Impact Story

This year i focused on achievement challenge 5: 

Improve the achievement of students with additional needs in the learning areas of English/key competency using language symbols and texts

My inquiry question was:

Will increasing the Key Competency “Managing Self” improve student achievement in reading?

This year i continued my inquiry from the previous year but implemented the process I undertook with a new group of learners. Last year i had a group of high functioning boys with Autism, this year i had a group of new entrant students with a range of disabilities. Due to the nature of my classroom where some students spent a short period of time with me before transitioning out to a satellite class (at a mainstream school), my focus group of students changes each term which made my inquiry more challenging.

WHAT HAPPENED TO MY LEARNERS?

- All students increased their ability to remain seated.

- All students were able to engage in self selected reading (SSR) independently.

- All students learnt pre reading skills such as turning the page, pointing to the words and using visuals.

- Non-verbal students were able to attend to their AAC (augmentative and alternative communication).

- 2 students were able to recognise some high frequency words by the end of the year.

- All students were able to follow the classroom routine.

- 1 student in my focus group transitioned to a satellite successfully and moved up 1 reading level.

- Parents commented on how they were able to enjoy a reading book at home with their child.

WHAT EVIDENCE DO I HAVE?

Due to the nature of my students, much of this year was spent building a rapport and transitioning them into school routines. I wasn't able to do much formative assessment as they were not able to sit and attend to the assessment. Many of them were not sure how to point so i was unsure of how to test their current skills. However as the year went on I was able to find out how each student could be tested and that is how i gathered my data. I also gathered evidence by noting how long they were able to attend or sit for as well as follow classroom routines.

WHAT DID I DO?

- Built strong relationships with both the students and their families by sending home a questionnaire.

- I used this information to make personalised books about their hobbies and interests.

- I implemented a sensory curriculum to engage them in learning tasks (a transitional programme from kindy to school).

- I put structure and routines in place so that the routine in class was predictable, this took out any anxiety about what was going to happen at school each day. All students were introduced to an individual timetable.

- Reading packs were set up: 1x book per week with individualised activities that went home each day.

WHERE TO NEXT?

This year went very differently to last year as my students last year already had foundation reading skills. This year i have had to teach them alphabet knowledge and for some students, how to use a book. While many of my students were not able to move up a reading level, their pre reading skills improved.

My wanderings about where to next is, how do we test those students who are nonverbal? How can we tell if they are reading in their head? How do we teach them to point in order to answer comprehension questions. This is one of the biggest challenges i have faced this year as the majority of my class are non-verbal or have restricted language.

As i write my end of year reflection, I feel proud of what my students have accomplished but also how i have grown as a teacher. I feel fortunate to have been a part of this journey for two years. I hope you have enjoyed being part of the ride and learnt something from my blog this year.

What have i implemented this year?

Here is a short video summary of what i have implemented this year as part of my 2018 inquiry.
This year has been a huge learning curve for me. I have always had students who had come to me with foundation reading skills but this year i have had the opportunity to teach those skills to students who have not had much exposure to a structured class setting. While much of the year has been spent on teaching skills such as engagement, communication and increased work time, I have still seen huge shifts in my students reading. As i write my end of year reflections I am proud of all the students who have hit so many milestones, not only starting school but gaining skills in areas where they have not previously excelled.

Making words

This week a group of students in my class worked on making words. These students all have letter sound knowledge but are unable to recognise high frequency words.
I found these alphabet blocks in the library and I made up some word cards where they could practice making familiar words. This week we did CVC words from the "at" family.
This activity could also be done with Lego blocks or cubes.

Reading Sucess

One student in my focus group has done particularly well this year. At the beginning of the year he was unable to attend to a task for long periods of time. He is now able to sit and work for up to 20 minutes (previously he wasnt able to sit longer than 1 minute at a non-preferred activity).

Through predictable classroom routines, implementing a visual schedule, a work/reward system and regular sensory breaks we saw a huge increase of on task engagement.

