Format

Individual Presentation

First Presenter's Institution

Lamar County School System

Second Presenter's Institution

Lamar County School System

Third Presenter's Institution

Morgan County School District

Fourth Presenter's Institution

NA

Fifth Presenter's Institution

NA

Location

Session 2 (Ballroom D)

Strand #1

Academic Achievement & School Leadership

Relevance

This presentation is related to the head and heart strands. This presentation focuses on effective instructional practices needed to develop students’ academic skills by engaging the students in the learning process and using relevant instructional practices designed to strengthen executive functioning skills. The strategies embedded in the presentation can be used to improve academic achievement for students with disabilities, students who have academic challenges, and students who are disengaged in the learning environment. This presentation is designed to help educators identify and plan for opportunities to address various learners’ needs. Some of the strategies included in the presentation will help students use meta-cognitive skills to help them think about what they are learning and how they can take ownership of their success by setting goals, monitoring their own progress, and building skills express their knowledge through communicating with their peers and their teachers.

Brief Program Description

General Education Teachers, Special Education Teachers, and School Administrators will be able to gain information needed to support students suspected of or identified as experiencing learning disabilities. The presenters will discuss cognitive and meta-cognitive high leverage instructional practices that can be used to improve student engagement and academic achievement by strengthening executive functioning skills to enhance memory, attention and self-regulation.

Summary

This presentation is focused on one of the 22 High Leverage Practices (HLP). The attendees will receive an overview of the 22 High Leverage Practice Project completed by the Council for Exceptional Children and the CEEDAR Center. For the purpose of this professional learning session, the presenters will discuss number 14 of the High Leverage Practice as developed and published by the Council for Exceptional Children. The presenters will explain how to implement the cognitive and meta-cognitive instructional strategies to support students with mild disabilities or students requiring tiered instructional support. High Level Practice 14 explores instructional practices that are centered on teaching cognitive and meta-cognitive strategies to support learning and independence of students. The attendees will gain an understanding of executive functioning, cognitive instructional strategies, and meta-cognitive instructional strategies. The session will be filled with opportunities for the attendees to understand how the presented cognitive and meta-cognitive strategies can be implemented to increase student engagement, improve memory, attention, and self-regulation by allowing the attendees to explore visual demonstrations, participate in individual activities, participate in collaborative group activities, and develop a plan of action to implement the information presented in their professional practices.

The Learning Targets are as follows:

The participants will be able to articulate the purpose of High Leverage Practice Project.

The participants will understand Executive Functioning.

The participants will be able to understand how to teach cognitive and meta-cognitive strategies to support learning and independence of various learners.

The participants will develop a plan of action for implementing cognitive and meta-cognitive instruction in their professional practices.

Evidence

The information presented in this presentation based on the research conducted by the Center for Exceptional Children and the CEEDAR Center. According to McLeskey et al. (2017), the role of teachers of students with disabilities has become more dimensions than before and the role has become less desirable compared to other teaching assignment. McLeskey et al., (2017) contends, that the content of teacher preparation programs has been adjusted to address the evolution of role or teachers of students with disabilities. The High Leverage Practice Project was developed to provide guidance to the modern day teacher of students with disabilities and to provide insight to what defines effective instructional practices for students with learning differences. The 22 High Leverage Practices have been established as practices that all teachers should know. The strategies included in the High Leverage Practice Project were found to be effective by a collaborative group of educators of exceptional students (McLeskey et al., 2017).

McLeskey, J., Barringer, M-D., Billingsley, B., Brownell, M., Jackson, D., Kennedy, M., Lewis, T.,

Maheady, L., Rodriguez, J., Scheeler, M. C., Winn, J., & Ziegler, D. (2017, January). High-leverage

practices in special education. Arlington, VA: Council for Exceptional Children & CEEDAR Center.

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Crystal D. Roberts is the Director of Special Education for the Lamar County School System in Barnesville Georgia. A 13-year education professional who currently provides general supervision of Special Education, Gifted, Hospital Home-bound, and Section 504 programs for the district. She has served as district level leader in the role of director and compliance specialist. As a teacher, she has taught students with various abilities in grades kindergarten through twelfth grade for a total of eight years. Throughout her educational journey, she has earned a B.S. in Sociology from Georgia State University, a M. Ed. in Special Education from Cambridge College, an Ed.S. in Educational Leadership and an Ed.D. in curriculum and instruction from Argosy University. While studying at Argosy, she researched and conducted a quantitative study analyzing the effectiveness of the practice of co-teaching. She currently working with an emphasis on supporting teachers and administrators in increasing educational outcomes for all students.

Dr. Andrea Scandrett is the Curriculum Director for the Lamar County School System in Barnesville, Georgia. She is beginning her 29th year in education. She has served as a middle grades’ teacher, assistant principal and principal in both the elementary and middle school setting. She has a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Middle grades education from the University of West Georgia, a specialist in educational leadership from Georgia College and State University and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Mercer University. Dr. Scandrett loves to read and discuss educational issues.

Jessika C. Washington Ed.S., is a wife, mother, educator and entrepreneur of Ruth's House LLC. Jessika has served in the field of education for over 18 years. She is a graduate of Georgia Southern University, Georgia State University and Cambridge College. Jessika shares a passion for serving children with disabilities and supporting families of students with disabilities navigate through the process of understanding the impact of their child's disability. Jessika also dedicates a wealth of time developing curriculum and instructional material designed to increase access to standards based learning, for students with disabilities. She is inspired by the belief, "We are farmers in the field of knowledge, on a mission to produce quality crops, ensuring our students' growth"

Keyword Descriptors

Meta-cognitive, students with disabilities, student engagement, High Leverage Practices, academic achievement

Presentation Year

2020

Start Date

3-9-2020 1:15 PM

End Date

3-9-2020 2:30 PM

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Mar 9th, 1:15 PM Mar 9th, 2:30 PM

Effective Instructional Practices for Students with Mild Disabilities: Cognitive and Meta-cognitive Strategies

Session 2 (Ballroom D)

General Education Teachers, Special Education Teachers, and School Administrators will be able to gain information needed to support students suspected of or identified as experiencing learning disabilities. The presenters will discuss cognitive and meta-cognitive high leverage instructional practices that can be used to improve student engagement and academic achievement by strengthening executive functioning skills to enhance memory, attention and self-regulation.