E13. A Better Way to Schedule Your Day in Special Education

How do you write a lot of your favorite ideas and research ideas? How do you collaborate with other staff and IEP members? How do you write IEP goals? Hello, my name is Stephanie and you're listening to the intentional IEP podcast, the show that helps special education teachers write stronger IEPs, collect data with confidence and take back their time so they can focus on what they do best. Teaching. If you're looking to find clarity and actionable answers to your most pressing IEP questions, you're in the right place. Together, we're going to make IEPs more intentional. This is the intentional IEP podcast. Hey, special education teachers. Welcome to another episode of the intentional IEP podcast. Let's talk about something that every single special education teacher, you included, wishes they had more of, time, time to collect data. Time to update progress reports. Time to plan meaningful lessons. Time to plan more compliant individualized IEPs. The truth is that time isn't going to magically appear and we have to build it on purpose. Scheduling in special education isn't about just filling in or plugging in times onto a grid or a spreadsheet. It's truly about creating a functional, flexible and student-centered flow that's really going to support instruction, support behaviors and therapies, inclusion, support your students and support you as the teacher. In this episode, we'll walk through how to build a schedule that actually works in a self-contained resource or inclusion setting. No matter what LRE you're in, I've got you. We're going to learn how to build that schedule, but also learn how to carve out dedicated time for all the behind-the-scenes tasks like data collection, IEPs, lesson planning, without taking away from your students and without staying until 6 p.m. every night. The first thing you want to do is start with your non-negotiables. So when you are planning and scheduling, start with your non-negotiables. These are your fixed points. So lunch, specials, arrival, dismissal, therapy minutes, inclusion blocks. So go back to your service minute students, IEPs. Build around these first so that you're not trying to squeeze them in later. My favorite thing to do is to use different colors of blocks to block this out visually. I like to use Excel to make my spreadsheets for my classroom schedule and student schedules. I'll link a video that I have here about creating your classroom schedule on YouTube, from YouTube in the show notes here. But there's also different platforms and tools that you can help to use to build your individual classroom schedule. So again, Google Sheets Excel, it's customizable. You can color code everything, it's shareable. If you PowerPoint, I love me some PowerPoint. You can use tables and visuals to map out your week. You can use plan book, plan board. This helps you if you want to build in lesson plan and scheduling, kind of all in one place. You have classroom visual tools like board maker lesson picks or you can use your own visuals for student facing schedules. Lots of different options just depends on how you want to plan your out your school day and what you want that to look like. Start with your classroom schedule, your master schedule, and then create specific mini schedules for students based off of that. So that's what I did. I would get the information from the administrator on what the school schedule was for specials and lunch and recess and all of those things. And then I would create my master schedule from there for the classroom. And then from there, I'm building out student specific mini schedules as needed. Once I have all of these non-negotiables, this is where I can see where I can build in time for me to do all of these other things. Like data collection, analyzing the data, sending out these input forms or less and planning, doing all of these things. So what might that look like on a schedule? It might look like a parallel led story time. It might look like I have 20 minutes in between these two classes because my students are going to recess and recess goes with paras. And so I have 20 minutes where I can map out XYZ. When you visually can see these times, you can then visually put yourself on the schedule for those and you're more likely to make it happen. You don't need two hours to be productive. You just need a plan for that next 10 minutes. You can do a lot of work in 10 or 20 minutes. You just need to have that plan. Without planning for it, it's never going to get done. Number two is group your students by need, not just by grade. So look at your caseload. Who needs that small group instruction? Who needs one on one? Who needs whole group? What are their accommodations, all of the things? Group your students based on their goals, on their supports, on their instructional levels, to plan efficient teaching blocks. Pull your students in this manner as well. You can also consider doing rotating stations or stagger times to accommodate intensive needs without overwhelming the staff or overwhelming yourself. What I like to do for stations, I'll link we have a blog post at our sister site, Mrs. Dees Corner on academic stations. And this is what I did for not only self contained, but also for resource when I taught resource. So this is how we did stations also did this