Accommodations as Solutions: Personal Assistance

List of needs and solutions

Solutions in Instructional Methods and Materials

Instructions

• Have learning buddy or teaching assistant read material aloud.
• Provide overview of learning outcomes and content at beginning of lesson.
• Provide follow-up instruction individually.

Notetaking

• Use notetaker.
• Provide copy of peer's notes.

Group Work

• Use cooperative learning techniques like Think-Pair-Share or Jigsaw for student review and to ensure participation.

Monitoring

• Monitor student comprehension as information is presented.
• Arrange meeting with student after class to clarify lesson.
• Make student comfortable asking for help by saying, "Tell me what you need," or "How does this fit with what you know?"

Solutions in Assignments and Assessments

Instructions

• Make sure student faces teacher for directions.
• Alert student with signal before giving instructions.
• Change tone of voice to capture and sustain attention.
• Repeat and simplify instructions.
• Give extra examples for practice.

Group Work

• Use cooperative learning activities to support participation.
• Let student use peer editing or teacher help during revision process.
• Assign learning buddy to help student.
• Let student work with trained classmate to stay on task in group work.
• Let student dicatate work to teaching assistant, volunteer, or classmate who writes it.

Support

• Give student access to resources and materials outside of class.
• Check to see if student needs help getting started.
• Communicate homework expectations to parents so they can help.
• Monitor student conduct; commuincate regularly with student, family, others.

Classroom Tests

• Read test items to student and simplify language, except on tests of reading skills.
• Reread and explain directions during test.
• Let student respond orally; dictate to aide, teaching assitant, or classmate; or record test answers.
• Monitor that student is marking in correct space and in correct sequence.
• Review corrected tests and debrief students.

FCAT

• Repeat, clarify, and summarize test directions.
• Use signed or oral presentation of directions and test items other than reading items.
• Provide verbal encouragement, such as, "Keep working," "Be sure to answer every question."
• Check periodically that student is marking correct spaces on answer sheet.

Solutions in Learning Environment

• Seat student to maximize attention and reduce distraction.
• Seat student near teacher, aide, volunteer, or trained classmate who can help maintain attention and understanding.

FCAT

• Reduce distracting stimuli on student's desktop.
• Administer test in familiar place such as student's home, with test proctor and/or familiar person present.
• Administer test in alternate location approved as unique accommodation.

Solutions in Time Demands and Scheduling

• Use reward system to motivate timely assignment completion.

List of needs and solutions