Proposal for Advisory Committee

EPAC Proposal # 22

Proposal for Advisory Committee

Complete this form and send it to one of the members listed on the front side via email or drop it in the inter-office mail. If you have any questions, feel free to contact any one of the members via email, phone or in writing.

Submitted by:

Submitted through Proxy:

From program: Lower School

Date submitted: February 7, 2011 – resubmitted March 7, 2011

Title: Teaching Assistants and their role regarding meetings

(Example: parking, staffing)

Summary of proposal

1. General topic. I would like the committee to consider the following topic:

Teaching Assistants should attend all meeting concerning the students in the classroom they work in every day., i.e. feeding, IEP, Behavior, pre-IEP, and team meetings.

2. Rationale: How can Teaching Assistants be effective, professional, and be treated as professionals, if their input in neither required, or attendance looked at as critical to the program and children we are serving.

3. Specific areas of focus. I think the following points are important: I think the following points are important:

·  All Teaching Assistants should be required to attend all meetings listed above.

·  All meetings are important for sharing and all members of the team should be required to go.

4. Some of the ways to resolve the issue might be:

·  Try to hold all meetings required for hourly staff during regular school hours when possible.

·  Coverage isn’t always an issue especially when times and purpose are thought out.

·  Overtime pay should not be an issue when it comes to the care of the children.

·  Leaving early or coming in late to make up time doesn’t always work because of the need of the T.A.’s during the day especially if staff are out sick.

COMMITTEE RESPONSE

An electronic survey was sent out to all Perkins education staff (Program Directors, Teachers & Teaching Assistants, Residential Supervisors & Residential Staff, Educational Partnerships, Outreach). The questions and summary of the results are included below.

Based on the information received, the EPAC Committee finds that Teaching Assistants/Residential Staff are valuable members of the educational team and have a body of information to share that contribute to the development of an effective education plan.

In addition, the following recommendations are made by the Committee:

·  Development of a consistent, cross program, policy regarding attendance/participation in student-related meetings by T.A.s and Residential Staff based on meeting agenda.

·  Consistent scheduling of student-related meetings

·  Clearly defined method(s) of compensation for all Perkins staff when meeting are scheduled outside of normal working hours.

EPAC Survey Summary: TA/Res Staff Meeting Attendance

SUMMATION STATEMENTS (based on responses)

·  The majority of respondents were Related Service Providers (36%), Classroom Teachers (35%), and Teaching Assistants/Residential Staff (31%).

·  Most student-related meetings are scheduled during school hours. However, it appears that there is no consistency here. 29% report that meetings are scheduled after hours and during and after school hours. (# 6)

·  60% of respondents say that TA’s & Residential Staff are either required or encouraged to attend student-related meetings DURING school hours. (#3)

·  10% of respondents say that TA’s & Residential Staff are either required or encouraged to attend student-related meetings AFTER school hours (#4)

·  Student information is primarily conveyed verbally, but often in combination with other forms (e-mail, written, log’s). 15% believe that there was no formal method. (#7)

·  54% of respondents do not know if TA’s/Residential Staff are compensated for their time when attending meetings outside of regular work hours. (#8)

o  Compensation methods varied from flex time, shaving time off regular schedule, overtime, or adjustment in personal schedule.

·  30% report that TA’s/Residential staff either DO NOT or CANNOT attend student-related meetings if coverage is not available. 29% did not know who covers for the staff attending a meeting. (#9)

·  Involvement in student-related meeting varies based on the type of meeting (IEP, Behavioral, Psychopharmacological, etc). (#10)

SURVEY INSTRUCTIONS:

Dear Staff,
The Education Program Advisory Committee (EPAC) is interested in gathering information from all education staff to improve TA/Residential Staff involvement in student meetings. Please take a couple of minutes out of your day to complete the following 10 question survey. All information gathered is confidential and you will not be asked to provide your name.

