ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, March 4, 1996 TAG: 9603040059
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
START WITH A ROOM full of students with and without learning disabilities, add two educators to present ideas in different ways and you get a class that looks normal - a concept that isn't status quo.
It seems like an average class in eighth-grade English at Northside Middle School, but it's not.
There's nothing unusual about the day's lesson: organizing and writing an essay.
The students are taught to assemble their thoughts and record them in graphic form before they begin writing. They are given tips on developing an introductory paragraph and a thesis statement. And they learn how to use an attention-getting opener to grab the reader's attention.
When it comes time to write, the students do what you'd expect: They go to the book shelf and get a thesaurus.
But the class has two teachers - and two kinds of students, and you can't tell the difference.
That's the goal.
The teachers, Bobbie Caton and Joni Poff, take turns instructing the students. Caton talks about getting the reader's attention. Poff tells the students to put their thoughts in order. Each works with students who ask for help.
All of the students seem similar, but they aren't.
About a third of the students have learning disabilities, and they are getting a chance to gain self-confidence and feel better about themselves.
They are showing they can do the same school work as regular students. And they no longer attend classes for students who have trouble with academic and social skills.
The class also has two teachers.
Bobbie Caton and Joni Poff take turns instructing the students. Caton, an English teacher, talks about getting the reader's attention. Poff, a learning-disability specialist, tells the students to put their thoughts in order. Each works with students who ask for help.
One student recently told Poff that his life was ruined when he was placed in a learning-disability class when he was in the third grade. The stigma hurt his self-esteem.
Now the student is enrolled in the regular English class.
The English class is part of the Roanoke County school's inclusion program that features collaborative teaching in classes for both special-education and regular students.
Regular teachers team with learning-disability specialists in several science, social studies and English classes.
Principal James Wood, a strong advocate of the collaborative-teaching approach, said it benefits both special-education and regular students.
"It improves the self-esteem of the special-education students. Their grades improve, and they develop better skills," Wood said.
The regular students learn how to study better, prepare for tests and do assignments because of tips they receive from special-education teachers, he said.
Wood said Northside began the collaborative approach four years ago and has gradually expanded it. Other county schools have begun using it, but Northside has the most extensive program.
Most special-education students in the classes have learning disabilities - not physical or mental impairments.
Students with learning disabilities are generally of average or above average intelligence, but the disability creates a gap between ability and performance.
Up to 20 percent of the U.S. population has some form of learning disability, according to the National Institutes of Health. More than 50 percent of students receiving special education services in public schools nationwide have learning disabilities.
Learning disabilities have neurological causes and can affect reading, writing, speaking and social skills.
Wood said the students with disabilities in the inclusion classes are not publicly identified, although the teachers know who they are.
"When the students go into the classroom, they have no way of knowing who might have a learning disability unless there is someone they might remember being in a special-education class in the past," Wood said.
Poff said the teachers view all students the same, without making distinctions as they work. Many students with disabilities in English don't require special help in math and science.
"We don't look at them as being disabled. They're just students," Poff said.
Caton said no adjustments have been required in instruction and grading for students with disabilities, because the English course involves a lot of individual projects and papers anyway. All students are expected to achieve the same standards, but they are evaluated on the quality of their projects and other work, she said.
Teachers focus on strategies for learning that can benefit both special-education and regular students, Poff said. Two teachers can give more attention to regular students as well as those with disabilities, she said.
The students said they like having two instructors.
"You get more attention when there are two teachers," Sammy Goff, 13, said. "There's always someone to help if you need it."
For Angela Pence, the team-teaching approach provides a broader perspective on the topics. "Having two teachers makes it easier to understand things."
Wood said the school's special-education teachers recommend the students who will benefit most from inclusion classes. "If students have more severe needs, they are not put in classes with regular students.''
Poff said, "Some students are not ready for this setting. They don't have the academic and socialization skills to keep pace with the rest of the class.''.
Educators are divided on whether all special-education children should be placed in regular classes.
Federal law requires that children with disabilities receive a "free and appropriate education in the least restrictive environment." But educators said the best setting for learning can vary according to a child's needs.
Wood said the teachers volunteer for collaborative teaching.
"It takes two people who can work well together, who respect each other and have a good repertoire," he said. "As they learn to work together, they can almost finish each other's sentences."
Wood said the inclusion program, which has been going for about four years, has worked smoothly.
Caton said no students or parents have complained or raised questions about the makeup of the classes. In fact, some parents prefer for their children to be in the classes. "They want it because they like the idea of having two teachers in a class," she said.
LENGTH: Long : 123 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: ROGER HART/Staff. Bobbie Caton (left) helps Davidby CNBCabbler with an assignment as Joni Poff assists Sara Bryant. Only
the teachers know who the learning-disabled students in the class
are. color.