Elementary Staff Information January 2010 Langley

1. A Guide to Adaptations and Modifications August 2009 Ministry of Education Elementary Staff Information January 2010 Langley

2. The Guide: • Viewed in light of today’s highly diverse classrooms • Clarifies the distinctions between students receiving adaptations and those receiving modifications • Outlines the implications for assessment and reporting

3. What do I have to do to ensure success for all students?

4. What Teachers Do We differentiate our instruction by: • Selecting the Unit/Learning Outcomes • Pre-assessing for: • Readiness • Learning style • Interest • Teaching all students in our class using instructional strategies with adaptations as required or modifications • Providing summative assessment and reporting

5. Cognitive Dissonance How we report How we promote students or make decisions around graduation (Dogwood) How we teach What we know about how people learn

6. A Guide to Adaptation and Modification (August 2009) Attempts to align best practice and reporting by: • Broadening the definition of adaptations to include the learning outcomes at the students’ zone of proximal development or ‘just right’ level (Vygotsky ) • Deferring decisions to place students on a modified “School Completion Program” track until nearer to grade 10

7. In the classroom… Adaptations as required Whole Class Adaptations (planned/ongoing) Modifications

8. Let’s see how that works… Contents: • Adaptations • Key Concepts and Achievement Indicators • Reporting on Adaptations • Modifications • Reporting on Modifications • Secondary

9. Adaptations

10. Three principles of learning… • Learning requires the participation of the student • People learn in a variety of ways and at different rates • Learning is both an individual and a group process (Ministry of Education IRPs)

11. How do you naturally accommodate for students with: • A vision problem • A broken arm (writing arm) • Forgotten homework • A wheelchair • ‘Fidget’ issues…can’t sit still?

12. Or when the student: • Has a headache • Can’t remember (times tables or spelling) • Can’t relate socially • Can’t understand English • Can’t read?

14. Adaptations… • Can be used for any student at any time. • Adaptations can be made in: Content Process Product Environment

15. Content Process Product Environment PLOs: Number or Grade level Representing learning: projects, assignments, or assessment Instruction: Classroom teacher SEA or Res/LA, or computers or materials Organizational supports ,visuals, setting or extra time

16. Adaptations are also provided when a student is: New • working on some, most or all of the provincial learning outcomes (PLOs) from the current grade and/or in a few cases • working on PLOs from an lower grade level

17. Students working on some most or all PLOs from the current grade level: New • are assessed using the standards for the PLOs they are working on • can receive a Dogwood graduation certificate • may be eligible for adjudication

18. Students working on PLOs from a lower grade level: New • are assessed using the standards for the PLOs they are working on • can receive a Dogwood graduation certificate • may be eligible for adjudication Teachers should consult with the SBT (or IEP team) if a student needs to work toward PLOs lower than the current grade placement

19. Adapting doesn’t mean cheating, it means successful teaching and learning. Brownlie/King learning how birds fly

20. Using Key Concepts andAchievement Indictors

21. Using Key Concepts • Broad adaptations can be made in content areas • May read books at lower grade levels to support the PLOs from the current Science unit.) • In Language Arts and Math, teachers may use the Key Concepts to focus student learning. • Some students will be using PLOs from lower grade levels.

22. Key Concepts See handout

23. Example A student could be: • working on PLOs from an lower grade in Language Arts • and current grade level PLOs in all other subjects/courses • some of which require reading materials at a lower reading level.

24. For each subject: • Identify a key concept • Same for everyone in the class • Identify the PLOs • May be adapted or at a lower grade level • Use usual achievement indicators to determine if the PLOs have been achieved (see gr. 5 example at: http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/irp/gr5curric_req.pdf)

26. Grading and Reporting for Adaptations

27. Reporting on Adaptations A record of successful adaptations should be kept in the report card: • To inform parents • To support future instructional practice • For adjudication purposes.

28. Reporting on AdaptationsFor Current Grade PLOs Use regular grading procedures: • Achievement Indicators and Performance Standards • Determine letter grades in accordance with the PLOs taken • Use comment area on report card to clarify that adaptations include a scribe, reader, computer, calculators, alternate setting, etc.

31. Reporting on Adaptationswith Lower Grade PLOs Use regular grading procedures: • Achievement Indicators and Performance Standards • Determine letter grades in accordance with the PLOs taken Use comment area on report card to clarify: • When adaptations include a scribe, reader, computer, calculators, alternate setting, etc. • When working on lower grade level PLOs, use an asterisk (*) and: “This letter grade is in relation to outcomes from a lower grade level.”

32. Reporting on Adaptations When the student has a mix of PLOs (current &/or lower grade) and IEP objectives: • Use the regular report card and IEP progress report • In each subject, retain the PLOs that are part of the student’s program (remove the rest) and insert those from a lower grade level • Insert an asterisk (*) in the level box for the lower grade PLOs and enter the level based on achievement of that PLO.

33. Reporting on Adaptations cont’ • In the comment box, when the grade level of PLOs is lower than current grade placement, use an asterisk (*) and the comment: “This letter grade is in relation to outcomes from a lower grade level.” • Teacher assigns the letter grade in relation to the outcomes of the curriculum taken • Insert an asterisk (*) in the Final Mark box on the Report Information Page

34. Report Writer

35. Report Writer

36. BCeSIS • There will be guidelines for the BCeSIS report card prior to reporting period in Fall 2010.

37. MOdifications

38. Students may have… • limited awareness of their surroundings • fragile mental/physical health • medical/cognitive/or multiple challenges

39. Note: • Modifications for students not identified as special needs should be a rare practice. • Not all students with special needs will require a modified curriculum. • The vast majority of students with curricular accommodations are adapted.

40. Modifications provide for the child who is… unable to access the curriculum. New!

41. Modifications generally occur for students with cognitive disabilities who fall within lowest 2% of the population.

42. Consider Modification When the student requires: • learning outcomes substantially different from the prescribed curriculum • learning outcomes specifically designed to meet the unique needs of the student Note: A student may require adaptations in some areas of the curriculum and modifications in others.

43. The Decision to Modify • must be made in consultation with parents, school administration, and district staff (school psychologist or integration support coordinator) • never by a single teacher • a formal decision need not be made until grade 10 (as it affects student graduation with a Dogwood Certificate.) • affects future career and educational opportunities

44. Modifications • May be a short or long term solution • See: Adaptation or Modification Decision Path

45. Modifications are made in consultation with others.

46. Examples

47. The Grade 6 students complete 6 units of study in Science: Modification • the student completes the IEP objectives “matches 1:1” and “compares by size” by handing out the rocks to students and aligning the rocks by size Adaptation student completes the learning outcomes in only two units; Earth Science (rocks) and Environment

48. Students in a grade 3 class are researching for presentations on the solar system: Adaptation • Student uses text reader to have the text read to her Modification • Student uses a computer to drag and click photos of planets into a template of the solar system (IEP goal: to demonstrate computer/mouse skills)

49. Students in grade 6 are demonstrating understanding of multiplication and division of decimals Adaptation • Student demonstrates an understanding of addition and subtraction of decimals (limited to thousandths) (Grade 5 PLO) Modification • Student is learning how to count change and manage a personal budget (IEP)

50. Grade 7 students read fluently and demonstrate enjoyment of a variety of grade appropriate literary texts Adaptation • Student is using grade 4 appropriate texts (same topics) • and at current grade level learning outcomes in all other subjects/courses • some of which require reading materials at the lower reading level. Modification • Student is reading National Geographic photo books toward the IEP Literacy Goal: “will increase reading fluently by rereading familiar books daily”