Chapter 6 Accommodating Student Variability Viewing recommendations for Windows: Use the Arial TrueType font and set your screen area to at least 800 by 600 pixels with Colors set to Hi Color (16 bit). Viewing recommendations for Macintosh: Use the Arial TrueType font and set your monitor resolution to at least 800 by 600 pixels with Color Depth set to thousands of colors.

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company6–2 Overview Ability grouping The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Students with mental retardation Students with learning disabilities Students with emotional disturbance Gifted and talented students Using technology to assist exceptional students

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company6–3 What is ability grouping? Ability grouping is… Grouping students of similar ability for the purposes of instruction.

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company6–4 Types of ability groups Between-class ability grouping –Each class is made up of students of similar ability Regrouping –Students of the same age, ability, and grade but from different classes come together for instruction in a specific subject

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company6–5 Types of ability groups (cont’d) Joplin plan –Regrouping that takes place across grade levels Within-class ability grouping –Division of a single class into two or three groups for instruction in specific subjects

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company6–6 Evaluations of ability grouping There is little to no support for between- class ability grouping Research on the effect of regrouping for reading or math is inconclusive The Joplin plan yields moderately positive effects compared with instruction in heterogeneous classes

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company6–7 Evaluations of ability grouping (cont’d) Within-class grouping in math and science produced modestly positive results compared to other instructional approaches

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company6–8 Evaluations of ability grouping Students in homogeneously and heterogeneously grouped classes scored similarly on measures of self-esteem Students in high-ability classes had more positive attitudes about school and higher educational aspirations than did students in low-ability classrooms Between-class grouping affected the quality of instruction received by students

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company6–9 Major provisions of the individuals with disabilities education act (IDEA) A free and appropriate public education A preplacement evaluation prior to being placed in a special education program An individualized education program (IEP) if one receives special education services Educational services must be provided in the least restrictive environment Procedural safeguards to protect the legal rights of parents and their children

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company6–10 Preplacement evaluation (Office of the Federal Register, 1994) Tests must be administered in the child’s native language A test must be valid for the specific purpose for which it is used Tests must be administered by trained professionals

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company6–11 Preplacement evaluation (cont’d) (Office of the Federal Register, 1994) Tests administered to students who have impaired sensory, manual, or speaking skills must reflect aptitude or achievement rather than the impairment

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company6–12 Preplacement evaluation (Office of the Federal Register, 1994) No single procedure can be the sole basis for determining an appropriate educational program Evaluations must be made by a multidisciplinary team The child must be assessed in all areas related to the suspected disability

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company6–13 Individualized Education Program (Office of the Federal Register, 1994) A statement of the child’s present levels of educational performance A statement of annual goals, including short- term instructional objectives A statement of the specific special education and related services to be provided to the child, and the extent to which the child will be able to participate in regular educational programs

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company6–14 Individualized Education Program (Office of the Federal Register, 1994) The projected dates for initiation of services and the anticipated duration of the services Appropriate objective criteria and evaluation procedures and schedules for determining, on at least an annual basis, whether short-term objectives are being achieved

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company6–15 Least restrictive environment Special classroom –Students with disabilities spend their entire day in a separate classroom. Mainstreaming –Students with disabilities spend part of their day in a separate classroom and part of their day in the regular education classroom

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company6–16 Least restrictive environment (cont’d) Inclusion –Students with disabilities spend their entire day in the regular education classroom

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company6–17 Conclusions regarding inclusion Inclusion may not be an appropriate course of action for every child with a disability Inclusion will likely work best where the presence of a disabled student stimulates the teacher to improve the general quality of classroom instruction and where well-trained staff are available

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company6–18 Conclusions regarding inclusion (cont’d) For students who are mainstreamed, IEPs should be written so as to better reflect what a given student probably can and cannot accomplish

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company6–19 Students receiving special education services, 1998–1999 (U.S. Department of Education, 2000)

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company6–20 Regular education teacher’s responsibilities under IDEA Referral Assessment Preparation of the IEP Implementation and evaluation of the IEP

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company6–21 Classification of children with mental retardation Mild retardation –IQ score between 67 and 52 Moderate retardation –IQ score between 51 and 36 Severe retardation –IQ score between 35 and 20

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company6–22 Classification of children with mental retardation (cont’d) Profound retardation –IQ score of 19 and below (American Association on Mental Retardation)

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company6–23 Definition of specific learning disabilities The individual has a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes The individual has difficulty in learning A severe discrepancy exists between the student’s apparent potential for learning and low level of achievement The problem is not due primarily to other causes

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company6–24 Attention-deficit / hyperactivity disorder Symptoms –Inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity To be labeled, the symptoms must –First appear before the age of seven –Be displayed in several settings (home, school, play) –Persist over time

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company6–25 Characteristics of students with a severe emotional disturbance Externalizing students –Aggressive, uncooperative, restless, and negativistic Internalizing students –Shy, timid, anxious, fearful, and lack self- confidence

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company6–26 Congressional definition of gifted and talented “The term gifted and talented children and youth means children and youth who give evidence of high performance capability in areas such as intellectual, creative, artistic, or leadership capability, or in specific academic fields, and who require services or activities not ordinarily provided by the school in order to fully develop such capabilities.” (Title IV-H.R.A, 1988, pp )

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company6–27 Instructional options for the gifted and talented Accelerated instruction Gifted and talented classes and schools Enrichment and differentiated instruction

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company6–28 Types of accelerated instruction Skipping one or more grades Allowing students to complete the work for more than one grade during the regular school year Extending the school year by using summer sessions Allowing students to take college classes while still in high school

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company6–29 Curriculum enrichment techniques Type I enrichment –Involves exploratory activities that are designed to expose students to topics not ordinarily covered in the regular curriculum Type II enrichment –Involves instructional methods and materials aimed at the development of thinking and feeling processes Type III enrichment –Consists of activities in which students investigate and collect data about a real topic or problem

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company6–30 Guidelines for the proper use of technology in special education Technology programs and products should: –Be intuitive and straightforward to learn –Allow alternative ways to present and access information –Contain uncluttered screen displays with few font types –Require minimal keyboarding skills –Provide adequate praise and clear feedback

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company6–31 Guidelines for the proper use of technology in special education Include opportunities to review concepts Embed learner control adaptable to the nature and degree of the disability Contain only graphic elements that contribute to the instructional function of the program Challenge and pique learner interests Be reliable, cost justifiable, easily transported, and useful across contexts (Gray, 1991; Larsen, 1995; Lee, 1987, Raskind, 1993)

End of Chapter 1 Accommodating Student Variability