Environmental Strategies

Watch for factors in physical environment, furniture, equipment, and/or instructional materials that may make it more difficult for students to do what is expected.
Use preferential seating.
Seat student near a peer who can be a classroom buddy.
Assign a peer tutor to review information or re-explain.
Build rapport with student; schedule regular times to talk together.
Provide frequent breaks for relaxation; ie. small talk, mid-morning snack, relaxing exercises.
Ask student for suggestions on ways to make the environment one that will help him/her learn.
Accept and treat student as a regular member of the class; avoid pointing out that he/she is a “Student with Special Needs.”
Offer praise that is genuine, specific, and frequent for reassurance.
Avoid placing the student in “competitive” activities.
Avoid situations that may point out student deficits, such as requiring student to read orally in class or complete math problems on the blackboard.
Avoid public displays of student grades.
Put tape outline or carpet squares on floor to identify space.
Set up a corner of the room as a quiet corner where students can read or calm down.
Avoid having decorations that are too distracting.
Adjust noise, temperature, and lighting.
Provide study carrels or earphones for students to use.
Design traffic patterns to reduce distractions or difficulties.
Prepare adequate supply of materials for all students.

Modifications In Instructional Content And Presentation

Have a specific routine for giving instructions and assignments.
Provide both oral and written directions.
Repeat instructions and provide more detailed directions.
Ask students to repeat directions.
Provide materials that are programmed or self checking.
Inform students of learning objectives/outcomes of each lesson.
Provide samples of high quality completed assignments during instruction.
Break the assignment into a series of smaller assignments or steps.
Use mini courses or units,
Reduce number of problems on one page.
Underline or outline major points in the regular assignment.
Highlight important information or directions.
Use a variety of methods to teach and reteach.
Utilize student interest in instructional content.
Provide computational aids; calculators, time tables, etc.
Involve student in group assignments, projects, panels, and cooperative learning.
Brief the student on key points before starting the assignment.
Allow the student longer “think time” or give advance signal before calling on student.
Use pre-arranged questions and/or prompts; stand by the students desk to signal upcoming questions.
Allow more time for regular assignments and reduce length of regular assignments.
Reduce spelling lists or assign only “even” number problems.
Group similar items or problems.
Simplify the format of the instructional material; create fewer paragraphs, problems, or questions.
Reduce the reading level of the regular assignments; reword, paraphrase, edit or use graphics.
Use student’s strongest mode of learning; auditory, visual, kinesthetic, social, verbal, combination, etc.
Provide study aids, hints, cue cards, spelling lists, guides, word charts, word banks, etc.
Provide “hands-on” activities or involve some form of physical activity.
Provide an older student to tutor on a regular basis.
Permit oral presentations/reports/projects/role play instead of written tasks.
Limit the amount of copying required; reproduce and enlarge text or workbook material.
Avoid regular lengthy reading assignments.
Encourage questions with, “Have I made this clear? Is there something I ought to explain once more?”
Limit the number of oral or visual instructions.
Tape the assignments for the student.
Teach components of task separately and sequentially.
Give homework to increase practice of learned skills.
Offer the students a choice of assignments and ways to demonstrate learning.
Alternate tasks that have a high probability of success with those that will be more difficult.
Use self-talk in which the student verbally plans and executes actions.
Provide numerous opportunities for practice to attain mastery.
Use various methods for grouping students and change groups often.

Organizational Strategies

Help students use an assignment sheet, notebook, or monthly calendar.
Allow additional time to complete tasks and take tests.
Help students organize notebook or provide a folder to organize work.
Give verbal cues for important ideas; “The second important idea is _____”
Help students set up timelines for completion of long assignments.
Help highlight the main concepts in the book.
Question students to help focus on important information.
Ask parents to structure study time.
Give parents information on long-term assignments.
Make sure students begin assignments correctly and answer the first few problems accurately.
Provide outlines or partial outlines to students.
Provide students with examples of work expected.
Give students daily or weekly checklist of what needs to be done or remembered.
Provide students with graph paper for organizational and spacing problems.
Establish and teach routines; this first, then second, now third.
Use buddy/team systems.
Have a special box or location for individual student materials.
Avoid limiting student achievement due to lack of materials.

