Inclusion Action Plan

Bianca Mattia
SED 5010
Wayne State University
Rationale
An action plan is a great way to organize and implement a certain vision in mind
to see real results. For my first choice assignment, I chose to create an action plan
that promotes inclusion within the classroom and throughout the entire school
(hypothetically, Wiley Elementary School). My reason for choosing this
particular activity to complete is because I was not familiar with what an action
plan was beforehand and wanted to learn about something entirely new. Also,
creating a mock action plan now will definitely prepare me for the future when I
am teaching and want to promote inclusion at my place of employment.
Overview
This action plan has been constructed to implement inclusion within the
classroom and throughout the entire school community. Inclusion goes beyond
simply integrating a variety of unique students in classrooms. Inclusion supports
and addresses the individual needs of each and every child that walks through the
doors into the school each morning. Not only does receiving an inclusive
education benefit students with disabilities, students who are of a minority group,
or English Language Learners, but also inclusion additionally creates an
environment in which each student is provided with the opportunity to flourish by
learning from each other. This plan focuses on addressing the academic needs of
all children attending Wiley Elementary School in Shelby Township, Michigan,
including those who are English Language Learners, of a minority group, from a
low-income household, and/or possess cognitive and physical disabilities between
kindergarten and sixth grade. This action plan is based on the principle that every
child deserves an equal opportunity to have access to and benefit from education
and that each child should be given the opportunity to receive a proper education
that will aid in academic, personal and social growth. The purpose of this action
plan is to fully incorporate inclusion into Wiley Elementary School through
various means of support, professional development for staff members, the
practice of co-teaching, supporting family-centered education, and by making
changes to academic instruction across all grade levels.

Key Principles
This action Plan has been developed based on four key principles supported by
Wiley Elementary School:
1. Every child, no matter what their differences may be, and their
families should feel engaged and part of the school community.
2. Every child has the right to receive an education that will aid him or
her in reaching their full potential regarding their academic, personal,
and social growth.
3. No two learners are exactly alike. Children learn in different ways and
at different speeds.
4. Inclusive education enhances the school community and benefits all
students.
Plan

Support
By pooling expertise and understanding together, the staff can achieve much more
together than if they separated. Partnering with other professionals is vital in
regards to creating and supporting an inclusive educational setting. Staff will refer
to methods and approaches that have been proven to be highly successful when
collaborating together.
o A combination of general education teachers, special education teachers,
paraprofessionals, school psychologists, bilingual teachers, therapists, and
counselors will collaborate as a team to develop an inclusive system of
support.
o Organize child support teams within the school through which teachers
can bring concerns regarding specific students to the attention of other
staff members.
o Employ enough counselors, social workers, therapists, and school
psychologists to consult with and provide support to teachers regarding
their students social welfare that may be affecting their academic
learning.
o Train the school media specialists to aid general education teachers and
special education teachers in creating multilevel, technology-driven
lessons that are appropriate for all students, including those with special
needs.
o Minimalize segregation of students by providing support staff to empower
and assist teachers and their students within the classroom instead of
displacing them elsewhere.

o Offer an optional learning support center for students to attend during their
lunch period or class recess.

Co-teaching
Co-teaching allows general education teachers to work collaboratively with
support staff to help students effectively learn. Co-teaching is effective because
support staff is available to help teachers strengthen areas where they are weaker
and improvement is needed. Support staff involved in co-teaching includes, but
are not limited to, special education teachers and English as a second language
(ESL) teachers.
o Employ enough support staff to work with teachers in their classrooms to
design and implement multilevel curriculum and instructional activities.
o Support staff helps teachers adapt curriculum to meet the needs of their
specific body of students.
o Co-teachers will facilitate person-centered planning and Individual
Education Plans (IEPs) for individual students if needed.
o Support staff provides direct instruction to individuals or small groups of
students if needed and within the classroom.

Family-Centered Education
Research indicates that if children are to learn and grow, teachers must reach
beyond the classroom to partner with families and community members
(Peterson, page 184). Families are in need of support as much as their child does.
In addition to supporting the child in school, staff needs to be available to provide
support for families so the child will continue to be supported outside of school.
Also, families need to feel included, celebrated, and as if they are a vital addition
to the school community.
o Honoring the culture of each family belonging to the school by
designating one day as a School Cultures Celebration day each school
year.
o Consider the needs of the family by providing family-centered services
that focus on the entire family.
o Engage families as partners in education by providing opportunities for
them to participate and volunteer in their childrens school.
o Provide the opportunity for one parent to come in and read their book of
choice to the class each month.
o Teachers will communicate with parents consistently through a engaging
classroom webpage as well as a classroom newsletter that will be sent
home weekly, to accommodate families who do not have internet access at
home.

o Install technology that easily translates classroom webpages into different

languages for families who are not dominant English speakers
(translationcloud.com).
o The principle and teachers will meet with parents of students with special
needs on a regular basis to discuss progress and any questions, comments,
concerns, and/or suggestions that arise. This way, parents are up-to-date
with their childs progress.

Professional Development
Educators and other staff are committed to supporting inclusion though guidance,
training, and professional development workshops that will further enhance their
knowledge. Teachers will be given adequate opportunities for collaborative
growth and learning.
o Attend specific workshops that enhance teacher knowledge of inclusion
and how to successfully incorporate it into the classroom, including
Inclusion Lesson Plan Designs and Embracing disABILITIES in
Inclusion Classrooms, presented by Toby Karten.
o In order to effectively co-teach in the classroom, teachers will attend a
professional development workshop titled Co-teaching With Success,
where they will learn to develop and maintain effective co-teaching
relationships and support teach other as well as the students.
o Faculty meets together every other month to discuss instructional
strategies, what strategies are working with their students, what is not
working with their students, and how they can continue to improve. This
way, staff can learn from each other as well as outside sources of
professional knowledge.

Classrooms
The use of the space within each classroom is important in designing an inclusive
classroom.
o Eliminate special classes with labels whose intention is to segregate
students. All special services will be incorporated within the general
education classrooms.
o Support staff comes into the class to work with students. However, the
support staff does not work with the same few students continuously.
o Students work together in groups at their desks/tables, where the groups
reflect diverse ability levels, ethnicities, and genders.
o Allow for different learning styles, providing tools and resources that give
students alternative points of access to different information (Peterson,
page 231).

o Student work from every student is displayed on the classroom walls and
on the walls outside of the classroom door in the hallway.
o Create a comfortable, engaging classroom atmosphere that fosters growth.
Implementation

Child support teams will meet weekly starting in October of the 2014-2015 school
year.
Faculty meetings to promote growth will meet the first Monday of October,
December, February, April, and June.
The School Cultures Celebration day will occur on the second Friday of each
January during the school year. The School Cultures Celebration day for the
2014-2015 academic year will occur on January 9th, 2014.
The contents of this action plan will be fully immersed in Wiley Elementary
School by the end of the 2014 2015 school year.

Resources
"Inclusive Schools Network." Together We Learn Better: Inclusive Schools Benefit All
Children. Stetson and Associates, Inc., n.d. Web. 21 Sept. 2014.
Peterson, Michael J., and Mishael M. Hittie. Inclusive Teaching: The Journey Towards
Effective Schools For All Learners. Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 2010. Print.
"Translate This: Make Your Website Multilingual." Translation Cloud. Translation
Cloud LLC, n.d. Web.