Best Blog Posts for Classroom Schedules

To start this school year, our team is compiling some of our best examples of supports we have seen in our districts and featured in previous blog posts. Today we are highlighting all of the Best Super Star Schedules Blog Posts for Classroom Schedules. 

Click on the hyperlink under each heading below to be taken to the related post on that topic.

• Types of Schedules

• Troubleshooting Common Student Schedule Concerns

• Schedules for Classroom Staff

• Organizing Centers Time

• More Center Time

• Learning Center Rotations

• Scheduling Center Rotations

• 5 Step Implementation of a Location-Based Visual Schedule

• Steps for Implementing Location- Based Schedule

• Location-Based Interactive Schedules

• Implementing Location-Based Schedules That Best Meet Student Needs

• Group Schedules

• Interactive Group Schedules

• More Group Schedules

• Interactive Visual Schedules

• Individual Schedules

• More Individual Schedules

• Even More Individual Schedules

• First-Then Schedules

• Written Schedules

• Top 3 Tips for Creating Written Schedules for Older Students

• Mini-Schedules

• More Mini-Schedules

Free Pre-Recorded SpEd Hacks Webinars Available On-Demand

To kick off the year, we are featuring our pre-recorded SpEd Hacks webinars that can be viewed for free at your leisure. 

These sessions are about 75 minutes in length and focus on the following topics:

• Classroom Layout and Environment
• Team Building with Paraprofessionals
• Scheduling
• Planning for Instruction

They are a great fit for new or veteran teachers in a self-contained or cross-categorical classroom looking to get a handle on classroom organization and procedures to start the year off right!

Click the image below for access to the flyer which contains the registration links for each session. Once you register, you will be provided with the webinar recording link. 

Please note, due to the "on-demand" format of these sessions, we are unable to offer professional development hours from ACT, however many of our districts have issued their own certificates to provide CEUs to their staff for viewing our on-demand sessions. Please reach out to your district contact to coordinate this.

Feel free to share with colleagues and friends!

Super Star Schedules: Schedules for Classroom Staff

Daily schedules in the world of a special education classroom can be especially challenging because there are many moving parts! There are often multiple grade levels of students, different related service times, and multiple classroom staff members. Having a consistent schedule that is clearly communicated with staff and students is an essential foundational component of a well-run classroom!  

Today's Super Star Schedules post will use examples from around our region to illustrate the different stages of developing a schedule for classroom staff and clearly communicating so that everyone can implement the routine with consistency.

Step 1: Overview Schedule

The first step is to create a general outline of your schedule which outlines daily activities and at which times they occur. 

Taylor Anglin
Louise Troy Elementary, Dayton

Lia Andrix
Learning Center- West, MCESC

Courtney Pearce
Trotwood ELC, Trotwood

Phil Beresic
Ruskin Elementary, Dayton

Nicole Bellard
Fairview Elementary, Dayton

Granville Bastin
Twin Valley South, Preble County ESC

For older grades, this is often pre-determined through the school building's block schedule. 

Hayward Middle School, Springfield

Fairborn High School, Fairborn

Michelle Hiegel
Miami East Junior High, Miami East

Step 2: Detailed Schedule

The next step is to detail who is covering what during each time period and activity. For staff schedules, this often includes which student(s) they are working with. This is an important step because it ensures that staff know exactly who to be working with at a given time so that you can be sure all students have coverage at all times. 

Abbie Opdycke
Kenwood Elementary, Springfield

Christine Scarborough
Tecumseh Elementary, Xenia

Steve Mahle
Miamisburg Middle School, Miamisburg

Color-coding can make it easier visually for staff to follow the schedule.

Mandy Schetter
Northmoor Elementary, Northmont

Anjie Rose
Schnell Elementary, West Carrollton

Chris Stanley & Nick Moore
Kleptz ELC, Northmont

Heidi Grumpp
Miami County CLC

Many teams also incorporate this detail into their daily Google Slide Schedules to communicate to staff and students who will be together during centers time. 

Jodi Schweikardt 
Kiser Elementary, Dayton

Tava Reese
West Carrollton ECC, West Carrollton

Mandi Haynes
Perrin Woods Elementary, Springfield

Step 3: Lesson Plans and Materials

The final step with schedule creation is using the detailed schedule to provide most explicit direction through a lesson plan which may detail specific activities that will be done during that given time. 

