In the Caribbean setting, Grimes' tools will have to be modified to accommodate learning. 

I find the tools especially the first one very adaptable. 

I can't think of anything to add....maybe having monthly meetings with the parents/guardians of student athletes. 

In the first tool I would add more parent/guardian teacher interaction. 

I find the tools to be excellent and can be modified depending on the school. Perhaps student focus groups could be added to gather evidence in the first tool

Staff can send a questionaire at home for parents to ensure teachers are providing all what children requires.

Check attendance data regularly.

Ensure all children all included in learning and curriculum is appropriate.

I have found both tools to be excellent. However, every schools context will be different so the tools may need to be adapted to suit individual schools based on their ethos and culture. 

In terms of schools that cater to younger children, particularly pre-schoolers, there should be a greater emphasis placed on parental involvement and parent interactions/ input in child’s development. At this age, the parents should be working hand in hand with teachers, sharing vital information about their child’s development and upbringing.

My suggestions regarding the Monitoring inclusivity tool are as follows: 

Aspect of inclusivity - School staff attitudes Evidence - Admin teacher & ancillary staff,                      teacher/parent teacher/teacher   How to gather evidence - Administrator                           questionnaire.

Added to this three column monitoring tool should be:-

Aspect of inclusivity - The  physical school Evidence - The school is a  health -            promoting  institution,                                How to gather evidence - questionnaire

The Monitoring inclusivity tool  should also have three columns dealing with the subject barriers to inclusion in this way the tool will focus on the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to creating an inclusive school. 

Both set of tools are excellent.

What other information would you need to gather and how would you gather it?

Which of the tools do you find the most helpful, or would you prefer to adapt them to create one for your context?

Resource 1 because it includes evidence of inclusivity and how to gather each evidence

The tool is comprehensive and user friendly.

Both tools will be helpful and of course I will add more parental involvement and feed back from the teacher to the parent on the child and vice versa.  I will also include a checklist for the parents to monitor the child at home.  This can be develop with the parent  and the teacher.  

Both resources are helpful as resource 1 gives examples of how to monitor inclusivity at the school along with the means to gather evidence. Resource 2 can serve as guidance for schools to reflect on regularly to see if their systems are working in their context. Meetings with parents are a good way to monitor inclusivity as well as meetings with students to learn their personal experience and compare it with the Grimes project. The school can see if they are heading in the right direction and find ways to improve on being inclusive.

Neither of the tools addressed after school extracurricular activities that students with special needs can access. This was highlighted earlier in this course as a practice to build inclusivity in a school. 

After reviewing both examples of monitoring tools Resource 1 was extensive and detailed in the aspect of inclusivity, what is the evidence and how to gather evidence. 

Since the school aims to create an environment which supports all children's’ learning, instruction should be tailored to individual learners . 

Both resources are quite comprehensive, however for resource 2, I think an addition to it could be an outline of the responsibilities of the stakeholders to each of the indicators. This addition can add accountability to all involved. 

Screening Checklist

Interventions forms; what interventions were used to assist the child

The checklist provided in resource 1 and 2 includes an amazing list of monitoring tools. I would increase the role of the parents in the monitoring process. They not only should be a part of a school committee that is responsible for monitoring success, but they should also be provided with the opportunity to speak to instructors regarding what they are seeing, hearing and learning from their children. The discussions at home will provide insight that cannot be gathered at school. 

I think both tools are excellent, it pin points the main aspects of a well-functioning school. This will obviously need to be altered for each school based on the relationships of all parties (teachers, parents, admins etc….). I believe parental involvement should be more focused on as it can have an impact on the learner.

I believe the 17 indicators are excellent. Gathering evidence is important, because it makes our effort, policies and practices measurable. After a period of time we need to look back at our accomplishments and if necessary redirect our objectives/goals in becoming an inclusive school. but First I would start with a 8 of the 17 indicators given by Peter Grimes. Implementing these practices should be gradual.

I can't think of anything to add. The can be the possibility of having monthly meetings with the parents/guardians of student. 

I personally think the first Resource tool was more comprehensive and gave practical details which could be adapted to my school setting for monitoring for inclusivity.

A possible suggestion I felt could be added (and this depends on the particular school's situation) was a section to monitor the availability and effectiveness of support from experts or specialists. 

An administrator/teacher questionnaire on what they feel they need in this regard could be used. Additionally, questionnaires to stakeholders or even a 'suggestion box' at stakeholder/committee meetings could lead to the development of a ‘Bank of experts’ from which the school could utilize can be the result.

