BEST PRACTICES IN ACTION AT THEODORE LESTER ELEMENTARY When you walk into Mrs. Tammy Bevill’s class, you don’t see an autism selfcontained class. You simply see teachers and classroom assistants differentiating instruction for students. Unless you actually know who the teacher is, it’s almost impossible to determine which adult is the teacher because all adults are leading a group. Ms. Bevill participates in ALL general education and programs for exceptional children professional development opportunities and ensures that her students are provided the best of both learning environments. The same statements can be made about Mrs. Pamela Smith. All of Mrs. Smith’s students have limited physical mobility, but Mrs. Smith ensures that she challenges her students cognitively on a daily basis. Failure to participate in class is not an option for her students. Mrs. Smith and her staff participate in assistive technology professional development to give her students access the general education curriculum and increase their sef-reliance and sense of independence. All Lester Elementary 5k3rd grade teachers participated in OrtonGillingham (OG) training to learn how to provide a more direct, multisensory, structured approach to teach literacy. Ms. Crowson shared that OG is working for her students. She states that for the first time, all of her students got an A in Spelling on their report cards except two. She says “It’s the OG that’s making the big difference.
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