Best Practices Portfolio
12 minutes
Literature Review #
With the implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act and the No Child Left Behind Act, there has been a growing emphasis on creating a least restrictive learning environment. Consequently, Students with disabilities are seeing increased inclusion in general education classroom (Agran 2006). This federal role in education policy has also pushed standards-based learning (Hardman 2008). All students are expected to achieve high outcomes that align with state standards.
These expectations have impacted curricular approaches to include alignment with assessments and state standards (Kurz 1012). Instructional strategies will include modifications and accommodations to fully support students with disabilities. Frequently, students with disabilities will be given an individualized learning plan (IEP) outlining the accommodations and modifications that will best benefit them. Special consideration must be given for the student with intersecting needs including those with multiple disabilities, disabilities combined with exceptional needs, or disabilities combined with English learning needs.
English language learners (ELL) with learning disabilities (LD) need instructions that takes both their disability, language status, and culture into consideration (Garcia, 2010). It can be difficult to assess if a student is struggling academically due to a learning disability or a deficit in language skills. Students with ELL may enter schools with a different worldview than the academic culture being taught. In addition to standard supports like more time for assignments and oral language practice teachers need to be aware that instruction is influenced by mainstream culture. It is essential to avoid a hidden agenda that may lead to student alienation, isolation, or other negative social consequences (Garcia 2010).
When creating curriculum, special thought needs to be given to textbook selection (Bruhn, 2013). Textbooks are a critical part of modern classrooms and should be accurate and up to date. Additionally, educators should teach students the skills to fully use the textbook, such as accessing the index or appendix. Selecting textbooks for students with disabilities may be a particular challenge due to the reduced vocabulary needs. One way to adjust for this is to include embedded vocabulary instruction throughout the lessons.
One area where people are skeptical of curriculum changes is math. In a study done by Bouck and Kulkarni, they found no significant difference between traditional math curricula and standards-bases curricula (2009). So at the very least, standards-based learning is doing no harm. However, educators want to do more than no harm, educators want to use best practices for their students based on what research shows to give the greatest outcomes.
Identifying the math skills deficit is the first step towards helping a student. One strategy is to create a “math mountain” which explicitly states the preceding skills needed for grade level learning (Powell 2013). Once these areas are identified, research based practices are used to support students. Systematic prompting and feedback, including time delay prompting and a system of least prompts, have been found to be beneficial when teaching mathematics. Graphic organizers for math concepts have also been shown to help students with disabilities.
English language arts is another common area where students with disabilities struggle. Inclusive classrooms have multiple ways to support students with disabilities. Successful writing environments include a positive space, high expectations, structured support, embedded instruction, tier 2 &3 push in or pull out, graphic organizers and adaptive assignments and instruction (Graham 2013). These supports are most effective when general education teachers and special education teachers have time and resources to collaborate (Graham 2013).
Students with disabilities also frequently need basic reading support to cover phonemic awareness, decoding, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Teachers should give explicit instruction by first modeling reading, offering feedback, and subsequently encouraging students to read independently (Haager 2013). Guidelines for supporting students with disabilities include extra practice for new skills, graphic organizers, tier 1 embedded instruction to support vocabulary growth, flexible ways to demonstrate knowledge. Lastly, students should be exposed to a variety of texts to help them find something they genuinely enjoy reading.
Students with disabilities frequently receive adapted versions of the general education curriculum including grade level content with reduced breadth, depth, and complexity (Kurz 2012). However, students still deserve an opportunity to learn content at grade level (Parrish 2009). Care needs to be given when creating modified assessments. In these situations, states offer alternate assessments (Kurz 2012) aligned with curriculum to insure high expectations.
One way to accomplish this is to create an alignment chart that compares state standards to specific lessons in the curriculum and to assessments (Parrish 2009). Instructional strategies will be needed to work with students with disabilities to achieve alignment between standards and curriculum. These include explicit teaching of skills such as working independently and using visual supports. Teaching with crossover content also helps to apply ideas to real life situations (Parrish 2009).