Within our environment some of Grimes theory is displayed and encouraged. I believe families/ caregivers play an essential role in the development of a child. I think this can be added to the list. Parental involvement can be through rendering of assistance to teachers and participating in activities.

I would add "clear and proper communication structure in the school" so that learners already know how they deal with circumstances they come across in the school.

I have clearly seen some aspects of the Grimes method being implemented and practiced in our country.  However, if I were to make a suggestion it would be to encourage more parental involvement  by giving the parents more detailed updates on their children's progress, by maybe showing them some of the anecdotal records and checklists done on their child.  I believe this will help them to better understand what level their child is at or the weaknesses problems they might be displaying during the school day.  This way parents and teacher are on the same page and can work together to help the child.

I believe children in the Early Childhood Care and Education centre learns through play. Therefore in resource two, you can add "All children are allowed to engage in play with their peers".  The children will develop essential life skills such as problem solving, sharing, taking turns to mention a few. They would also develop language and social skills which also can boost their self esteem. 

An indicator on how regular are the SBTPD

I find the Monitoring Inclusivity tool to be more useful as it presents clear information and ideas of the aspects of inclusivity, evidence and how to gather evidence. For someone who may not have a clear understanding of how to create or notice an inclusive school, this document conveys exactly what to look for and how to determine whether or the aspects of inclusivity are being successfully achieved. Furthermore, this tool shares information which teachers and relevant stakeholders can use to inspire other tools that would help them better foster and monitor inclusion. As such, I believe that this is the better tool for monitoring inclusivity.

One suggestion on what can be added to the tool, is to allow parent training, this will help with the parent being able to assist their children with their needs and also give the parent an opportunity if needed to volunteer in the school.

I think what can be added to the list is, keeping special records of how often disadvantaged children are absent from school. This will allow stakeholders to assist and intervene.

These monitoring tools seem very comprehensive and are very workable for our Trinidad context. I don't see anything that needs to be added. 

I think greater parental involvement is necessary. They are integral parts of the inclusive machinery

Within our environment some "Grimes theory" is display and encouraged. I believe families and caregivers play an essential role in the development of a child. I think that open door policies, participation in activities can encourage parents to support teachers and feel comfortable.

The indicators developed by Grimes and other project staff can be used as a tool in the Caribbean, parents/families partnerships could be added to the tool as parents/families knowledge of their child's needs, learning, development, challenges and successes is valuable in monitoring the child's progress; and the interventions required to assist the child in developing to the best of their capabilities.

A combination of the two resources would make a more comprehensive list. However, I prefer the format in Resource 1. A challenge that have been noted previously and will continue to e a challenge unless great work and effort is put into it would  be a positive attitude from Administrators, Staff and students to be shown to all learners. 

I recommend the addition of a rubric to the tool, to help both Administrators and staff to be able to see their progress and identify where help is needed.

Both tools are good but I feel the one titled 'Monitoring Inclusivity' can be adapted in my context. More emphasis should be placed on parental roles and teacher/ parent relationship.

I would not add anything to the tool because I find it to be very useable just the way it is.

While both tools have merit, Monitoring Tool 1 appeals to me more since it seems more comprehensive. I appreciate the details of  evidence (indicators of what to look for) and suggested methods for data collection that have been included. 

I like both resources. Resource 1 is very in depth an i feel like it can truly give you an idea of what exactly you need to improve on which gives some clear idea to how. I would use resource 2 as a checklist to monitor inclusivity as we move forward with ideas. One suggestion I can add is a way for parents to disseminate information to each other which can be given to the school as feed back to address issues or give suggestions. 

The two resources are helpful and t is my opinion that parental involvement can be added to the tool. Parents and teacher need to work together to ensure the holistic development of the child. This collaboration is very important for the child. Meetings can be conducted to ensure this relationship is established; discussions can be highlighted on inclusivity and development of the child.

3.9 Monitoring Tools

In Trinidad and Tobago ECCE centers most of Grimes tools are used to ensure inclusion, however their is always room for improvement. Teacher/ parent involvement is very important to the planning and teaching process in early childhood and the ethos plays a major role in providing a safe comfortable learning environment for our learners. 

Parental contribution should be under estimated. Parents are their children's first teacher so they have a river bank of information about their child. The information gained from the parents will help teachers reach the child.  

I think that more parental involvement is needed. This will enable the reinforcement of what is being done at the school to occur at the home. This will increase the benefit to the child. 

I really like the tool as it it has a holistic view, it covers teaching, resources, learners, teachers and professional development and inclusive ethos. One page is reasonable, and I think the involvement of parents in answering a questionnaire is great, to get feed back from parents whether their children are included in learning and progress. The resources 1 tool for monitoring is efficient and effective.