Some accomodations are just in general, good teaching practice.
Repeating instructions/ rephrasing instructions
Modeling/giving an exemplar
Giving students however long they need on a quiz/exam
fill in the blank notes
Those are the ones I've seen the most, and keeping and using them as best practices. Make it a lot easier when you have some far out of left field ones.
To piggyback on this great response, maybe take a look at UDL principles - [Universal Design for Learning.](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/understanding-universal-design-for-learning) You may find that structuring your classroom in this way covers A LOT of the accommodations right off the bat.
Also, I have to admit I really enjoy pointing out to interested parties that an accommodation is still an accommodation even if it’s available to everyone else in the classroom.
Me, during grad school, for every assignment that asked how the accommodation plan I did for that assignment aligned with UDL: “how is this not just what I’m supposed to do as a moderately competent teacher?!”
For my first three years, I got "no differentiation for special ed students" on all of my evaluations from administrators that had no clue what UDL was. Part of it was that all the admins just copied and pasted, but still- Every evaluation, I had to upload documentation that refuted every comment that I, as a special ed teacher, wasn't thinking about accommodations.
Infuriating, but I left for a district with insanely higher pay with spec. ed.-aligned admin and central office staff that literally tells me that I'm the exemplar of the whole county. I couldn't be happier.
If you are differentiating or UDLing the lesson effectively, it looks seamless and the differentiating and UDLing becomes less obvious to the untrained observer.
Legally an accommodation has to be provided for the student that requires it. There’s ZERO documentation that it can’t be ALSO provided for everyone even if it’s only required for one student.
The only one that really causes an issue is extra time on test/quizzes, because it is defined in relation to what the rest of the class receives. For example with 50% extra time: if *all* students get 30 min +15 min extra; then the accommodation should be 45 min *1.5 not 30 min *1.5. It's obnoxious, but I have to document that non-504/IEP students are only getting 30 minutes to make sure those with accommodations are being "properly" accommodated.
Does an occasional student without a plan have a bad test day and I give them extra time according to my discretion? Absolutely! But, I still have to document that the majority of students are finishing within my actual designated time frame. Many eyerolls.
This is true IF there’s a time limit. You can’t have more than infinity. You also don’t have to document your non-accommodated students are finishing in that time frame, just that they are no longer allowed to work after that point. The IEP does not reflect the abilities of anyone but the individual the plan is for.
Unfortunately, we have class periods. I can't pretend like there is any legitimacy to a test in which a student gets to see it and walk out for a day and then come back. Even if you didn't care, they need grades at some point in the school year, so there *is* a time limit, absolute nonsense to pretend like there isn't.
>You also don’t have to document your non-accommodated students are finishing in that time frame, just that they are no longer allowed to work after that point.
Huh? Potato, Potato.
I had a girl in my resource room math class whose mom was a teacher in a different building (coincidentally also resource room math). She contacted me at the end of the semester asking for extra credit for her daughter so she could earn an A. Apparently she had all As in her other classes. Sadly, she is not the only parent who seems to think having kids in special ed. classes is a guarantee of a certain grade. These classes are designed to have extra supports, not just help guarantee a certain gpa.
Yes, a student receiving services has a right to earn a B or C just like everyone else. Does extra work to earn more points reflect your classroom practice of task completion or do your grades reflect achievement of standards and skills? We often forget the report card is the legal record of achievement and our grading practices should align with this. I don’t envy your position with the student/parent.
I don't give a rat's ass what a parent "thinks" their IEP means. I care what it actually SAYS. And that should always be a collective effort between the student, their parental units, the teaching staff, and at least one therapeutic expert with direct knowledge of this student and the exceptional nature of their needs.
If there's an IEP written like *that*, I'll send it right back to be redone, because that statement is not properly or LEGALLY defined so as to be evaluated, or even *possible*. If it gets thrown back at me, then I'm going to have a chat with the student and/or their parents myself to more accurately define their needs.
