Classroom Accommodations

While a child is being tutored using an Orton-Gillingham based system, he or she will also need Classroom Accommodations. These accommodations are NOT a change in the curriculum. Instead, they are a slight change in the way a regular education teacher:

• Presents new information
• Helps a student master a new skill, or
• Tests a student

Classroom Accommodations are fair. They are your child’s civil rights – because they provide equal access to education despite a child’s disability. These accommodations allow dyslexic students to master the curriculum and prove their knowledge even though they are not (yet) reading, writing, or spelling at grade level.

Parents: In addition to classroom accommodations, any accommodation your child will need to pass the high-stakes state standardized tests, and to pass the high school exit exam, must be in writing on your child’s I.E.P. or 504 Plan.

How do you get a 504 Plan for your child? Do the following:

· A parent must present written documentation of their child’s learning disability (i.e. testing and written report).

· They must ask for these accommodations.

· Each year the parent must educate their child’s new teacher or teachers on the accommodations their child needs.

· The parent should also visit the classroom from time to time, to make sure the accommodations are implemented properly.

Parable: The Animal Story

By G.H. Reavis

Once upon a time, the animals decided they must do something heroic to meet the problems of the “new world,” so they organized a school. They adopted an activity curriculum consisting of running, climbing, swimming, and flying. To make the school easier to administer, all the animals took all the subjects.

The duck was excellent in swimming, better in fact than his instructor, and made passing grades in flying. But he was poor in running. Since he was slow in running, he had to stay after school. He also had to drop swimming to have time to practice running. This was kept up until his web feet were badly worn, which made him only average in swimming. But average was acceptable in school, so nobody worried about that – except the duck.

The rabbit started at the top of the class in running, but had a nervous breakdown because of so much make-up work in swimming.

The squirrel was excellent in climbing until he developed frustration in the flying class, where his teacher made him start from the ground up, instead of from the tree top down.

The eagle was a problem child and was disciplined severely. In the climbing class, he beat all the others to the top of the trees but he insisted on using his own way to get there.

At the end of the year, an abnormal eel who could swim exceedingly well, and also run, climb, fly a little had the highest average and was valedictorian.

How many of us, like the duck who is excellent in swimming and good in flying, spend a lifetime running “only to wear out our feet” and in doing so, neglect our true gifts?

· To reduce Fear and Anxiety

• Never force him/her to read out loud in front of others
• Never force him/her to participate in a Spelling Bee
• Never have him/her write on the board
• Don’t pass corrected papers down the row
• Don’t allow other students to grade papers or tests
• Never call on him/her unless he/she volunteers
• Make sure the classroom is a safe place to make mistakes

· To Accommodate for Spelling

• Don’t grade his/her spelling tests (unless he/she is easily able to pass them)
• Don’t put a spelling grade on his/her report card – leave that area blank
• Ignore spelling mistakes on written assignments – grade on content, not mechanics
• Don’t force him/her to use a traditional dictionary – allow electronic spell checkers instead

· To Accommodate for Test Anxiety

• Conduct oral review session before test is taken
• Provide a sample test
• Allow open-book and open-notes test
• Perform oral testing
• If oral testing is not available then allow extended time or allow student to take the test at home under parental supervision
• The most difficult type of tests for him/her will be fill-in-the-blank and essay tests. These types of tests will not accurately reflect his/her knowledge and if at all possible he/she should be given an alternative type of test. He/she can answer essay questions orally.

· To Accommodate for Handwriting

No Note Taking!

o Provide a peer note taker with Carbonless Notebook paper

o Or teacher provides photocopies of his or her notes and whatever was on the board

o Or tape record the class

No copying out of the book:

o Someone else copies problems out of the book

o Or photocopy the page of problems (student writes answers on the photocopy)

No handwritten assignments:

o Have student dictate written assignments to a classroom aide, parent or volunteer, into a tape recorder or into a PC using voice recognition software

o Accept typed assignments created on a portable keyboard, laptop computer or classroom computer

· To Accommodate for Written Expression

• Provide alternatives to written reports such as creating a video, mural or making a classroom presentation
• Make report writing a team project

· To Accommodate for Homework

• Shorten homework assignments (parents can act as a timekeeper)
• Avoid sending home unfinished classroom work (shorten classroom assignments instead)
• Be consistent when assigning homework
• Provide a way for parents to determine the homework assignment (homework buddies, mail home the assignment sheet, answering machine, etc.)
• Be consistent when collecting homework
• Notify parent immediately if assignment was not turned in (don’t count it late if parent can find it)

· To Accommodate for Memory

• Calculator or printed copy of multiplication table for math computations
• Ask two-choice questions instead of open-ended questions. (Example: “Who was the first President of the United States? Thomas Jefferson or George Washington?”)

Classroom Accommodation for the College Student – College students with learning disabilities are also entitled to accommodations, but 504 Plans work differently in college and are covered under a different federal law. For more information visit www.wrightslaw.com/flyers/college.504.pdf

“Classroom Accommodations” was complied with the assistance of Susan Barton of Bright Solutions for Dyslexia. (www.brightsolutions.us).