<p>This document was developed and produced by the Maryland State Department of Education, Division of Special Education/Early Intervention Services (December 2011) with funds from the [U.S. Department of Education, Grant # H323A07000-09]. Maryland’s Co-Teaching Framework The purpose of the Co-Teaching Framework is to specify co-teaching components for enhanced instructional practices and greater access to the general education curriculum for students with disabilities. This framework provides guidance and consistency of quality implementation for local school systems using co-teaching as a service delivery model for improving achievement of students with disabilities. An extended use of this tool would be to embed the essential co-teaching components into strategic planning at the district and school levels to address the needs of all learners. This framework was developed as a component of one of the Solutions incorporated in Maryland’s State Improvement Grant (MSIG III) to improve outcomes for children and youth with disabilities and their families. The Grant is funded by the Office of Special Education Programs in the U.S. Department of Education. The Solution’s purpose is to develop a Maryland Co-Teaching Network to support collaboration for capacity building of administrators and teachers, special education site content development, and high quality professional development related to the Maryland framework for co-teaching and best practices. The MSDE is defining Co-Teaching as a collaborative partnership between a generalist and a specialist who have shared accountability and ownership for planning and delivering instruction and assessment to all students within a classroom environment. Vision Statement: General and special educators have gained capacity to regularly collaborate and have joint accountability and ownership for planning, delivering instruction, and assessment for the success of all students in the general education curriculum resulting in systemic change that is sustainable. Mission statement: To improve achievement of students with disabilities by supporting the professional growth of administrators and teachers by:</p><p>. Giving teachers high quality tools and meaningful and engaging learning experiences to implement effective evidence-based co- teaching practices resulting in improved student achievement and more inclusive opportunities for students with disabilities.</p><p>. Giving system leadership and school-based administrators high quality tools and meaningful and engaging learning experiences to support and monitor effective evidence-based co-teaching practices resulting in improved student achievement and more inclusive opportunities for students with disabilities.</p><p>. Providing online social networking opportunities and learning communities, for administrators and teachers to engage in dialogue, access resources, and exchange information for professional growth in the Maryland model for co-teaching and collaboration.</p><p>. Establishing the Co-Teaching Network as a place to find valuable techniques, strategies, protocols, examples, media to improve co- teaching to increase student academic achievement and the number of students with disabilities in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) A. (students participate in general education classes 80% or more of the school day). 1 This document was developed and produced by the Maryland State Department of Education, Division of Special Education/Early Intervention Services (December 2011) with funds from the [U.S. Department of Education, Grant # H323A07000-09]. Collaborative Development and Implementation Stages of the Co-Teaching Framework Personnel Collaborative Collaborative Collaborative Collaborative Development Implementation Monitoring Evaluation -Monitor and provide tools –Assess the impact on co- Central Office –Facilitate the development of a shared –Assist school-based to support Instructional teaching implementation Administration system-wide vision that ensures that schools administrators and school Leadership Teams in of factors including consider co-teaching as a service delivery Instructional Leadership Teams in monitoring the alignment adequate collaborative method to provide more inclusive their support of the of curriculum, instruction, planning time, programming for students with disabilities implementation of co-teaching and assessment in co- appropriate scheduling of taught classrooms staff and students, and – Ensure that schools strategically -- Foster a culture of collaboration between focused, sustained, assign an appropriate proportion general and special educators -Review LRE data to research-based of general education students and consider if co-teaching as a professional –Determine system-wide goals and timelines students with disabilities to co- service delivery method development for co-teaching implementation taught classes (no more than 1/3) should be expanded to provide more inclusive –Determine staffing allocations based on the –Provide staff focused, sustained, - Assess the impact of programming for students co-teaching model of service delivery research-based professional system and school-wide with disabilities development based on assessed co-teaching on student –Consider administrator and teacher achievement using needs related to co-teaching, - Support co-teaching skills/knowledge and school readiness when multiple sources of Universal Design for Learning, and