IPP Demosites

Elementary Schools

McMicken Heights Elementary

School District: Highline

ESD: #121

Description: McMicken Heights Elementary is a diverse school in the Highline School district that in 2017 exited Focus School status for students with IEPs and now serves as a model demonstration site for inclusive practices. McMicken has hosted approximately 50 school teams who have come to learn about McMicken’s journey and exemplary inclusionary practices. Leading with an inclusive vision and mission, we prioritize the Master Schedule by having key stakeholders (general ed/special ed) give input and ensure that it supports all learners. Our professional development has included strategies to support common planning, differentiation blocks, flexible service delivery with co-teaching. This learning for all staff in effective pedagogy to support both access to core content while still providing individualized instruction has been the foundation of our work. By way of creative and student-centered resource allocation, we have made sure that all practitioners have what they need to differentiate and support students. Our intentional coaching cycles provides support in creating understanding of best practices in co-teaching and differentiation strategies. This has resulted in: all students participating in core content instructional blocks, specially designed instruction provided during intervention blocks or additional small group instruction, in addition to being embedded in core instruction. We look forward to sharing our story of how strong partnerships and collaboration within and outside of a school set the stage for the development of a “labsite” for inclusive practices. 

Highlighting the following inclusionary practices:   

Meadow Ridge

School District: Mead

ESD: #101

Description: Schoolwide PBIS was the first major step in our change process at Meadow Ridge to create a more inclusive school. During the first year a representative PBIS team was established for the purpose of learning about effective PBIS practices. The team then designed a comprehensive program, with a clear rollout plan for the school. The first phase of the system was to clearly establish the school-wide expectations and then explicitly teach these expectations to all students. At the same time, the team created a PBIS data system in order to make adjustments to the program based on data. Once the Tier I PBIS system was in place, the team began researching and learning about Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions. 

Our master scheduling changes were the second step in the change process for Meadow Ridge. Prior to the 2018-19 school year, Meadow Ridge did not have defined instruction times for core or intervention blocks. At times, students had been pulled out of core instruction to receive supplemental instructional services. The updated schedule includes a seamless and systematic delivery model for tiered flexible skill groups, using all building instructional resources including our LAP and Special Education staff. Our priorities are to provide each student with equitable instructional opportunities based on their needs, and to ensure that all students have access to both core instruction and differentiated supports. Along with the changes to the master schedule, Meadow Ridge is working to develop and refine RTI systems that support the needs of all learners. Student growth data and instructional practice is discussed regularly through PLC time and additional data meetings/RTI check-ins. Each inclusionary practice that has been implemented at Meadow Ridge has been effective due to distributed leadership. 

Highlighting the following practices:  

  • Master Scheduling to support inclusion 
  • Multi tiered systems of support 
  • PBIS 
  • Leadership development

Mark Twain Elementary School

School District: Lake Washington

ESD: #121

Description: Our current model has evolved from a continuum of services that match student needs to a vision of creating opportunities for all students to access core instruction regardless of traditional service categories. Our journey started by visiting other schools and in turn coming to the conclusion that our master schedule needed to be centered on the idea that all students should access core instruction,. In addition to accessing core, the master schedule allows us to create Power Groups. Power Groups are data-driven blocks of intervention, reteaching and/or extension that impact all students within our building. For Kindergarten and 1st grade, we are currently focusing on ELA; whereas, all other grades have both ELA and Math Power Groups. Looking ahead, our goal is to have ELA and Math Power Groups across all grade levels and continue to adjust the master schedule to better support teachers and students as we get more comfortable with this instructional framework. This year we have focused on creating grade level teams that include not only general education teachers, but also interventionists who co-plan to provide immediate support and create engaging activities for all learners. We essentially provided intervention support at each grade level to support a flexible delivery model. Therefore, our goal this year has been to expand our flexible service model to include not only special education students, but all students who are receiving intervention service and supports in order to maximize the amount of time spent in the general education classroom. 

