Two Cardinal Schools teachers and their classrooms will be held up as an example for professional development across the state next year.
On Feb. 10, the fourth-grade math class of Gail Duchscherer and the sixth-grade science class of Stephanie Boles were filmed by a crew from the Ohio Center for Autism and Low Incidence from Columbus, according to the district.
The plan is to demonstrate how the teachers manage a classroom of students including those affected with autism. Teachers all over the state will be able to go online to benefit from the videos.
The teachers and their classes participate in the Geauga County Educational Service Center’s Specialized Teaching for students with Autism and Resource Center (STARS). Both spoke positively about the impact the program has on their students.
“Bringing the STARS students into my classroom is a win-win situation. My classroom students model good classroom behaviors, while the STARS students are able to try good behaviors in a safe environment,” Duchscherer said in a statement.
There is a lot to learn about autism, Boles said, adding teachers can benefit from the program as well as the students.
“Since we don’t know what students with special needs are capable of, we need to expose them to as much as possible as often as possible in authentic settings,” she said. “Being in the regular classroom allows students to be exposed to grade-level vocabulary and content they can work on with their peers, which in turn, builds confidence and responsibility.”
The Cardinal teachers and classes weren’t chosen at random. OCALI representatives from Columbus toured a number of schools to find model classrooms to video.
“We traveled the state observing and interviewing educators on their instruction practices to find the classes that best demonstrated the correct age-appropriate, evidence-based practices in action,” said Carly McVey, OCALI’s program director for the Autism Certification Center. “We also needed classrooms that demonstrated good instruction; teaching that works both for students on the spectrum and those who are not.”
STARS is a program from the GCESC set up to mainstream children with autism into classrooms in the public schools.
Being chosen to help others understand how mainstreaming challenges can be met is a thrill for STARS program Director Dana Eggers.
It also shows the efforts the schools take to make sure all students can achieve academically, she said.
“For our educators, students and school district to be recognized in this manner, as a model classroom, is truly amazing,” Eggers said. “Being a county program, it is exciting to be able to highlight the amazing collaboration between the staff and students. By combining our resources, all students benefit.”
The two Cardinal teachers focus on good instruction for all their students, McVey said.
“We’re excited to have the chance to share their practices so other professionals across the country can learn from them” McVey said.
OCALI expects to launch the training videos in October via the Autism Certification Center’s website, autismtrainingcenter.org.
Professionals completing 10 of the 30 training modules will receive a certificate for professional development. Funding for the training modules comes from a grant from the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities and the Ohio Department of Education.
