Case Study 9 Training Systems

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CASE QUESTIONS

Case 1 – Tricky Nicky

Tips:  This is a relatively straight forward assessment of the financial value of the training provided to the carpet cleaners.  Questions 1-4 take the student step by step through the assessment.  Question 5 gets the students to focus on the factors that affect performance, other than KSA deficiencies.

1.  How much does the re-cleaning cost Nicky per year?  Show all mathematical calculations.

Number of offices cleaned per year = 6/day X 100 people X 250 days = 150,000

“Bad” cleanings = 1/6, so 150,000/6 = 25,000 “bad” cleanings/year

Cost per “bad” cleaning = $20.00

Yearly cost = 25,000 X $20.00 = $ 500,000

Since the training program will reduce bad cleanings to 1 in 12, it will save Nicky $250,000 a year if everyone is trained.

(If you wanted to figure in “opportunity” costs as well, the total cost of bad cleanings is $40.00. The additional $20 in cost is because time spent re-cleaning means time not spent cleaning and earning a $20.00 profit.  If opportunity cost is built into subsequent calculations, it will be based on a $40 cost rather than the $20 figure we use.)

2.  If everyone is trained, how much will the training cost? How much will it cost if only the group with the most errors is trained? Show all mathematical calculations.

The costs associated with training that are listed on page 390 of the text add up to $17,900.00. This is the cost if everyone is trained (i.e., five sessions of 20 employees each).

As stated in the case, these costs are based on conducting five sessions.  Thus, if only the 50 with the most errors are trained, only three training sessions will be needed (no more than 20 employees/session). The value of this question is to determine if the students are able to see that some costs will be the same (development), some will be reduced by half (e.g., cost of employee wages while at training), and some will only be reduced by 40 percent (per session costs).

If only half of the cleaners were trained (those averaging two bad cleanings out of every nine), the $4,000 in development costs would remain the same.  Trainer cost would be reduced to $240.00 because three sessions would be required instead of five. The reduction in sessions also reduces the cost of the facility and equipment to $300.00. For factors associated with number of employees trained, the cost is cut in half.  Thus, the cost of materials is $1,000.00, refreshments are $300.00, and employee costs would be $4,000.00. Indirect costs (evaluation) would also be cut by 50 percent to $1,200. The rationale is that, for the most part, these costs are based on the number of people being evaluated. Since most of the evaluation measures are developed in the TNA stage, the vast majority of trainer time is spent in collecting and analyzing post training data.

Thus, total costs for training only 50 employees would be $11,040.00.

Different answers could occur based on different assumptions in the area of indirect costs.

3. If everyone is trained, what is the cost savings for the first year? If only the group with the highest recleaning requirements is trained, what is the cost savings? Show all mathematical calculations.

Since the training will reduce the number of “bad cleanings” by 50 percent, the yearly cost of “bad cleanings” after training = ½ cost prior to training ($500,000) = $250,000. Thus, the cost savings is $250,000 – $17,900 (cost of training) = $232,100.00.

The group averaging 2/9 re-cleanings generates 2/3 of the re-cleanings, costing the company $333,333/yr. If this group reduces its re-cleaning to 1/12 it will still cost the company $125,000/yr. in “bad cleanings.” The gross savings will be $333,333-$125,000= $208,333/yr. The cost savings is $208,333-$11,040 (the cost of training) = $197,293.

4.  What is your recommendation based on the expected return on investment? Should both groups be trained or just the group with the 2/9 recleaning ratio? Provide a rationale that includes both financial and other factors. Show any mathematical calculations.

Since the gross savings if everyone is trained is $250,000, this means that training the group averaging 1/9 recleanings will result in a gross savings of $41,667.00 (i.e., $250,000-$208,333=$41,667).

The cost of training only the 2/9 group is $11,040.00. The additional cost to train the 1/9 group is $6,860. The percent return on investment for the 2/9 group is [($208,333-$11,040)/$11,040] x 100, or a 1787.07 percent.  For the 1/9 group the return on investment is [($41,667 – $6,860)/$6860] x 100, or 507.39 percent.