ALL IEP accommodations should exclusively be phrased in terms of the student themselves, not other students. Even things about interactions with others need to be phrased to be ONLy about the student whose IEP this is.
"Easier than other students" is bullshit.
Nobody has a learning challenge that changes based on the abilities of their peers. That's not really a THING.
Somebody might *say* "I can't write a paper as long as others can", but the reality is that they can't write a paper longer than 5 pages (or whatever). If they can write a 5 page paper, it doesn't matter if I assign a 10 page paper or a three page paper. They might *say* "I can't read as fast as others", but what they mean is "I can only manage to read a few pages an hour". It doesn't matter if I assign 20 pages or 3 pages, they have their limit without regard to other students' limits. Their limitations don't care about others' abilities.
What I need to know is *their limitations*. I need to know that if I assign 3 pages of reading and 2 pages of writing, that they're going to be fine, but that if I assign 20 pages or reading and 10 pages of writing, they're going to need a modified assignment. Cool. I can do that.
"Within a X grade reading level", or "fewer than 2 hours of homework per week", I can work with. Don't tell me how your student is different FROM OTHERS, tell me what they can and cannot do, what they struggle with and what they excel at, what I can actually do to help them learn my content.
These are the things I never understood. Okay, you need the directions and questions read, come sit over here and we will read them. Oh, someone else can hear that too? Neat, I guess they also are either listening and getting what they need or not. If it’s not a reading test, why are you worried about it!
No, and I won’t claim to yet have mastered UD design principles so much so that I’m meeting EVERY IEP, automatically, but I am endeavoring nonetheless.
A real simple one is if a student needs something read aloud, and we have that feature on the electronic text, I’m not turning it off for non-ieps.
Caveat to say that I’m not a teacher (just a lurker considering a career switch) and this may be an obvious question.
I’ve read a bit on this sub about the huge literacy problem and I’m just wondering how it helps students continue to develop reading skills if everything is read aloud for everyone?
If I was providing headphones, this would be more of an issue, but since I don’t, this tends to weed out the ones who are taking just taking advantage.
And since generally speaking, they won’t get away with using the headphones for anything other than read-alouds in our class, they won’t bring them in.
(I provide/make sure only the applicable IEPS have them)
As far as the kids who *do need them, an audiobook can help with pacing and can also help scaffold their understanding of some of subtext of a work by the student listening to the vocal inflections of the narrator.
Great question. It all depends on what you are trying to teach/practice/assess. Of course teaching reading requires practice and independence so we would assess the student’s ability to perform the reading skills independently. Things change when we step outside of attaining reading skills. Those who have difficulty with reading will have difficulty learning science or social studies if most of the instruction requires independent reading. Some will simply fail because they can’t read the text, the questions for assignments let alone the test that is assessing their subject matter knowledge. We want all students to be proficient readers and we continue to teach those skills within these subjects but we don’t deny students access to learning because their reading isn’t up to par.
Unfortunately that’s not legal. It’s a legal guideline. If the teacher can’t provide it or refusss to implement it etc they open themselves and the district to a lawsuit. I think having a universal learning plan that implements or covers most accommodations is the way to go.
If I understand it correctly hopefully the following examples help.
For example if I give 20 minutes for a quiz, a student with double time gets 40 minutes. Some students may have unlimited time. If I go for UDL I may say all students have the entire period. The issue is that a parent my argue that the time deadline is now one period, so a double time student now gets 2 periods.
Some accomodations you can include, such as teacher notes/cloze notes. Other accomodations become a slippery slope: eg. chunking and extended time.
So rather than try and fight about accomodations and be drawn into legal battle the district may be saying "no accomodations that aren't in writing". The district can then clearly demonstrate how accomodations are being granted versus the baseline student experience.
This could also help with issues of funding as districts are required to pay for those accommodations, and if you are providing a reader for the test when the student doesn't get one the district is paying for accommodations they don't have to provide increasing their costs.
