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Harriet Bishop teachers say inclusion systems kept students in classrooms and improved writing
Summary
Harriet Bishop Elementary's principal and teacher leaders told the ISD 191 board that a focus on inclusive systems 'co-teaching, sensory supports and the Elevation platform 'has kept students in general education settings and produced measurable growth in reading and language-proficiency metrics.
Principal Ken Essay told the Burnsville Public School District board that Harriet Bishop's inclusion work this year focused on building systems, not isolated programs, so that students with the highest needs can access rigorous instruction in general education classrooms. "When we design for our most diverse learners, we create classrooms that work better for every student," he said.
Three teacher leaders who joined Essay described practical changes. Clarissa Ruawa, the school's focus teacher for special education, said staff partnered with a special-education inclusion specialist for targeted professional development and strategies to keep students regulated and engaged. "The strategies to focus on student regulation, increasing engagement, keeping our students in the classroom is the most important thing," she said.
First-grade teacher Caitlyn Shirley described classroom-level supports: designated calm-down areas and taught routines that allow students to return to learning without leaving the classroom. "Each classroom now has a designated spot with calm-down tools," she said.
Multilingual learner teacher Siri Maring outlined a co-teaching model for writing that pairs classroom teachers with ML specialists so students receive grade-level instruction while getting targeted language support. She said the school uses the Elevation platform to track language proficiency and plan instruction. "Elevation equips our teachers with high-quality tier one instructional strategies," Maring said.
Presenters cited data in board folders. School leaders said Harriet Bishop reports that roughly 52% of students speak a language other than English at home, the building tracks multiple home languages, and that a majority of students showed typical or aggressive growth on the A-Reading metric from fall to winter. Isis Buchanan, director of educational equity, later referenced district-level comparisons when the board considered the broader Achievement and Integration Plan.
Board members praised the approach and asked about teacher supports and scalability. Director Chester said the inclusion focus "speaks volumes," citing the report's test numbers. Staff said the model emphasizes training and building teacher confidence so interventions happen in-class rather than by frequent pull-out services.
The board took no formal action on the school report; it moved on to subsequent agenda items.
