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This page includes materials for parents and teachers to 'dig deeper' into our evidence-base.
What does Student Voice mean?
What does Student Voice mean?
Student voice is students actively participating in decision-making at school on things which shape their educational experiences.
Student voice is more than just students 'having a say' and 'being heard'. To be successful, schools must value the perspectives and opinions of students and act on them in a way that genuinely shapes learning and decision-making at the school.
Click on NSW Department of Education page about Student Voice
What does Student Voice mean in the context of the IEP?
What does Student Voice mean in the context of the IEP?
It is about making sure that students have a say in the planning and implementation of their Individual Education Program.
Teacher resources from NSW Department of Education
Teacher resources from NSW Department of Education
The Student Voice area of the NSW Department of Education includes additional teacher resources for the whole class. Please click here. These are editable resources designed to help teachers identify current and future student voice initiatives in their classrooms to find the right balance between teacher-centred and student-led teaching approaches. They include units of work, teaching and learning programs, student and teacher surveys and checklists. For instance, schools self-rate the extent that students negotiate individual learning goals with their teachers.
The present Child Voice project adds to the above by helping teachers prepare students with a disability to take part in class activities to have input into their goals through their identified strengths and amplify their voice to achieve their goals.
Student resources - Student Voice DoE program
Student resources - Student Voice DoE program
Student-led teams offer a way for children and young people to actively build their own leadership capabilities through meaningful and engaging learning experiences. This page has resources for students interested in leading projects and also gives information about the types of student led teams they can join or lead.
Eleven activities have been developed with students, for students and can be adapted to individual school's context. Each activity takes approximately 30 minutes and can be facilitated by student leaders. They can be done in any sequence. See these resources here.
Eleven activities have been developed with students, for students and can be adapted to individual school's context. Each activity takes approximately 30 minutes and can be facilitated by student leaders. They can be done in any sequence. See these resources here.
Best Practice for Individual Education Plan (IEP) meetings
Best Practice for Individual Education Plan (IEP) meetings
The Individual Education Plan: From individual needs to meaningful relationships
The Individual Education Plan: From individual needs to meaningful relationships
By William R. Black, PhD, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, University of South Florida and Jessica Montalvo, Department of Communication, University of South Florida
TASHConnections_Vol42_Issue1_PDF-1.pdfIEP as a living document
IEP as a living document
Introduction
Introduction
"Despite initial promise, in practice the Individual Educational Plan process is too often guided by a focus on individualized deficits and needs rather than collective practice (Skrtic, 1991; Zeretsky, 2005); generates spaces that are intimidating to parents and educators (Engel 1993; Sapon-Shevin, 2008), and is too often compliance and “cover your ass (CYA)” driven (Black & Burrello, 2010; Kalyanpur, Harry, & Skrtic, 2000; Skrtic, 2012).
As parents and scholars, we provide perspectives on the IEP as individualizing and sometimes marginalizing process, and suggest a reframing of the IEP as a site for joint work through a more inclusive and deliberatively democratic process. We would like to reimagine the IEP as a means to develop a community of supports and networks of people that facilitate meaningful, inclusive lives".
"We write this as a former administrator who led IEP meetings and educator of teachers and administrators who wants to develop engaged/activist educators who imagine better processes (Bill) and as a scholar of communication, disability, and culture (Jessica) who are also parents of a child with significant disabilities and multiple diagnoses (18p- syndrome and autism)." Reference
This Special Issue focusing on the IEP is also in a podcast format. Access it here: https://tash.org/news/the-individualized-education-program-as-a-living-document/
NSW Department of Education resources
NSW Department of Education resources
Select and confirm the options, adjustments, interventions or any other supports that will address the specific needs of the student. Document the agreed decisions made during collaborative discussions through a personalised student plan. Identify any specific resources including training and/or equipment that may be required. Personalised student plans may relate to one or more of the following aspects:
curriculum, learning and/or assessment
communication
social and/or emotional health
attendance
behaviour
transition
mobility and/or accessibility
health and/or personal care
sensory needs.
Planning for Personalised Learning and Support: A National Resource: Examples of Modifications
Planning for Personalised Learning and Support: A National Resource: Examples of Modifications
Modifications are often referred to as adjustments to meet individual needs. Adjustments can be made to a range of areas to support an individual student, including but not limited to the way that teaching and learning is provided, changes to the classroom or school environment, the way that students’ progress and achievements are assessed and reported to parents, the provision of personal care and planning to meet individual needs, as well as professional learning for teachers and support staff.
Adjustments for a student are regularly monitored, periodically revised and adapted or changed where needed, to continue to meet the assessed needs of the student. Examples of data that inform monitoring and review of the impact of assessments may include:
Student progress data, including both formative and summative assessment
Progress or file notes kept by teachers, specialist staff, other professionals
Collection and review of specific data relevant to planned personalised adjustments or interventions, such as behaviour, health care, communication, attendance and learning achievement
Regular review and updating of health care plans in consultation with medical specialists
Records of meetings to review adjustments, with individual students, parents and carers, teachers, support staff and specialist staff.
Records of adjustments to assessment processes, activities and responses such as scaffolded instructions, simplified language and written point form instead of essays.
Teachers and school staff work collaboratively to identify and respond to the additional learning and support needs of students. This includes consultation and collaborative planning between school staff and students and their parents and carers, as well as collaborative planning between teachers, support staff and specialist staff within and outside education where needed to address individual student needs.
Examples of ways in which this collaboration is recorded may include:
records of meetings held at school to plan for and review adjustments involving teachers, students, their parents and carers, other specialist staff and professionals, such as learning and support team meeting records
records of discussions and decisions about the provision of adjustments for the student
documented student plans signed by the student and their parents and carers
records of parent-teacher interviews
parent-teacher communication books.
Initial Student Voice info session with teachers: https://tinyurl.com/introducing-student-voice
What does the research say?
What does the research say?
References
References
Conley, K. M., Everett, S. R., & Pinkelman, S. E. (2019). Strengthening Progress Monitoring Procedures for Individual Student Behavior Support. Beyond Behavior, 28(3), 124-133. Download
Guiding progress monitoring as an essential element of effectively implementing individualised support plans. Progress monitoring allows student support teams to evaluate both the effectiveness of interventions and the fidelity of plan implementation.
Lambrecht, J., Lenkeit, J., Hartmann, A., Ehlert, A., Knigge, M., & Spörer, N. (2020). The effect of school leadership on implementing inclusive education: how transformational and instructional leadership practices affect individualised education planning. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 1-15. Download
A combination of transformational and instructional leadership is a good way to support the provision of collaborative structures and thereby the implementation of inclusive education.
Resources from the global community
Resources from the global community
The Beach Centre for Disability Study () contributes to the publication of a set of resources (https://transitioncoalition.org/blog/webinar/self-determined-learning-model-of-instruction-sdlmi/) designed for teachers. However, we note that, like most resources, their starting point is "student is helped setting a goal" which is done in conversation. The contribution of a tool like Pictability is that it involves a different participatory behaviour through creativity, rather than a more 'rational' discussion.
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