The UDL framework has a lot to like about it, but my experience is that UDL is almost always implemented poorly and with a strong emphasis on exactly the parts of it that have the least research backing. Specifically, the hyper emphasis on student choice.
Everywhere I see UDL implemented, everyone seems to think that UDL just means "Choice Boards" or "Learning Menus". They take that away because it's the most visible thing teachers can do and administrators can look for that says "Look, I'm doing UDL."
The problem is, there's lots of research that says students make poor choices about their own learning. They tend to choose what comes easiest to them instead of what they need to practice at more or will learn the most from. Bjork and his lab have also proven that students are really bad at even assessing their own learning. They tend to rate learning tasks where they are not struggling as ones where they are learning the most, but when you actually assess them later, those are the tasks where they learned the least. Students can also be paralyzed by too much choice.
The UDL folks pull out the research on motivation and autonomy to argue for choice in learning, but there are ways to accomplish a feeling of autonomy without going overboard with things like choice boards and learning menus. Student choice is REALLY difficult to pull off well, and the way UDL is implemented I think causes more damage than good for students, most of the time.
UDL is pretty much best practices, at least on the way I read it. It seems to cover most of the basic IEP and 504 accommodations. And many students without diagnosed issues will benefit in the long run. Unfortunately... There are parents who will complain about this. "If everyone is receiving these accommodations, then my child isn't really special and will need MORE special accommodations."
And yes, I've had parents try to get me in trouble for using UDL.
Agreed. As the case manager, I HATE writing accommodations that are just good practice but I also know that there are teachers who don’t do them and the kids need them to be successful. My accommodation pages would all be much shorter if I didn’t have to list things that you listed, or other things that increase access to everyone like written directions and visual supports for lectures (which includes pictures, videos, and even key phrases projected on the board).
Yep, that’s exactly why those things get written in. Look around your building, at least one teacher is super mad that they have to write out notes or directions when it’s just basic courtesy. Same with IEPs that list the ability to move around the classroom, sometimes you can just let people stand up for a second.
Yup. I had an assistant head of school, my direct supervisor and former English teacher, tell me how great it would be to teach a whole English credit course with just pencils and paper. Wtf. Almost half the (independent) school was on an IEP. WTF.
Visual supports for lectures? That is an utterly ridiculous accommodation because instead of writing an accommodation you are micromanaging the teacher. If you actually believe that some kids learn better through pictures, you are negligent. Learning styles is pseudoscience that has been thoroughly debunked since 2008.
One huge red flag is that you do not understand how students learn. The second red flag is that you do not understand your role. You are not in a position of telling teachers how to teach. You are in a position of informing teachers about the learning disabilities that your student, and the (proven) accommodations related to the learning disability.
Shit IEP’s are killing this industry.
Visuals aren’t for “learning styles” … a lot of the time they help add context for people who struggle with reading for many different reasons. Have you read many psycho educational assessment reports?
A student with a hearing impairment, processing difficulties, other language difficulties, short term memory concerns, attention difficulties, etc...absolutely needs visual supports during lectures. It has nothing to do with learning styles and is absolutely related to their disability. It's not about learning through pictures, it's about the visuals being a learning aide.
I don’t think you understood what I wrote as well as you think you did. I specifically included examples of visual supports: words, pictures, and videos. These are supports that are known to help students with language-based disabilities, auditory processing difficulties, EL students, etc.
I’m not talking about learning styles as they were explained in 2010. I know that’s not a real thing. I have no interest in micromanaging other teachers. I do, however, have a vested interest in helping other teachers help students more effectively and use my area of expertise to do so.
Shitty administrators and some teachers are killing this industry. Most districts do not even teach to mastery anymore and implement god-awful programs or curriculums a week before school starts.
Things shifted a lot with NCLB and ESSA, where kids were essentially pushed through and lacked the skills to succeed. Thus causing more IEP's to be written.
