Supporting Special Education Teachers 

How Boardworks supported special education teachers with engaging, differentiated content for students with special needs 

Case Study Background

McMinnville School District is a public school district located in McMinnville, OR. It serves approximately 6,800 children in six elementary schools, two middle schools and one high school.  The district has a  diverse student population of approximately 59% Anglo students and 35% Hispanic students. 10%+ students are English Language Learners and 12%+ students are students with disabilities.

Boardworks Education | Special Education
Boardworks Education | Special Education

Kevin Carroll, Director of Special Education

Kevin Carroll is the Director of Special Education and Student Services Director at McMinnville School District in Oregon.  The district knows that special education issues can be complex. The goal of Student Services is to collaborate with parents to best meet the needs of their students. 

The Challenge

McMinnville School District needed a curriculum with resources that teachers could use efficiently with special needs students, causing teachers to spend time searching for materials on their own. Many tools teachers found were designed for students to work independently. The district wanted resources where teachers interact with students, and they wanted any teacher to have access to and easily understand how to use the resources.

“One of the things that really concerned me was a lack of curriculum that the teachers had access to that served our special needs student population. We had a number of teachers that were developing their own materials and looking at sites on the internet to get resources.”

“We wanted to give teachers a solid base, not just having a tool to give to students and say go work on it independently. Boardworks encourages student interaction with teachers which we were drawn to. We also wanted a tool that creates student engagement but also provides a standardization of materials and instruction that would ensure all our students are getting a good level of instruction regardless of who is teaching.”

— Kevin Carroll, Director of Special Education

The Solution

KevinKebWith Boardworks, the district has a standards-aligned resource that easily supplements classroom resources and can be used collaboratively by General Education and Special Education teachers, helping to cut down on teachers’ preparation time. Lessons are differentiated and interactive for students. Plus, the cost of Boardworks allows for a sustainable solution for the district.

“Boardoworks is great because it links up with different standards and grade levels, which is super helpful at the high school where I have students still at kindergarten to 5th-grade reading levels. I can search by standard and pick the right lessons to help supplement what I’m already doing in the class.”

— Christopher Krigbaum, Special Education teacher

“We really looked at Boardworks as a way to supplement what we were already doing. Giving our teachers a resource to teach the same standards, but at a lower reading level was critical for a number of our students.”

“One of the things we considered was not only the curriculum itself but also the limited funds. We needed to have a sustainable program in terms of cost. Boardworks is quality curriculum and instruction and a program that you need to consider. It’s a best buy for your dollar.”

Kevin Carroll, Director of Special Education

One of the things we considered was not only the curriculum itself but also the limited funds. We needed to have a sustainable program in terms of cost. Boardworks is quality curriculum and instruction and a program that you need to consider. It’s a best buy for your dollar.”

We really looked at Boardworks as a way to supplement what we were already doing. Giving our teachers a resource to teach the same standards, but at a lower reading level was critical for a number of our students.”

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Kevin Carroll, Director of Special Education  

Implementation

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Boardworks is an easy-to-use resource that many teachers can start using with minimal training. Boardworks provides all customers with free PD, which usually takes less than 30 minutes to learn, review, ask questions, and ensure a smooth implementation.

“Boardworks is awesome because you can easily jump in. My biggest advice is just dive into Boardworks and start using it. You learn a lot by doing. And Boardworks supports with helpful training sessions.”

— Christopher Krigbaum, Special Education teacher

The Results

With Boardworks, teachers and students can access relevant and meaningful lessons in an individualized and engaging format.

“We have a very inclusive atmosphere. So a lot of my students are out in general classrooms, and being able to help the General Education teachers with verbiage that students can understand better saves our preparation time. And then it makes collaboration between General Education and Special Education teachers a lot easier because we have something to look at together. We can do different things in our classrooms, but we have that same base to jump off of.”

“With Boardworks, you can literally find lessons by standard. When I’m looking at reading standards for kindergarteners, I just click on the standard and there’s different lessons to help with that. Boardworks really helps supplement what I’m doing”

“Boardworks has helped with student engagement with multiple ways to access the lessons. You can be on the chromebook and also be in a live session with the students, or you can send the lesson to the student. You can print the stories for language arts so students can do close reading.”

“Boardworks has cut down on my preparation time quite a lot, which gives me more time to focus on student learning and on individual education plans. I have students sometimes in classroom that are at very different levels. Boardworks gives me more time to prepare to give my students things at different levels.”

— Christopher Krigbaum, Special Education teacher

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