Emily Evans

English Language Arts

Teacher

McAuliffe Elementary

Lewisville
Independent School
District (LISD)
Question 1: How do you make sure information that is taught is your classroom is taught thoroughly for children with
learning disabilities?
Response: Students with eligibility for special education services all have different needs, accommodations, and supports
that help them access and learn content in the classroom. I work closely with each student’s team of special education
teachers, paraprofessionals, speech pathologists, dyslexia specialists, occupational therapists, etc. to develop and maintain a
plan for success. If content needs to be reduced, pre-taught, or modified per the child’s IEP, we do that.

Seating choices are made to create a successful learning environment for the student. A copy of my notes is provided to
students who have difficulty creating their own, instructions and assignments are chunked to create manageable tasks for
students who are easily overwhelmed. Many of my students have speech-to-text accommodations on their iPads that allow
them better access to assignments when writing is a struggle. Oral administration of tests and quizzes as well as smaller
group settings for assessments also help address student anxiety and distraction. If I feel a student is not grasping a
concept, I reteach in a small group or individual setting. I also invite struggling students to tutoring to further break down
concepts and content.

Reflection: I think it is amazing that LISD has so many different types of teachers and support
across the district to help children with disabilities. It is also important to keep a child’ s IEP up
to date, so regularly monitoring the criteria of the IEP and making sure the information is still
relevant to the student matters. I think all the ways explained to support children with
disabilities are very useful and will be information I use in my future classroom. I believe
technology can be a super useful tool to use with children with disabilities. This should not
replace the support of the teacher, but there are many great tools to help guide the student.
Question 2: Do you think children with disabilities have enough representation in the classroom setting, and what has
McAuliffe Elementary done to help children with disabilities feel more inclusive?
Response: McAuliffe Elementary is a very inclusive school. In addition to our SPED students receiving push-in and pull-out
services in the general education classrooms, we have an ALS classroom (academic and life skills) at our school. That is the
base classroom for students with a variety of eligibilities such as Autism, Down syndrome, and Intellectual disability that are
not successful full-day in the gen-ed classroom.

The students in the ALS class typically spend social and unstructured time in the general education classroom-homeroom
time, lunch, recess, specials, and field trips. These students have a homeroom where they are included, made a part of the
class, and bond with the gen-ed students. At our school, students are always encouraged to attempt and increase their
academic time as well. We have many of our ALS students receiving academic services in the gen-ed classroom. They
receive support from the gen-ed teachers and paraprofessionals.

Students are also very inclusive with their peers from the ALS class, playing at recess, working in STEM groups, and
interacting at class parties. They also are patient and help explain social-emotional situations as well as academic concepts
when participating in group work. I believe our school is very inclusive and supportive of our special education students.

Reflection: Having different types of classrooms and groups in the school is

amazing to let each child shine. The ALS classroom is a great support to have in the
school to make sure each child is where they belong. I also like how children in the
ALS class get to spend lunch, recess, specials, and field trips with the rest of the
gen ed class. This is a great way to make all the students feel included and enjoy
time with their peers. I love that LISD is inclusive with all of its students.