Special Education 547

1. Special Education 547 Unit Four Curricular Accommodations & Adaptations Kevin Anderson Minnesota State University Moorhead 2006

2. Assessment of Ability • Determination of disability • Ability assessment • Formal and informal • Tools and methods • Data

3. Categorical Responsibilities • Physical impairment • Other health disabilities • Traumatic brain injury

4. All Categories • Intellectual functioning • Academic performance • Social, emotional, behavioral performance • Communication • Motor ability • Functional skills • Physical status • Sensory status • Transition

5. Physical Impairment • Organizational and Independent Work Skills Checklists • Motor Skills Checklist • Systematic observations • Interviews • Review and gathering of medical history • Records review

6. Other Health Disabilities • Standardized academic assessment • OHD criteria worksheet • Systematic observations • Interviews • Review and gathering of medical history • Records review

7. Traumatic Brain Injury • TBI criteria checklist/worksheet • Medical documentation • Functional impairment related to TBI (not result of pre-existing condition)

8. Traumatic Brain Injury • Information from subjective data Checklists • Work samples • Medical history • Observations • Interviews • Information from objective data • Criterion-referenced measures • Personality or projective measures • Sociometric measures • Standardized assessment of intelligence, achievement, communication and sensory/motor ability

9. Special Considerations • Adaptations to evaluation for students with physical impairments • Alteration of presentation • Modification of test materials • Alternative response formats • Documentation of adaptations • Reduced verbal or motor response • Test of Non-Verbal Intelligence (TONI) • Comprehensive Test of Non-Verbal Intelligence

10. Special Considerations • Accommodations to State-wide testing • Role of P/HD teacher • Providing accommodations and modifications • Adapting or providing alternative tasks • Material accessibility and project formats • Video or audio presentations • Internet searches • Interviews • Powerpoint presentations • Slideshows • Assistive technology • Alternate assessment • Checklist • Portfolio

12. Resources for P/HD Teacher • Reference tools • Physical Impairment Handbook • Other Health Disabilities Handbook • Traumatic Brain Injury Handbook • Consultation to medical community • Representation at state network meetings and conferences

13. Physical and Health Disabilities Curricular Adaptations and Instruction

14. Literacy and Language Arts • Emergent and beginning literacy • Adapted books • AAC devices • Conventional literacy • Nonverbal reading • Assistive technology • Curricular-based • Functional literacy • Sight word vocabulary • Sign language facilitation • Picture/symbol association • Phonics approach

15. Literacy and Language Arts • Barriers • Language and participation • Motor ability • Exposure • Access issues • Unique learning characteristics and physical condition

16. Literacy and Language Arts • Overcoming barriers • Communication • Restricted participation • Reliable means of response (RMR) • Error not due to physical limitation • Lack of language experiences • Multi-modal AAC • Responding to natural attempts • Encourage social communication • Physical access • Impaired access to reading and writing • Physical efficiency areas • Positioning • Movement and work surface adaptations • Fine-motor movement and accessing materials • Range of motion for material placement • Fatigue and endurance issues

17. Literacy and Language Arts • Overcoming barriers • Individual considerations • Addressing attendance • Response to pain or discomfort • Feedback for medication effects • Experiential deficits • Avoid broad assumptions • Maintain expectations • Increase exposure • Environment and instructional barriers • Provide environmental control • Address time factor • Access to equipment and AT

18. Emergent and Beginning Literacy • Book and print exposure/awareness • Participation in storybook reading • Repetition and choice • Phonemic awareness • Letter-sound correspondence

19. Conventional Literacy • Assessment • Structural analysis • Semantic analysis • Phonics • Vocabulary instruction • Symbols to words to sentences • Fluency • Comprehension

20. Writing • Access issues • Modifications and adaptations • Developmental strategies • Systematic instruction of written expression • Functional writing

21. Writing • Barriers • Motor impairments • Limited participation and practice • Individual factors • Lack of experience • Not making connection between reading and writing • Difficulty access environment and instruction

22. Writing • Overcoming barriers • Using writing tools • Utensils and paper adaptations • Modified writing instruction • High-tech assistive technology • Spelling interventions • Knowledge vs. access • Instructional strategies • Tools • Accessing written expression • Early exposure and exploration • Systematic instruction • AT • Functional writing • Focus on skills in natural environments • Writing strategies - tools, pictures, copying, forms

23. Science and Social Studies • Curricular adaptations to allow access to materials and meaningful participation • Address reading levels • Incorporating assistive technology to provide access to background information • Adapting equipment for active involvement in science activities

24. Science and Social Studies • Overcoming barriers • Lesson preparation • Content • Instructional materials • Textbook sequence • Access to text • Supplemental activities and materials • Background knowledge • Lesson presentation • Real-world connection • Evaluation content knowledge

25. Mathematics • Level of involvement • Academic math skills • Functional math skills • Combination • Barriers • Motor skills • Endurance and motivation • Language ability • Literacy skills • Attention • Cognition and perception