While he has stayed on level 1 Magenta he has learnt many foundation pre reading skills which are the building blocks for learning how to read. Skills such as:

- pointing to the words

- reading aloud

- turning the page

- recognising high frequency words

- looking at the pictures for decoding words

- attempting to read words that look the same (eg look and like)

One of the biggest achievements for this student has been feedback from his family who are now able to enjoy reading a book together at home.

Where to next?

Where to next???

Term 4 is a short and very busy term. I will have a new student starting school and my class will have grown to 9 students which is the most i have had in a special education setting.
I will need to work on my classroom management to ensure that i am able to manage the amount of students in the class. I have decided to split my class into two groups during work time to see if i can spend more 1:1 time to work on individual literacy goals.
I also have 4 new students in the class, some have started taking reading packs home and the others will start this term.

Oliver: implement behavior programme outlined by the student who was working with Oliver last term. I also want to see how many letters of the alphabet he can recognise as I have tried testing multiple times but all my testing has come up with different results.

Benjamin: work on reading aloud, learning high frequency words and comprehension.

Progress update - Term 3

This term has been a hectic and busy one and unfortunately i have not been able to trial as many interventions as i initially planned. I have had a huge influx of new students who started during term 3 and each child takes a few weeks to settle. My programme has been disrupted and i haven't had the opportunity to develop behavior strategies to improve my students reading practice.
Here is a brief outline about what i was able to achieve this term in regards to changing my practice and what strategies i put in place to improve the key competency "managing self".

Oliver: This term Oliver has been unsettled due to his family going away for a few weeks of the term and having his routine out of place. In the classroom he is not able to attend and focus like he was during term 2. However a behavior therapy student has been working with Oliver 1:1 to find the cause of his behavior and to set up a behavior plan for the remainder of the year. We are continuing to follow the behavior plan we have put in place and it continues to work well for him. I am looking forward to trialing more interventions for him next term.

Conner: Conner progressed so well during term 1 and 2 that he has been moved to a satellite class in a mainstream school. He has transitioned well to his new class.

Benjamin: Benjamin has made the most progress this term. He is calm, happy, settled and compliant. He is started to vocalise as he is reading rather than just pointing to the words as an adult reads. This is huge progress to Benjamin being able to read by himself as he can already recognise many high frequency words.

Interest Based Learning

Interest Based Learning is a strategy that Special Education Teachers naturally become quite skilled at. When so many students are difficult to engage then you will use whatever you can to spark their interest.
I had a student last year that enjoyed writing about lawnmowers. On challenging days where i wasn't able to get him to do any writing, we would research his favourite lawnmower and write a story about it.
When i get a new student in my classroom, the first thing i do is send home a questionnaire asking about their special interests, hobbies, important people in their lives and places they like to go. I then use this information to create activities and resources to use to teach them new skills.
One of my students enjoys watching things fall. This can often be a barrier to his learning as he will continuously drop materials instead of using them in a activity (eg puzzle pieces).
As part of my inquiry i am using a Interest Based Learning approach to engage and motive my learners. In this video you will see a alphabet activity i made based on my students interest of things falling. I gave him a choice of 2 letters and when he chose the correct one he could put the letter down the tube which then splashed into water. This activity was a highly motivating activity for this student who was so keen to choose the correct letter that he was able to focus and engage for the whole session.

Literacy apps for emergent readers.

Following on from my last post, i thought i would share some apps i have found to be successful in the classroom and across Sommerville Special School. I use the iPads as an independent activity as part of my writing rotation.
I have downloaded a whole bunch of other new apps which i will spend some time using in the classroom before sharing. Enjoy!

	Writing Wizard: - excellent tool for tracing letters and numbers
	Sight words by photo touch: - flashcards on screen that read out high frequency words which the student has to press - great for testing sight word knowledge
	ABC alphabet by photo touch: - same concept as the sight words app but upper case alphabet - video shown on previous post
	Special words: - teaching word concepts - starts with matching picture to picture, then picture to word etc - similar concept to the programme "my baby can read"
	Elmo loves ABC's: - All of my students enjoy exploring this app - great for teaching alphabet knowledge
	ABC Magic 1: - flashcards that word like a book. Students can flick through to explore letter sounds, letters and objects beginning with that letter

Testing Success!

