Making the grade with ESE

Steve Cordle
ECB Publishing, Inc.

Marion Michael Morrison was born on May 26, 1907, in Winterset, Iowa. As a youth, his family moved to California and, eventually, Marion broke into motion pictures. He eventually started playing macho, tough-guy roles, especially in westerns, which led to a small problem with the Fox Film Corporation, which was paying him what was then an astronomical sum of $105 per week (about $1568.74 in 2020). The problem was his name. Let's face it, as a name, Marion Morrison just doesn't sound all that tough. So, without any warning or consultation with Morrison, two executives at Fox Films changed Morrison's name to one you undoubtedly have heard of: John Wayne... and the rest is history.

Sometimes a name change is needed, especially if there is an image or a perception problem. For a long time, students (especially children and teens) with learning disabilities or distinct needs were called "special education" students or "special ed." for short. The problem was the very name led to misunderstandings, misconceptions, misperceptions and jokes. To help alleviate some of those problems, a name change was needed, and so Exceptional Student Education (ESE) came into existence. One of the misconceptions about ESE students is that they are all intellectually disabled or lack average intelligence. Nothing could be further from the truth.

ESE encompasses the whole spectrum of students, from those who have intellectual disability issues to those at the opposite end of the spectrum, with genius IQs. Also included are students with Emotional and Behavioral Disabilities (EBD), who, despite behavioral issues, are usually average to above-average intelligence.

For the past 18 years, Katrina Snider has been teaching ESE students in several different school districts in Michigan and Florida. For the past four years, she has taught the self-contained ACCESS Points ESE middle and high school students at Jefferson-Somerset, where she has forged special bonds with the students she has worked with over the course of her time there. Assisting Snider in the classroom is Paraprofessional ("para" for short) Brenda Francis, who has worked at Somerset for four years. Francis started on the elementary side of the campus before moving over to the high school side during the 2019-2020 school year. Paras assist the teachers by helping students with their work one-on-one, if needed, and going to elective classes to assist there and teach the class in the teacher's absence. Francis also assists with documentation such as notable changes in behavior to facilitate the Individual Education Plan (ISP) process.

At Somerset, Snider's ESE students are in a self-contained classroom, meaning that Snider teaches their core courses (math, science, history and language arts.) with assistance and support from Francis. For electives (such as Culinary Arts, Army JROTC or art class, to name a few), the students go to other general education classrooms with their non-disabled peers with a para to assist with any challenges that might surface. While not all ESE students will be in a self-contained class, they will qualify for Individual Education Plans (IEP) that specify what eligibility/disability they have and the specific plan for education and accommodations needed for them to be successful learners. The curriculum is the same as what the general education students must pass but is based on ACCESS Points. ACCESS Points are the educational track in which students are placed on in these situations. ACCESS Points are academic expectations written specifically for students with significant cognitive disabilities. Florida Standards are a level of expectation for learning for general education students and have various subsections that correspond to each learning benchmark. ACCESS Points reflect the essence or core intent of the standards that apply to all students in the same grade but have reduced complexity levels. Also, students are provided with accommodations. For instance, a student might be allowed extra time to take a test or have the test's questions read out loud to them. Instead of answering 25 multiple choice questions, a student on ACCESS Points might only have to answer 15 or 20.
For ESE students at the opposite end, enrichment programming, higher-order level essays can be given. An accommodation might be that they need extra time to gather their thoughts.

Students who have Emotional and Behavioral Disabilities (EBD) are a part of the ESE setting. According to Snider, despite their behavioral problems, EBD students typically possess average to above-average intelligence. The behavioral issues stem from any number of issues from abuse, neglect, medication, trauma and, sometimes, all of the above. The best-case scenario is to have classes for the students with intellectual needs separate from the EBD students because behavioral issues can cause a distraction and can delay progress in instruction as you are consistently working on behavioral issues.

Like general education students, ESE students go to various electives to broaden their horizons and determine their interests. It also allows them to improve social skills through interaction with their same-aged peers outside of the self-contained classroom.

ESE students graduate with a regular high school diploma based on ACCESS Points, which is stated on their diploma. From there, they can go anywhere. Some will attend college or trade school. Some will work in the family business. Most have some ability to go out and earn a living.

From the Jefferson-Somerset ESE program, several students have gone on to jobs and higher education. One student is Starrlynn Gamble, who graduated in the class of 2020, with honors. Gamble is one of the shining success stories that emerged from Jefferson-Somerset, in-spite of the sudden shutdown inflicted on students by COVID-19.

Now 20 years old, Gamble was born in North Carolina with a heart condition requiring surgery to correct it. She was two-and-a-half months old when she went through the procedure, during which she had a stroke. The stroke paralyzed her right side and led to a nearly two-decades-long battle with seizures and cerebral palsy. In September of 2018, surgery was performed on her brain in hopes of eliminating the seizures. As of December 2020, Gamble has been free of seizures for over two years.
At Jefferson-Somerset, Snider initiated many activities for the students to encourage social skills, personal growth and even entrepreneurship. Lend-A-Hand Clerical made copies and did filing. Gamble was the secretary of Buttons-A-Million, which made pin on buttons for local organizations. Not only did students make the buttons, they learned to take the orders, bill for them and make delivery arrangements. Gamble was also president of the SOAR Club (Successful Occupations Are Reachable) during her senior year. SOAR is an organization she had been involved with all through high school. The club made significant contributions to our community, such as purchasing ballistic vests for the K-9 units of the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office. They participated in a Work Based Learning Experience (WBLE). The WBLE program was meant to help students get real-world work experience and develop social skills, time management and other skills. One of the first businesses to sign on to the program was Tupelo's Bakery and Café. Tupelo's owner, Kim Davis, was enthusiastic about helping students (as were many local businesses in the pre-COVID-19 climate). Davis thought the WBLE program was good for the students and for business. When a student, such as Gamble, came in, her emphasis on keeping the dining area ready for customers freed the rest of the staff to tend to those customers, while at the same time preparing for the daily lunch rush. Davis remarked what a pleasure Gamble was to work with. "Starrlynn always had a good attitude, was always smiling, which was good for customers to see.” Watching Gamble interact with customers was like seeing friends meeting up with each other.

After graduating from Jefferson-Somerset, Gamble enrolled in the Tallahassee Community College (TCC), Eagles Connection Program. Because of her high school academic success, she was awarded a scholarship through Eagles Connections. The Eagles Connection is described by the TCC website as "a postsecondary comprehensive transition program for students with intellectual disabilities. The program follows the mission of the college and provides a course of study that includes career exploration and planning, personal development, internship and/or work experience, and social activities designed to promote gainful employment and increased independence." Additionally, Gamble received a KEYS Scholarship from the State of Florida and a full PELL Grant, which does not need to be paid back. Upon graduating from the Eagles Connection program, Gamble will graduate with an Employment Credential with a concentration in education. Gamble is continuing her academic success earning straight "A's" while studying early childhood development, intending to open her own daycare. Due to COVID-19 protocols, she is in the classroom on Fridays only and takes the rest of her classes via remote learning. Like most college graduates, Gamble will learn the business with an established daycare before striking out on her own.

There are many more success stories like Starrlynn. We, the general public, need to see that people with disabilities are quite capable of learning, working and supporting themselves. All they need is the chance and support to do it.