Reading Magic

ACCOMMODATIONS (Instructional Adaptations)To Support Diverse Learners and Students with Dyslexia

Shaunt M. Lindsey, Ph.D.December 5, 2013Region 4 ESC Dyslexia Conference 2013

Created and Provided by Region 4 ESCWhat are the basics of Dyslexia? What is the difference between instructional accommodations and modifications (adaptations)?What is the importance of instructional accommodations and teaching with students strength in mind?How should adaptations be used in the classroomHow can I determine whats will be successful for my student with reading difficulties?

What will be answered during this session?Created and Provided by Region 4 ESC1. Using a post it note write down your definition of Dyslexia.

2. Compare it to the definitions you have on your light blue piece of paper

3. Touch 2 chairs and discuss what made your definition similar to the definition on the paper.Definition of Dyslexia

Created and Provided by Region 4 ESCIt is characterized by difficulties with accurate and / or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities. These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and the provision of effective classroom instruction. Secondary consequences may include problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede growth of vocabulary and background knowledge.

Adopted by the IDA Board of Directors, Nov. 12, 2002. This Definition is also used by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).

Dyslexia affects individuals throughout their lives; however, its impact can change at different stages in a persons life. It is referred to as a learning disability because dyslexia can make it very difficult for a student to succeed academically in the typical instructional environment, and in its more severe forms, will qualify a student for special education, special accommodations, or extra support services.

International Dyslexia Associations' (FAQ) Retried from http://www.interdys.org/FAQ.htmDyslexia DefinedCreated and Provided by Region 4 ESCIsNeurobiological Causes an impairment in the development of basic reading and spelling skillsUsually manifested in deficiencies in word level reading skillsAffects the development of literacy

What Dyslexia Is and Is NotIs not

A pervasive oral language impairmentA primary problem in attention or behaviorA primary problem with reading comprehensionLimited intelligenceRelated to ethnic background or family incomeA result of poor teacher or limited educational opportunity.

Created and Provided by Region 4 ESCDyslexia and the Brain

Created and Provided by Region 4 ESCDyslexia and the Brain

Created and Provided by Region 4 ESCBecause dyslexia is neurobiological in origin, I would be remised not to talk about the brain

Cerebrum is made up of 4 lobes the frontal, parietal, temporal and occipital- This is the area that most language processing systems are found and within the left hemisphere with specific regions in the of each lobe.

Cerebellum- back of brain- controls posture balance and coordination

Stem- connects brain to spinal cord controls essential survival function7

FMRI-Functional magnetic Resolution imagining- signals used to construct fMRI images-Blood oxygen level dependent )BOLD) response, the increase n BOLD signals regions that are activated by a stimulus or task result. Increse the tissue bloof flow volume and oxygenation.8

Dyslexia and the Brain

Created and Provided by Region 4 ESCBecause dyslexia is neurobiological in origin, I would be remissed not to talk about the brain,10Atypical (neurodivergent) neurological development is a normal human difference that is to be recognized and respected as any other human variation.

Instead of thinking about students with disabilities in terms of their deficits or dysfunction, neurodiversity suggests that we speak about their strengths.

http://institute4learning.com/neurodiversity.phpNeurodiversity

Created and Provided by Region 4 ESCGreat for special educators and regular educators that now they have the opportunity to step outside the box and embrace an entirely new trend in thinking about human diversity. Rather than putting kids into separate disability categories and using outmoded tools and language to work with them, educators can used tools and languages inspired by the ecology movement to differentiate learning and help kids succeed in the classroom11Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

RecognitionStrategicAffectivePrinciplesGuidelinesGoalsCheckpointsCreated and Provided by Region 4 ESC

LEARNERS IN THE MARGINSCreated and Provided by Region 4 ESCThe Q&A referenced physical access and how the application of UDL is a focus on curriculum accessthis cartoon is meant to serve as a metaphor for classroom application of UDL. If we create curriculums that are accessible by our learners in the margins or the hardest to reach/teacher all learners will benefit.Universal Design For Learning13What are they?Accommodations

Created and Provided by Region 4 ESCFor a dyslexic reader, accommodations represents the bridge that connects him to his strengths, and in the process, allows him to reach his potential

Shaywitz, 2003 (p. 314)Accommodations for Student with DyslexiaCreated and Provided by Region 4 ESCBy themselves accommodations do not produce success, they are the catalyst for success, Accommodations grow n importance as the dyslexic student processes in school As he advances his strengths mature, thinking, reasoning, vocabulary, and analytic skills; a the same time his academic challenges increase. Therefore it becomes even more critical for the dyslexic reader to access hid strength in order to bypass his phonological weakness.15Instructional AccommodationsThe use of accommodations occurs primarily during classroom instruction as educators use variousinstructional strategies to meet the needs of each student, thus allowing each student to maximizehis or her academic potential.

