Dear Inclusive Education Community member,
In this issue of the BTU Inclusive Education Newsletter you will learn about updates in ESL instruction for next school year, clarity around the realignment proposal step of the inclusion planning team process, upcoming Telescope Network learning site opportunities, and tools for communicating with our multilingual families.
As a reminder, the BTU and the Inclusion Done Right Committee have many of our own goals and ideas for how inclusion should be implemented in the district and we will continue to advocate for them. Some of the information in this newsletter comes directly from the policies that DESE and BPS have created. In an effort to provide families and educators with tools and resources to navigate the implementation process, we will share the information that comes directly from BPS policies in this newsletter. Please note that sharing this information does not necessarily indicate that the BTU endorses these approaches.
SPOTLIGHT ON SCHOOLS
Last week, the Dudley Street Neighborhood Charter School hosted a breakfast for families as an opportunity to learn more about how inclusive education impacts their children. Even in the rain, families stopped to talk, fill out a survey, pick out some free books, and grab some breakfast. It was a lovely way to start the day and a great idea for engaging families in the inclusion planning process! Way to go DSNCS Staff!
If you are having success in your school with inclusive practices, share them with Katie DeLaRosa to be spotlighted in this newsletter and spark ideas for others across BPS.
IPT UPDATES
We need help to identify when IPT meetings are happening and who to contact at each school. Please complete this brief form to let us know who is leading your IPT and when they are meeting.
Realignment Proposals
Teams are working on their realignment proposals that will be submitted by November 30th. This Realignment Glossary provides clarity around the variety of terms being used in the process and is a useful tool to review.
In each school’s Plan for Inclusive Education document, step four reads “Neutral Cost Proposal and Proposal for Additional Resources”. We have repeatedly asked and been reassured, even by Superintendent Skipper, that this does NOT mean schools need to submit two proposals, and that proposals do NOT have to be cost neutral. The process does have the team begin by reviewing a service delivery model that utilizes existing staff, then considers additional options with rationales before selecting a final option to propose.
If you are having challenges in this area or are receiving conflicting information, please let us know.
DISTRICT UPDATES
As was mentioned a few weeks ago, a summary of the BPS Inclusive Education implementation plan has been created and is linked here.
BPS Continuum of Services
The graphic below presents the percentage of time and description of services that will be provided across the district and within schools for students with disabilities. These definitions and descriptions of settings are useful to know as we talk about the rollout of inclusive education in BPS over the next few years.
Changes to SEI
We have been sharing in the weekly e-bulletin that there has been a lot of discussion among community partners, parent groups, and advocacy organizations regarding the inclusion implementation plan, particularly as it relates to the inclusion of multilingual learners (MLL) after the resignation of nine members of the EL Task Force at the end of October. The BTU believes in listening to and organizing with our students, parents, and community and will continue to advocate for what serves our students educational needs best. We are grateful for our partners sharing their expertise and experience related to multilingual education. We will be inviting BTU members to a co-sponsored event with many of these partners that will be taking place soon and will discuss the inclusion plan for MLLs. Please watch for the flier.
The current rollout plan is shown below and is aligned with the Continuous Improvement & Monitoring Plan (CIMP) required by DESE in response to the 2023 Tiered Focus Monitoring Report.
This rollout will change what we currently know as SEI. There will still be “Newcomer” programs but we do not yet have specific details on the criteria for these. Our MLL students of all levels will be included in what we currently call general education classrooms. DESE defines SEI as any general education classroom that has at least one MLL student in it. So, all of the K-8 general education classrooms that MLLs will be included into next year will be defined as State SEI classrooms. The following year (SY 25-26), grades 9-12 will implement the same plan and definition of SEI. However, BPS and DESE are in conversation about refining this plan, so the grades that will be impacted next year may change. We will provide further clarity once we receive concrete details from the district.
Students will continue to receive the current DESE and DOJ minimum required direct ESL instructional minutes according to their ELD level represented in the chart below.
This is a lot of information and it seems to be changing frequently. Please know we are monitoring changes and are in daily communication with key decision makers in the central office so we can stay informed, advocate for educator’s and student’s needs, and share what we know with you. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with questions and concerns. It helps us to know what people are hearing in schools.
BTU Inclusion Done Right Committee
November Meeting Summary
The Inclusion Done Right Committee met on Tuesday, November 14th via zoom. The agenda included:
- Debriefing the most recent community forum
- Discussing future changes in classroom settings and instruction for multilingual learners (MLLs)
- Co-sponsoring an upcoming event with the Boston Education Justice Alliance (BEJA) to discuss inclusion for MLLs
- Plans for deepening our connections and network of educators on IPT teams
Questions can be directed to IDR co-chairs: Kafunda Banks (kbanks@bostonpublicschools.org) and/or Katie DeLaRosa (kdelarosa@btu.org).
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Telescope Network: Effective Teaming Learning Site Opportunities
11/28/23: “How can educators in a co-teaching model effectively collaborate to support the needs of all students?” If you are an educator who is working to improve the team you are on, this is an opportunity to join other educators for a full day in a live classroom around a common area of practice. This learning site will demonstrate a team teaching approach while delivering tier 1 curriculum in an inclusion classroom setting. After the observation educators have a chance to think through and debrief with the host educators around the hows and whys of their teaching practice with potential for follow up coaching sessions for an ALC/PDPs.
Flyer / RSVP
12/11/23: “How do school wide initiatives support educators to effectively collaborate in a team?” If you are on an inclusion planning team and are thinking about how to effectively roll out the inclusion process at your school, this is an opportunity to join other educators for a full day in a live classroom around a common area of practice. This learning site will demonstrate a teaching team’s approach with guidance from the school leader. After the observation, educators have a chance to think through and debrief with the host educators around the hows and whys of their teaching practice with potential for follow up coaching sessions for an ALC/PDPs.
Flyer / RSVP
TOOLS for the INCLUSIVE SCHOOL COMMUNITY
Need to Request Translations and Interpretations?
All BPS staff can request language assistance (translation and/or interpretation) by emailing interpretations@bostonpublicschools.org. A Veoci account will be created for you. For more information, visit the OLAS website.
Staff Translation and Interpretation Toolkit
The Toolkit is a resource for employees, and it includes policies, info on language services, legal requirements, and more to help BPS staff communicate with limited & non-English-speaking families. For more information, click this link.
A Language Access Toolkit for Families
The Toolkit assists families with limited or non-English proficiency to understand available language access services, their legal rights, and practical tips to access essential services and resources. More information here or visit the website.
Thank you for reading!
If you have ideas to be shared in future editions of the BTU Inclusive Education Newsletter, please send them to Katie DeLaRosa at kdelarosa@btu.org.