1. What program do you work for?

Outreach 01

Ed Partnerships 06

ELC 05

Deafblind 26

Lower School 22

Secondary 40 TOTAL: 100

2. Select one of the following that best describes your primary position at Perkins.

3. Attendance of student-related meetings in my program by Teaching Assistants/Residential Staff DURING school hours is

Encouraged 38

Required 22

Not Required 21

Not sure 19

4. Attendance of student-related meetings in my program by Teaching Assistants/Residential Staff AFTER school hours is

Not Sure 36

Not Required 36

Encouraged 20

Required 08

5. Are you invited or given the opportunity to attend student-related meetings?

YES 90 NO 10

6. Student-related meetings in my program are scheduled,

NOTE: Other Responses (36 responses) include: “Both during and after hours”; “Anytime”

Comments included: “while I am scheduled with the student. NO ONE is ever available to cover for teaching assistants. Teachers are always the priority”; “Between 2 and 3pm, when both evening and day staff are here.”

7. Teaching Assistants/Residential Staff in my program communicate student information to other team members primarily via:

Other Methods Used: “all of the above”; “Teaching Assistant Log”; “I think most of their information is recorded in cottage logs that are not necessarily seen by school staff”;” a representative that attends meetings, I think.”.

8. Teaching Assistants/Residential Staff in my program are compensated for their time when attending student-related meetings outside of regular work hours

I do not know 54

NO 20

YES 26

If yes, methods of compensation (20 responses):

·  Flex time if possible...if not overtime

·  by shaving time off their regular schedule

·  flex comp time must be used within 2 weeks

·  we get paid overtime for staying later (if we've already met 40 hrs)

·  varies, pay or comp time

·  paid overtime

·  usually over-time

·  over time if approved

·  hour switch so that we maintain our 40 hours without needing overtime compensation

·  adjusting my schedule to accommodate the meeting

·  If scheduled in advance, their schedule is adjusted, otherwise it may be overtime

·  overtime

·  extra hours or overtime pay

·  not typically. they are not often allowed to go to meetings if they do not occur during the school day.

·  Generally, we are paid for the extra time, but then asked to adjust our hours to avoid overtime (come in late or leave early from another shift)

·  They are able to flex their work hours.

·  We are asked to cut hours elsewhere in order to attend meetings off shift so that we are NOT paid overtime.

·  Either paid overtime or allowed to leave shift early to make up for it

·  Documented on time sheet as overtime

·  Altering start or end times ared done to allow people to attend without OT

9. When Teaching Assistants/Residential Staff in my program attend a student-related meeting during work hours, their job responsibilities are covered by

Other Responses include:

·  whoever they can find

·  sometimes another TA/Residential staff or myself the teacher

·  generally in the school systems the paras have a substitute

·  subs, they do not attend if coverage is not available

·  meetings are generally after students leave - no coverage needed

·  usually by another TA or perhaps even a coordinator, but they might not be able to attend if coverage is not available.

·  A combination- it may be another residential staff, or in some cases, they may not be able to attend

10. Please include any comments or questions here.

STUDENT-RELATED MEETINGS HELD DURING THE SCHOOL DAY:

·  Coverage issues prevent TAs from attending.

·  TAs are needed in the classroom when meetings are held during school hours.

·  Having substitutes available would be helpful.

·  TAs are invited to some student-related meetings but not all.

o  Behavior: attendance is required during school hours

o  IEP: attendance/invitation depends on lead teacher

o  Psychopharm: TAs are not invited

·  Meeting schedules conflict with shift changes preventing TAs from attending

·  Meetings during school hours result in increased time out of the classroom for the teacher

·  Attendance is required when the meeting occurs during the shift

·  Attendance is encouraged when the meeting occurs outside of the shift, OT is granted

·  Only CRL/ACRL attends IEP meeting – TA does not write IEP or progress reports

·  TAs do not attend if coverage is not available

·  It is not easy for TAs to attend during school hours

·  It would be very beneficial if my TAs could attend behavior and other meetings held during the school day

·  Having all staff come to student related meetings during staff hours would be great however coverage is hard or nearly impossible.

