Inclusion Overview

Inclusion classes are when an ESE teacher provides services via “in class one-on-one.” In class one-on-one is defined as follows: “Teacher meets with an individual student or small group of students on an individualized basis within a traditional classroom but not as a co-teacher.” In class one-on-one is also known as, “support facilitation,” or “inclusion teaching”. ESE teachers must meet certification requirements for any ESE area. (For example: If specially designed instruction is provided to address a student’s visual impairment in accordance with the IEP, the required certification is visually impaired.)

In this article we will cover the different areas in Focus that impact inclusion reporting.

System Preferences

Setup> System Preferences> Scheduling. Review the selection for the preference titled 'Do not subtract minutes when using the inclusion tab'.

When enabled, the number of minutes set in Inclusion Minutes Weekly on inclusion sections are not subtracted from the Class Minutes Weekly on the associated section when added to a student schedule.

*Important Note: When this preference is uncheck be sure to pay close attention to Class Minutes Weekly on both the inclusion section and the accompanying section. When the inclusion section minutes are greater than the minutes in the primary section the schedule record will display a negative minute value.

Creating Inclusion Section

Before you can schedule students for inclusion you must create the inclusion section. Focus has a simple process.

Once the general ed section is created, navigate to the inclusion tab.

Focus will use the information you enter on this tab to create an inclusion section on the students schedule when inclusion is selected.

The fields included on this tab are :

Inclusion Teacher – this is where you list the inclusion teacher, typically the ESE teacher. Note this is a different teacher than the teacher of the section.
Permissions – None gives the teacher no access to the students in the class, Read Only allows the teacher to view attendance and gradebook, Modify allows the teacher to enter attendance and grades.
Scheduling Method – Should be I – In-class One-on-One
Highly Qualified – Not/applicable 2017-18 and after
Team Teacher Training - the teacher’s status regarding training in team teaching methods
Cert/Licensure/Qual Status - the type of certification, licensure, or qualification status applicable to the teacher’s position in the class being reported
Primary Instructor – Should be No

Report to DOE – Should be Yes
Course Num - The inclusion tab gives you the option to specify a different course number for the inclusion course, typically this should be left blank unless the inclusion section is a different course number such as an ACCESS course.
Section Num - The inclusion tab also gives you the option to specify a different section number for the inclusion course as well, typically this should be left blank as Focus is going to automatically output a different section number for the inclusion section when reported to DOE.
Inclusion Minutes Weekly – Enter the number of weekly minutes students in this inclusion class should have:
1. If no minutes are added to the inclusion section, then the inclusion section will have 0 minutes on the schedule record and the “parent” section will have its normal number of minutes. This will cause an error on the student course format unless you individually adjust the minutes on each student's schedule.
2. If minutes are added to the inclusion section, then the minutes on the inclusion schedule record will display this number. The minutes on the associated “parent” section will be the “parent” weekly minutes minus the inclusion section weekly minutes.
3. If the inclusion section is removed from the student or the student is dropped from the inclusion section, the minutes are added back to the “parent” section.
Inclusion FEFP- Select the FEFP number for the inclusion section.
Inclusion Reading Intervention Component- Select the reading intervention component for the inclusion section if applicable.
Inclusion ELL Instructional Model- Select the ELL instructional model for the inclusion section if applicable.
Start Date- Select the start date for when the inclusion teacher will work with the section.
End Date- Select the end date for when the inclusion teacher will work with the section.
Days Override – Select the days the inclusion teacher will work with the students in this section.

*Note: Some of these field may vary if the inclusion teacher is serving multiple students in the same class at different times and days. Inclusion information can be updated on the student individual schedule.

Notice that there is only one line available on each inclusion tab. This means that if you have more than one teacher coming into the same class providing support for additional students possibly under additional course numbers you will need to just create a separate section for those instances with a scheduling method of I.

To learn how to create a section please click here.

Scheduling Students Into Inclusion

Now that the inclusion tab has been filled in we are ready to schedule the inclusion section.

There are two ways to do this, mass add and on the individual student schedule.

Adding Inclusion to the Individual Student Schedule

Schedule > Students Schedule > Search for Student

From the student schedule, locate the class where the student will receive inclusion services. Since you have already set up the inclusion tab you will see a red X on the section under the Inclusion column.

Click the red X and then click it again to check the box. Click Save.

Doing this will update the students schedule and add an additional section.

If you filled in Class Minutes Weekly on the inclusion tab and you did not use the system preference we listed at the beginning of this article , Focus should subtract those minutes from the main class as you can see in the screenshot below:

If you did not fill in Class Minutes Weekly on the inclusion tab you will update the minutes right on the students schedule.

Section Numbers

Note that if you did not indicate a Section Number on the inclusion tab Focus will copy the Section Number from the main class to display on the schedule.

However, for state reporting each Section Number must be unique. So, when the section is sent in teacher course and student course formats for Surveys, Focus will add an "I" to the beginning of the inclusion Section Number.

Mass Adding Student to Inclusion Class

Scheduling> Students with Inclusion

Use the Sections with Inclusion pull down to select the section you would like to schedule for inclusion. Only the classes that have the inclusion tab filled in will display.

Once you make your selection, click Load Report. The class list for the main section will display. Any students that have already been scheduled into inclusion will have the Inclusion checkbox checked and an additional line displaying the inclusion section information.

To schedule additional students into this inclusion section, simply click the Inclusion checkbox next to their name. As you select them they will highlight in yellow until you click the Save button.

Once saved you can update the section fields for each students as applicable like Class Minutes Weekly, Meeting Day , Enrolled Date , ETC. These changes will update the students schedule.

Reports

Master Schedule Report

Scheduling> Master Schedule Report > Inclusion Sections Tab

The Inclusion Sections tab displays any inclusion sections set up at the school with the setup fields from the Inclusion tab in Courses & Sections. Changes to editable fields can be made directly on the report.

Remove Co-Teacher & Inclusion Teachers for Next Year Schedules

Reports> District Reports> PAEC Reports> MIS >Tools

This tool will remove all of the co-teachers and inclusion teacher information for next year's schedules for all schools. It will only work on the master schedule if the default school year has not been changed yet.

Important Warnings

Inclusion scheduling can have many variables and changes may need to be made through out the year. Please read the notes below about the common issues we have experienced:

Changes on a Section vs Student Schedule

Although you do have the ability to update the inclusion minutes on the inclusion tab and master schedule report anytime they DO NOT always trickle down to the students scheduled into those sections.

The only time the changes will update the student schedule minutes is when the Current Value on Class Minutes Weekly field on the section MATCHES the CURRENT value on on the Class Weekly Minutes field on the schedule. The same is true for Class Meeting Days.

Enrolled Date

The enrolled date on the original non inclusion section will automatically populate on the inclusion line when it is added. Therefore if they student started inclusion services AFTER the main section started, you will need to update the enrolled date on the inclusion section from the students schedule.