About the Program

My Students

I have 10 Special Education students who work best when in a small group and when everyday is consistent.  They work on functional academic skills such as counting money, telling time, and learning their personal information.  There is one teacher and four para educators who work within the room.  My students are in one general education PE class, and if appropriate a music, art, or media class.  They are then with me the rest of the day to support their IEP goals.

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Peer Mentors

Peer mentors are general education students who choose to take this class as an elective.  They come into the classroom to help support my students socially, academically, and behaviorally.  While in the classroom the peer mentors are taught to deliver curriculum, take data, provide accommodations and modifications, support sensory needs, and communicate with my students.  

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Starting the Program

The Peer Mentor program has grown at WMS for the past 4 years.  When we started we had 3 general education students working within our classroom for 1 period a day.  Currently we have 45 peer mentors working daily over the six periods.  I practice what is called Backward Mainstreaming.  Instead of placing my students into general education classes that aren't appropriate I pull general education students into my classroom to support and extend the learning of my students.  

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Positives for My Students

This program creates a network of kids to support my students throughout their transition to high school, and into the community.  It gives them a positive 1:1 academic learning environment and interaction with general education peers every period.  It has also increased academic achievement greatly over the past four years since the program was started.

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Positives for Peer Mentors

My peer mentors also gain from this program.  They learn compassion, increase their emotional intelligence, develop leadership skills, and learn to understand the needs of others.  This program also gives the peer mentors a connection to school.

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Everyone is Accepted

In the Peer Mentor Program everyone is accepted.  There is no exclusion for attendance issues, behavioral issues, or for having lower academic skills.  In fact this is the perfect place for struggling students as it helps support them gaining confidence that carries over into other parts of their day. 

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Set up

This program does take brainstorming and problem solving to fit it into each school and program, as they are all so different.  This program can work in Elementary Schools, Middle Schools, High Schools, and Alternative Schools.  It takes organization and recruitment for the first year.... BUT the payoff for each of the students who are served within it is well worth the time and effort.

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Curriculum

My classroom uses the Styer-Fitzgerald Program for Functional Academics and HIGHLY recommend it.  It has lesson plans, data sheets, and uses discrete trial and error methods which is best practice for our kids.  My students have made amazing gains using this program.  Their website is www.SDESworks.com

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