The basic strategies for supporting students with disabilities are the same across content. This includes explicit teaching, offering multiple avenues for accessing information, tiered learning groups, least intrusive prompts, breaking down projects into manageable tasks, organizational tools such as schedules, graphic organizers, checklists, and rubrics, facilitating smooth transitions between activities, understanding and incorporating assistive technologies in teaching, fostering collaboration with professionals, educators, parents, and peers, employing flexible assessment methods, implementing positive behavior management systems, and nurturing emotional development. It all comes down to supporting a student with disabilities with extensive accommodations and modifying instruction to the least degree necessary.
Standards #
I chose to focus on math standards for this 4th grade class. These standards are the ones the Yakima School District has guaranteed students will be taught in the 23-24 school year. These are foundational math schools which will be necessary to use throughout the students academic career. These are from the Washington State Common Core Standards.
4 NBT A.1: Recognize that in a multi-digit whole number, a digit in one place represents ten times what it represents in the place to its right.
4 NBT A.2: Read and write multi-digit whole numbers using base-ten numerals, number names, and expanded form. Compare two multi-digit numbers based on meanings of the digits in each place, using >, =, and < symbols to record the results of comparisons.
4 NBT B.4: Fluently add and subtract multi-digit whole numbers using the standard algorithm.
4 NBT B.5: Multiply a whole number of up to four digits by a one-digit whole number, and multiply two two-digit numbers, using strategies based on place value and the properties of operations. Illustrate and explain the calculation by using equations, rectangular arrays, and/or area models.
4.NBT.B.6: Find whole-number quotients and remainders with up to four-digit dividends and one-digit divisors, using strategies based on place value, the properties of operations, and/or the relationship between multiplication and division. Illustrate and explain the calculation by using equations, rectangular arrays, and/or area models.
Student Characteristics Chart #
4th grade general curriculum classroom, Total 24 Students, Students with IEP: 2, Students with 504: 4, Students with ELL: 7
| Student Characteristics | Needs | Curriculum Considerations |
|---|---|---|
| Naeyana: Behavior Disability, ODD | Breaks, Flexible seating, reduced problem set, word processor for typing, reduced problem set, organizational supports, Extended time for assessments | Modeled Assignments, Leveled Questions, Multiple means of assessment, Graphic organizers for equations, Multiplication Chart (Powell 2013) (Graham 2013). |
| Athena: Behavior Disability, ADHD | ||
| Ayden: Behavior Disability, ADHD | ||
| Julian: Behavior Disability, ADHD + ELL | ||
| Kenia: Learning Disability in Language, + ELL | Preferred seating, extended time, visual instructional support audio support, organizational supports, reduced problem sets, vocabulary support | Think, pair, share strategies, precision partnering, anchor charts, graphic organizers, Sentence stems for discussions, graphic organizers for equations, multiplication chart multiple means of assessment (Garcia, 2010). (Graham 2013). |
| Erick: Learning disability in speech + ELL | Extended time, visual instructional supports, reduced problem set, no penalties on mispronunciation in assessments, pull out speech services, vocabulary support | |
| Yuleny: ELL | Extended time, reduced problem set, precision partnering, speaking support, vocabulary support | Think, pair, share strategies, anchor charts, graphic organizers, Sentence stems for discussions (Garcia, 2010). |
| Jocelyn: ELL | Visual instructional supports, precision partnering, vocabulary support | Anchor charts, graphic organizers (Powell 2013) |
| Stephanie: ELL | ||
| Amara: ELL + Exceptional Learner | Speaking support, precision partnering, vocabulary support | Discussion opportunities, Extension Activities (Graham 2013). |
Accommodations / Modifications #
| Accommodations / Modifications | Frequency | Embedded / Differentiation | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Graphic Organizers (Equations, Multiplication Chart, Place Value, Number Line) | Daily | Whole Class | General Education |
| Shortened assignments | As needed | By student | General Education |
| Modeled assignments | As needed | Whole Class | General Education |
| Repeated instructions | As needed | As needed | All classes |
