Accommodations for Students with Special Needs By Robyn Rubel Diane Knight Tracy Lemus Santos

Accommodations v. Modifications Accommodations Supports or services provided to help a student access the general curriculum and validly demonstrate learning. Tools to help assess abilities not disabilities Tools to help assess abilities not disabilities Provide equity not advantage Modifications Are any procedure intended to meet an educational situation with respect to individual differences in ability or purpose. Directly alters or lowers the expectation of the assessment

In Other Words… Accommodations… “Level” the playing field WhileModifications… “Change” the playing field

Time For A Quiz… AccommodationOrModification

Accommodations on a Daily Basis The Ins and Outs of Providing Services

Definition An accommodation typically is defined as a service or support that is provided to help a student fully access the general curriculum as well as demonstrate what he or she knows of the content standards being taught.

When should a student get accommodations? IEP Team Decision Daily Basis Achievement Testing

Who should provide accommodations? Special Education Teacher General Education Teacher Everyone that is in contact with the student

Areas in which accommodations are typically provided Environmental Instructional Delivery Instructional Materials AssignmentsBehavior

Summing it up… Accommodations are really “whatever it takes” to make certain that a student with disabilities can participate as fully as possible in the academic content standards.

Just a thought… “If we wait until students are ready to work on challenging standards by virtue of having mastered basic skills, they will never work on challenging standards.” Nolet and McLaughlin, 2000

Assessing Children with Disabilities in Regular Education Classrooms What do the Experts have to say?

The general education teacher, in collaboration with the special education teacher can expect to play a prominent role in the regular assessment of the child with a disability’s progress. And, because the progress of the children with disabilities can often be hampered by behavioral, social, and attitudinal needs that result from the disability, these too will have to be assessed regularly to determine whether they impeded progress in the general curriculum, whenever called for in the IEP.

Idea-97 ensures the regular education teacher will play an expanded role in the assessment of the progress of children with disabilities.

General education teachers as long as they have appropriate expectations may assess student needs. One reason for this is IDEA-97 requires the involvement. The other reason is they are the general curriculum experts. To evaluate the students performance the data will be collected in the regular education classroom.

Teacher made test and assessments are much easier to make modifications to than standardized tests.

Standardized Tests and Assessments by 2000, IDEA-97 requires alternative to standardized test be in place for students who are unable to participate in districtwide assessment programs. Each state or district may be free to develop the own method of assessment. They are also required to report the results. This is an effort to increase accountability for the education of students with disabilities. There is controversy over by giving modifications to standardized tests are we affecting the reliability and validity of the test.

The general education teacher is to contribute information about the student, not diagnose the behavioral problems of a student. The teacher can provide data regarding behaviors and attitudes, and how they affect progress in the classroom.

Behaviors are things that we can see. Attitudes are fairly consistent and stable ways that people think and feel and are predisposed to think and feel in the presence of various stimuli.

Activity We’re All Different

A thought to end on… “There is nothing as unequal as the equal treatment of unequals.” Thomas Jefferson

Sources Websites: m#2 m#2 tm#69 tm#69 law.html law.html