through: assigning resources (including technology) for student-achievement differentiation strategies --Prioritizing collaborative co-taught classes data planning time -Provide staff focused, sustained, --Ensuring class schedules -Provide guidelines for scheduling for research-based professional –Evaluate the accommodate co- efficient and effective staff assignment that development specifically related effectiveness of the planning and co- include adequate collaborative planning time to co-teaching including professional teaching to co-taught classes understanding selecting and development provided in --Ensuring appropriate implementing the 5 approaches of alignment with the MD student grouping –Plan system professional development for co-teaching Teacher Professional --Ensuring parent administrators and school-based staff aligned 1- One Teach-One Assist Development Standards communication with the Maryland Teacher Professional 2- Station Teaching Development Standards based on assessed 3- Parallel Teaching -Ensure that schools use needs that is focused, sustained, and 4-Alternative Teaching student data and data research-based related to co-teaching as an 5-Team Teaching collected during the instructional delivery model with the clear based upon Friend & Cook, 2007* observation process to understanding that Universal Design for 2 This document was developed and produced by the Maryland State Department of Education, Division of Special Education/Early Intervention Services (December 2011) with funds from the [U.S. Department of Education, Grant # H323A07000-09]. Learning and differentiation are expected make recommendations – Evaluate school and Central Office strategies within the co-taught classroom – Procedures in place for the for the improvement of system-wide data related Administration periodic, collaborative review of instruction in co-taught to co-teaching as an the system-wide co-teaching classrooms instructional model and -Train administrators and school-based staff vision and allocation of resources - Conduct classroom disseminate results in the use of the co-teaching tool for aligned to support the vision and fidelity checks for related to the specified monitoring appropriate implementation address barriers to implementation of co- goals and interim implementation teaching, Universal Design benchmarks with -Specify measurable outcomes, establish for Learning, and appropriate stakeholders baseline data of current system-wide –Implement centralized data differentiation classroom practice in co-teaching, and collection procedures for interim benchmarks related to co-teaching established outcomes - Plan for ongoing support implementation and student achievement to to ensure sustainability be collected – Ensure that schools use technology and multiple sources -Develop procedures for the periodic of data to improve classroom collaborative review of the system-wide co- instruction. Student data will be teaching vision with resources aligned to used for ongoing root cause support the vision analysis of student performance that drives instructional decision making</p><p>-Provide sufficient technology for integration in instruction, progress monitoring and assessment</p><p>3 This document was developed and produced by the Maryland State Department of Education, Division of Special Education/Early Intervention Services (December 2011) with funds from the [U.S. Department of Education, Grant # H323A07000-09]. Personnel Collaborative Collaborative Collaborative Collaborative Development Implementation Monitoring Evaluation -Facilitate the development of a shared -Assist school-based Instructional –Utilize the co-teaching –Assess the impact on co- School-based school-wide vision that ensures that schools Leadership Team in their support monitoring and support teaching implementation Administration consider co-teaching as a service delivery of the implementation of school- tools with the Instructional of factors including method to provide more inclusive wide co-teaching Leadership Team to adequate collaborative programming for students with disabilities monitor the alignment of planning time, – Ensure procedures are in place curriculum, instruction, and appropriate scheduling of -Foster a culture of collaboration between for the periodic, collaborative assessment in co-taught staff and students, and general and special educators review of the school-wide co- classrooms focused, sustained, teaching vision with resources research-based -Determine school-based goals and timelines aligned to support the vision and – Use of student data and professional for co-teaching implementation address barriers to data collected during the development implementation observation process to -Make staffing decisions based on co- make recommendations - Assess the impact of for the improvement of system and school-wide teaching model of service delivery including –Develop schedule to include co- instruction in co-taught co-teaching on student overall size of classroom and proportion of teaching as a service delivery classrooms achievement using students with disabilities model multiple sources of –Conduct classroom fidelity –Ensure scheduling allows for efficient and student-achievement –Strategically assign an checks for appropriate effective staff assignments to co-taught data appropriate proportion of general implementation of co- classrooms education students and students teaching, Universal Design – Evaluate school and