| Oral readings (Instructions and Story Problems) | As needed | Whole Class | All classes |
| Rephrase questions or Leveled questions | As needed | Whole Class | All classes |
| Extra time on assignments | Limited use, reduce assignment as necessary | By Student | General Education |
| Extra time on assessments | End of Unit and State Assessments | By Student | General Education |
| Breaks | As needed | By Student | All Classes |
| Small groups | 4 times a week | Whole Class | General Education and Special Education |
| Preferential seating | Daily | By Student | All Classes |
| Text to speech technology assistance | As needed | Whole Class | General Education |
| Scribe | As needed | By student | All Classes |
| Oral responses | As needed | By student | All Classes |
| Frequent understanding checks | Daily | Whole Class | General Education |
| Flexible seating | As needed | Whole Class | All classes |
| Anchor Charts: Multiples, Step by Step instructions, Vocabulary Definitions | Daily | Whole Class | General Education |
| One-on-one instructional support | 2 days a week | By student | Special Education |
| Precision Partnering | Daily | Whole Class | General Education |
| Extension Activities | Weekly | By student | General Education |
Curriculum, Best Practices, Evaluation Rubric #
| Evaluation Criteria | Does not Meet | Meets | Exceeds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aligns with CCSS Math Standards | |||
| Summative assessments for each unit | |||
| Teacher support materials are easy to read | |||
| Multicultural content includes diverse perspectives in story problems | |||
| Curriculum is current with research backed data | |||
| Built in scaffolding for differentiation | |||
| Spiraling curriculum to embed topics from previous years | |||
| Integrated technology for multiple means of access | |||
| Clear learning objectives in student friendly language | |||
| Explicit student success criteria | |||
| Demonstrates common misconceptions and strategies to correct them | |||
| Includes vocabulary support including images and glossaries |
Personal Reflections #
While working with my mentor teacher this term, I have come to fully appreciate the need to teach students how to be active learners. The students in our classroom lost crucial access to skill development due to covid complications. Even when students were understanding the academic content, they were making mistakes due to poor organization strategies, underdeveloped motor skills, and a general lack of sustained learning ability. In addition to using modifications and accommodations for support, the thing students benefited the most was consistent high expectations for both academic learning and behaviors in the classroom.
One of the most surprising ways I found to support students in math was through the inclusion of math discussions. The daily guided discussions of what strategies to use really help students struggling with mental math by giving examples of how other students use it. The students also grow through vocabulary. The anchor charts can help students become familiar with the technical terminology they will be using in later grades. When you subtract, we call it the “difference,” instead of just saying answer. Splitting a number apart for a multiplication problem (area model) to make it easier is done through the associative property. Math is more than just numbers and equations, it is surprisingly language dependent.
The implementation of visual supports such as graphic organizers and anchor charts only works if you explicitly teach the students how to use them and refer to and practice with them often. The process of designing a graphic organizer for multiplication showed me just how much support can be embedded. This organizer gives visual support for multiplication at the 4.NBT.B.6, but also supported the 4.NBT.A.1-2 with the small addition of labeling the place values. It also give students a chance to work on 4.NBT.B.4 due to addition being an integral part of the standard algorithm multiplication method.
Understanding the knowledge journey a student takes though their academic life is the key to a successful inclusion setting. The grade level you teach does not dictate the level students are at. General understanding of what came before and what comes next is key for differentiation in the classroom. I’ve always known this makes an impact on students with content deficits, but before this program I wasn’t as aware about how it can impact students needing enrichment. This is something I still need to work on. I’m looking forward to working with my mentor teacher to find ways to support these students better.
Resources #
Place Value Anchor Chart #
Long Division Anchor Chart #