(TEA Critical Information about Accommodations, 2013)16Created and Provided by Region 4 ESCTEA, 2013The USDE provided funding through Race-to-the Top awards to groups of states to work together to develop and implement assessment systems. ELA and Math are being developed by two consortia PARCC (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers) and Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC). Most states that have received waivers are members of one of these consortia.PARCC Accessibility Features and Accommodations Manual

1617AccommodationsAre intended to reduce or even eliminate the effects of students disability but do not reduce learning expectations.

(TEA IEP Q & A, 2013)

Accommodations change the how of learning.Created and Provided by Region 4 ESCAlthough federal law does not provide definitions of the terms accommodation and modification, in Texas we have established definitions that are found in the TEA IEP Annual Goal Development Question and Answer document. Accommodations are intended to reduce or even eliminate the effects of a students disability but do not reduce learning expectations. Accommodations do not fundamentally alter the learning standard or grade-level standard.

Once accommodations are made, students with special needs are expected to meet the standards for all students.(Twachtman-Cullen & Twachtman-Bassett, 2011)Accommodations change the How of learning17AccommodationsAreService or support that helps students access content and instruction

Allows student to accurately demonstrate what he/she knows

Are notChanges to content or performance expectation

Major changes to standards

Alterations to the big idea or learning outcome

(Nolet & McLaughlin, 2005)

18Created and Provided by Region 4 ESCAn example of how an accommodation could allow a student to accurately demonstrate what he/she knows can be illustrated by considering a student with a disability in reading, specifically, weaknesses in fluently decoding grade-level text. The use of text-to-speech as an accommodation may allow the student to more accurately show what they understand regarding main idea, vocabulary, comprehension, inferences, cause and effect, generalizations, etc., from grade-level text. If we were to remove this accommodation, the students demonstration of knowledge of main idea, vocabulary, comprehension, etc., will be impacted by their disability. If we were to assess this student without the accommodation and the assessment scores were below expectations, we might make the assumption that because of their scores, they have not acquired these skills. However, what they havent acquired is the fluent decoding of the text. It may appear that they are not making progress within the curriculum when in fact the disability is really within the curriculum itself in the manner in which we assessed the student without the text-to-speech accommodation. When we provide the reading support to overcome the decoding (i.e., bridge the gap between where they are functioning and the enrolled grade-level curriculum), they are now able to show us what they know related to main idea, vocabulary, comprehension, etc.

1819ModificationsPractices and procedures that change the nature of the task or target skill.(TEA IEP Q & A, 2013)

Modifications change the what of learning.Created and Provided by Region 4 ESCAlthough federal law does not provide definitions of the terms accommodation and modification, in Texas we have established definitions that are found in the TEA IEP Annual Goal Development Question and Answer document. Modifications are practices and procedures that change the nature of the task or target skill. Modifications are changes to the goals, methods, materials and/or assessments that fundamentally alter the learning standard or grade-level expectations.

19Modifications areChanges to content or performance expectations

Thoughtfully planned and tightly aligned to enrolled grade-level standards

Used when all accommodations have been exhaustedModifications are notDumbing down the curriculum

Reducing a students opportunity to learn critical knowledge and skills

Teaching off grade level, resulting in greater gapsModificationsContent courtesy of the IRIS Center, Peabody College, 2004Created and Provided by Region 4 ESCOn a previous slide, we provided an example of how using text-to-speech as an accommodation for a students deficit in decoding might serve as an adaptation to allow a student to accurately show what he/she knows about main idea, vocabulary, comprehension, inferences, cause and effect, generalizations, etc., from grade-level text. In that example, the text-to-speech support served as an accommodation as the skill being measured was not fluency and decoding but rather mastery of content and comprehension of information.