Highlighting the following inclusionary practices:  

Kokanee Elementary School

School District: Northshore

ESD: #121

Description: Kokanee Elementary School is a large elementary school with a deeply committed, inclusive staff supporting a range of diverse learners. Our school staff has implemented a MTSS/PBIS program with a high level of fidelity and has regularly served as a support or site visit location for other schools working on the implementation process of PBIS. Our school team has one hundred percent participation in implementing the PBIS model and sets regular goals to ensure all students are receiving positive reinforcement, recognition for their contributions to the school community and responsive interventions to support increasing positive pro-social behaviors. We are currently working to increase collaborative partnerships in a co-teaching model, so while this is not necessarily embedded throughout our school, we are providing flexible models at different grade levels based on student-need. Each student is known by name, strength and need at Kokanee. Our teams use data analysis to plan instruction and interventions, and each staff member takes responsibility for all students. Kokanee is known for the highly engaged, inclusive staff supporting all students with IEPs in a flexible model of service delivery.

Highlighting the following inclusionary practices:  

  • PBIS 
  • Flexible service delivery 
  • Collaboration

Ruby Bridges Elementary School

School District: Northshore

ESD: #121

Description: Ruby Bridges Elementary opens in September 2020. This school has been designed specifically to be an inclusive campus. We are committed to developing a school where all students have meaningful access to general education academic and social emotional learning opportunities and where students are seen from a strengths-based, student first view. Every single policy, practice and decision is approached with  the lens of inclusive practices to be certain we are consistent with the vision for the school. The structures and scheduling within the school will be designed to support reduction of barriers for student access and engagement in general education learning. Each grade level will have a block of RTI time for ELA and Math provided in addition to core instruction. All students will access intervention and extension during this time and groupings will not be segregated into EL specific, Special Education specific or other labels; instead groups will be based on recursive analysis of student learning data. Classroom placements and groupings will be made with attention to the needs of our students and maximizing supports available within the general education setting through co-teaching partnerships and collaboration. Our full staff team will be trained in Universal Design for Learning during our first year, and the teaching partnerships for co-teaching will be provided targeted professional development to support implementation of this model. We will initially focus on supporting teacher development of clarity around learning targets and indicators for success in all content areas. Through this development teachers will strive to embed UDL components in their teaching while also implementing data-drive RTI in the ELA and Math content areas. 

Highlighting the following inclusionary practices:  

Brinnon K-8

School District: Brinnon

ESD: #114

Description: At Brinnon K-8 all students, regardless of ability, are engaged in the general education classrooms for core content instruction. We strongly believe that all students learn more effectively in the classroom and that when we embed the necessary supports, all students benefit. Our focus on differentiated classroom supports and small classroom sizes allows teachers to work closely with all students to understand their strengths and needs. By designing curriculum and assignments around student interests and strengths, we are able to maximize student learning potential. We bring in additional supports for all our students through flexible service delivery, by including volunteer teachers, AmeriCorps volunteers, and paraprofessionals. Our special education teacher collaborates closely with the general education teacher and provides instruction and coaching for students with IEPs in general education classrooms. 

Teachers have learned a great deal from our focus on inclusionary practices. They have had extensive training on trauma-informed classrooms. They have learned to manage students with varying academic and behavioral needs and coordinate classroom support. In May of 2019, our district was awarded the OSPI award for closing opportunity gaps. This was a huge award for our little community and it reflected much hard work. OSPI rates student growth on a scale from 1-10. Our special education growth was rated a 10.  We are excited to welcome visitors to our school.

Highlighting the following inclusionary practices: 

Clovis Point Elementary

School District: Eastmont

ESD: #171

Description: Our school’s vision is “Equity for All.” and our mission is “To provide the promise of opportunity to ALL through a quality education.” This means that two conditions must be met: first, every child must have equal access to the same opportunities for learning, and second, every child must have the supports they need to fully engage in those opportunities. The combination of our three inclusionary practices – coteaching, assistive technology and schoolwide modified grading rubrics – provide students with the access to and support for grade-level instruction and academic success. This is our first year implementing coteaching and full inclusion. This shift in our practice has led to a stronger culture of “our students” and more dialogue about inclusive teaching practices. The impacts of the assistive technologies are visible on a daily basis. We see struggling readers willing to tackle popular “thick books.” Pre-primer readers are able to enjoy “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” and experience the same immersion in the story felt by grade-level readers. Essays written by students with significant SDI needs are growing from one paragraph to three paragraphs. Students are learning to use tools that chip away at the learned helplessness so many of our learners experience when they are not taught to use the tools they need to be successful at school. The impact of the rubrics on our students with SDI needs has been an increase in academic achievement; some of our students have made the Honor Roll for the first time in their school careers. For teachers, the rubrics have led to deeper conversations about the purpose of and equity in grading.

Highlighting the following inclusionary practices: