Inclusion Teacher Duties: Roles Defined
Inclusion teachers are educators who maintain a general education classroom with the enrollment of at least one student with special needs while establishing and maintaining a community environment where each of their students is welcome and attended to. The inclusion teacher duties are categorized and listed as follows:
Collaboration
- Attends to the requirements detailed in the education plans of their special needs students, such as a 504 plan, Transition plan (a post-secondary plan), IFSP (Individual Family Service Plan), or IEP (Individual Education Plan) in coordination with implementation and review by the special education team (parents, special education teacher, specialized personnel, service providers and many times the student).
- Plans lessons and classroom activities with the help of the special education teacher according to a curriculum through medications and redesigns as needed.
- Gathers information on the student’s strengths and weakness and develop ways to address them by reviewing past performances on state tests, semester exams, or report cards and the student’s personal history.
- Opens a line of communication between the student’s parent to provide progress and request feedback to share with the special education teacher and other team members.
- Meets with team members and solicits the support of the school principal and special education supervisor for help with materials and resources necessary to make inclusion beneficial for all involved.
- Sets up a cooperative teaching arrangement that uses a variety of styles to fit student need, resources, time, and teacher skill for a dynamic learning experience prior to the student’s introduction and throughout their time in the environment.
Accommodations and Modifications
- Modifies lessons, materials, and tests as needed per the student’s education plan. An example of a modification is to use lower level reading materials for a lesson or shortening the number of multiple choice options on a test.
- Accommodates the student’s needs such as allowing for extra time to turn in assignments for homework, on tests, or providing a separate area for testing.
Specific modifications and accommodations will be listed within the student’s education plan making review before implementation imperative.
Meeting Standards
- Identifies and synthesizes classroom instruction with state requirements while meeting the needs of the student.
- Provides alternate assessments as mandated by law when students cannot participate in testing with their peers.
- Seeks, attends, and adheres to professional development required by the state department of education, as well as any other programs that will benefit the classroom as a whole.
These duties are general but should provide a good grasp on the responsibilities bestowed upon an teacher with this title. At times where uncertainty persists, acquire the advice of personnel at the state department of education or the help of someone who is experienced with this environment to avoid conflict and easy the transition to brighten the success rate of this learning environment.
Above all else, the inclusion teacher duties focus on educating students for preparation in a post-secondary life by performing the assigned, and often times extenuating, duties of both general education teacher and a special education professional.
This post is part of the series: Inclusion and Disabilities
Find out about Inclusion strategies, methodologies, and benefits for using it in the classroom
- Inclusion Teacher Duties and Responsibilities
- Inclusion and High School: Students Left Behind in Educational Reform
- Students Who Are Severely Emotionally Disturbed and Inclusion
- Inclusion Strategies For Teaching the Hearing Impaired
- Teaching Tips for Including Students with Severe and Multiple Disabilities