Behavioral Strategies

Allow for physical movement; run errands, distribute papers, etc.
Utilize frequent home/school communication such as daily notebook, checklist, phone calls.
Include positive comments in all home-school communications.
Give frequent prainse to student on appropriate behavior.
Provide preferential seating away from peers who encourage poor behavior.
Offer frequent rewards.
Provide specific praise for correct behavior.
Give students special responsibilities and recognition.
Anticipate problematic situations in advance and structure for prevention of problems.
Teach all students the rules for acceptable behavior including structured practice of behavior skills.
Provide students with schedules and plans; no surprises to cause frustration or loss of control.
Inform and alert students when the activity will be changing.
Have time allocated when teacher can proved undivided attention to students who need it.
Model appropriate behaviors, by teachers and older students.
Give consistent and immediate rewards/praise for correct answers/behavior.
teach students to think about problems and develop solutions.
Use natural consequences.
Provide students with immediate feedback.
Be up-front about classroom rules and behavior expectations.
Use charting and graphing to record changes in behavior.
Seek evaluation by outside agencies or counseling.
Make frequent phone calls and notes home.
Consider medical issues that may influence student behavior and make referrals.
Use disciplinary referral to the principal.
Use plans of systematic removal from classroom or activity.
Learn how to ues various strategies such as per mediation, cooperative learning, hands-on instruction, social skills training, shaping of behavior, bibliotherapy, group reinforcement programs, positive behavioral support.
Prevent problem behavior with proximity control, engaging instruction and instructional materials, hands-on instuction, verbal and non-verbal cuesplanned ignoring, minimal waiting time, making connections between learning and life
Set up a cueing system in the classroom for behavior controls.

Modifications for Written Assignments

Provide study guides, guided reading notes, and notes.
Allow students to use computers with spell check and grammar check.
Reduce length or complexity of assignments.
Allow more time for completion.
Do not penalize for errors in spelling, punctuation, or grammar in some activities.
Allow students to photocopy teacher’s or a peer’s notes.
Mark the number of items correct rather than incorrect.
Provide credit for partially completed or late assignments.
Allow students to dictate answers to peers, tape recorders, parents, assistants, etc.
Simplify written directions by limiting words and numbering steps.
Pair students for completion of written assignments.
Use graphic organizers, mapping, to assist in organizing content prior to writing.
Allow students to prepare outlines rather than complete compositions.
Allow students to use preferred writing utensils and paper.
Teach students to use self-instruction programs such as COPS.
Allow students to illustrate and idea and write a caption.
Check each student’s paper to see if they have completed the first few problems correctly before allowing them to complete the entire page.

Modifications for Reading Difficulties

Provide an overview of reading assignment.
Provide definitions for difficult words.
Highlight key areas in reading.
Read aloud.
Audio tape reading material.
Provide visuals for reading material.
Use mapping/graphic organizers for content of reading.
Give reading guides with questions to be answered after reading certain sections.
Have students outline reading material.
Hold class discussions over reading material.
Use reading material with lower reading level.
Rewrite material at a lower reading level.
Teach students to use strategies such as SQ3R or PQ4R.

Testing Modifications

Allow alternatives for testing such as: presenting oral reports to teacher or class, making posters, creating bulletin boards or displays, or presenting all notes on a chapter.
Eliminate formal exams and/or substitute a project or daily work for semester exams.
Allow open book exams or open notes.
Allow students to retake a test to possibly adjust grade.
Allow more time for regular exams or take exams in short sections at a time.
Give tests orally.
Allow take-home tests.
Cassette record the test questions.
Allow students to give the test answers on tape or dictate answers to a scribe.
Require fewer correct responses in order to achieve a specific grade.
Limit the number of multiple choice answers and avoid “combination” choices.
Provide matching responses with no more than five items per section.
Reduce the reading level of the test by paraphrasing.
Provide the list of test responses from which the students must choose; use word banks.
Reduce the number of problems or questions to be completed.
Reduce the number of exams to be given.
Provide tests that are visually clear, enlarged, double spaced, etc.
Use Progress Monitoring instead of testing to determine progress.
Give short weekly tests instead of occasional major tests.
Give tests in small groups so you can reword or clarify questions.
Use fewer essay responses.
Allow peer/teacher/aide/volunteer to administer tests individually and/or write the responses dictated by the student.
Allow students to demonstrate competency by performance instead of requiring written responses.
Maintain a portfolio of assignments and projects rather than conducting major testing.

Grading Modifications

Use a pass-fail grading system for tests, quizzes, homework, report cards, etc.
Negotiate grading with both the Special and General Education teachers.
Grade more heavily on daily work, maintenance of assignment book, attendance, participation, portfolio items, progress charts, etc.
Contract for a grade in advance with a specific outline of requirements.
Offer grades on percentage of items completed and correct.

__________________________________________________________________________