This term i have focused hugely on assessment. I now have a good relationship with my students and a good grasp of their current skills.
I have a few students who i find challenging to assess. I have tried many different assessment techniques and the data remains inconclusive.

Getting accurate testing information from students who are unable to verbalize the answer is complex. After attempting alphabet testing with one particular student multiple times with no success I was unsure about what to do next. Some times he was able to show me that he knew some letters and other times I thought he was just guessing. Over the weekend i decided to download some new iPad apps which were motivating and easy to use.
Not only did he get almost all of them correct but I had finally found a testing method for a student who was difficult to test. Now i can use the same method to test letter sounds and high frequency words. Finding alternative testing techniques has been the biggest breakthrough in my inquiry this term.
This year has definitely taught me to try and if something fails....try again!

Testing non-verbal students

I have a range of students in my class and my biggest struggle is finding an appropriate and reliable method to test their skills. I have had an influx of new students in my class this term and whenever I get a new student my first question is, "how do I test what they already know?"

In the past I have success with one of my students using an alphabet programme I made on my smart board. However when i tried this method for my three new students I found it was not suitable. They starting popping all of the balloons not just the letter i was calling out. 

This week i have spent some time teaching my new students to "point to" or "give me" a flashcard. This isn't the most reliable method because when they make a choice out of 3 they may accidentally pick the correct card. With this method i will usually retest them multiple times to make sure my data is correct. However testing alphabet and sound knowledge can take a very long time. Most of my students are still learning to attend and sit for extended periods of time which means testing is done in short mini-sessions. 

When researching other appropriate methods i came across a blog that shared the exact sturggles that I have been having with my students. In this blog there were some excellent suggestions for testing phonological awareness. I have a number of students who can identify both upper case, lower case letters and letter sounds but i am unsure if they are able to link this sound awareness to a word.

With the remainder of the term i am going to try assessing their phonological awareness using the testing strategies outlined in the blog (linked above). I am hoping this will give me more insight into their reading skills. 

Teaching visuals for communication

One of my lovely colleagues has been making activity specific core language boards for reading for many years. When I first moved to Sommerville I saw how they could be used to support reading comprehension and I continued to add them to my reading packs.
I have used them to teach visuals to my students who are non-verbal. Once i have taught them what the symbols mean, i then use the board so that the student can answer questions about the book. For students who are unable to verbalise the words in the book, the board can be used to complete assessments so that you can test their understanding.
In this video one of my students is pointing to the object he can see in the book when asked, "what can you see?"

Please note: sound has been removed to protect the child's identity

Personalised books

Reading should be highly engaging, especially for new and emergent readers. Often the language used in Magenta readers are simple to encourage high frequency word recognition at an early stage. Many of my new students that arrive at school are unable to attend for long periods of time let alone taking part in a shared reading experience at mat time.

To overcome this challenge I have split my class into two groups. 

- One group reads 1:1 with an adult on their individual reading which includes activities i have shared on this blog. Activities include; responding to visuals, identifying high frequency words, matching visuals to the pictures/words and colorful semantics. 

- One group to work on foundation reading tasks such as turning the page, pointing to the words, looking at the book, pointing to pictures and engaging in a story. For this group i have had to adapt my resources to suit their interests. 

At the beginning of the year I always send home a questionnaire  to ask about the students and their interest. Using this information I made lots of books that the students would be interested in so they can choose a book for silent reading. I have had a breakthrough with one of my students who has taken much longer to settle this year. She is now choosing to read a book to read and turning the pages on her own. 

Literacy and Communication

This term i have two new students joining my class, both students are non-verbal and have no communication system currently set up. A huge focus in special education is communication and many classes at our school will have a variety of systems to support the student with communication.
Communication is at the core of all my lessons as it is woven throughout the class programme. Having acess to communication weather it is through a iPad or a core board is vital. I usually modell lamguage on a large core board for the whole class, the support sdtaff working in my classroom will also support individual students who have funded devices or are trailling devices so that the language that i am using is modelled on their individual devices. It is a time consuming and difficult process which makes it more difficult when you have different students using various devices however seeing the results long term is worth it!

