Successful Inclusive Practices in Middle and Secondary Schools

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article describes what is known about ways in which middle and secondary school educators have improved curricula, instruction, and assessment and reorganized to achieve increased collaboration and responsiveness for all students' needs. It describes seven prominently used instructional strategies and four reorganization strategies that allow secondary school communities to become successful at educating a diverse student population. A field-based example of a high school illustrates six best practices that emerged from interviews with inclusive educators: administrative support, ongoing professional development, collaboration, communication, instructional responsiveness, and expanded authentic assessment approaches. Across North America, school district data reveal a growing number of children with disabilities fully and successfully participating as members of general education elementary, middle, and secondary classrooms (Villa & Thousand, 2005). Recent federal legislation sets the stage for increased numbers of students with disabilities to be educated in general education middle and secondary classrooms. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEIA) requirement that students with disabilities access the general education curriculum in the least restrictive environment combines with the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) requirement that all students have access to highly qualified teachers to create a context for general and special educators to collaborate to provide students access to core content in general education classes. Despite knowledge of benefits of and key factors for promoting inclusive schooling, documented examples of inclusive education programs at the secondary level are not as abundant as at the elementary level (Grady with Gloeckler, 2004). This article describes what is known about ways in which middle and secondary school educators have improved curricula, instruction, and assessment and reorganized to achieve increased collaboration and responsiveness for all students' needs. It also provides a field-based example of a high school that exemplifies inclusive practices. CURRICULUM, INSTRUCTION, AND ASSESSMENT IMPROVEMENTS What follows are descriptions of seven of the most prominent methods middle and secondary educators employ to increase their responsiveness to the needs of all learners. The seven methods are: a) differentiated instruction, b) interdisciplinary curriculum, c) use of technology, d) student collaboration and peer-mediated instruction, e) supports and accommodations for curricular inclusion, f) teaching responsibility, peace-making, and self-determination, and g) authentic assessment of student performance. DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION: MOVING TOWARD A UNIVERSAL DESIGN FRAMEWORK Because of the unique learning characteristics of each middle or secondary student who enters the classroom everyday, differentiation in curriculum development, instructional delivery, and assessment must occur to facilitate meaningful and effective instruction not only for students perceived as disabled, at risk, or gifted, but also allegedly average students (Cole, 2001; Tomlinson, 2001). Differentiation has evolved to what now is known as universal design for learning (UDL). UDL is an educational application of universal design principles developed and used by architects, product designers, engineers, and environmental design researchers. It is used to make products, communications, and the physical environment usable to as many people as possible at little or no extra cost. UDL, then, refers to the creation of differentiated learning experiences that minimize the need for modifications for particular circumstances or individuals (Meyer & Rose, 2002; Udvari-Solner, Villa, & Thousand, 2005). UDL makes curriculum, materials, and school environments usable for students from different backgrounds and with different learning styles (Meyer & Rose, 2002), thus, decreasing segregation of students based on their different performance levels or perceived abilities. …

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