with disabilities to co-taught –Consider staff skills/knowledge and for Learning, and review system-wide data classes (no more than 30% with a readiness when assigning teachers to co- differentiation strategies related to co-teaching as balance of students with taught classes an instructional model behavioral and academic issues) –Support co-teaching and disseminate results through: –Consider student strengths and needs when related to the specified -Implement school-based data *Prioritizing collaborative assigning students to co-taught classes goals and interim collection procedures for planning time benchmarks with –Specify baseline data and interim established outcomes *Ensuring class schedules appropriate stakeholders benchmarks for school-wide co-teaching accommodate co- implementation and student achievement -Use technology and multiple planning and co- prior to initiation of co-teaching sources of data to improve teaching classroom instruction *Ensuring appropriate -Create opportunities for leadership, student grouping collaborative decision-making, and co- *Ensuring parent planning communication 4 This document was developed and produced by the Maryland State Department of Education, Division of Special Education/Early Intervention Services (December 2011) with funds from the [U.S. Department of Education, Grant # H323A07000-09]. –Evaluate the -Provide staff with focused, -Review LRE data to effectiveness of the sustained, research-based consider if co-teaching as a professional professional development based service delivery method development provided in School-based -Plan school-wide professional development upon assessed needs related to should be expanded to alignment with the MD Administration based on assessed needs that is focused, co-teaching including provide more inclusive Teacher PD standards sustained, research-based professional understanding, selecting, and programming for students development related to co-teaching as an implementing the (*) 5 with disabilities instructional delivery model that is aligned approaches of co-teaching with the Maryland Teacher Professional 1- One Teach-One Assist -Plan for ongoing support Development Standards 2- Station Teaching to ensure sustainability 3- Parallel Teaching -Plan focused, sustained, research-based 4-Alternative Teaching professional development related to co- 5-Team Teaching teaching, Universal Design for Learning, and differentiation to establish teacher baseline –Provide staff with focused, data sustained, research-based professional development based –Review with staff the co-teaching tool and on assessed needs related to any other tools for monitoring co-teaching Universal Design for Learning, and for appropriate implementation differentiation strategies</p><p>- Review school LRE data to consider co- teaching as a service delivery method to provide more inclusive programming for students with disabilities</p><p>5 This document was developed and produced by the Maryland State Department of Education, Division of Special Education/Early Intervention Services (December 2011) with funds from the [U.S. Department of Education, Grant # H323A07000-09]. Personnel Collaborative Collaborative Collaborative Collaborative Development Implementation Monitoring Evaluation –Participate in professional General and –Share the vision and commitment to co- development regarding selecting –Complete the co-teaching –Analyze student data Special teaching with colleagues appropriate approaches to co- tool for appropriate collected regarding Educators teaching and apply to classroom implementation of co- established outcomes, –Engage in collaborative planning with parity instruction teaching, and review goals and interim practices for Universal benchmarks –Identify clear roles and responsibilities –Deliver co-taught lessons and Design for Learning and assessments incorporating differentiation strategies –Assess impact on –Self assess professional development needs Universal Design for Learning and instructional related to co-teaching, Universal Design for differentiation strategies –Conduct ongoing delivery and student Learning, and differentiation to establish monitoring of student achievement –Ensure instruction and teacher baseline data performance assessments provide access to –Share results with general education curriculum with –Actively participate in professional –Self-assess periodically appropriate stakeholders appropriate accommodations to development related to; the 5 approaches of the parity in planning and meet individual student needs co-teaching responsibilities 1- One Teach-One Assist –Implement data collection 2- Parallel Teaching procedures for established –Determine if intended 3-Station Teaching outcomes outcomes have been 4-Alternative Teaching achieved for lessons 5-Team Teaching –Address barriers to implemented and other co-teaching practices, Universal implementation Design for Learning, and differentiation –Implement adjustments – Demonstrate shared based upon student –Establish mutually agreed upon classroom accountability for planning, performance and needs procedures instruction, assessment and progress of all students that –Design lessons and assessments using exhibits shared understandings of Universal Design for Learning and student instructional needs differentiation strategies –Document shared communications with parents – Integrate technology in instruction, progress monitoring, and assessment processes</p><p>6</p>