In the holidays i watched a very inspiring Ed Talk video about literacy expert, Sally Clendon. At Sommerville we are fortunate enough to get professional development from Sally, i have implemented many of Sally's literacy recommendations and seen the students success as a result.
If you have students in your classroom who are non-verbal or using AAC (Augmentive and Alternative communication) i would highly recommend looking into Sally Clendon's work.
You can find her short Ed talk video by clicking here. 

Colourful Somantics

I posted last year on my blog about colourful semantics and how well it can work for students with communication needs.

You can see the previous post by clicking here.

I have started to use the same resources i used last year however i have simplified the activities by focusing on ONE key area. I am going to include colourful semantics activities in my writing rotation.
My students are working on answering questions about the story, for students who do not yet have the language or are non-verbal then using visuals allows them the chance to be able to communicate their answer.
In this activity, the student is working on answering "who" using pictures from the story. Using the colourful semantics system, "who" is coloured orange. He has to look at the picture and choose the correct visual to identify characters from the story.
I will use this programme in my writing rotation as well.

There is plenty of resources avalibale online. you can find more information by clicking here. 

Student Sucess

This term one of my focus students, Conner, has excelled since starting school. Next term he will be attending one of our satellite classes. It is a good opportunity for him to be able to integrate with his mainstream peers.

In the two terms since he has started school he has learnt to;
- join group activities in the classroom
- complete his morning routine
- write his name
- use his individual timetable so that he understands what he is meant to be doing
- attend to learning activities for an extended period of time (from 5 minutes to 30 minutes). This was a goal for him in the classroom as part of my inquiry.
- reading skills: turning the page, pointing to the words, recognising high frequency words, retelling the story line, identifying the title, answering comprehension questions.
- he has moved from a Level 1 Magenta reader to Level 3 Red reader.
- his high frequency word recognition has increased (see graph).

I look forward to hearing how he progresses in his new classroom. I have two new students starting next term so i will choose another student to add to my focus group.

Progress update - Term 2

Term 2 has been a successful one for my students, especially the ones i have outlined in my focus group. When reflecting on this term and what made it successful it has been a combination of building relationships, having high expectations, building predictable routines and implementing a sensory curriculum including opportunities for movement breaks.

Oliver: I have the behavior team on board to assist with his behavior in the classroom, mainly around compliance for non-prefurred tasks. With a behavior plan put in place, Oliver is now more settled. He can complete tasks in a familiar routine such as unpacking his bag and writing his name. He will now sit and attend to his individual reader for short periods of time. I have not been able to assess his alphabet knowledge as of yet however i am hoping that next term i will be able to test him.

Conner: Conner has made the most progress this term. He joins all class group activities and has gone up two reading levels! He is now reading at red level 3 with excellent comprehension. He understands that he needs to complete all work tasks before he is allowed to play and has stopped leaving the table in the middle of a work block.

Benjamin: We have seen a huge increase of functional language being used throughout the day. Benjamin is like a sponge and just soaks up any learning, even when it appears he is not attending to the lesson he is able to show us that he understands the task. Benjamin still continues to run multiple times in circle time but during work tasks he is on task for the duration of the lesson. This term i was able to identify how many high frequency words he can recognise, this is a big breakthrough!

Next term i am keeping my programme relativly similar with a focus on comprehension during reading tasks using visuals to aide understanding of the text.

Implementing a sensory curriculum

As my students are new to school and routines, I am working on extending the time they will engage in seated activities. As part of my writing, handwriting and math's programme i implement sensory based learning activities as well as seated work tasks so that students who are unable to focus for long periods of time get a "sensory break".
There are heaps of ideas on Pinterest for "sensory tubs". This week i put the "letter of the week" in a tub with jelly balls (can be found at most $2 shops), and words we are learning from our word wall in shredded paper (purchased from looksharp). Other sensory tubs i have used in the past are:
-shaving foam
-flour
-colored rice
-sand
-sago
-kinetic sand

 

Addressing sensory needs

My students need regular sensory input throughout the day in order to focus for extended periods of time. For some students this means implementing a "sensory diet".

