Field Experience Report: Trinity Christian Academy
Trinity Christian Academy is a private, non-denominational Christian School ministry of Trinity Church, located in Deltona, Florida. It enrolls students from K2 through 12th grade. Trinity Christian also offers a variety of programs including band, performing arts, visual arts, music, computer, studio and multimedia technology, advanced placement classes, physical education and a full athletic program registered with the Florida High School Athletic Association. Trinity’s classrooms average twenty to twenty-five students. They incorporate technology throughout each classroom by using smart boards, Elmo’s, tablets, Ipads, laptops, apple TVs, smart phones, and projectors to help present the curriculum so the students can be more hands on when it comes to their education. By doing this the kids are more likely to remember the material long term so it can be used throughout their lives.
Naturally as humans we have our own beliefs, values, and attitudes towards people and these things have been taught or created along the course of our lives. Our friends, community, family, and things that we have gone through in life all contribute to our sense of who we are and how we view the world and the people around us. As educators, we are often working with students who are vulnerable or who may live a lifestyle that mainstream society views as being different or unacceptable. Therefore as educators we are expected to teach and mold are students so that they are prepared for the next chapter in there lives, so we need to be aware of our own personal beliefs, values, and attitudes and prepare and adopt ourselves to the professional values of the education field and not impose are very own ideas, beliefs, values, or attitudes on our students so that they can think for themselves and become their own person and not try to mold them based off of our own beliefs.
Being able to use culturally-responsive teaching methods in your classroom will definitely help you be able to reach out to students from vast backgrounds do to the fact that you will be able to relate to the different situations and topics that are culture specific so you are able to teach and keep an open mind to what different cultures and backgrounds face and will be able to teach and relate to them as well. Some methods of culturally-responsive teaching that Trinity uses throughout the school is they have a diverse staff and student base that helps bring different backgrounds and cultural information to the table that can be added into the curriculum as well as celebrating and teaching about a variety of cultures during there months of recognition. This benefits the students by opening their eyes to different cultures and backgrounds which then help the students learn about various cultures which help them understand and break down stereotypes and barriers that may have been built up or taught, due to the vast knowledge of all the cultures and backgrounds that are all being taught. It is also important to recognize the needs of our special needs students and accommodate them so there needs are meet so they too can be successful in the classroom so that they can not only excel in the classroom today but in their lives in the future.
Trinity Christian Academy currently has close to seven hundred students enrolled into their school. Out of those close to seven hundred students fifty-eight of them are a part of the Exceptional Student Education (ESE) program and out of those fifty-eight four of them are also a part of the English Language Learners (ELL) program. At Trinity they exercise a total inclusion model; all of the students are in the regular classroom, meeting the least restricted environment for their exceptional students. There Resource Department is a special program dedicated to meet the needs of their exceptional learners. At Trinity they want students to receive the best education they deserve. Through there resource department, students will become more successful in the classroom and have more confidence in their abilities. Once enrolled in the resource program, an Academic Improvement plan (AIP) is created for each student. Parents must attend an AIP meeting at least once a year to review student’s progress. The goals for academic achievement and functional performance set for each student are the core of the AIP. The AIP team develops academic and functional goals based on the student’s present level of performance. Reports from parents and the teachers, as well as evaluations and performance on standardized testing provide the basis for deciding areas to focus on for each student.
Students in middle and high school are included in developing these goals as well. Once goals are established, research-based interventions are chosen based on individual needs. To monitor progress on goals they utilize the Aimsweb Progress Monitoring system. Aimsweb benchmark assessments re given three times a year: fall, winter, and spring. Data from these assessments along with data collected through interventions and regular classroom teacher’s assessments help them then determine the classroom teacher assessments help them to determine the intensity of services needed for the student’s academic success. While it is their desire to admit and service every student who applies, there resources and personnel limit the type and amount of services they can render. Therefore, the following is an explanation of the limits of their program. Trinity only accepts those students of the limits of their program. Trinity only accepts those students who are ambulatory with no severe motor control dysfunctions, including toileting. Depending on severity, hearing vision impaired students may not be accepted. Students must have average intelligence with no emotional disorders or limited intellectual functions. Academically students must be able to read no more than two years behind their peers. Students must be able to work independently in the regular education setting with minimal assistance from the regular education teacher and require no more than two hundred and twenty-five minutes of exceptional educational services rendered by specially trained as listed on back of the IEP/AIP created for the student.
Volusia County and Trinity both follow the same procedures on how to place a student into the exceptional student’s education (ESE) program. Various individuals request referrals for individual evaluations. Individual evaluations then take place. Then it is determined if the student needs services or not. If a child is eligible for ESE services, the next step is to hold a meeting to write an individual education plan (IEP). The child’s parents are then invited to this meeting because they are part of the IEP team. The IEP team then decides which special services and supports the child needs in order to make progress and achieve his or her annual goals. This team also decides whether the child stays in a regular style classroom, goes part of the day to an ESE classroom, or all together is put in an ESE or special needs classroom or school specifically for kids with disabilities. A child cannot receive ESE services for the first time until the IEP is written and a parent has given written consent. The IEP team decides how a child’s progress will be measured and reported. At least once every twelve months, the IEP team meets to talk about the child’s progress and to develop a new IEP. However, because a child’s needs may change at any time, the IEP may also be revised at other times. The IEP team generally makes changes to the IEP at an IEP meeting. However, sometimes the parents and the school district may agree that the IEP can be changed without a meeting. Whenever changes are made to the IEP, the changes agreed to are documented in writing.
Children with disabilities that receive special services receive accommodations, modifications, or assistance provided to them by the school and these services are then provided in and outside the classroom. These services are usually confused so let me describe and give you an example to better help you understand what each one is and what it can do to help the student. An accommodation is a change that helps a student overcome or work around the disability. Allowing a student who has trouble writing to recite his spelling words orally is an example of an accommodation. A modification is used when the general curriculum is too advanced for a student and modifications usually involve changing an assignment or objective to help the student succeed by teaching them an easier version of the material. An example of a modification is a student being assigned a shorter condensed reading assignment. Assistance is when a child just receives help to complete or work through a task. An example of assistance is a teacher working one on one to help a student better understands his homework so he can complete the rest of it by himself. These three things are things used to better help and assist students so that they can be successful in the classroom. Education is not a field for everyone and you truly have to have a heart or passion for it. The field of education I’ve seen has a lot more to it than just coming to class teaching and then going home. There is a lot of time that you will have to sacrifice and weekends that will have to be sacrificed to plan and grade task. I have also seen some of the things that educators have to deal with regarding their students from discipline all the way from children being homeless. Having the opportunity as well to work with students with a variety of disabilities has also opened my eyes to special education and I may even look into getting my degree now in special education since I enjoyed working and interacting with all the kids who had different exceptions.
The school that I shadowed at and also currently work at is very diverse so I get to see students from all different backgrounds and races and get the chance to share and receive information about their heritage which makes the classroom a little more exciting especially when it may tie into the subject matter that we may be discussing that day. I have also become aware that students are exposed to so many different people from all over when in school that it helps cut down on prejudice and racism do to the fact that the students are learning about each other’s culture and becoming more aware about different backgrounds and not just their own so that you are not ignorant towards the people and their backgrounds that you are coming in contact with on a day to day basis.