for ESY, actually, I use the station rotation for everything because it just works. I'll link it in the show notes, the blog post you can you can go through that. But it's just really important that the grouping of your students is going to give you back more of that time of what you need to do things. So this is how you're going to build in your data collection. This is where you get to where all of the hats at once. But if you're not intentional with what hats you're wearing at a specific time, you're not going to have any time left for anything else at the end of the day to tackle your paperwork mountain, right? Or to do analyzing of data or to input your Medicaid. So you have to reclaim your time within your schedule and within your lesson planning without staying late every day. So like I said, center rotations linking that blog post in the show notes, but use this is one of the biggest ways to bring back your time and save more time and give you back more time is using centers time wisely. So you can build in a rotation that's going to allow you, like I said, to collect data right anecdotal notes while students are engaged in meaningful tasks. So what this looks like is not just you supervising, but also teaching, but you're optimizing your time. This works because independent work center work task box works shouldn't just be busy work for students. They should be highly intentional routines that are going to foster independence and free up short bursts of your teacher time, right? You can take data working one on one with the student, have another student working independently next to you and also take data on that student working independently while you're taking data in a one to one or a small group at the same time. I know because I've done it, it works and it frees up so much of your time so you're not left thinking, oh my gosh, I have 24 data points to put in. Where am I going to find that time to get all of those data points or even if it's four data points. You already have it because you're optimizing your time. So here's how you do it well. You want to set up three to four consistent rotations with students practicing their known skills. This the blog post is going to walk you through a lot of this, but here's some extra tips. Consistent rotations this looks like once your centers are always going to be the same activity you're going to change out what they're doing or the materials that they're working with. For example, task boxes, task boxes are always going to stay task boxes. You might change up what cards are in the task box, but their expectations for completing the task box center is always going to be the same. Same goes with the listening center, maybe they're listening to an audio book. Same center every time you're changing out the books. Maybe they're reading a book. They have the same expectations. What do you need to do when you're reading a book? You're going to log xyz and it's going to look different for every student, but they have the same expectations. Right? File folders, adapted books, digital games, writing prompts, listening centers, puzzles, fine motor. They are all going to be the same station every single day, every single time. It's never going to change. But the materials and activities that you're doing within those stations are going to change. That is how you do it well. You also then train your paras to run a center or support students. This leaves you to not being the center of a center rotation. Paras can provide SDI when they are under the direct supervision of a special education teacher. That's you. Paras can re-teach. Now, Paras should not be teaching new skills, but your center rotations should also not be teaching new skills. It should be skills that they have already learned or are learning that you've already taught the initial concept to. Paras can run these centers. You don't have to be the center of every rotation. Now, use your rotations to pull for progress monitoring. Or you can sit at the teacher table and tally behavior on IEP data in real time. Or your paras can take behavior data during center rotations. Or you, like I said, can be working in one-on-one or one-to-two in a small group while you have another student sitting right next to you working independently and you can take data on that at the same time. So the mindset shift here is you're still teaching, but you're also modeling exactly what you're doing. executive functioning, self-regulation, independent task completion, you're doing all of these things, you're optimizing your time, students are working independently, they're working on things that they need to be working on, it's a win-win. So this is how you build in work time throughout your day so that you don't have to stay longer or work more hours at home or do more things at home because you're already building them into your day. Are you feeling overwhelmed with IEPs, drowning in paperwork and wondering how other teachers on social media or maybe even your building make it look easy? You don't need to work harder, you just need supports that are actually going to help you. Inside the intentional IEP membership, you'll get access to a searchable IEP goal bank with almost 10,000 pre-written IEP goals, our pre-K through six screeners, which are those important data probes for baseline data and progress monitoring, our