Katy Graves

SERP 301
Interviews
October 21st, 2014
**A pseudonym has been used for the student for the purpose of this essay.
The first interview I conducted was with my mentor teacher Darlene Higuera. She has
been working with Javier as his general education teacher since last year when he was in the first
grade. I used the Quality of Inclusion Checklist, to gain her insight on how well inclusionary
practices are included in her classroom and are best serving the needs of this particular student.
Javier is a 2nd Grade student with a diagnosed learning disability in the areas of reading
and writing.
Q: Does the Javier arrive to class on time?
A: He is actually often tardy. Both he and is sister are tardy, they usually come in during
announcements in the mornings.
Q: Are his physical needs met before he comes in the classroom? Is he dressed, bathroomed,
etc.?
A: Yes.
Q: He doesn't have an adult in the classroom with him?
A: No, he doesn't need another adult to address his needs?
Q: His needs are met in the placement of the room, concerning visual and hearing needs?
A: Visual I would say yes because we use a lot of technology so he can see things more easily.
Hearing, he doesn't have any issues.
Q: He is attentive not disruptive and he actively participates in the class?
A: Yes he is a good boy.
Q: Does he leave the classroom at any other time other than his pull out sessions? He does not
come late or leave early?
A: No, he only leaves for his time with Ms. Barbour [the special education teacher]. Other than
that, he is here the entire day.
Q: Did you and the special education teacher establish his learning objectives together?
A: Regarding his reading yes.
Q: Does Javier understand his learning goals?
A: He knows that he is supposed to read at grade level, but Ms. Barbour focuses more on the
standards such as blending, decoding, or beginning, middle, and end.
Q: Are informal informal assessments used to monitor his learning?
A: Yes, he takes a reading test with me every five to six days.

Q: Are modifications and accommodations provided for Javier as he needs them?

A: Yes, mostly in the grading. And in writing time, I do not expect him to finish his work in the
same amount of time as the rest of the class, or I will ask that he write one sentence instead of
five. Also, for math, if he cannot write out an explanation for his work, I will have him explain it
orally.
Q: Do you speak with the special education teacher daily about Javier's progress?
A: Probably about once or twice a week.
Q: We recently got computers in the classroom, he doesn't use any other technologies in the
room?
A: No, only when we have time in the computer lab, he works on the computers with the rest of
the class.
Q: He has opportunities to meet and communicate with his peers?
A: Yes, before school, and he eats lunch and goes to recess with them every day. They also
communicate a lot within the classroom.
Q: Educators speak directly with Javier? And he asks and answers questions frequently?
A: Yes, he actively participates in conversation in the classroom.
Q: Do his peers understand how he best he communicates?
A: He doesn't have much in the way of communication issues. He speaks and plays with his
peers and they understand him just fine.
Q: Does the school's administration actively participate in solving problems and eliminating
barriers?
A: There isn't a lot of need for that because he is such a good kid.
Q: Do the school's administrators encourage and facilitate communication between you and the
special education staff?
A: Yes, definitely.
My next interview was with Ms. Barbour, she is the special education teacher on staff at Elvira.
She works with Javier for about an hour and a half per day in the areas of reading and writing.
Q: What kind of physical needs does Javier have?
A: He doesn't have any, in terms of daily living skills he does not have any of that.
Q: Do adults avoid sitting between him and other students in the classroom?
A: That question is worded wrong. It should be do adults sit between him and other students, but
no he doesn't have a one on one aid with him, so no one sits between him and the other kids.
Q: Does he actively participate in your lessons?
A: Yes he is very good.

Q: Is he attentive and not disruptive?

A: Yes, totally attentive.
Q: You establish his learning objectives with his general education teacher?
A: Yes, we have a meeting before they are all established.
Q: Does Javier understand what his goals are?
A: I don't think he remembers. I think I have told him, but I don't think he remembers.
Q: His goals are connected to his IEP?
A: Absolutely.
Q: Informal assessments are used to assess his progress each day?
A: Yes, we use the Read Well assessments, which is a reading fluency assessment that is taken
including content area questions with a checklist for comprehension as well.
Q: His modifications and accommodations?
A: Yes, he has a truckload of them. They are all listed in his IEP here. (She pulls up the IEP on
her computer to let me look at). The teachers don't have to do every single one, because there is a
thousands. (We read through the list together. Some of his accommodation include: sit next to
someone who will be helpful, chunk information, make certain student understands directions,
use visually clear handouts, allow more time to complete written assignments, allow students to
dictate responses, frequently monitor independent work, keep expectation level with ability, use
visual aids and cues.) You use most of these with everybody. His grade scale for work and
assignments will be modified, simplified curriculum, which he gets in here. It also says to allow
him to use a calculator or number chart, but math is Javier's strength. But you see how
accommodations are more what you use in the classroom and modifications are how you modify
the grading scale.
Q: Do the educators communicate about Javier's performance each day?
A: I wouldn't say every day, but at least once a week.
Q: You do use computers in your classroom?
A: Yes, he uses the regular computers, but doesn't use any assistive technologies. The computers
are available and ready for the students everyday. Javier has more trouble with if something goes
wrong he doesn't know what to do. He won't just use the back button or reboot the computer, he
has trouble with that.
Q: He has the opportunity to speak and communicate with peers. Do educators speak with him
directly?
A: Yes, everyday.
Q: Does Javier ask and answer questions?
A: Yes, but he has a hard time asking questions. If he needs help with something he doesn't raise
his hand like everyone else. Or like the questions for the [common] core, he will ask the

questions but has a hard time answering them. We really have to work on that, he can only do
one at a time.
Q: Do you feel the administrators are actively participating in his education process?
A: Yes, and I don't have any problem with pull out. They are working toward inclusion, but they
wan't to move toward a co-teaching model. They would have all the special ed kids in one
classroom and then have two teachers in there co-teaching, because inclusion technically is not
leaving the regular classroom, so with this model, they would not have to leave, and all the kids
would be taught the same thing at the same time. That is what they want, but I don't think it will
happen.
Q: Administration facilitates communication between educators?
A: Yes
Q: Does the administration encourage special education teachers to regularly observe students in
the inclusive classroom setting.
A: Yes, but I don't get as much time to do that as I would like. Sometimes during my lunch or if
the kids have a special schedule that day, I will get an opportunity to watch them. But usually I
can't.
Q: Is there anything else you would like to tell me?
A: I think that Javier gets nervous when he doesn't know a word, he doesn't shut down, but he
will start to tap the word and look at you. Instead of trying it he will tap it and look at you. But I
will make him try and do it with him. I also think they really like the support, especially in the
younger grades because they think it is like extra attention. There isn't a stigma attached to it yet,
because everyone switches for Walk to Read. I would also say that for all schools that special
education gets whatever is left, and you won't get your materials unless you fight for them.
Between the two interviews I got a good idea of the views on special education through
both a general education and special education teacher. In my interview with Javier's general ed
teacher I saw that she had a good idea of what inclusion looked like in her classroom, but still
was giving Javier the modifications and accommodations he needed. The special education
teacher however seemed to have a much more in depth understanding of the process Javier has
been through and is going through, and has a much strong opinion on what is going on in the
field of special education today. I am glad the two teachers collaborate, but part of me wishes
this collaboration happened more frequently, but I also see how time constraints can be a real
issue. It is also interesting to see how they notice different behavior in Javier in the two different
classrooms, granted when Ms. Barbour works with him, there are only 10 kids in the room
compared to 32. However it is good to see that Javier has two caring people that work with him
at school, that see to it that he is getting both the instruction he needs as well as time in a
regular 2nd grade classroom along with his sister and friends.