Implementing Effective Push-in Inclusion Models: A Guide to Benefits and Best Practices

A More Structured Approach for Inclusion of Special Education and At-Risk Students using UDL. 

Learn how push-in inclusion and co-teaching models support special education and at-risk students in mainstream classrooms. Discover the benefits and best practices for execution.

A laissez-faire, unstructured approach to inclusion "push-in" education often fails vulnerable students. While flexibility and spontaneity can benefit some learners, children with special needs and those at risk require structure, routine, and research-based instruction tailored to their circumstances. We need to purposefully build educational equity into the system to avoid marginalizing our most vulnerable youth, depriving them of support and the chance to thrive. All students deserve an education that meets their needs and helps them reach their potential. To make that vision a reality, we must be intentional in our efforts to include and uplift those who have historically been left behind.

Our most vulnerable students deserve our utmost commitment. Children with special needs and at-risk youth have enormous potential, and it is our responsibility to give them every opportunity to thrive. When we embrace inclusive, student-centered practices and provide robust systems of support, we can help each learner reach meaningful goals and experience academic success. All students bring value to our schools, so let us approach their education with creativity, compassion and the determination to foster their growth every single day. Our special education and at-risk students have so much to offer the world, and we cannot afford to fail them. They warrant our unwavering dedication to crafting educational equity and access. Each child is a gift; let our schools be places where their diverse abilities are nurtured.

Here are some best practices for building an inclusive "push in" model in schools for children with special education needs:

- Provide adequate training on UDL, and build collaborative planning time into the school schedules with all stakeholders in the loop. Ongoing professional development for all staff on inclusive education, Kagan cooperative learning, differentiating instruction, mastery learning, UDL, and managing diverse classrooms with structures, systems, and processes like Whol Brain Teaching. Help teachers understand the benefits of inclusion for the students they serve.

- Ensure teachers have sufficient designated planning time to collaborate with classroom teachers, special education staff, and paraprofessionals. Co-teaching and team teaching models when done correctly are the most successful and effective for all learners.

- Offer classes in adaptive curriculum that aligns with general education goals while meeting unique needs. Avoid at all costs, separating special education students unless absolutely necessary. 

- Set high academic expectations for all students and provide accommodations, modifications, assistive technology and other supports to make the curriculum accessible. Don't limit goals based on perceived capability.

- Foster a positive school culture of acceptance, dignity and community. Teach all students the value of diversity in learning styles. Maintain zero tolerance for bullying.

- Encourage friendships and peer support networks between students with and without learning disabilities. Facilitate inclusive extracurricular activities. 

- Proactively involve parents of special needs children, inform them of rights, and consider insights into goals, strengths and challenges.

The key is an integrated, collaborative approach focused on quality education for all students based on individual needs and abilities. With the right attitudes, strategies and supports, inclusive push in models can be transformative.

Here are some tips for UDL (Universal Design for Learning) planning for collaborative team teaching and co-teaching with push-in support for special needs and at-risk students:

- Provide multiple means of representation - present concepts in varied ways like visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. Use videos, manipulatives, and graphic organizers. Provide text at different reading levels.

- Build in multiple means of action and expression - allow students to show their knowledge through choices like projects, writing, presentations, and drawings. Provide assistive tech options. 

- Incorporate multiple means of engagement - customize the level of challenge to optimize difficulty. Let students make choices in their learning. Vary social dynamics with whole class, small group, peer learning. 

- Co-plan lessons and units jointly with gen ed, special ed, ELL teachers. Apply expertise in UDL and differentiation. Discuss roles and responsibilities.

- Set objectives for content understanding as well as skill development like critical thinking, collaboration, self-regulation. 

- Assess student needs, strengths, challenges together. Customize lesson plans to provide optimal challenge & necessary supports. 

- Share data tracking systems to monitor student progress. Align extended time, accommodations, mods.

- Foster a welcoming classroom community. Teach students collaboration, empathy, and mutual support.

- Proactively communicate with families about learning goals, student progress, and ways to reinforce skills.

The goal is to create a flexible framework that provides all students equal access to learning and varied ways to engage deeply with content. Collaboration and UDL planning allow teachers to pool knowledge and resources to meet each learner's needs.

More on UDL! 

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework for designing curriculum and lessons that can be used by all students. The goal of UDL is to provide equal opportunities for learning for all students, regardless of ability, disability, age, gender, or cultural and linguistic background.

The UDL framework includes three main principles:

• Representation: Offering information in more than one format
• Action and expression: Giving students more than one way to interact with the material and show what they've learned
• Engagement: Looking for multiple ways to motivate students

Some strategies for implementing UDL in the classroom include:

• Knowing your students' strengths and barriers
• Using Hands-On concrete manipulatives
• Using digital materials when possible
• Sharing content in a multimodal or a variety of ways
• Offering choices for how students demonstrate their knowledge
• Taking advantage of apps, technology, and or software supports

The UDL framework includes four components: goals, methods, materials, and assessments. Planning a lesson with UDL includes three stages:

• Proactive design
• Implementation of the lesson
• Reflection and redesign

Here are some tips for effectively planning mastery learning and push-in support for students with special needs and those at risk:

- Break down concepts and skills into discrete, sequential learning objectives aligned to standards. Assess students regularly to identify where they are at in the progression. 

- For students who require additional support, provide targeted small group or one-on-one "push-in" instruction with special education teachers, paraprofessionals, tutors, or peers. Make sure support is aligned to the learning goals.

- Allow flexible pacing and enough repetitions for students to truly master skills before moving to more advanced concepts. Don't assume mastery after a single lesson or assessment. 

- Use data from formative assessments to determine when students need more practice, coaching, or a different instructional approach to facilitate mastery. Adjust as needed.

- Incorporate engaging, multisensory lessons and tools like manipulatives, assistive technology, visual aids, and hands-on activities for diverse learning styles. 

- Frequently check for understanding and provide specific feedback. Recognize incremental progress towards mastery goals.

- Cultivate student self-awareness of strengths and needs. Teach learning strategies and self-regulation skills.

- Make sure IEPs and 504 plans include accommodations and modifications needed to provide access to, and demonstrate mastery of, grade-level content. 

The key is knowing your students well, monitoring their progress closely, and offering the right support at the right time to help every student experience meaningful achievement.