Screenings

8 minutes ago, Csn2016 said:

The other thing I thought about doing is just over the course of a month or two, every day, call down 5 students from their homeroom first thing in the morning before they go anywhere and screen them--or does that sound ridiculous?

This is what I did in the last district I worked in. It was a pain but it got the job done.

I would suggest to coordinate with admin a specific day that you can do screenings and see if you can get a sub for that day or two. If not, see if it's okay with admin/etc if you can get some help from some local nursing schools--they usually have some students willing to help screen them if they're certified so you can stay in your office.

When the year starts, I look at all my classes schedules and see what time of the day would work with both them and me. So lets say kindergarden says 2-2:30 is there free play time. I would give the teacher a day or two notice that on Monday and Tuesday I'll be calling down her kids from that time until I'm done. Then I'll do the other K class Wednesday and Thursday (again, whatever works). I don't set a schedule too far ahead, as you know how it goes - plan to do screenings and the flu hits. I just get a good time frame from the teachers and say 'i'll be in touch!". Our 4th/5th graders do the class switching too, but they all have a "study time" hour as one of their classes. I use this as their screening time.

So, I do a few things to make my life a little easier...for my MS kids who switch classes, I work with the PE teachers and pull a few at a time out of PE (usually when they're fitness testing, so they're sitting around half of the time anyway). It usually takes me less than a week to get everyone done.

For the littles in elementary school, I set up shop in 1 room and get a few parent volunteers to be my runners. Every few minutes, the parent volunteer grabs a few more kids. The line moves and it takes me about 4 days to complete over 400 screenings.

49 minutes ago, OldDude said:

since this is a state mandated screening.

THIS is what I try to get people to understand. It's state mandated the same way standardized testing is but we still are stuck with subpar rooms and so many teachers and other staff treat it as a massive inconvenience. One time I was set up in a room that seemed pretty good... until school started that day. It was next to the music room. How am I supposed to screen hearing while people are playing drums in the next room? Another time I was set up in the library in a corner that was just sectioned off with the top open to the rest of the library. Again, how am I supposed to screen when we can hear all the classes coming and going in the library?

I am at elementary level - I start screening with my 5th graders and work my way down the grades - saving Kinder for last. I will screen 1 class per day as time permits- usually first thing in the morning, starting the 2nd week of school. I can usually finish the screenings by beginning of November - with a goal being finished by Thanksgiving break.

I have the teacher send 2-3 kids down at at time - I can get thru them quickly as long as I am not constantly interrupted by others. I do send out an email to all staff stating I am screening kids and please do not send anyone for an hour or so unless it is a true emergency.

50 minutes ago, kidzcare said:

THIS is what I try to get people to understand. It's state mandated the same way standardized testing is but we still are stuck with subpar rooms and so many teachers and other staff treat it as a massive inconvenience.

But, then they get mad at you when you don't have everything done in a timely manner!

30 minutes ago, OldDude said:

The biggest objections and complaints I get are if the screening interferes with recess, PE/Music, library, or computer lab periods. I get no complaints if it takes away from academics.

I have had the exact opposite! When I was working with 5th/6th graders, I would try to pull from Language Arts since it was two class periods. I had sent emails out to the 5th and 6th grade LA teachers letting them know which students to send each class period. When one teacher didn't sent the kids, I called her room and she said "I need my kids to be in class" and hung up on me.

At my current district we pull the junior high and high school kids from PE and it is pretty well received. At the preschool level I just pull them whenever I can and the teachers never mind.

I am in middle school where kids switch classes. I usually pull from 1 core subject. I usually do English but you could pick math, science - whichever set of teachers are willing to volunteer. If they are all in PE - that may be a good choice too.

20 hours ago, OldDude said:

The biggest objections and complaints I get are if the screening interferes with recess, PE/Music, library, or computer lab periods. I get no complaints if it takes away from academics.

At the elementary level, I have this issue. Middle school, is the opposite
I wonder what the difference of thought process is?