances communication and writing skills

DVR Technology supports SPMS’s SIP

Instructional Technology: Provide students with opportunities to encounter content in a variety of modalities, targeting multiple learning styles (Goal 1: Academic Achievement Reading/Math)

DVR Technology supports SPMS’s SIP (continued)

Indicator: By the end of the 2011/12 school year, 100% of eighth grade students will be technology literate as outlined by the Maryland Technology Literacy Standards for Students

Supports National Educational Technology

Standards (NETS*S)

Performance Indicator 5. Digital Citizenship -

students understand human, cultural and societal issues related to technology and practice legal and ethical behavior.

Supports Three Standards from the Maryland State Voluntary

Curriculum

1.0 - General Reading Process: Fluency and Vocabulary

3. 0 - Comprehension of Literary Text

4.0 - Writing

What if we don’t integrate technology?

Students that don’t improve their reading fluency have a more difficult time comprehending what they have read.

(Daly, no date)

What if we don’t integrate technology? (continued)

The gap between students that read at a higher level and those students who do not read well increases in the middle school and high school years.

(Hasselbring and Goin, 2004)

Differentiating with the DVR

Focus Group: fluency

Focus Group: vocabulary

Focus Group: comprehension

Focus Group: communication

Focus Group: writing skills

Source of Financial Support

Grant

PTO: “Mission Possible” Fund Raising Event

Special Education Technology Funds

Staff Development

Provided by the LMS

During PLC Technology planning periods by grade level for Language Arts and Special Education teachers

Additional training to teachers during personal planning time if requested

LMS Implementation of the DVR

LMS will be available to demonstrate to the students the proper use of the DVR either individually or in small groups

LMS will be available on an as needed basis for the teachers and students for additional instruction

Evaluation of Success

Both Language Arts and Special Education teachers will collaboratively “test” reading fluency of students

Review students’ comprehension quiz/test grades

Review students’ Benchmark scores

Evaluation of Success(continued)

Compare Benchmark scores to all other students’ scores in Achievement Series

In Fall 2010, review MSA Reading scores

Bibliography

Claxton, G. C . (2006) Thinking at the Edge, Developing Soft Creativity. Cambridge Journal of Education, 36 (3) 351-362. Retrieved November 7, 2009.

Daly, P. Turning the Tide. Retrieved November 6, 2009, http://teacher.scholastic.com/products/scholasticprofessional/authors/list.asp?author=D

Dyal, A., Carpenter, L. B., Wright, J. (2009). Assistive Technology: What Every School Leader Should Know. Education, 129 (3), 556-560. Retrieved November 5, 2009.

Hasselbring, T. and Goin, L. (2004). Literacy Instruction for Older Struggling Readers: What is the Role of Technology? Reading and Writing Quarterly, 20 (2), 123-144. Retrieved November 5, 2009, from EBSCOhost database.

http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_for_Teachers_2008.htm

http://www.mdk12.org/instruction/curriculum/reading/index.html