expert lead trainings and plug-and-play printable resources that just make IEPs feel manageable again. Over 5,500 teachers have already joined the intentional IEP and together we're reaching over 77,000 students with better IEPs. Are you ready to take something off of your plate and finally breathe again? Take the next step and join us at theintentionalip.com. Not about doing more, it's about optimizing the time that you have. Now, number three is plan your adult support. We talked about it with centers, center rotations, give pair as a center, give them something to do. Assign pairs and support staff intentionally. Make sure no one's floating without a purpose, right? Everyone should have a place to be where when and why and what should you be doing? This might look like a weekly adult schedule that aligns with the student schedule. Might be two schedules, it might be a team, okay? Assign your adult support with purpose. We're gonna specifically just say paras, okay? Paras support with purpose. If a pair is leading a group or supporting a student one on one, you can then use that time to complete quick data tallies or organize IEP paperwork. Just a few minutes in a day is gonna add up. Your paras aren't just assistants, they're extensions of your instruction. We talked about the importance of pair professionals in a previous episode, so you can go ahead and listen to that one as well. But paras are not glorified copymaids. They can run stations, they can collect data, they shouldn't just be sitting around, they can prompt students through tasks, they can supervise transitions, they shouldn't just be on their phones. When we use them effectively, when they feel respected and included as well, this allows you to create a natural space for you to step back and work on things without interruption. So how do you do this well? You're gonna include your pair of professionals in the schedule building from the start. Share the why behind each center rotation, behind each grouping. Again, go back to that pair professional collaboration podcast episode. We talked about including them and how to do that, what you should be going over with them. Give them a visual schedule, give them the expectations, give them the expectations for each center, for each block, whatever it may be, schedule weekly check-ins where they're reporting what they're working on, what data they've gathered, what student challenges they're seeing. Again, we went through all of this in that podcast episode about pair collaboration. Paras can do it. They are there to help support you and help support the students. You should not be doing it all. Paras can keep flip boards with data sheets. They can have prompting scripts, they can have visuals to refer to. This keeps their work consistent. This keeps them involved in what the students are doing. And this is also gonna free up your time, like I said, to work on your own tasks the things that you have to do. This is how you schedule you into your schedule. So treat your planning block like a non-negotiable service time. So you wanna treat your planning block like a non-negotiable service time. This isn't time for you to go talk to teachers and the teachers lounge. It can be if that's what you need that day. This is not time to scroll Instagram or Pinterest or read teaching blogs. It needs to be a non-negotiable service time for yourself because it is. You need to block off these 15, 20 minute chunks. However long your planning block is, I think my planning block, I had one that was 30 minutes, I had one at a different school, that was 45. I had a different one that was 60 minutes. I also had a planning block once back up with my lunch. So I had lunch back to back with my planning block. So what you're gonna do is block off 15 or even 10, or even five minutes, depends on what you're gonna be doing. Block off minute chunks, two to three times a week for IEP writing, for team communication, for goal planning, for goal analyzing data, you wouldn't cancel a student service time, right? So don't cancel your own planning time either. Why does this work? Because you're intentionally setting up these building blocks into your own day, even in those 15 to 20 minute chunks. You're reducing this invisible workload, it's not invisible, we have all of these things to do. Our plate is overflowing, but you're now avoiding this apocalypse type scenario that happens all of the time, the snowball scenario, where we're not meeting deadlines until the night before, we're not writing IEPs 'til the night before, we're doing, and I'm guilty of this, writing progress reports at 7.30 a.m. when they're due at 8 a.m. When you treat your time that you have scheduled already into your day, like a non-negotiable service time for yourself, it's also a non-negotiable service time for your students. This is how you win, okay? Remember how I said, you don't need two hours to be productive, you need a plan for those 10 minutes, you need a plan for those five minutes. So at first, it might be a little bit more difficult for you because you're going to be teaching yourself a new skill, your setting new habits, takes three weeks minimum to set a new habit. Keep at it, don't give up. Chunk out these minutes to help you reduce this workload. How do you do this well? You're going to look for those naturally quieter parts of