STUDENT-RELATED MEETINGS HELD AFTER SCHOOL:

·  Meetings are frequently held after school.

·  TAs are not available after school to attend meetings.

·  Overtime is often not approved for TAs to attend meetings after school.

·  Residential staff are unable to attend.

·  Communication between residential and day team is poor.

·  Meetings rarely occur after school.

GENERAL COMMENTS ABOUT MEETINGS/ATTENDANCE

·  Teachers never cover for TAs so they can attend meetings but TAs ALWAYS are expected to cover for teachers

·  Student-related meetings are treated differently across programs

·  Residential staff rarely attend IEP meetings in some programs.

·  It could only benefit the students to have their complete team meeting about them rather than just part of their educational team.

·  We should not be asked to cut hours elsewhere in order to avoid overtime when attending student-related meetings off shift. This leads to inconsistency for our students and less time during the week to accomplish all of our professional goals - making materials, doing schedules, planning the week, etc.

·  Student meetings should happen more often and include more people

·  Not all TAs are interested in attending meetings on the kids.

·  CRL/ACRL attend student-related meetings more than TAs

·  Attendance is important in order to properly do the job.

·  It is important for TAs to attend student-related meetings. We should be treated as professionals.

·  Attendance at meetings is important for staff morale.

·  TAs in classroom or cottage are not present or encouraged to attend even though they have the most valuable information

·  Only CRL/ACRLs attend IEP meetings because we write the objectives and progress reports.

·  Cottage/clinical team meetings are attended by both TAs and cottage coordinators.

·  The current casual set up is not working. A case review should be scheduled for each student once or twice a year and all staff: teachers, residential staff, clinicians, supervisors; who work with the student should be required to attend.

·  Communication with residential staff is essential. Attendance at team meetings is critical

·  There are many differences in how this is handled across programs and it should be handled fairly.

·  The number of hours teachers are in meetings out of the classroom during the day needs to be carefully analyzed.

·  It is very difficult to get all the day and residential staff coordinated for behavior meetings of residential students.

·  Compensation for meeting attendance after hours is desired.

·  It is rare that TAs are invited to IEPs

·  My program does a good job of including TAs.

·  TAs provide valuable input at team meetings, participate in taking data on objectives, and teaching cottage related objectives however CRL/ACRL is ultimately the spokesperson for the cottage at the IEP.

·  It is very helpful when TAs can attend meetings TAs are the most important part of the team.

·  TAs spend more time with the students than anyone else; they are often the least supported and least involved in the meetings.

·  TAs play a vital role with students, their input is valuable and under-utilized

·  TAs are a very important member of the team and it would be beneficial to everyone if they could be more involved in student related meetings.

·  TAs are very important members of the interdisciplinary team - their participation in program meetings is essential to improved outcomes for students

·  TA contributions to student teams are very important, especially for residential students.

·  It would be very helpful for TAs to attend meetings. Currently information is passed through the grapevine or brief summaries.

·  Would like to be included in student-related meetings

·  TAs should be encouraged to attend and compensated if meetings are after hours

·  Day staff frequently cannot attend and much information is lost when passed down by others.

·  We can learn from day/night staff who may have other techniques that work. Written communication does not provide for brainstorming opportunities

·  Communication and attendance at meetings by residential staff and TAs is essential and is seriously lacking in our students programs here at Perkins.

·  Seems like it has become increasingly difficult for teaching assistants and residential staff to attend student related meetings. Their attendance at these meetings has noticeably decreased throughout the last several years.

·  Attending meetings may help TAs have a better understanding of why decisions are made about students, and changes to students plans, schedules, behavior interventions. It would also give TAs an opportunity to ask questions about a student from specialist.

·  Not all TAs can attend meetings during their shift due to coverage issues.

·  I always make a point to request that I attend transition, behavior, and IEP meetings that are scheduled when I am NOT working, but very few TAs take that initiative and we are rarely asked or encouraged to do so.