Chapter 6 Accommodating Student Variability Viewing recommendations for Windows: Use the Arial...

Chapter 6

Accommodating Student Variability

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Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company 6–2

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


What is ability grouping?

Ability grouping is…

Grouping students of similar ability for thepurposes 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


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


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


Evaluations of ability grouping (cont’d)

• 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


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(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


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


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


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


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


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


Least restrictive environment (cont’d)

• Inclusion– Students with disabilities spend their entire

day in the regular education classroom


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


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


Disabling Condition Percentage of Total School Enrollment

Percentage of Students with Disabilities Served

Specific learning disabilities 5.68 50.8 Speech or language impairments

2.28 20.3

Mental retardation 1.16 10.3 Serious emotional disturbance

0.93 8.3

Other health impairments 0.45 4.0 Multiple disabilities 0.20 1.8 Hearing impairments 0.14 1.2 Orthopedic impairments 0.14 1.2 Autism 0.11 0.9 Visual impairments 0.05 0.4

Traumatic brain injury 0.02 0.2 Deaf-blindness 0.00 0.0

Total 11.16 99.4

Students receiving special education services, 1998–1999

(U.S. Department of Education, 2000)


Regular education teacher’s responsibilities under IDEA

• Referral

• Assessment

• Preparation of the IEP

• Implementation and evaluation of the IEP


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


Classification of children with mental retardation (cont’d)

• Profound retardation– IQ score of 19 and below

(American Association on Mental Retardation)


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


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


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


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. 227-228)


Instructional options for the gifted and talented

• Accelerated instruction

• Gifted and talented classes and schools

• Enrichment and differentiated instruction


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


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


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


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 ofChapter 1

Accommodating Student Variability

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