Chapter 6 Accommodating Student Variability. Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights...

Chapter 6Accommodating

Student Variability

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 6 | 2

Overview

• Ability Grouping• The Individuals With Disabilities Education

Act (IDEA)• Students With Mental Retardation• Students With Learning Disabilities• Students With Emotional Disturbance• Students Who Are Gifted and Talented


What is Ability Grouping?

• Ability grouping is … Grouping students of similar ability for the

purposes of instruction.


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.

• 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.


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.

• Within-class grouping in math and science produced modestly positive results compared to other instructional approaches.


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.

See Online Video Case “Inclusion: Grouping Strategies for Inclusive Classrooms”


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


Preplacement Evaluation

• 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.

• Tests administered to students who have impaired sensory, manual, or speaking skills must reflect aptitude or achievement rather than the impairment.


Preplacement Evaluation

• 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.


Individualized Education Plan

• 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


Individualized Education Plan

• 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


Least Restrictive Environment

• Schools are required to place students with disabilities in the least restrictive setting that their disability will allow Placing students with disabilities in regular

education classrooms for as much of the day as possible is referred to as mainstreaming.

The policy of placing all students with disabilities in regular education classrooms for the entire day is referred to as inclusion.


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.

• For students who are mainstreamed, IEPs should be written so as to better reflect what a given student probably can and cannot accomplish.

See Online Video Case “Foundations: Aligning Instruction with Federal Legislation


Students Receiving SpecialEducation Services, 2002-2003

(U.S. Department of Education, 2005)

98.811.58Total

0.00.00Deaf-blindness

0.30.04Traumatic Brain Injury

0.40.05Visual impairments

2.00.23Autism

1.20.14Orthopedic impairments

1.20.14Hearing impairments

2.00.24Multiple disabilities

6.70.78Other health impairments

8.00.93Emotional disturbance

19.21.07Mental retardation

19.52.26Speech or language impairments

48.35.59Specific learning disabilities

Percentage of Students with Disabilities Served

Percentage of Total School Enrollment

Disabling Condition


Regular Education Teacher’s Responsibilities Under IDEA

• Referral• Assessment• Preparation of the IEP• Implementation and Evaluation of the IEP

See Online Video Case “Foundations: Aligning Instruction with Federal Legislation”


Students with Mental Retardation

• Definition of Mental Retardation (AAMR, 2002) The individual has significant limitations in intellectual functioning and adaptive behavior as expressed in conceptual, social, and practical adaptive skills. A score that is two or more standard deviations below the mean on a standardized intelligence test = significant limitation in

intellectual functioning.


Students with Mental Retardation

• Characteristics of Mental Retardation Tendency to oversimplify concepts Limited ability to generalize Less memory capacity Shorter attention span Focuses on only one aspect of a problem Difficulty in formulating learning strategies Lower tolerance for frustration Lower self-esteem, self-confidence, motivation


Students with Learning Disabilities

• Definition of Specific Learning Disability Discrepancy of at least one standard deviation between achievement and IQ score A disorder in one or more basic

psychological processes (such as memory, auditory perception, visual perception)

Difficulty with tasks that involve speaking, listening, writing, reading, spelling,

mathematics Problem is not due primarily to other causes.



• Weaknesses of definition of specific learning disability Discrepancy between achievement and IQ score not a useful indicator of the presence of a learning disability



• Characteristics of Specific Learning Disability Problems with attention, perception, memory,

metacognition More poorly developed social skills Limited impulse control Passive and disorganized approach to

learning


Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder(American Psychiatric Association, 2000)

• 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


Students with Emotional Disturbance

• Definition of Emotional Disturbance Individual exhibits one or more of the following

characteristics over a long period of time and to such a marked degree that it adversely affects academic performance – Inability to learn not due to intellectual, sensory, or health factors – Inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships with peers and teachers – Inappropriate types of behaviors or feelings under normal circumstances – Tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or school problems



• Weaknesses of Definition of Emotional Disturbance The terms long period of time, satisfactory interpersonal relationships, general pervasive mood, and inappropriate types of behaviors or feelings under normal circumstances are not defined



• Characteristics of Emotional Disturbance Externalizing Students

– Aggressive, uncooperative, restless, and negativistic

Internalizing Students– Shy, timid, anxious, fearful, and lack self-

confidence


Congressional Definitionof 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. 227-228)


Characteristics ofGifted and Talented Students

• Excel on tasks that involve language, abstract thinking, mathematics

• Faster at encoding and retrieving information from memory

• Highly aware of how they learn and conditions that affect their learning

• High levels of motivation and task persistence• Tend to be more solitary and introverted• Tend to have intense emotional lives


Instructional Optionsfor the Gifted and Talented

• Accelerated Instruction

• Gifted and Talented Classes and Schools

• Enrichment and Differentiated Instruction

See Online Video Case “Academic Diversity: Differentiated Instruction”


Types of Accelerated Instruction

• 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


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

Chapter 6 Accommodating Student Variability. Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights...

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