the day, morning work, independent reading, students at therapy. You're going to block off data time. Slot, once or twice a week, put it on your visual schedule if needed, put it in your planner. During this time, this is when you're going to track goals, fill out notes, pre-write sections of upcoming IEPs. Your planning time is directly tied to your student progress and compliance, so it's not selfish. Yes, it's survival, but it's also you setting a hard boundary that you are not working outside of your contract time. If you choose to do so, that is all by all means that is your prerogative and that is your boundary. But if you want to do less work outside of your contract time, something has to change during your contract time for you to get that win back. The bonus tip here is to stack your small wins. So again, if you learn nothing else or take nothing else away from this podcast episode, I want it to be this, you don't need two hours to be productive. You just need a plan for those five minutes, you need a plan for those 10 minutes. So that anecdotal note that you need to take or take notes on, you don't need to do it at 7.30 in the morning before the kids come. Maybe you can, but during snack time, you can log one anecdotal note during snack time. You can update one goal sheet during dismissal or maybe it's not during dismissal, maybe it's during recess, you're checking off things on data sheets. Or maybe it's taking a five minute voice note at lunch to summarize behaviors for the day and then having it transcribed later. One of my favorite methods for trying to figure out what I need to do during these times where I have five minutes or 10 minutes is, I like to do what's called a brain dump. And I have, I call it a ping pong ball. I have a ping pong ball in my brain that goes ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, like it goes real fast. And I can never stop the ping pong ball. It's always on to the next thing. So if I don't write something down, it doesn't happen because I've already forgotten it. This is a true story. I have sticky notes everywhere. Sticky notes and notepads everywhere to help me remember things. I also will email myself things and I have a list and ongoing list on my notes pad, my notes in my phone, the things that I need to do. Or if I need something, like if I'm out with my husband, I'm gonna be like, babe, I'm gonna text you this real quick 'cause I need you when we get home. I need you to remind me of this. Don't answer the text message. So you still have the notification. And he knows this now. I'm like, I'm gonna text you something real quick. I need you to remember to do this when we get home. And so he helps me, like, this is just what, this is what works for me. So I brain dump. What does that mean? Everything in my brain, it goes on a piece of paper. And then I just have a running to do list. With this brain dump though, just because I have the thought, doesn't mean it needs to be done. When I have the brain dump, I prioritize what needs to happen from there. And so this is how I determine, okay, I have a five minute block of time. What can I do in five minutes? Oh, I can answer this email. I have 10 minutes. What can I get done in this time? Oh, I can probably log like 30 different data points into the Google form so that it's in there. And then during my next block time, I can export it into the spreadsheet and create some graphs so I can analyze some data. My next block time. This is how you win. This is the most powerful shift that you can make as a special education teacher without squeezing more into your day. Because it's about protecting what matters most. Your students matter most. But you can't serve your students if you're not serving yourself first. You deserve time to think, to plan, to breathe, you deserve time to lead. So by intentionally scheduling out your workblocks, using your center time wisely, leading into the supports, the adult supports that you have available, you're not just getting ahead, you're building a system that's going to sustain you. So this podcast episode serves as your permission slip to block off that planning time, to sit at your desk during independent work, to leave at contract time without guilt. Because when you work smarter with intentions, your students benefit. And so do you. Thank you for tuning into the intentional IEP podcast. If you love today's episode, tag us on social, let us know which strategy you're going to be trying first, and as always, keep doing the hard, hard work. You're not alone in it. Keep being intentional. Thanks for tuning into the intentional IEP podcast. I know your time is valuable, and I appreciate you spending it here with me. Before you go, I've got something to make IEP writing so much easier, a free IEP goal bank with over 200 pre-written IEP tools for pre-K through 12th grade. No more staring at a blank screen. Grab yours at the intentional IEP.com/podcastgoalbank, all one word. And just a reminder, what you do matters. Even when it feels overwhelming, even when the paperwork files up, you're making a difference every single day in every single one of your student's lives. And I'm proud of you. If this episode helped you, hit follow so you never miss what's next. More time saving strategies and IEP support are coming your way. Until next time, keep being intentional.