1. Support for Students with Diverse Learning Needs
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3. Purpose of this Session
Explore effective scaffolding and supports for the NY ELA curriculum to meet the needs of all students, including students with disabilities.
Identify necessary instructional elements for schools and districts serving students in graders 3-12 who may be reading two or more grades below their grade level.
Examine how differentiation can support diverse learners.
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4. Potential Challenges for Students with Diverse Learning Needs
Activity:
At tables, create 4 header cards titled: Reading, Listening & Speaking, Language, Writing.
Considering typical ELA curriculum demands, instructional practices, and characteristics of students with disabilities and other struggling students, generate potential challenges (1 per card) as they relate to the topic on each header card.
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5. Our Focus
Given the potential challenges we’ve identified for students with diverse learning needs:
How do we bridge the gap between where our students are and where they need to be?
How can we use this curriculum to help our students?
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6. Reflections on Rigorous Practices for Diverse Learners
The least dangerous assumption is to presume competence (Donellan,1994)
Watering up the curriculum (Ellis, 2002)
Abilities, efforts, talents viewed through a growth mindset (Dweck, 2006)
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7. Reflections on Rigorous Practices for Diverse Learners
“The Myth of the Average: Variability Matters” (Jagged Learning Profile) (T. Rose, 2013)
58 student, school, teacher, teaching, and curricula influences on student learning with a .40 effect size or larger; only 3 home factors (Hattie, 2009)
Think and then discuss with a shoulder partner:
How do these reflections match or challenge your beliefs about lesson planning and classroom, instructional, and assessment practices related to diverse learners?
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8. Accommodations and Modifications
Focus on the HOW
Provide multiple means and opportunities for students to demonstrate mastery
Provide equal access to instruction or assessment
Reduce or eliminate the impact of the student’s disability
Maintain the rigor of the content being taught
Maintain achievement expectations
Focus on the WHAT
Change the core content standard or the performance expectation
Are not designed to move students to independent mastery of the standards
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9. Try This: Where’s the Line?
Read the standard in the Where’s the Line handout.
With a partner, discuss how you would teach students to meet this standard.
Then, brainstorm a list of instructional supports that might help struggling learners meet this standard.
For each support, discuss: Is this an accommodation/scaffold or a modification? Does the support help the learner to MEET the target or does it CHANGE the target?
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10. Adaptations for Diverse Learners
Partner Activity
Individually, read “Guidance For ELA Scaffolding for Students with Disabilities” (5 minutes)
With a partner, discuss the following (5 minutes):
What scaffolds and supports listed here reflect the reading, listening & speaking, language, or writing challenges I’ve found in my classroom?
Which supports have I already used with my students, and which would I like to try? What challenges do I foresee in applying these supports in my classroom?
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11. Differentiation Large group discussion: Why differentiate?
What does differentiation look like in the classroom?
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12. Characteristics of Effective Differentiated Instruction
Provide all students the opportunity to explore and apply key concepts and to achieve success.
Provide frequent formative interpretation to monitor students’ path to success in the learning intention. [effect size .9 (Hattie, 2009)]
Use flexible grouping to make the most of opportunities created by difference and commonality. [effect size .74 reciprocal teaching; effect size .59-cooperperative vs. Individualistic; learning; effect size .54 –cooperative vs. competitive-Hattie, 2009)]
Engage students in an active manner to explore and reach success targets. [effect size .72 student-teacher relationships; effect size .61 problem solving teaching]
Tomlinson (1995)
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13. Differentiate the HOW, not the WHAT
Differentiation
Differentiation relates more to addressing students’ different phases of learning from novice to capable to proficient rather than merely providing different activities to different groups or students.
John Hattie (2012)
Differentiate the HOW, not the WHAT
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14. Differentiation Rubric
Rate your current practices on the Differentiation Rubric using the description for each number on the Likert scale.
Based on what you know and have learned today, outline specific steps you can take to enhance your current practices in at least one area.
Be ready to share at your table.
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15. Recommended Elements Time in the day to overwhelm the problem
Guided Reading/Accountable Independent Reading (GRAIR)
Integrated skills/comprehension strategy instruction with Grade-level complex texts
CCSS Aligned ELA/Literacy Curriculum, adapted as needed
Frequent opportunities for formative assessment
Time in the day to overwhelm the problem
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16. Module 9.3, Unit 1, Lesson 2
Examine the lesson through the lens of potential challenges for students with diverse learning needs (e.g., instructional moves, student expectations, instructional materials)
Use the Guidance Document, Differentiation Rubric, and your own expertise, to choose and notate a specific adaptation, scaffold, and/or differentiated classroom practices that target the specific learning need
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17. Module 10.1 Unit 3, Lesson 9
Examine the lesson through the lens of potential challenges for students with diverse learning needs (e.g., instructional moves, student expectations, instructional materials)
Use the Guidance Document, Differentiation Rubric, and your own expertise, to choose and notate a specific adaptation, scaffold, and/or differentiated classroom practices that target the specific learning need
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18. Discussion & Reflection
Capture one idea for each statement on your Session Reflection Note Catcher. Be sure to tweet one takeaway #NTIny
“The academic growth of students with diverse learning needs is directly tied to our belief in their ability to be successful.” Reflect on this statement.
Describe 2 specific scaffolds, adaptations, or supports that maintain rigorous instruction while supporting students with disabilities in ELA.
Specify how a particular differentiation practice supports students with disabilities.
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19. Q & A
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20. Online Parking Lot
Please go to and select “Online Parking Lot” for any NYSED related questions.
Thank You!
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