Week Eight: Accessing the General Education Curriculum/Universal Design April 3, 2007 A-117: Implementing Inclusive Education Harvard Graduate School of Education Dr. Thomas Hehir

A117 Hermeneutic SCHOOL CLASSROOM CHILD

Why has access to curriculum become a central concept in special education?

What does it mean?  The Intended Curriculum  The Taught Curriculum  The Learned Curriculum

Central Considerations  The purpose of the curriculum is to bring about desired outcomes  Time and sequencing are critical  Identifying most important enduring knowledge and skills is central to thoughtful planning  Overemphasis on “readiness” is a common problem

From Nolet & McLauglin – 1 st Edition

Activity Using figure 3.1 in Nolet and McLaughlin, consider the relevance of this model and the concept of access to the curriculum for the following children for in-class discussion:  A third grader with significant emotional disturbance with grade level skills.  A tenth grader who is blind, a Braille reader with grade level skills.  A sixth grader with dyslexia who reads independently at the third grade level  An eleventh grade student with mild mental retardation and forth grade level skills  An eighth grader who is deaf, fluent in ASL, reading English with comprehension at the fourth grade level.

From Nolet & McLauglin – Chapter 3  Organize the information you want your students to learn before you teach it.  Provide direct assistance to help students activate prior knowledge already stored in long-term memory.  Help students make links between old and new information.  Incorporate elaboration tactics into your instruction.

From Nolet & McLauglin – Chapter 3 Classroom Strategies to Improve Transfer  Provide opportunities for students to practice skills and apply knowledge in a variety of contexts.  Systematically vary types of examples from near to far transfer.  Model strategies that show how previously learned information can be used in a new situation.  Provide cues in situations where students are required to transfer previously learned information.

Accommodations & Modifications “A dyslexic needs extra time the same way a diabetic needs insulin” (Shaywitz 2003) Accommodations:  Alternative acquisition modes  Alternative response modes  Content enhancements Modifications:

Evaluating Outcomes of Access  Norm Referenced  Criterion Referenced  Individual Referenced

Universal Design  Multiple means of representation  Multiple means of expression  Flexible means of engagement

Towards Ending Ableism in Education The Promise of Universal Design  Universal Design and reading  Universally designed preschool and kindergarten options  Universally designed early reading programs and disability identification  Universal Design and learning  Universally designed support for positive behavior  Universal Design and school organization

Students with Disabilities and Standards-Based Reform  Start early  Curriculum modification should be a last resort  Accommodations on tests should mirror instructional accommodations  Time devoted to learning may need to be lengthened  Restructure high school options through effective transition planning