Albany High teachers present at annual

conference for exceptional students

ALBANY, N.Y. (November 10, 2008) -- The New York State Federation of Chapters of Council for Exceptional Children (NYSCEC) held a conference on November 7^th and 8^th aimed at improving the instructional strategies used in special education. Topics included assistive technology and the use of web tools to further instruction, infusing humor in the classroom, co-teaching, the importance of culturally sensitive functional behavioral assessments (FBAs), and classroom management. Ten members of the Albany High faculty attended the conference and made presentations - Marie Flore Cadet, Orly Contreras, Diana Hagan, Kyle Koblensky, John Maag-Tanchaak, Cliff Mele, Kelly Micare, Dave Preston, Sophia Newell and Jen McGarry – and in the eyes of all, the conference was a huge success.  

                                                                        Dave Preston and Diana Hagan present on co-teaching     

After checking in at the conference and attending morning sessions on Friday, Albany High School received an award at the gala luncheon for sending the most representatives from a single school.

Several attendees from Albany High School stressed the professional importance of the program on co-teaching. In the interactive program, teachers learned strategies to increase motivation in students, better plan, and how to collaborate to make students’ Individual Evaluation Plans (IEPs) “come to life.”

It was at this point that Albany High’s representatives presented on their first experiences of co-teaching. All presentations were extremely well done. Afterward, the teachers were able to converse with school faculty from other districts to learn of their successes, failures, and recommendations for co-teaching strategies.

For teacher Dave Preston, the opportunity was invaluable. “What interested me was the overwhelming interest in co-teaching: what worked, what did not, and what techniques we have to foster co-teaching.” In addition, Preston felt that the conference gave him added confidence in his craft, which will bring continued success for him and his students.

Cliff Mele added that another benefit of the conference was that teachers were shown how to better incorporate technology into their teaching, particularly Pearson PowerSchool.

Diana Hagan, a biology teacher, believes that learning about other teachers’ experiences with co-teaching has provided her with insight she will use in her classes.

“I think as more people become familiar with what co-teaching is and how content and special education teachers can learn from each other, we will be able to increase the successes of our special education students,” she said.

The City School District of Albany serves approximately 8,500 students in 18 elementary, middle and high schools. In addition to neighborhood schools, the district includes several magnet schools and programs, as well as other innovative academic opportunities for students. The district is more than halfway through its comprehensive facilities project to newly build and/or renovate nearly all of its elementary and middle schools. The ultimate goal of the facilities project is to provide schools with the resources necessary to help students succeed in the 21st century.