Thus, from a financial perspective, both groups should be trained, even though one’s ROI is considerably higher than the other.

From an employee relations standpoint, training both groups has the advantage of giving both groups the increased KSAs and equal treatment.

5.  Let’s back up and assume we’re still at the needs analysis stage. Assume that employees had the KSAs needed to clean the offices effectively. What other factors might you look at as potential causes of the recleaning problem?

Motivational factors such as pay, working conditions, group norms, etc.  Opportunity factors such as equipment, procedures, etc.

Teachers who have tenure

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1. Teachers who have tenure

2. When questions arise about whether a teacher’s right to free expression is protected, a major concern is whether the behavior in question

3. An instructional media teacher who regularly videotapes copyrighted TV programs for use by classroom teachers in his middle high school is violating copyright laws if he

4. Your high school has a media center that makes an excellent meeting facility, and your school regularly lets student groups meet there. A student-fundamentalist Bible club has asked permission to assemble in this room for its weekly after-school meetings. Legally, your school

5. Students who object to saying the pledge of allegiance at school

6. If a high-school student is injured in a classroom science experiment, the teacher is most likely to be found negligent if

7. As a result of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, access to a student record is available to

8. Teachers need to be familiar with the legal principle of fair use when

9. When identifying and enforcing standards of conduct, teachers have

10. On the basis of court rulings, a science teacher cannot teach creation-science and evolution-science together, because this approach would

11. In cases heard by courts, only ______________rulings can be applied nationally.

12. Those who are opposed to the concept of government-supported religion would find support for this notion in the U.S. Constitution’s

13. When signs of child abuse are recognized by a teacher,

14. As a result of Goss v. Lopez, students are seen as having a property interest in their education. Because of this,

15. Students in public schools have more freedom for religious expression than their teachers.

16. Teachers and students have the right to pray in the public school.

17. Public school teachers may wear non-obtrusive religious symbols such as a cross necklace.

18. Graduation exercises for a public school can be held in a religious sanctuary.

19. The Teacher’s Guide to Religion in the Public Schools 

20. Public school teachers may teach about religion, if done objectively and not as a devotional thought.

Paraprofessional Case

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In this assignment, you will be given a classroom scenario that will allow you to practice your ability to foster collaboration between the classroom teacher and an assisting paraeducator.

Scenario:

Mrs. Smith is a teacher in an inclusion classroom that will have a total of 30 students including four students with LD and two students with ED. She was just informed that a paraeducator would assist her in the classroom for the new school year. She has spoken to the paraeducator and it appears that the two will work very well together in terms of compatible personalities and philosophies regarding students with exceptionalities. However, Mrs. Smith has never worked with a paraeducator before. Further, the paraeducator has never had this job role before, but has worked as a Sunday school teacher and loves children.

Based on the scenario, address the following prompts in a 1,000-1,250-action plan summary:

  1. Goal statement for collaboration purposes.
  2. Basic rules/expectations for all students in the classroom (minimum of four).
  3. Roles and responsibilities of the teacher and the paraeducator.
  4. Outline of training that the teacher will provide for the paraeducator.
  5. Recommended steps to take, for all involved stakeholders, to evaluate student progress.

Prepare this assignment according to the APA guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.

INTERVENTION IN SCHOOL AND CLINIC VOL. 42, NO. 1, SEPTEMBER 2006 ( PP. 51–53) 51

Special educators and the paraprofessionals with whom they work need to establish and maintain a collaborative relationship to better serve the children assigned to them. In this article, one paraprofessional recommends what spe- cial educators can do to make the most of these working relationships. The ideas reflect her experience working as a one-on-one and a general inclusion para in resource and inclusive settings.

Start the year by meeting with the classroom teachers with whom the para will be working and reviewing the role those teachers would like the para to take. Different teachers expect different levels of assistance Let this be clear to the para from the beginning.

