Quick and Easy Help for

Working with Students with IEP's In Sevier County High Schools

Contents:

A. Students Not on Regular Diploma Track

1. Math and Language Arts

2. Other Areas

3. Materials

B. Students On a Regular Diploma Track

1. Consult

2. Focus

a. Forget Spelling and Grammar

b. Forget About Note Taking

c. Don't Make Students Read Aloud

d. Cue for Oral Questions

3. Reduce

a. Assign Only Novels You Have on Audio Tape

b. Modify Assignments

c. Use Alternatives

d. Let Them Take It Home

4. Modify Tests

5. Let the Special Education Staff Help

C. Special Considerations for Students with ADD and ADHD

A. If the IEP Student is not on a Regular or Standard Diploma Track:

If a student is not on a regular or standard diploma track, the process is simple -- reduce the curriculum (after all, it's modified and the transcripts say so). Is the student learning and trying (i.e., attending class, working on the modified curriculum, etc.)? If so, grade the student based on the modified curriculum, not on the regular curriculum. Remember, there is no rush; take as long as necessary to get through material, discuss, revise/edit, etc. (so long as student effort is evident).

Examples:

1. Math & Language Arts: Have the student learn at his/her own pace. In Language Arts, have the student work on one reading selection until it's finished and understood. Likewise, have the student work on one writing assignment until it is done (revised, edited, etc.). When finished, begin another.

2. Other Areas: Either select a few units/chapters/projects etc. that you feel are the most important, or let the student select the ones that he/she is most interested in.

3. Materials: Remember that the students may not be able to use the standard materials. They may need additional modifications, like those discussed below.

B. If the IEP Student is on a Regular or Standard Diploma Track:

If the student is on a regular diploma, reduce or simplify materials, activities, and/or assignments, not the curriculum. For example, an IEP student in an Earth Science class will go through the regular curriculum (geology, meteorology, oceanography, and astronomy) but won't necessarily do so by reading chapters, completing written worksheets, spelling things properly on tests, etc. The important thing to remember is that the student's opportunity to learn and the student's grade cannot suffer due to his or her disability.

Examples:

1. Consult: Ask special educators for help; their job is to help you.

2. Focus: Focus on what you really want. Remember, many of these students simply cannot do too much at once. Can you read a book, write a letter, and conduct a conversation all at the same time? That's what doing "regular school work" is like for them. Try these suggestions:

a. Forget About Spelling and Grammar: If you want to see if a student knows something (other than spelling and grammar), then forget about spelling and grammar. They can always go back and correct it later. These things simply don't matter in most contexts -- especially on tests. (Homework is an appropriate place to expect proper spelling and grammar.)

b. Forget About Taking Notes: These students really really really cannot take notes and pay attention to what's going on in class at the same time. Don't make them do it. Even in college, they won't have to take notes (this is a standard accommodation). Let them pay attention. Give them your own notes or a copy of another student's notes. They'll learn a lot more this way.

c. Don't Make Students with IEP's Read Aloud: It is cruel to make most IEP students read aloud.

Spare them the embarrassment. If you really want an IEP student to read aloud, meet with the student privately a day ahead of time to show the student exactly what he/she will read the next day. Let the student practice it as homework so that when reading in class, he/she will do a good job.

d. Cue for Oral Questions: Some students need to process before they even understand the question.

They often answer oral questions wrong. Speak with students privately to agree on a cue. (Example: Only ask them a question if you're standing at their seat.) The cue prompts them to filter-out everything else and focus on the next question. (The rest of the time they can focus on learning without anxiety.) Before long they may actually volunteer to answer questions.

3. Reduce: Reduce the impact of reading and writing by reducing reading and writing requirements.

(Remember, these students have difficulty processing; overburdening them in this regard detracts from their focus on the subject matter. It's just like making a non-disabled student read a US History text written in German; the student would be so caught up in language difficulties that he/she would never have a chance to learn the history.) Here are some suggestions:

a. Assign only novels that you have on audio tape.

b. Modify Assignments: Examples: When you hand out a worksheet, cut down the number of questions; if there are 10 questions, circle the five you think are most important. Pick half of the week's assignments for the IEP student to complete. When you give a reading or writing assignment, be prepared to read it to the student, to reduce the assignment, to permit oral answers, etc. The point is that we must present curriculum to students and let students demonstrate knowledge without letting ourselves get stuck in reading and writing.

c. Use Alternatives: Videos, oral reports, two or more students working together on assignments, individual or group projects, demonstrations, guest speakers, field trips, etc.

d. Let Them Take it Home: Don't expect these students to work as fast as others; they may be just as smart, but doing much more processing. Let them take books and materials home.