"A sensory diet is a carefully designed, personalized activity plan that provides the sensory input a person needs to stay focused  and organised throughout the day." (Patricia Wilbager, OT)

When i look across my group of students i can recognize that most of my class are sensory seeking;  weather it is rocking on their chairs, walking around the room before sitting down, jumping off the chairs, or seeking tactile stimulation. I have worked with students in the past who were tactile defensive (refusal to explore tactile surroundings) and the class OT (occupational therapist) implemented a Wilbarger brush programme as part of a sensory diet. I was amazed at the success of using a brush to stimulate the skin in order to increase active exploration.

My class programme caters to the sensory needs in my classroom with regular sensory breaks offered to my students in order to increase their focus during work tasks. I timetable a movement break every 30 minutes. The breaks vary from jumping on the trampoline, going for a run, sensory play, swing and a exercise circuit. Some of my students such as Benjamin need more breaks in order to remain on task in the classroom. I make sure he goes on the swing for 2 minutes before he is expected to sit.

I am currently trialing a few alternative seating alongside the OT that works in my classroom. If you have a student who struggles to focus you could try using a swiss ball to sit on, inflatable cushion, fake grass under their feet, weighted blankets for pressure or a fiddle toy to maintain focus.

Making reading accessible through AAC

As mentioned in previous posts, i now have 4 out of 7 students using AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication). I am working on implementing all devices into my class programme which is no easy feat considering one person needs to work individually with that child while using their device and i only have 3 staff members.

However creating opportunities for communication while it should come naturally i have found it is best to plan sessions where i will use each device. I am trying to get my students to carry their devices with them so that they can take ownership over their own communication as well.

Each week i make an activity specific language board to go with their communication device for a student to use while they are reading. This particular student was trialing a device that has sound output and recordable buttons. I used language from their weekly reader and recorded the symbols on the device. For the first time, this student was able to answer questions about the story, and  they were able to answer correctly! Because of the success we had during reading, this student is going to trial a similar device with more icons available. From 9 icons on a screen to 32!

Planning communication opportunities isn't always easy in the chaos of a busy classroom however making it part of your new "normal" makes it manageable; especially when you start to see success for that student.

Engaging students in reading

Since introducing personalised books into my class library i have seen an increase of independent reading by a student who otherwise would have refused to read.
By engaging her in books about topics that she is interested I have been able to assess her pre-reading skills. I know that she is able to hold the book correctly and turn the page. When looking at the book she can look at the pictures and words on the left and then on the right which shows me she knows the left to right direction that text is read.

I download most of my individualised books from a website called Taheel Reader (link is supplied). Taheel Reader is a fantastic resource where people make books and upload them online. They are switch adaptable if you have a student with limited mobility who uses switches and they can also be used on a touch screen. I download and print them out to put in my library however last year my students were able to access them on the computer during independent reading time. I usually always have books in my library printed that are based on my topic as well.

Ready to Learn

I currently have 7 students in my classroom, 6 out of the 7 students have an individualised reading programme using the reading packs i make up each week.
One of my students has taken much longer than the others to settle. Last term she got upset when asked to complete a request. Once upset she would cry for an extended period of time. My main goal for her last term was to follow the class routines rather than complete work. She was encouraged to sit while the other students were sitting during circle time and meal times. When the other students were moving around activities for writing and math's she was expected to stay at the table but was not expected to complete work. Along with the behavior therapist we decided to take away all the demands. This was a very hard decision for me as i want all of my students to have the most learning opportunities throughout the day. Not encouraging her to complete a work task went against everything i believe in however it allowed her the chance to observe what the other students were doing and learn the class routine.