Explain and review with the paraprofes- sional the purpose of the Individualized Edu- cation Program (IEP) goals and objectives, as well as any accommodations and modifications. Doing this for each assigned student at the be- ginning of the school year allows the parapro- fessional to address areas from the IEP, rather

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than inadvertently straying from what students’ needs are.

Instruct paras on how to work effectively in inclusive environments with different teachers. Essentially, give the para the “heads up” as to what works and the specifics of each teacher. For instance, which teachers need help with copying duties or organizing the class- room, which teachers may prefer you to work with the student separately within the classroom, who may want you to work with the student in a small group, and so on ? Make clear what the expectations are and what the para’s responsi- bilities are.

Acknowledge the para’s relationship with the child, and consider that the para who works closely in the inclusive setting on a regular basis may have a unique or different relationship with the child than you do as the special educator. Understanding the relation-

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Develop Collaborative Special Educator– Paraprofessional Teams: One Para’s View

J A C Q U E L I N E M. H A U G E A N D A N D R E A M. B A B K I E

2 0 W A Y S T O . . . Robin H. Lock, Dept. EditorRobin H. Lock, Dept.

 

 

52 INTERVENTION IN SCHOOL AND CLINIC

ship between para and student can help both the special educator and the para better address the child’s needs.

Ask for input from the para regarding student progress, especially when dealing with behavior plans, and be willing to accept the para’s experience and expertise regarding the students with whom she or he works. Parapro- fessionals, especially those working one-on- one, see the child on an ongoing basis and can be extremely helpful in assisting the special ed- ucator to determine which academic and be- havioral strategies are working and which are not.

Discuss the paraprofessional’s role with the family and their feelings regarding confidentiality issues. Gain family permission to share pertinent information with the para to best meet the student’s needs.

Clarify for both families and paras the limitations of the para’s role in discussing the child with the family. If the pol- icy at your school is that only the special edu- cator can discuss the student with the family, make this clear to all involved. Families often ask the para questions because they know that she or he is with their child during the day and are anxious to hear directly of progress in the classroom. Provide the para with language she or he can use to redirect the families to the

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special educator or general classroom teacher for answers to these questions without offend- ing the families.

Meet on a regular basis with the para. Schedule a weekly time to debrief/review stu- dent progress and address any issues that may be of concern. Scheduling a specific time allows both the para and the special educator an unin- terrupted period of discussion and problem solving.

Include paras as much as possible in weekly classroom team meetings. This allows the para not only to be viewed as a professional but also to gain an understanding of issues and concerns the team may have regarding stu- dents’ progress.

Teach the para how to work with stu- dents when you want her to provide instruc- tion. Don’t expect a para to know how to teach concepts unless reviewed, and don’t assume

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VOL. 42, NO. 1, SEPTEMBER 2006 53

that implementation can occur without clear explanation.

Demonstrate to the para how to ask questions of children. For example, empha- size the importance of avoiding “Can you?” questions unless “No” is an acceptable re- sponse.

Train and provide practice in collect- ing data, and explain the purpose before as- signing the para this task. Also remember that data-collection requires practice and experience.

Model responses for the para on how to address various behavioral issues. This allows for consistency among all working with the child and ensures that IEP or behavior plan goals are handled in the same manner to pre- vent confusion for the student.

Identify and teach the para how to look for warning signs that a child may be about to experience problems controlling his or her behavior. This allows the para to be proac- tive rather than reactive in dealing with poten- tially difficult situations.

Develop cue cards that specify the steps the para should follow in handling crisis situations with students. These cards should be individualized for each student and list the steps to be taken in case behavior esca- lates. Cue cards allow for consistency in how behavior is handled and reinforce to the child the steps that occur if his or her behavior esca- lates.

Review the purpose of social skills training and how the para can intervene to create cooperative interactions between child and peers. This gives the para an opportunity

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to assist students in meeting objectives in the area of social skills development.

Share information and materials with the para as appropriate to assist her in devel- oping increased knowledge. This should not be done as a requirement for the para but more as a collaborative, collegial interaction.