26. Mathematics • Methods • Based on previous learning • Systematic instructional strategies • Demonstration to guided practice to independence • Structured methods • Check for understanding • Active involvement • Learning strategies • Self-monitoring • Metacognition • Mnemonics • Self-instruction • Use of adaptations and assistive technology

27. Mathematics • Beginning math skills • Number awareness • Counting • Numerals and place values • Computational skills • Addition and subtraction • Multiplication and division • Calculator use • Word problems • Functional math

28. Mathematics • Assessment • Standardized achievement tests • Diagnostic tests • Curriculum-based measurement • Informal assessment • Portfolio assessment • Error analysis

29. Assistive Technology • Research AT for curricular areas • Find adaptive equipment • Find software options • Find hardware options

30. Physical and Health Disabilities Grading and Graduation

31. Impact of Adaptations on Grading • Personal views of impact our perceptions of grading • Dependent on whether rigor of the content has been changed • Minimal training provided • Special educators should be consulted • Purpose of grading • Best practices for grading systems • Specialized grading systems

32. Impact of Adaptations on Grading • Assignment of grades is not always clear • included students are at increased risk for low or failing grades • teachers report feeling pressured or obligated to give students a higher grade than they had earned to allow the student to pass or because it seems fair • teachers may respond to the needs of individual students by making informal grading adaptations that are not implemented systematically

33. Impact of Adaptations on Grading • Three options • attempting to apply the same grading system used for general education students to students with disabilities • developing a grading system for a special class • individualizing an existing grading system to meet the needs of a particular student

34. Purpose of Grading • What is the system designed to measure or report? • What is the value of grading to student, parent, teacher? • Possible outcomes: • Effort, progress in curriculum, independence • Measure of improvement, comparative data, progress towards goals • Cooperative work, future needs

35. Case Study • Physically disabled student in art class

36. Grading Systems • Features that benefit students with disabilities • Increased weight to most recent scores • Flexible due dates • Avoiding grade penalties due to behavior • Features that allow students to demonstrate knowledge in different ways • Blended assignments • Providing formative and summative assessments • Ample numbers of assessments over period of time

37. Grading Adaptations • Prioritizing content and related assignments • Considering student effort • Considering “processing” of information • Incorporating IEP objectives into grades • Considering improvement from past reports • Changing weights or altering grading scale

38. Case Study • LD/ADHD student in Social Studies

39. Grading Options • Prioritizing Content and Related Assignments • Basing Part of Grade on Progress on IEP goals • Basing Part of Grade on Processes Used to Complete the Work • Basing part of Grade on Student's Effort

40. Grading Options • Basing a Grade on Improvement Over Past Performance • Changing Grading Scales or Weights • Selecting the Best Grading Adaptation for Your Student

41. Case Study • LD student in Math

42. Graduation • Honors diploma/diploma of high distinction • Standard diploma • Certificate of completion/attendance • Certificate of achievement • IEP/special education diploma • Occupational diploma

43. SPED 447/547 Assistive Technology Needs for Students with Physical and Health Disabilities

44. Categories of AT • Academic and communication needs • Communication • Computer Access • Education and Learning • Home and community needs • Daily Living • Environmental • Recreation and Leisure • Vocational • Ergonomics

45. Categories of AT • Motor • Mobility and Transportation • Prosthetics and Orthotics • Seating and Positioning • Sensory • Hearing and Listening • Vision and Reading • Multi-Sensory • Services

46. Communication Aids • Products and equipment designed to help persons with speech disabilities or writing difficulties to communicate. At its very simplest, augmentative communication can be a page with picture choices or alphabet letters that a person points to. It can also involve highly sophisticated speaking computers with on-screen communication boards and auditory or visual scanning.

47. Communication Aids • Speech and Augmentative Communication Aids - Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC) involves alternate methods of communicating needs, feelings, ideas, and perceptions through the use of electronic and non-electronic devices that provide a means for expressive and receptive communication for persons with limited or no speech. Includes communication boards, speech synthesizers, text-to-speech software and hardware, head wands, light pointers, mouth sticks, signal systems, telephony equipment, etc.

48. Communication Aids • Writing and Typing Aids - Includes tactile devices, Braille devices, note taking devices, spelling devices, word prediction/completion software, modified typewriters, portable typewriters, etc. Does not generally include products intended to facilitate computer access and usage (see 2. Computer Access Aids).

49. Computer Access Aids • Hardware and software products that enables persons with disabilities to access, interact with, and use computers at home, work or school. Includes modified or alternate keyboards, switches activated by pressure, touch screens, special software, voice to text software, etc.

50. Computer Access Aids • Alternative Input Devices - Includes alternative and adaptive keyboards, expanded keyboards, Key-guards, alternative and ergonomic mouse/pointing systems, head-operated pointing devices, Eye-gaze pointing devices, mouth/tongue pointing devices, Morse code input devices, brain-actuated pointing devices, switches, touch screens, voice input systems, speech-to-text software, voice recognition/voice command software, dictation software, on-screen keyboards, cursor enlargement software, ergonomic computer-based equipment, etc.