This term she has come back to school and is now very settled and calm. Her family said she missed school over the holidays, often putting her bag on wanting to come to school. I have reflected on her progress recently and how far she has come. I think the reason she is more settled this term is because we let her to settle on her own time, giving her opportunities to join in but not forcing her to be ready before she was ready to learn. Learning readiness is something that we need to take on board as educators, especially when that student has additional needs. They need to have the foundation skills in order to be able to engage in a learning programme that is designed for them.
Last term gave me the chance to be able to reflect on my own practice
, i needed to change the way i approached a student in order to cater to their individual needs

Implementing AAC

In my clasroom I am fortunate to have a diverse range of students with a range of communication tools. This term many of my students are trialing different communication systems to find the best system which allows those students who are non-verbal to communicate. 

My current challenge is implementing all of the different devices into my class programme to ensure they are getting ample opportunities to communicate. A trial is usually a maximum of a few weeks if they are trialing a device that is in high demand. 

In my class i currently have:

- 2 verbal students, one with wide range of vocabulary and another who uses key words to communicate

- 1 nonverbal student has trialed a ipad mini with touch chat installed (the student presses the symbol / button which reads out the words). We are awaiting his device to be funded and in the meantime we are using a paper version of the ipad. 

- 1 nonverbal student is trialing a Go Talk 9 which is a system which you have to pre record language you want to use. 

- 1 nonverbal student is trialing a core board where he is learning to point to the symbols.

- 2 nonverbal students are awaiting a communication system  but are currently learning to use visuals in the classroom before moving to a complete system.

        

Over the next few weeks my aim is to integrate these systems into my reading programme to show how multiple systems can be used in one classroom to model language and encourage my students to use their AAC systems to communicate. I am looking forward to seeing what my students have to say with the chance to now be able to do so.

Lastly i wanted to share a powerful blog i came across. It really encouraged me to think of my learners and how they must feel with limited means of communicating. In the chaos of a special needs classroom with so much going on it can be difficult to walk across the room to get their device when it took so long to finally get settled in the activity. However after reading this blog it has driven me to do what i can to give my students a voice.  

Blog link here

Practice makes Perfect!

Each afternoon I do individual reading with each of my students. Some students are able to sit and attend to a story and others are not yet ready to read. 

I have a student called Benjmain who has recently been able to show me many of the skills he has. After 9 weeks at school he is now able to sit at his seat for the majority of circle time, attend to a shared reading book and complete a work task. I knew that if i persevered with trying to get him to participate in reading he would become familiar with what is expected. 

After 2 weeks of bringing him to the table and getting him to point to the words and turn the page, he started to stay in his seat for longer and longer. At first he would turn one page and walk off; over time he increased the sitting time and participated more and more. 

Benjamin will now sit and participate in individual reading for the duration of a story. 

I am also able to send his reading book home so that he can read at home. His family commented that they were surprised he was able to sit for the length of time as he had never shown much interest in books. For the family, this was a huge milestone and one they were able to see him achieve at both home and school. 

ASD and Building Routines

The importance for building predictable routines for children with Autism is paramount for learning however it is important to ensure that the child doesn't become too obsessed with routines. I often hear of families having to drive the same route each day to ensure that the child with Autism doesn't get upset, or wearing the same clothes and eating the same food.
I believe that providing a structured learning environment helps the child to focus on what they are meant to be doing and to block out overstimulating environments. Routines also help to build expectations and  ease anxiety for children who cannot decode what is happening in their environment.
Now that my students are familiar with our class routine i am starting to make small changes to make our routine slightly different. This way they learn how to cope with change in a safe environment because life isn't always going to be predictable. I do this by taking a trip to the swings after morning tea instead of reading our big book, or timetabling a surprise on their individual timetables so they cannot anticipate what is going to happen.

If you have a student who cannot cope with transitioning between tasks then start by
- building a predictable routine (use a visual timetable to help)
- once they are familiar; start making small changes to their day
- adding "surprise" on their timetable

https://www.autismspectrum.org.au/content/establishing-routines

Managing self - Key Competencies

As my inquiry is related to increasing my students managing self skills i wanted to look more closely at the Key Competencies to see where they fit, i will readdress this later in the year to see where they have progressed using the Key Competency pathway. By linking my inquiry to the Key Competencies it has enabled me to identify my next steps and track my students progress throughout my inquiry.