Discuss with the para how to handle trade-off situations, such as those in which the special educator may intervene in a situation where she perceives the para is having difficulty. It is especially important to ensure that students do not view this as stripping the para of power, as this could negatively affect later para–child interactions. Developing a sig- nal to use in these situations can be helpful.

Private discussions are essential when the special educator feels it is necessary to cor- rect some aspect of the para’s behavior or inter- action with students. As with the previous item, when doing so it is important not to lessen the para’s potential later effective- ness with stu- dents.

Provide ongoing and specific feed- back to the para regarding progress with stu- dents and with the job in general. Address issues or concerns immediately so they can be resolved and the special educator–para team can move on in their work to help students with disabilities achieve positive educational outcomes.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Jacqueline M. Hauge, MA, is a former paraprofessional who worked for a number of years in the Northeast. She recently completed her master’s degree and certification in special edu- cation. Andrea M. Babkie, EdD, is an educational consultant in Florida. Address: Andrea M. Babkie, 434 Beach Curve St., Lantana, FL 33462.

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Analysis On Ethical Dilemmas In Education

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SECONDARY ETHICS DILEMMAS

SCENARIO 1: Immediately after she graduated college, Coach Parnell began coaching volleyball, track, and soccer and

teaching Algebra I and II at Deer Springs High School. She has been there for almost 3 years. In early May, Coach Parnell

joined a dating app that locates singles in the area. Not long after joining, a 19-year-old senior at Deer Springs HS, saw

Coach Parnell’s dating profile and indicated, via the app, that he would be interested in going out on a date with her.

When she saw this, Coach Parnell, sent the student a message stating that, even though he was 19, she could not date

him until after graduation in less than a month. The student responded, letting her know that he couldn’t wait take her

out on a date, and the two decided to set up a time to meet for dinner the day after graduation ceremonies. Coach

Parnell let the student know that there could be no further communication between the two of them until then, and

that he couldn’t tell anyone about the conversation they’d had so far. She let him know that she was excited to be able

to go out with him, but she could not pursue anything further until the date they had set up. This student had never

been in Coach Parnell’s Algebra class, nor had he played any of the sports that she coached. As planned, the day after

graduation, Coach Parnell and the now former Deer Springs High School student went out on a date and continued to

see each other for the next 8 months.

1. Identify the behaviors (if any) that you believe violate standards in the Educator Code of Ethics.

2. Which standards do you think were violated? Explain your reasoning. If you feel that no standards were

violated, explain your reasoning.

3. Should Coach Parnell have handled this situation differently so as not to violate the Code of Ethics, or (if you

feel that there was no violation) to avoid their actions being called into question?

 

SCENARIO 2: Mr. Shanfeld is a Language Arts teacher at Bayshore Middle School. For the last several years he has been

the director of the annual 8th grade trip to Washington D.C. Unhappy with the quality of the different tour companies

that the district has used in the past, Mr. Shanfeld decides to start his own tour company that specializes in school field

trips to Washington D.C. This is something that he will be doing in his spare time, and he has informed HR of this

business venture, so that he is acting in accordance with the district policy regarding second jobs for teachers.

The bids to be the tour company used by the district is often very competitive, but – because he knows several people at

the administration building – he is able to secure the bid without much convincing. There is a formal process for students

applying to the trip, and the criteria for selection is set by the school district and the principal of each middle school. The

trip is often cost prohibitive for some families due to the $700 price tag, though the PTA offers 5 scholarships each year

for students whose families cannot pay. Mr. Shanfeld is still the director for the field trip for Bayshore Middle School,

and now he is also the owner of the tour company the school will be using.

A student who Mr. Shanfeld really hoped would go on the trip missed the deadline for applying, and after speaking to his

parents, Mr. Shanfeld realizes that the reason is due to temporary financial issues. It is too late for the student to apply

for one of the PTA scholarships, but Mr. Shanfeld and the parents work out a deal where they will provide him with free

landscaping services for the next year if he can help them get their son a spot on the trip. Mr. Shanfeld agrees, and since

it is his company, he can and does secure a spot for the student.

