Running head: PROGRAM PLAN & RATIONALE 1

Program Plan and Rationale Assignment

Amy J. Jensen

Brandman University

EDUU-631
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Program Plan

Peer Mediated Instruction and Intervention (PMII) is used by having typically developing

peers interact help and interact special education students acquire new social, communication

and behavioral skills in a natural environment (Fettig, 2013). PMII teaches peers how to engage

learners in both teacher and learner initiated social activities (Fettig, 2013). A typically

developing peer is paired with a child or group of children diagnosed with special needs. PMII

can effectively address academic and social skills in learners ages preschool (3-5 years) to high

school (15-18 years) and is very useful in promoting positive transition (Fettig, 2013).

Reinforcement (R+) is used to increase behavior or teach a new skill (Kucharczyk, 2013). R+

establishes a relationship for the learner of consequences of the use of skill or learner’s behavior

to increase the likelihood that the skill or behavior is performed (Kucharczyk, 2013). The

reinforcers can be negative or positive and positive reinforcement can be in the format of a token

economy system (Kucharczyk, 2013). The positive reinforcement is delivered after the learner

does the behavior or skill (Kucharczyk, 2013). A negative reinforcement is when a desired

object or activity is take away when the skill or behavior is not performed (Kucharczyk, 2013).

This evidence-based practice is effective for toddlers (0-2 years) up to young adults (19-22

years) in the areas of social communication, behavior, academic, adaptive and vocational skills.

In this observation for the social/emotional and academic piece of the intervention Peer-

Mediated Instruction and Intervention (PMII) will be used. Reinforcement (R+) will be used for

the social/emotional piece as well as for behavior and independence/transition areas.

The program goal for behavioral is to comply with verbal directions in 10 seconds or less

when prompted. Both evidence based practices of PMII and R+ will be used with this student.

The student will be prompted when it is time to clean up by the teacher and peer teachers
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assistant in the class. The day will be broken up into morning and afternoon sessions. Morning

session will be periods 2 and 3, since 1st period is choir and 4th period is Unified Physical

Education and the student is not with her Special Education teacher. The afternoon session will

be periods 5 and 6. If the student complies within 2 or less promptings she will receive a dollar

bill, which is part of the token economy system in the class and part of the math academic goal.

If the student does not comply, she will have to give the teacher a dollar bill. By the end of the

school year the student should be complying when first prompted. The student will be told to

clean up by the teacher. The first prompt will be given by the teacher or the peer teachers

assistant, if the student does not comply with the initial direction. A chart will be kept to mark if

the child does not comply with the 1st or 2nd prompt. This way it will be able to keep track of

the token economy system. The posted schedule is a visual schedule, that shows the students the

times and activities that are during each class period. The students also have jobs during their

6th period and this is listed on a board with their names and pictures. This is one piece of

assistive technology used in this students plan to help her to have appropriate behavior by

cleaning up with the rest of the class.

Social/emotional goal is to use appropriate voice volume and good eye contact when

communicating. The student also uses a lot of just yes and no to answer, so part of the goal will

be to communicate with others using 3 to 5 words per sentence. The evidence based practice

that will be used with this goal is PMII. This student has already responded to working with a

typical developing peer. The student will be prompted by the peer when she needs help with

answering questions. The peer will remind her to speak louder and to use appropriate eye

contact. The peer will model the appropriate volume and eye contact whenever interacting with

the student.
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Transitional/independence goal is to work on the students time management and

transitioning from one activity to the next. This goes along with her behavioral goal. She needs

to learn to be better about cleaning up to be ready on time in the future as she becomes more

independent. Learning time management will be a skill she can use as she transitions into

adulthood and move on to work or higher education. The evidence based practices that will be

used for this goal are PMII and R+. The student will transition from one activity to another

without any behavioral issues and within the 10 second time limit in the behavioral goal. This

will be done by complying with the behavioral goal with the token economy system and being

ready to start the new learning activity. The peer assistant will be pivotal in prompting the

student to prepare her for the change of activity and modeling how to transition from one activity

to the next. This includes changing class periods and lunch time. This will be documented and

the student can receive another dollar bill at the end of the day if she has transitioned

appropriately with all activities. This will help her to understand that in life we can earn money

by staying on task and completing our jobs.

Standards and Assistive Technology

The program goal for academic/cognitive are to answer comprehension questions with

80% accuracy when being assessed on her Wh questions using News2You. There are 6

questions, so this would mean she needs to get 5 out of 6 questions correct. A goal in

mathematics is 80% accuracy in money exchange, either mock or in a real setting. The common

core state standards for the comprehension goal is CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.1

Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate

understanding of key details in a text (California Department of Education website). The

common core state standard for mathematics is CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.2.MD.C.8 Grade 2 »

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Measurement & Data » Work with time and money. » 8 Solve word problems involving dollar

bills, quarters, dimes, nickels, and pennies, using $ and ¢ symbols appropriately (California

Department of Education website). News2You is a computer based program and is part of the

assistive technology piece for this goal. All of the assignments have icons that help to

understand the reading. The program is also computer based and has the option to click and the

text will be read to the student. This can be done as a group or individually. The students work

through the reading as a class or with their peer teacher assistant, which is the evidence based

practice PMII. News2You gives special education students access to general education

curriculum using current events that are modified to meet Individualized Education Plans (IEP)

goals (News2You website). The curriculum is up to date, because it uses current news and is

living curriculum that is aligned to the state standards (News2You website). It is a great blend of

technology and content to special education students that establishes high expectations and

reduces barriers (News2You website).

Rationale

This plan will help the child culturally, socially and economically by giving the child access to

common core state standards and transitional skills needed for her future. News2You uses

pictures and words to help the students understand the material. This will help with any

language barriers due to the mother speaking Spanish at home. The parent will be able to

understand learning taking place by having pictures and words. This is also a help due to the

limited language skills. The student speaks mostly just answering yes or no, but can speak 3 to 5

word sentences when prompted. Pictures help the student to understand the articles and then will

help them to learn to use pictures in other reading items to figure out what the article is about.

By learning to understand current events and communicate answering Wh questions the student
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will be able to participate more fully in society and work towards future goals when transitioning

to higher learning or work. The token economy system helps the student to understand the

economic system and how we must earn money to buy needed and wanted items. The family

wants the child to be able to interact with others and communicate wants and needs with them.

Pairing the student with a peer teacher assistant using the evidence based practice of PMII to

model appropriate interactions will help the child to reach the goals of their IEP and their family.
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References

Common core state standards. (n.d.). Retrieved from the California Department of Education

website, https://www.cde.ca.gov/re/cc/

Fettig, A. (2013). Peer-mediated instruction and intervention (PMII) fact sheet. Chapel Hill: The

University of North Carolina, Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, The

National Professional Development Center on Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Kucharczyk, S. (2013). Reinforcement (R+) fact sheet. Chapel Hill: The University of North

Carolina, Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, The National Professional

Development Center on Autism Spectrum Disorders.

News2You website (n.d.) Retrieved from News2You website, https://www.n2y.com/