https://nz-curriculum.wikispaces.com/2+Approaches

Oliver : He struggles to follow instructions when it is a non-preferred activity. This becomes challenging when it is time for work as he will show signs of refusal (lying on the floor or throwing his work), it has been difficult to see where his current reading skills. His behavior is a barrier to his learning, with the help of first / then visual supports we have seen his behavior decrease. 
Current Skills: KCI 4 / Manage my behavior : Attend to adult led activities with support
Next Steps : KCI 5 / Manage my behavior : Show awareness that actions have consequences

Conner : He has anxiety about joining in with unfamiliar groups, he will now join in group activities with out class but when we join with other classes he walks off and observes from a distance. Occasionally he refuses to come back to the classroom when we are outdoors but generally he listens well. 
Current Skills: KCI 5 / Take Risks : Use acquired skills in a familiar group
Next Steps : KCI 6 / Take Risks : Use acquired skills with an unfamiliar person

Benjamin : He needs to be familiar with a routine in order to remain on task and do what is expected of him. if the routine/environment is unfamiliar then he will walk away, run to a different activity or cry.  
Current Skills: KCI 4 / Persevere : Participate in a familiar activity that has been set for me with support
Next Steps : KCI 5 / Persevere : Anticipate and follow the next step in my learning programme that has been set for me

Alternative testing techniques

In special education we learn to get creative with how we deliver our teaching and test our students. I have a group of students in my class who i have struggled to formally test. I have used many different techniques to find out if they know their alphabet. For a teacher who has a student who is non-verbal it can be challenging to find out what they know.
Usually i would get them to choose out of 3 cards "show me ___" however what if they cannot yet make choices or don't understand the task? What if they cannot respond to simple instructions like "point to", "show me" or "give me"?
I have a student who i have attempted to test 8 times, ive tried everything from building alphabet towers and getting them to find the correct alphabet block to using  letter stencils to make letters in play dough.
Benjamin (part of my focus group) works well with technology however i couldn't find an app or game that was suitable. I have access to a smart board in my classroom so i made a game where Banjamin had to pop the balloons with the letters on them.
I used peer modelling initially to teach him the task. I used a student who had good alphabet knowledge and as i read out the letter, he would pop the balloon. When it was his turn he completed the task correctly, i was astounded that he knew all his lower case alphabet. I tested him twice to ensure that my data was correct and managed to capture some evidence on video to show his family.
Now that i have found a method to test him, i look forward to finding out what else he knows.

Focus Group 2018

I currently have 8 students in my classroom, all with varied skills and strengths. When choosing the students in my focus group I wanted to choose students that were showing signs of being ready to read (can sit for a short period of time, attend for the length of a story) but needed strategies to be put in place to be able to progress further.

Here is a brief outline of the students i have chosen in my focus group. 

I am currently completing assessments to have baseline data, i am in the process of finding the most suitable assessments to suit my students needs as well as how to assess them (I often need to get creative to assess my students).

Oliver : Age 5 yr, 1 mth, speaks and understands both English and Chinese, speaks using 1-3 keywords, very social and interactive but reliant on adult support as he likes 1:1 attention, has difficulty with compliance with non-preferred activities, good receptive language skills and understanding, minimal alphabet recognition, weak fine motor skills due to low muscle tone

Conner : Age 5 yr, 4 mth, excellent communication skills both verbal and receptive, he is very social and can initiate a conversation with others, he has difficulty joining group activities however this is improving, he can struggle at times to attend to a task when he wants to do something else,  he can recognise all upper and lower case letters and most letter sounds and he has instant recognition of many high frequency words

Benjamin : Age 5 yr, 3 mth, has some words but not using them yet appropriately to request items or comment. He has difficulty following instructions, sitting for extended periods of time and completely non-preferred activities. I am still in the process of working out what letters he can recognise. He doesn't show an interest in books and is unable to sit for extended periods of time. 

I have already started implementing strategies for all the students in my class - mainly around independence and managing themselves day to day in the classroom (unpacking their bag, sitting for increasing periods of time, using the first - then visual sequence, following routines). I am looking forward to working on specific strategies for each student and their learning needs. 

Watch this space!