1. Identify the behaviors (if any) that you believe violate standards in the Educator Code of Ethics.

2. Which standards do you think were violated? Explain your reasoning. If you feel that no standards were

violated, explain your reasoning.

3. Should Mr. Shanfeld have handled this situation differently so as not to violate the Code of Ethics, or (if you

feel that there was no violation) to avoid his actions being called into question?

 

 

 

 

SCENARIO 3: Alicia is an 11th grade student at T. H. Berry High School, and is one of the star athletes on the basketball

team. Berry is known for its outstanding athletics, and many of the teams make the playoffs every school year, with over

10 state titles in different sports in the 14 years since the school opened. Alicia struggles academically in English and she

has not been able to bring her average above a 68 by the end of the grading period, as is required by UIL rules. Knowing

that this means that the team will lose one of its star players for much of the season, Coach Mitchell pleads Alicia’s case

to Ms. Johnston, Alicia’s English teacher. Because Ms. Johnston’s daughter is also on the team, Coach Mitchell feels

confident that she will be easily persuaded to ensure Alicia is able to play.

Coach Mitchell explains how important Alicia’s participation is for the team and for the school, and she assures Ms.

Johnston that she will personally guarantee that Alicia attends tutoring before and after school until she is able to

improve her grade for the next grading period, if Ms. Johnston will agree to change her grade to a 70 just this once. The

coach also vaguely implies that Ms. Johnston’s daughter will get more playing time if Alicia’s grade is changed. Ms.

Johnston agrees to change Alicia’s grade to a 70, and to keep their conversation quiet, so that other students and

administrators will not find out.

1. Identify the behaviors (if any) that you believe violate standards in the Educator Code of Ethics.

2. Which standards do you think were violated? Explain your reasoning. If you feel that no standards were

violated, explain your reasoning.

3. Should Coach Mitchell and/or Ms. Johnston have handled this situation differently so as not to violate the

Code of Ethics, or (if you feel that there was no violation) to avoid their actions being called into question?

 

SCENARIO 4: The Life Skills classroom at Hasting High provides Community Based Instruction to its small group of

students with severe disabilities. The district provides some funds for transportation and community outings, but it isn’t

usually enough to keep the students busy throughout the school year. To help with the funds, the principal allows the

students, with the support of the teachers, to sell breakfast items to the school three days a week. This fundraiser

becomes very popular with the rest of the student body because the breakfast items are inexpensive, delivered straight

to their 1st period classes, and they get to feel good about helping the Life Skills classroom in a positive way.

Ever since the Life Skills fundraising began, the Student Council sponsor, Mrs. Sumner, has noticed that support for their

daily candy fundraiser has declined, and she believes it is due to the popularity of the breakfast items being sold. One

day she notices a Life Skills student and one of the teachers, Mr. Moore, out making deliveries and collecting money. The

student is clearly struggling with handling the money, so Mr. Moore helps her by taking some of the money and putting

it into his own pocket. Mrs. Sumner sees only this small interaction and has no other context for the exchange.

Later that day, when speaking to a group of other teachers she mentions seeing Mr. Moore putting some of the

breakfast fundraiser money into his pocket. Over the next several days, this comment makes its way through the faculty,

and when she is questioned by other faculty members, Mrs. Sumner’s response is that she did see Mr. Moore pocket the

money, but she doesn’t know what he did with it after that. In the same conversations, she also casually mentions the

expensive new car Mr. Moore recently started driving.

1. Identify the behaviors (if any) that you believe violate standards in the Educator Code of Ethics.

2. Which standards do you think were violated? Explain your reasoning. If you feel that no standards were

violated, explain your reasoning.

3. Should Mr. Moore and/or Mrs. Sumner have handled this situation differently so as not to violate the Code

of Ethics, or (if you feel that there was no violation) to avoid their actions being called into question?