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The Success Plan provides a framework for gathering and summarizing
important information about each student in the class. The process
for developing the Success Plan is divided into several tasks or
activities that can be arranged in various ways depending upon the
needs of the students and the desires of the instructional team.
The tasks to be accomplished include the following:
Get to know each student.
Identify each students strengths and interests.
Identify family concerns that may impact on each students
ability to participate in school activities.
Identify collaborative skills and other priority skills for
each student to learn or practice.
Identify supports for helping the student succeed.
Understanding each students strengths and interests provides
teachers with a wealth of information for developing motivating
learning activities and themes. The public recognition and regard
for each students strengths and interests communicates to
them that they are cared for and valued. In addition, information
on strengths and interests can be used to facilitate students developing
positive relationships with each other and learning to respect similarities
and differences among people.
The use of a strengths-based approach to planning is essential for
developing effective student support plans. Often students, especially
those who present learning or behavioral challenges, are primarily
described in terms of their needs, what they cannot do, and their
inappropriate behaviors. A narrow focus on students needs
provides little information on how they can be academically, socially
and emotionally supported. For example, describing a student as
hyperactive, severely emotionally disturbed and engaging in such
behaviors as being loud and disruptive in class, refusing to do
school work and throwing tantrums, does not provide information
upon which to build a positive support plan. If we can arrange class
activities so that each student has daily opportunities to highlight
their strengths and interests as well as work on learning new skills
in areas that may be challenging, we can create an atmosphere in
which each student can be successful.
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