Lets continue to use reading as an example to illustrate an example of modification. Consider the student referenced before, with a deficit in fluency and decoding. If we were to provide the student the adaptation of extra time on assessments of reading fluency, extra time would be a modification , as assessments of reading fluency are measuring a students accuracy and rate. The extra time lowers the expectation on the fluency standard. It is certainly acceptable to provide this type of modification to a student for whom it is appropriate; however, we must be able to recognize when adaptations are accommodations versus modifications. In summary, when measuring tasks in which speed or rate of performance matter, extra time would be a modification. If speed and rate are not central to the task being measured, then extra time becomes an accommodation. We will continue to discuss this further on the next several slides. Remember, determining whether an adaptation is an accommodation or a modification is made on a case-by-case basis, after considering the students unique needs.

2021How Do I Know? Accommodation or Modification?It all depends on the standards . . .

Whats the intent of the goal/standard?

How does the teaching strategy/practice/procedure impact the integrity of the content standard?Created and Provided by Region 4 ESCTurn to a partner and discuss what you think these two statements mean. Why would the definition of a strategy as an accommodation or modification depend upon the intent and impact on the integrity of the standard?

2122How Do I Know? Accommodation or Modification?The important concept is not what particular strategy is an accommodation but the purpose of that accommodation. It is something that offsets the impact of the disability without changing the content standard or performance expectation.

In contrast, a modification, whatever it may be, and it could be exactly the type of strategy or device mentioned under an accommodation, but in this case, when it is applied it actually changes or alters the content standard or the performance expectation.

Margaret J. McLaughlin, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Special Education, University of Maryland, College Park Content courtesy of the IRIS Center, Peabody College, 2004

Created and Provided by Region 4 ESCThis perspective differs from the past usage of these terms as interchangeable.

222nd-Grade Standard

(2.4) Reading/Fluency. Students read grade-level text with fluency and comprehension, The student is expected to:

(A) Read aloud grade-level appropriate text with fluency (rate, accuracy, expression, appropriate phrasing) and comprehension.

8th-Grade Standard

(8.1) Reading/Fluency. Students read grade-level text with fluency and comprehension, The student is expected to:

(A) Read aloud grade-level stories with fluency (rate, accuracy, expression, appropriate phrasing) and comprehension (within timed grade level limits)

Accommodation or Modification?Lets consider the use of extended time!Created and Provided by Region 4 ESCAsk participants to consider whether the instructional support of a calculator to solve multiplication problems would be considered an accommodation or modification when considering these 4th-grade and 8th-grade standards. Have them discuss at their tables, determine why or why not for each grade level, and be prepared to share their justification.

This is an example of why knowing the standard, the intent of the standard, and being able to interpret what a particular strategy does to the integrity of the standard is so important. Often educators want a list of accommodations and modifications. Hopefully, this example illustrates why it is difficult to provide a list of accommodations and modifications, because at any given time (depending upon the standard) the same teaching strategy could be considered an accommodation and at another time a modification. Such a black and white approach to identifying accommodations and modifications is not sufficient within a standards-based approach to creating IEPs. IEP teams are expected to be able to articulate how a student is accessing the general curriculum; therefore, they must be able to interpret what supports a student requires and whether those supports are accommodations and/or modifications.

Note: The language for these standards is taken from the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) posted as of May 2013. Please check the most recent version of the TEKS to ensure revisions have not been made that would change the interpretation of this activity. Remember, the purpose of this activity is to get participants to reflect upon the idea that particular adaptations are not always an accommodation or a modification but, rather, determined by the adaptations impact on the grade-level standard.

The most recent versions of the TEKS can be found at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index2.aspx?id=6148.

23Accommodation or Modification?AdaptationAMAdding more white space to a test or assignmentProviding a student with a list of five words to include in a chapter summaryA student is to learn six new words when the standard states that 10 new words should be learnedAllowing a student to respond orally to test questions rather than taking a written testThe student uses an alternate curriculum rather than the general education curriculum for a specific subject levelLimiting the number of steps in questions or directionsExtended timeUse computerized spell, grammar, and punctuation checkComplete only certain parts of the task (i.e. reduced assignments, reduced length)Assistive technologyWith a partner, review the instructional adaptations listed on the slide. Decide whether each is an accommodation or modification.