Amy Beanblossom
Arcanum-Butler Elementary, Arcanum

Heather Clark
Saville Elementary, Mad River

Polly Amspaugh
Roosevelt Elementary, Dayton

Brittany Wendling
Valley Elementary, Beavercreek

Jenna Fitch
Demmitt Elementary, Vandalia

Many teams organize staff materials to align with the provided lesson plans in a predictable way so that everything needed is easily accessible to limit down time and waiting for students who need immediate engagement. 

Amy Beanblossom
Arcanum-Butler Elementary, Arcanum

Taylor Ruef
Stevenson Elementary, Mad River

Jackie Vollmer
Driscoll Elementary, Centerville

Step 4: Staff Communication Corner

A "bonus" step that makes the schedule process even easier is creating a staff communication corner where extra schedules can be posted and schedule concerns can be communicated on a whiteboard or parking lot. This simple step can eliminate interruptions during the school day when staff need to know what to do next or notice an issue with the schedule because there is a consistent place where this information can be communicated. 

Molly Magoteaux
Kleptz Elementary, Northmont

Jamie Minnish
Prass Elementary, Kettering

Jackie Vollmer
Driscoll Elementary, Centerville

Implementing Location-Based Schedules That Best Meet Student Needs

Do you have students who are struggling to follow a group or individual schedule in the classroom? Do you feel like you need to provide verbal prompts to every student during every transition? We have found that Location-Based Schedules can be a great way to build student independence and understanding during transitions. Today's Super Star Schedules highlights how this effective support can be implemented in a variety of ways to best meet the specific needs of your students and classroom.

Comprehensive Location-Based Schedules

Many teams will implement a comprehensive, full-day location-based schedule for each student. When using this type of schedule, icons are used to symbolize every activity for the student's entire school day. Then, corresponding matching signs are hung in their designated location for students's to match the icon during that scheduled time. 

Rose Jepson

Northridge Elementary, Northridge

Julia Spencer

Fairborn Primary, Fairborn

Amanda McCormick
Driscoll Elementary, Centerville

Jessica Hartman
Northmoor Elementary, Northmont

Jolene Allen
Saville Elementary, Mad River

More information on setting up a comprehensive location-based schedule can be found in our previous post:

5 Step Implementation of a Location-Based Visual Schedule

Although these are the most common and most comprehensive type of location-based schedule, we find that some teams struggle to implement them with fidelity because they are so cumbersome to create and follow each day. We have found some great starting points for teams who want to start small: 

Location-Based Schedules for Transitioning Within the Classroom

Other teams have found that transitioning outside of the classroom is not an issue because everyone is going together and the activity always happens in the same location (i.e. lunch is always in the cafeteria and PE is always in the gym). However, students may struggle with transitions within the classroom because activities can vary at different locations (i.e. sometimes they do math as a whole group at the carpet and other times they do math 1:1 at their desk and other times they work on math independently at the structured work station). In these instances, we will recommend implementing a location-based schedule within the classroom and at times it may only be during certain times of day such as centers. 

We love these examples with colored shapes. 

Dariann Hatton
Valley Forge Elementary, Huber Heights

Makenzie Harris
Primary Village South, Centerville

Deanna Hicks
East Elementary, Eaton

Some more ideas using colors: 

Rylie Jarrett
Stevenson Elementary, Mad River

Jenny Vogt
Schnell Elementary, West Carrollton

Julia Spencer
Fairborn Primary, Fairborn

And some great whole group examples! Each student's name/picture is on the board under the icon with the corresponding icon at the center. 

Rose Jepson
Northridge Elementary, Northridge

Debi Gnau
Mad River ECC, Mad River

We have also seen some great success with teams labeling areas of the classroom with special interest icons. This can be great for young or emergent students who struggle to connect with basic schedule icons. 

Genevieve Harvey
West Carrollton ECC, West Carrollton

Jodi Schweikardt
Kiser Elementary, Dayton

Beth Patterson
Clark Shawnee Elementary, Clark Shawnee

Riley Cruse
Brookville Elementary, Brookville

Katie Wyckoff
Primary Village South, Centerville

Location-Based Schedule for Transitioning Outside of the Classroom

For some teams, students transition well within the classroom, but they struggle when it is time to navigate transitions throughout the rest of the school building such as when it is time to go to specials, lunch, the restroom, or related service therapy times. For these students, they may not need a comprehensive schedule but rather just icons to help with these major transitions. 

Taylor Anglin
Louise Troy Elementary, Dayton

 

Katie Mlod

Mad River ECC, Mad River

Lauren Dickey
Indian Riffle Elementary, Kettering

Cookson Elementary, Troy

Cassandra Hebauf
Northmoor Elementary, Northmont