Universal Access

1. Universal Access Erika Traikov, Gerard Reinders, Dawn Jessome

2. Universal Access • Universal access to quality education is not a privilege – it is a basic human right. • Universal access to education is the ability of all people to have equal opportunity in education, regardless of their social class, gender, ethnicity background or physical and mental disabilities. • Policy 322- Inclusive Education

3. Policy 322 – Inclusive Education • This policy establishes the requirements to ensure New Brunswick public schools are inclusive. • This policy applies to all schools and school districts within the public education system in New Brunswick. • Recognizes that every student can learn.

4. Goal/Principles of the policy • 5.2 A key element of sustaining an inclusive education system consists of the removal of barriers to learning as well as ensuring access to learning opportunities for relevant school personnel. The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (EECD) and districts must establish and maintain a professional learning program to ensure that educational staff have the knowledge and skills needed to provide effective instruction to a diverse student population. • Policy outlines the requirements for, principals, classroom teachers, PLP’s, School and District based ESS team, even Superintendent.

5. What is Universal Design The design of environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design.

6. Accommodation Approach • Reactive • Separate Universal Design Approach • Proactive • Inclusive

7. Universal Design • Universal design typically refers to those design principles and elements that make materials more accessible—larger fonts, headings, and graphic organizers, for example. • Just as designing entrance ramps into buildings makes access to individuals in wheelchairs easier, curriculum may also be designed to be easier to use. Universal Access Ability of all people to have equal opportunity in education • When principles of universal design are applied to curriculum materials, universal access is more likely.

8. Three Targeted Groupings • It is helpful to think of differentiation in terms of three groups of students. • Based on assessments, it will be evident which students need assistance and the severity of their need and, therefore, the intensity of assistance. • These three groupings represent progressive levels of intervention: • benchmark, • strategic, • and intensive.

9. Benchmark (Accommodated) • These students make adequate progress. They may have temporary or minor difficulties that are not critical, but must be addressed to prevent frustration. • This short-term, nonintrusive intervention can be accomplished by a quick reteaching session or a small-group work session focusing on the particular need. • The teacher may also provide added time and practice.

10. Strategic learners (Modified) • These students may be one to two standard deviations below the mean on standardized testing (approximately one to two grade levels below). • With careful planning, the regular teacher can assist them within the classroom, often during regular, small-group instruction. • In addition to regular reteaching and some preteaching, these students may require specific, long-term supports. • These students may need specific modifications identified in their PLP’s.

11. Intensive learners (Individualized) • These students are the most at risk and therefore require the greatest intensity of support. • These learners demonstrate consistently low performance on multiple diagnostic measures. They perform significantly below the mean. • Additional outside assistance may be needed to meet their needs. • These students may benefit from the use of special devices, adaptations for assessment, or individualized curriculum and instruction.

14. Differentiation Differentiation means tailoring instruction to meet individual needs. Whether teachers differentiate content, process, products, or the learning environment, the use of ongoing assessment and flexible grouping makes this a successful approach to instruction.

15. Presentation • How is it taught? • Whole class instruction • - Note taking vs giving the notes • - Manipulatives • Small group instruction • - Guided/Targeted (After Pre-assessment) • - Grouping an regrouping based on skill • Stations (encourage students to explore subsets of topic that interests them) • Learning Styles

16. Process • How is it done? • Paper/Pencil (Worksheets) • - Varied amount of questions • Leveled decks • Cooperative grouping • - Ability levels/help learn each other • Choice • Reading/Read aloud • Tiered Activities (same skill but varying complexity) • Extra time • Manipulatives

17. Products • How do they demonstrate their knowledge? • Giving students options of how to express required learning (e.g., create a puppet show, write a letter, or develop a mural with labels, write a report, song, building an sculpture, oral report, computer work) • Using rubrics that match and extend students' varied skills levels; • Encouraging students to create their own product assignments as long as the assignments contain required elements.

18. Learning Environment • Making sure there are places in the room to work quietly and without distraction, as well as places that invite student collaboration • Setting out clear guidelines for independent work that matches individual needs; • Developing routines that allow students to get help when teachers are busy with other students and cannot help them immediately; • Helping students understand that some learners need to move around to learn, while others do better sitting quietly Differentiating through the environment is important as it creates the conditions for optimal learning to take place.