4. Modify Tests: Allow extra time, don't count spelling or grammar, permit testing in alternative locations (e.g., the Special Education Center in the school, the Media Center, study halls or student group-work areas, etc.), permit open-book and open-note tests, read directions and questions orally, permit oral responses, send students to the special education staff (who can read to them, take dictation, or tape record oral answers).

5. Let the Special Education Staff Help: Your special education staff should have assistance available somewhere in the building at all times. They should always have someone available to provide help to students. The specialists should be available on a daily basis for consultation.

C. Special Considerations for Students with ADD and ADHD:

Parents, teachers, case managers, administrators, etc. often become frustrated to the point of infuriation when dealing with students with ADD and ADHD. But by remembering that the behavior of these students is a direct manifestation of their disability, you can remain calm and implement supportive practices that will help these students. To varying degrees, ADD and ADHD can cause students to have some of the following problems:

- Forgetfulness (to the point that some of us find incomprehensible). They will forget to do assignments, and, if they do them, they will forget to turn them in. They will forget to relay messages, they will miss deadlines, etc. The list is endless.

- Inability to begin working. These students will often find it impossible to actually begin working on an assignment or task.

- Inability to write. Students often experience an inability to write.

- Generally high activity level (and correspondingly low attention span). These students are up an about or extremely restless in their seats. They have a great deal of difficulty following long discussions or engaging in any single activity for long periods of time.

- General impulsiveness and distractibility. Impulsivity can be seen in many ways, from blurting out statements in class, to pushing a button for no apparent reason (Why did you push the elevator button? -- I don't know; I just did.), to major life decisions. Distractibility is seen in virtually everything the student does; the student can be distracted by anything, from a mere thought, to a bird landing outside the classroom window, to a pencil scribbling in the back of the room.

So what can you do? First, remember that the student cannot help it; the student is not lazy, not irresponsible, not defiant, not stubborn, and certainly not dumb. The student has a disability. We need to help. Second, try the following:

- Do the students' remembering for them. Until students acquire approaches that work for them (which may not be until late in high school, or even after high school), provide assignment sheets, remind students to turn in their work, and provide assignment and other deadline information to parents and case managers. If you give the student an opportunity to forget, you're setting the student up for failure.

- Specifically and individually prompt students to begin working. Then, from time to time, comment on what they've completed and remind them to continue working.

- Give students the opportunity to do oral work instead of written work. Another excellent strategy is to let students dictate their ideas/answers onto a tape, and then have the students play the tape back (preferably with head phones on) and write down their answers. This method seems to overcome physiological processing problems and the use of head phones reduces distractions.

- Let students move around if they are not disruptive. Contact parents and case managers to see what devices (such as a balloon filled with sand for the student to squeeze, etc.) have been approved or suggested for the student to use to control his or her over activity. Plan activities and assignments such that there is enough variety to overcome attention span problems. Prompt students to refocus when their attention wanes.

- Provide students with prompts to pull them back from distraction. In special activities, such as drama and other oral presentations, remember that students may need a "double prompt" (in other words, they may not catch their "cue"; instead, they may need to be prompted to attend to an upcoming cue). In order to assure that their attention is refocused give students some warning that they are about to be called on or that they have a few minutes left before they must do something.

These are just some ideas. ADD and ADHD are complex. The difficulties these medical conditions present are as varied as the students who are misfortunate enough to have them. Many of the more general suggestions above in sections A and B will also be helpful with students with ADD and ADHD. The three most important things to remember are to be patient, to keep trying, and to make it a team effort with parents, case mangers, students, teachers, administrators, physicians, counselors, and anyone else who can help.