How do teachers meet the academic needs of youth in juvenile corrections settings?
Page 9: Provide Accommodations
Even when teachers use EBPs and other effective strategies, some students, particularly those with disabilities, will need accommodations—that is, changes made to the delivery of classroom instruction or to the accompanying materials or assessments. Students with disabilities who use accommodations are required to learn the same content at the same level of proficiency as their peers who do not use accommodations. Accommodations do not change the expectations for learning and do not reduce the requirements of the task. For example, a student who lacks the fine-motor skills needed to physically write a required report could satisfy the grade standard by using an accommodation like speech-recognition software. The student would dictate the report, and the computer would “write” it.
Instructional and testing accommodations are generally grouped into four categories: presentation, response, timing and scheduling, and setting. Each type of accommodation is designed to help the student demonstrate his or her knowledge while removing a barrier of some kind. Accommodations should be individualized and not based on a specific disability category and should be included in the student’s IEP. Additionally, some of these accommodations can be bundled—or used in combination—depending on a student’s individual needs.
Type
Definition
Examples
Presentation
Presentation accommodations allow a student with a disability to access information in ways other than standard visual or auditory means (e.g., by reading or listening). These accommodations change the way that instruction, directions, and information are presented to students.
Graphic organizers
Manipulatives
Computer accessibility settings that allow content to be read aloud
Response accommodations allow students with disabilities to complete instructional assignments or assessments through ways other than typical verbal or written responses.
Allowed to write answers in a test booklet rather than on a separate answer sheet
Timing and scheduling accommodations allow students extra time to complete an activity or test. When teachers adjust the timing and scheduling of instructional tasks and tests, they can support students by reducing their fatigue or stress.
Accommodations might be especially helpful for youth in JC facilities who take online credit recovery courses and high school equivalency exam preparation courses. Not all students, and especially those with disabilities, will be able to access the information in the provided format. For example, students with poor reading skills will not be able to independently read the material on the screen. In this case, the student might benefit from computer software that reads the information on the screen to them. This minor accommodation allows the student to access the information without changing the instructional expectations. The following short video demonstrates an electronic reader in action. A computerized voice reads a section of Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book (time: 0:43).
Assistive technology (AT) is likewise often helpful in providing accommodations. AT is any device or service that helps a student with a disability to meet his or her IEP goals and to participate in classroom activities to the greatest possible extent. Students can utilize assistive technology to:
Communicate
Perform academic tasks
Use proper seating and positioning
Access materials
A sample of AT devices
Specialized writing tools: Used to develop gross-motor and fine-motor skills such as pencil control and pencil grasp, these tools reduce frustration for students when writing while increasing their writing speed and movement.
Pencil grips: These simple devices are often used by students who have low muscle tone or immature pencil grasp patterns.
Planners: Notebooks or calendars are used to help students keep track of their schedules and upcoming events, as well as to plan how much time is needed to complete an assignment.
Raised-line paper: Raised-lined paper provides visual and tactile feedback to students to write between the lines and is used to help students improve their handwriting skills.
Highlighting pens and tape: Bright colors draw a student’s attention to vocabulary terms or other important points in their notes or books. Highlighter tape allows students to temporarily highlight in a textbook without making permanent marks.
Dycem®: Non-slip material that grips both sides of a surface to help students stabilize their paper or notebook on a writing surface and keep items like pencils or markers from rolling off a desk. Some students sit on non-slip mats to help stabilize them while seated.
(Permission granted by Dycem.).
Rubber stamps: Students can use stamps to reproduce letters, numbers, and math functions as an alternative to handwriting.
Adapted feeding tools: These are used to assist students with eating. A student who spills frequently or who has weak lip control might use a cup with a base and lid. A student with poor hand coordination or weakness might use a lipped plate. A student with the use of only one hand might use a rocker knife, which cuts by rocking rather than sawing.
(Permission granted by Patterson Medical.).
Tape recorders: Students use these devices to record and play back lectures and other classroom activities. They can also listen to books on tape or dictate writing assignments instead of writing them out.
Digital recorders: These handheld devices use a memory chip and allow students to record and play back their class notes, thoughts, and other information. Among their common features are date and time markers and adjustable playback speed.
Calculators: Students who struggle with math can use these small electronic devices to help them to copy, align, and compute math problems on paper.
Manual wheelchair: These provide mobility to students unable to walk safely or functionally.
Portable keyboard: A lightweight word processor with a small screen that students can use for writing notes and assignments, these devices can also be connected to a printer to allow students to remotely turn in their assignments.
Timer: Students with learning disabilities may try to increase their reading skills by keeping track of the number of words read correctly in a certain amount of time. A student who has difficulty paying attention might practice staying focused on a specific task until the timer goes off.
Spellchecker: Besides helping students to spell correctly by suggesting possible spelling alternatives, some spellchecker models feature synthesized voices and a dictionary and thesaurus to allow students to hear word suggestions and their corresponding definitions.
(Permission granted by Franklin Electronic Publishers.).
Audio books: Students can listen to these recorded versions of a book on an audio device (e.g., CD player, MP3 players, iPods).
Alternative keyboard: These can be manufactured so that the keys are larger or smaller than those on a standard keyboard. Some keyboard configurations use an alphabetical layout with larger colored keys when the standard keyboard configuration is too confusing for some students. Other layouts include the split keyboard, which enables students to position the two keyboard halves so that the device is more comfortable to use.
(Top picture–Permission granted by IntelliTools; bottom picture–Permission granted by Fentek Industries.).
Word processing software: This can be used to support students who have difficulty writing (e.g., developing ideas, editing) by allowing them to easily change letters, words, and sentences, as well as to format font styles, color, and size.
Word prediction software: Used to support students who struggle with writing, the software predicts words as the student begins to type. Predictions are made based on the first few letters entered and the frequency with which the word is used. This tool can decrease keystrokes while increasing the accuracy of a student’s spelling, grammar, and word selection.
Communication devices: Used to help students communicate more easily and effectively, these talking devices have keyboards that include the letters of the alphabet, pictures, and word-keys so that students can produce thousands of sounds, words, and phrases.
Computers: These allow students to use multiple types of software (e.g., word processing, Internet browsers, email, electronic text) to support learning.
This toolbox lists and describes additional resources related to the information presented on this page. These resources are provided for informational purposes only for those who wish to learn more about the topic(s). It is not necessary for those viewing this module to read or refer to all of these additional resources to understand the content.
Assistive Technology: An Overview This module offers an overview of assistive technology (AT) and explores ways to expand students’ access to it in the classroom (est. completion time: 2 hours).
Bookshare: Providing Accessible Materials for Students with Print Disabilities This module presents an overview of Bookshare, a project supported by the U.S. Department of Education and OSEP, which provides books in digitized formats to individuals who have print disabilities. On hand is information about how such students can access textbooks, other instructional materials, and text-reader software at no cost, as well as how teachers can use this information in their daily instructional planning (est. completion time: 2 hours).
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