19. Universal Design for Learning

22. Accommodations Are available to all students—those who have disabilities and those who do not. Do not reduce learning expectations; rather, they provide access. Can reduce or even eliminate the effects of a student’s disability.

23. Accommodations support equitable instruction and assessment for students by lessening the effects of a student’s disability. • Without accommodations, students with disabilities may have difficulty accessing grade-level instruction and participating fully in assessments. • All students with disabilities can work toward grade-level academic content, and most of these students will be able to accomplish this goal when the following three conditions are met (Thompson et al. 2005): 1. Standards are implemented within the foundational principles of UDL. 2. A variety of evidence-based instructional strategies are considered to align materials, curriculum, and production to reflect the interests, preferences, and readiness of diverse learners. 3. Appropriate accommodations are provided. • Accommodations are typically made in presentation, response, setting, and timing and schedulingso that learners are provided with equitable access during instruction and assessment.

24. Presentation How is the information presented? • Allow students to access information in ways that do not require them to visually read standard print. • These alternative modes of access are auditory, multi-sensory, tactile, and manual. • For example, a student with a visual impairment may require that a test be presented in a different manner, such as in a digital format. Reduced reading level materials Verbal notes on tape Division of long assignments into parts Teacher’s copy of notes provided

25. ResponseHow do students complete activities? • Accommodations in response allow students to complete activities, assignments, and assessments in different ways or to solve or organize problems using some type of assistive device or organizer. • For example, a student may require an alternative method of completing multi-step computational problems due to weak fine motor skills or physical impairments. • Such methods may include computer access with a specialized keyboard, a speech-to-text application, or other specialized software. Blank visual organizer provided with test Practice test/examples given Adjusted test forma in lieu of essay Manipulatives

26. SettingWhat are the conditions of an assessment? • Accommodations in setting allow for a change in the location where a test or assignment is given or in the conditions of an assessment setting. • For example, a student may require that an assessment be administered in a setting appropriate to the student’s individual needs (such as testing an individual student separately from the group to provide visual or auditory supports). Seating arrangement In School Study Program Quiet, individual or small group setting Study broken into several short slots

27. Timing and SchedulingHow long does a student have to complete an assignment? • Accommodations in timing and scheduling allow for an increase in the typical length of time to complete an assessment or assignment and perhaps change the way the time allotted is organized. • For example, a student may take as long as reasonably needed to complete an assessment, including taking portions over several days to avoid fatigue caused by a chronic health condition. Extra time (Time +1/2; double) Adjusted expectations for length of assignmentsFrequent activity breaks Prioritize homework assignments

28. Assistive Technology* • Assistive technology is used by individuals to gain access and perform functions that might otherwise be difficult or impossible. • Includes: mobility devices, writing implements, communication boards, and grid paper, as well as hardware, software, and peripherals that assist in accessing lessons. • Students with physical, sensory, or cognitive disabilities may face additional learning challenges or may learn differently. • It provides students with a variety of ways to access the information and to complete their work. • Software that converts text to braille characters, reads, creates or record notes so that they can later print out assignments or use the notes. Spell Checker Calculator Word processor for notes Access to computer

29. In Review • The ultimate goal is to ensure universal access to high-quality curriculum and instruction for all students. • By carefully planning to adapt curriculum, instruction, grouping, and assessment techniques, teachers can be well prepared to create diversity in their classrooms. • Universal access in education is a concept that encompasses planning for the widest variety of learners from the beginning of the lesson design process; it should not be “added on” as an afterthought. • For students to benefit from universal access, some teachers may need assistance in planning instruction, differentiating curriculum, and utilizing flexible grouping strategies. • Teachers need to employ many different strategies to help all students meet the increased demands of the curriculum.

30. Resources • http://www.readingrockets.org/article/what-differentiated-instruction • https://blog.yorksj.ac.uk/moodle/2015/11/30/universal-design-for-learning-udl/ • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDvKnY0g6e4 • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOPe_cJ67No • Porter, G. L., & AuCoin, A. (2012). Strengthening Inclusion, Strengthening Schools Report of the Review of Inclusive Education Programs and Practices in New Brunswick Schools (Rep.). Province of New Brunswick. • Canada, Department of Education and Early childhood Development. (2015). Guidelines and Standards Educational Planning for Students with Diverse Learning Needs. Fredericton, NB: New Brunswick Department of Education and Early Childhood Development.