The goal of this activity is for participants to respond that they are unable to make a definitive determination as to whether some of these are accommodations or modifications unless they have more information such as the grade-level standard, the intent of the standard, information regarding materials used to teach the standard, grade-level expectations for performance, etc. Once participants have communicated that understanding, ask them to take another look at the statements and think about the grade/content level with which they are most familiar. Would these be accommodations or modifications based upon the grade/content area that they support/teach?

Below are possible answers, although participants might have a rationale that justifies another answer. Adding more white space to a test or assignment (accommodation) Providing a student with a list of five words to include in a chapter summary (accommodation unless this would significantly change a standard) A student is to learn six new words when the standard states that 10 new words should be learned (modification: on the surface this appears to be a change in the performance criteria, but depending upon the standard, could be an accommodation) Allowing a student to respond orally to test questions rather than taking a written test (accommodation, although if standard is specifically testing writing skills, may need to consider additional accommodations such as speech-to-text or other writing accommodations to ensure the student is demonstrating the concepts/skills) The student uses an alternate curriculum rather than the general education curriculum for a specific subject level (modification: an alternate curriculum by definition is changing the nature of the tasks or target skills within the standards) Limiting the number of steps in questions or directions (accommodation unless there is something specific within the content standards that this would significantly alter)Extended time accommodation unless task related to rate/speed (i.e. fluency) then modificationUse computerized spell, grammar, and punctuation check accommodation unless tasks specifically measuring these skillsComplete only certain parts of the task accommodation if assignment is all assessing same concept and we are just doing less of the same concept, modification if we take out certain concepts within an assignment and student no longer accountable for those elementsAssistive technology almost always an accommodation

2425What about Modified Curriculum?Rigor?Reduction?Prerequisite skills?Created and Provided by Region 4 ESC(Nolet & McLaughlin, 2005)Rigor - With this method, you are changing the nature of the task or target skill and/or changing the performance level expected of student. The student is taught the same information but at a different level of complexity.

Reduction - With this method, you are teaching less content. You (ARD team) have determined that there is some information a student can get by without learning.

Prerequisite skills - With this method, while the curriculum goals are still aligned to the general education content standards (TEKS), students goals are highly individualized. Access to the general curriculum is defined more in terms of participation in curricular activities than in terms of receiving the same information or concepts as their same age peers.2526

RigorCreated and Provided by Region 4 ESCRigor - With this method, you are changing the nature of the task or target skill and/or changing the performance level expected of student. The student is taught the same information but at a different level of complexity.

Say: Another way to conceptualize the complexity of the curriculum is represented here. This graphic is based upon Blooms Taxonomy and is extended to include an awareness level. This graphic is intended to help you decide when you have significantly changed the depth/complexity of the curriculum. As we learned from our review of the organization of the state standards, they are reflective of what students should know and be able to do. When you are analyzing standards, you must consider the verbs and nouns within the standards as they inform the complexity of the standard. It is important to remember, however, that this is not a definitive list in defining complexity. For example, the verb interpret is listed under Understand and is lower on the complexity continuum, but depending upon the standard and the context of the rest of the behavior within the standard, interpret could be at a higher level of complexity. The perspective represented by this graphic is intended to prompt reflection on whether a student is consistently accessing the curriculum at a lower level of complexity that may be due to modifications or access through prerequisite skills.26Modifying the RigorHISTORY: (4.4) The student understands (understand) the political, economic, and social changes in Texas during the last half of the 19th century.

(A) Describe (understand) the impact of the Civil War and Reconstruction on Texas; (B) Explain (apply) the growth and development of the cattle and oil industries; (C) Identify (understand) the impact of the railroads on life in Texas, including changes to cities and major industries; and (D) Describe (understand) the effects of political, economic, and social changes on Native Americans in Texas.

Created and Provided by Region 4 ESCRigor - With this method, you are changing the nature of the task or target skill and/or changing the performance level expected of student. The student is taught the same information but at a different level of complexity.

27ReductionEXAMPLE: 4.(2)Number and operations.The student applies mathematical process standards to represent, compare, and order whole numbers and decimals and understand relationships related to place value.The student is expected to:

(A)interpret the value of each place-value position as 10 times the position to the right and as one-tenth of the value of the place to its left;(B)represent the value of the digit in whole numbers through 1,000,000,000 and decimals to the hundredths using expanded notation and numerals;(C)compare and order whole numbers to 1,000,000,000 and represent comparisons using the symbols >,