Accommodating Children

With Disabilities
Kacey Rhoades
North Adams
No Child Left Behind: Determining Appropriate Assessment
Accommodations for Students with Disabilities
By: Candace Cortiella
What the No Child Left Behind Law Means for Your Child
By: GreatSchools Staff

No Child Left Behind Act

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) is the nations

major federal law relating to education from pre-kindergarten to high
school.

In 2001, ESEA became known as the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).

Under this act, all public school students throughout the country must
participate in annual testing in specific academic areas, including
those children with disabilities.

According to NCLB, accommodations must be provided for children

with disabilities so that they can participate in this test.

Impacts what students are taught, the tests they take, the training of their
teachers and how money is spent on education.

The law holds schools accountable, empowers parents and is currently helping
to close the achievement gap in Americas schools.

The law applies to schools that receive Title I money from the federal
government.

Schools that get Title I funds are generally those in which at least 35% of
students are from low-income families.

More than half of all public schools are classified as Title I schools.

Accommodation

Accommodations are tools and procedures that provide equal access

to instruction and assessment for students with disabilities.

Without accommodations, students with disabilities may not be able

to access grade level instruction and participate on assessments.

Accommodations are used to decrease the effects of a students

disabilities, but do not reduce learning expectations.

Ideally, accommodations should be similar throughout classroom instructions,

classroom tests and state/district tests.

Modification

Changing or lowering learning expectations is referred to modification

or alteration.

Modifications may increase the gap between the achievements of

students with disabilities and the grade level expectations.

This can lead to challenges in the childs educational career and their
ability to progress.

Standard vs Non-Standard Accommodations

Standard accommodations are those accommodations allowed for

both testing and instruction that do not alter the skill that is being
tested.

A non-standard accommodation is one that will change the nature of

the task, or target skill.

Policies concerning standard and non-standard accommodations vary

by state.

Accommodation Types

Presentation accommodations - allow students to access information in

ways that do not require them to visually read standard print.

These alternate modes of access are auditory, multi-sensory, tactile and

visual.

Students with print disabilities, defined as difficulty or inability to visually

read standard print because of a physical, sensory or cognitive disability.

Response accommodations - allow students to complete activities,

assignments and tests in different ways to solve or organize problems
using some type of assistive organizer and/or device.

Students with physical, sensory or learning disabilities.

Including difficulties with memory, sequencing, directionality, alignment

and organization.

Timing/scheduling accommodations - increase the allowable length of

time to complete a test or assignment.

May also change the way the time is organized.

Students who need more time, cannot concentrate for extended

periods, have health-related disabilities, fatigue easily, special diet
and/or medication needs.

Setting accommodations - change the location in which a test or

assignment is given or the conditions of the assessment setting.

Students who are easily distracted in large groups, concentrate best

in smaller groups.

Accommodations should be chosen on the basis of the individual student's

needs, not by the disability category, grade level or instructional setting.

Accommodations should be used consistently for instruction and assessment

once selected.

Each teacher and others responsible for the implying the accommodations
must be informed of the specific accommodations that must be provided.

Evaluating the effectiveness of accommodations should be an ongoing process.

Improvements can only occur by reviewing the impact of the

accommodations.

All students with disabilities are entitled to certain accommodations

that allow them to fully participate in state or district testing.

In some states, students are required to pass one or more high school
assessments to receive a diploma.

Some states require students to achieve certain levels on assessments

to be promoted to subsequent grades.

It is important for parents to understand the requirements of student

performance on tests according to their state.

My Opinion

I agree with both articles. The No Child Left Behind Act benefits
schools, teachers, parents and students. Accommodating to the
students needs is very important. Every child deserves the chance to
succeed, and as teachers we should do whatever we can to help them
get there. Children all learn differently and may need to adjust to
different environments. We need to accommodate to their disabilities
and difficulties, not modify them. I have seen how big of a role
parents play in the students social and academic life. Therefore, I
believe that parents should be kept well informed of the
accommodations made for their child and his or her progress.

Work Cited

http://
www.readingrockets.org/article/no-child-left-behind-determining-appro
priate-assessment-accommodations-students-disabilities

http://www.greatschools.org/gk/articles/no-child-left-behind/