Accommodations Quick Reference

24 Pages·2013·0.29 MB·English

INCLUSION QUICK REFERENCE
HANDBOOK
For all Teachers
By Elizabeth Spangler
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Inclusion “is a term educators use to describe the goal of integrating students with disabilities in to the same classrooms, community
activities and resources, and home settings as students who do not have disabilities.” P. 513
 Inclusion means no longer segregating students with disabilities into separate classrooms, schools, transportation, and living
arrangements.” P.513
(Turnbull & Turnbull, Exceptional Lives, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc., 2004)
DEFINITION
 “Inclusion refers to students with disabilities learning in general education classes and having a sense of belonging in these
classes.” P.65
(Turnbull & Turnbull, Exceptional Lives, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc., 2004)
GOALS
 Students will benefit from the power of great expectations and visions
 Students will benefit from high levels of social interaction thus learning tolerance and acceptance and other indispensable social
skills necessary for success in their futures as adults.
 Students will develop better communication skills.
 Students will develop better developmental skills.
 Students with disabilities will have better opportunities to make friends.
 Students without disabilities will have better opportunities to positively impact their education and the education of disabled
learners.
What it means for STUDENTS
 Teachers will NOT be expected to:
1. Be special educators
2. “Go it alone” – there will be training & other professional support
3. Double their workload – accommodating disabled learners looks, sounds and feels quite a bit like what professional
teachers do already. (See ACCOMMODATIONS tab)
 Teachers will have a proportionate class of disabled and non-disabled learners in the classroom.
 Teachers will help all learners have equal opportunities.
 Teachers will be involved in the curriculum design, instruction and evaluation that will serve all learners.
 Teachers will infuse the special curriculum within the general curriculum. (See ACCOMMODATIONS & STRATEGIES tabs for
specifics.)
 Teachers may be fortunate enough to co-teach.
*Co-teaching is a partnership with a special education teacher whereby a general teacher and a special education teacher teach
side by side sharing all the planning, instruction and evaluation of all the students. The old saying is true: 2 heads are better
than 1!
What it means for TEACHERS
Accommodations Explained
 “Accommodations must be necessary for the student to be able to learn and ultimately demonstrate the mastery of knowledge
or skills.”
 “Accommodations should facilitate the demonstration of what the student knows or can do as independently as possible.”
 “Accommodations must not provide the student with an unfair advantage or interfere with the validity of tests.”
(Beech, Dr. Marty, 2003, http://www.firn.edu/doe/commhome/pdf/accomm-educator.pdf)
Accommodations are listed on a student’s IEP (Individualized Education Plan) and will be made in all three areas of teaching:
curriculum, instruction and evaluation.
Three main ways to accommodate
1. Augment – enhance/add to the curriculum & instruction for students who possess learning beyond the objective.
 Allow students who demonstrate mastery to engage in an independent study.
2. Alter – change the curriculum by scaling back.
 This could mean using a book at a lower reading level that addresses the same concepts you are teaching.
 Or it could mean providing different levels of worksheets to the students that look the same but are presented
differently.
3. Adapt – change the way you teach/approach & evaluate a concept.
 See STRATEGIES tab
ACCOMMODATIONS
Here are specific “ready to use” strategies to use with ALL students:
1. Focus on essentials with thematic instruction and graphic organizers (like mind mapping/thinking maps)
2. Establish routines – place agenda on the board
3. Make use of specific seating arrangements
4. Use peer tutors (study buddies)
5. Give prompts (to everyone) in content, materials, & activities
 Give advanced organizers with vocabulary
 Model steps using a think aloud process
 Give directions verbally
 Give directions in written form (could be on the board)
 Give study guides
 Give guided notes (fill in the blank type notes)
 Use mnemonics & other memory-inducing songs
 Highlight important information
 Tape record reading selections so they can be re-read at home or in school.
 Give physical assistance (when necessary) when working with different materials (i.e. cutting with scissors)
6. Build on background knowledge before every lesson
 Make comparisons to things students are familiar with.
 Assist in forming mental images with actual pictures, vivid descriptions, or physical items.
 Relate information to a personal story, a current or past event, or a fictional story.
7. Have multiple reviews/practices using different materials (videos, webquests) & in various contexts (use the 3 modalities – visual,
auditory, & kinesthetic)
8. Allow for extra time when testing or possibly for assignments too.
9. Allow for various response methods when testing (i.e. verbal answers)
10. See the charts following this page.
STRATEGIES
Issue Suggested Accommodations
 Have students use a highlighter, sticky notes/tape to
Difficulty with focusing in on the objective identify important points.
 Have a student read important vocabulary, summaries
and questions first.
 Give students a worksheet/guide to follow while reading
 Use books at lower reading levels for the student
 Use Cornell notes where students record main ideas and
supporting details of the lesson.
 Give page numbers for students to focus in on to find
information.
 Complete a think-aloud in class where you demonstrate
how to meet the objective.
 Provide practice with computer games/programs.
 Provide a self-checking center or paper practice.
 Remind students to listen and think about what you are
saying. Then ask key students to repeat what you just
said.
 Have students tell a partner the main point of the lesson.
 Use a reflection log for students to record the main point
of the lesson.
 Provide an audio version of the text being read (you can
Difficulty with reading record an mp3 file using an iPhone voice recorder or free
programs like audacity).
 Look for video that presents the information being
learned.
 Use pictures of content and vocabulary words in a
PowerPoint.
 Block off certain sections of the page so that the student
only has to look at small pieces at a time.
 Allow the use of a ruler or other reading highlighter to
help students track.
 Provide guided notes and/or copies of class notes and
PowerPoint Presentations
 Provide extra time to read
 Provide as much background knowledge and vocabulary
prior to reading as possible.
 Use contests such as Book it, Sight Word Sundaes, the
Great Poetry Race and others to inspire your readers to
work on their challenges.
 Use cooperative learning such as the Jigsaw technique.
 Use an advance organizer to “set the stage” for learning
Difficulty with organization  Provide connections to background knowledge
 Provide an overview of the plan for the lesson (the steps:
first we will…., then we will…)
 Go over new vocabulary before any lesson.
 Have students write in their planner for each subject and
initial it.
 Require a specific homework folder that contains work
“To Do” and work that is “Finished”.
 Follow a very predictable and regular routine.
(We have the First 4 when students walk in the door –
which are the first 4 things they must do: 1. Get
materials (including pencils), 2. Sit in assigned seat, 3.
Write in planner, 4. Begin bellwork.)
 Use an interactive notebook to keep all the information
organized.
 Use color coding to help orient students to specific tasks.
(For Example, in my room, I write all Language Arts items
in blue to match the Language Arts section in the planner
which is also blue.)
 Provide places in the classroom to store various supplies
for the student.
 Allow the student to keep one set of materials at home
and one set of materials at school.
 Provide guided notes.
 Use visual aids such as posters to identify places where
things belong.
 E-mail assignments home.