Working Together Through Co-Teaching at Burton Street Elementary

This school year marks the beginning of Burton Street Elementary providing Co-teaching services to all students. Co-teaching is a partnering between grade level teachers and special education teachers (Friend, 2008). In addition to teachers working together, the Co-teaching classrooms have Teaching Assistant support. The Co-teaching model benefits all students, including regular education, special education and high performing students (Hughes & Murawski, 2001). To help with the transition of providing Co-teaching services, the Co-teaching staff at Burton Street Elementary have participated in a variety of training opportunities. For example, we; (a) visited other schools who provide Co-teaching services; (b) hired consultant support; (c) attended the summer conference at Syracuse University; and (d) hosted a parent informational night. These are some of the steps we have taken to provide the best possible education to all students at Burton Street Elementary. After this training, support and research we believe the following: 1. Co-Teaching practices are equally beneficial to all students 2. Co-Teaching creates a greater opportunity to individualize instruction for all students 3. Co-Teaching model leads to more growth for all students As a staff, we are very excited about the implementation of Co-teaching services. The dedication and professionalism by all teachers at Burton Street Elementary will improve student learning. We would like to thank all parents for your trust and support. We feel fortunate to educate all students in our wonderful community. If you have any questions about Co-teaching, please feel free to contact me. Sincerely, Terry Ward Director of Special Education Cazenovia Central School District 31 Emory Avenue Cazenovia, NY 13035 tward@caz.cnyric.org