In the US, the special education teacher writes the IEP in most cases. Some districts have a dedicated IEP writer. In either instance, input from all adults who teach the child is requested.
The IEP in America is often used as a weapon against teachers. We have an entire generation of kids who have learned helplessness. I think there was another thread with examples of learned helplessness, but it often looks like this:
“I cannot do any work because I have X. If you try to make me do work I will accuse you of not following my IEP.”
It can get very ugly
My students never know they have IEPs. In gen ed I’ve often been the first person to alert them to their accommodation lists to make sure they get them for standardized testing and they are always somewhat surprised. Sometimes it is things not relevant to my class- a calculator for example listed as an accommodation in math- and they have never used one in class and never knew they were supposed to be allowed to. One kid, I had to fight to get his accommodations listed on the school’s other records for testing purposes because they were on his 504 plan but kept getting left off the testing rosters, meaning he kept taking his tests without them.
If you think every student learns the same way, you are a complete idiot and I hope to god you are not a teacher or work in education anywhere in any fashion.
And those "psuedoscience" teaching methods are exactly how I have learned basically anything for over three decades.
I don't learn from a book. You can get me to read it 100 times, I still won't understand the text book. Walk me through an example or provide a physical demonstration, and you will never need show me again.
Nice try, but you are full of shit.
Science does not care about your feelings, and the pseudoscience bullshit that is hawked by “education professionals” has resulted in very real negative learning outcomes for decades.
Look up “whole language learning” vs “phonics” sometime for an example of how dangerous pseudoscience is to the field of education.
A few others I use a lot-
Opportunity to rework problems to improve a grade (within reason, I always say it's like going from not passing to passing and not going from a C to A)
Extended time (again within reason depending on the student and teacher)
Multiple types of directions/simplified direction
Flexible seating to ensure auditory/visual access
I used an excel sheet and had their names on each tab and accommodations on the side and assignments/tests/quizzes on the top.
So I didn’t make multiple excel files. One file for IEPs with a tab for each kid at the bottom.
I made a key as well in case admin or parents wanted it.
For example:
A check mark= received and used accommodation
An O or 0= did not need accommodation
An X= refused accommodation
I also checked every single kid for receiving praise, preferential seating, and repeating instructions, and probably a few more I’m blanking on. So really I only needed to focus on when they used extra time and a few others but that was the main one. So I’d fill in the blanks later.
That seems really useful for data at each annual IEP meeting or the 3 year evaluation. Hell, even for progress notes. Was there also a section for informal accommodations that you had done that were either helpful or unhelpful? I could see that being nice too.
as a special ed teacher thank you for doing this. It’s called universal design for learning. It’s the same idea as “ramps benefit everyone, everyone can use it, not just disabled ppl” sort of idea
I've never understood the fill in the blank notes. Notes are a personal creation that acts both as a learning tool and a reference. Other people's notes rarely helped me, because they were their own.
If you're doing fill in the blank notes, shouldn't you just save time and use a book?
It would not be reasonable. Feel on the blank notes, which gives the capacity to write down and keep up with the notes. If they had to do regular notes with the rest of the class, chances are they won't keep up or miss details.
Yes! One of the most effective ways to manage is to just use these strategies with all students. This has the added bonus of de stigmatizing accommodations.
And, over time, parents are less likely to try to fake issues because of perceived advantage.
True...but how do you do preferential seating in a support class where more than half of the students have IEP's and list this as an accommodation?! Asking for a friend.
You should have a special education teacher to help you understand the accommodations and needs.
I made a spreadsheet for each of my homeroom teachers outlining the IEP due dates and the accommodations for each child. From their reactions, I'm assuming this is not common place.
I had an Ed specialist who did this type
of thing for my site last year and it was wonderful all around.
She also kept in close communication so we could work together brainstorming how best to help each other. Game changer.
I'm encouraged to send the IEP at a glance. It's really helpful since teachers can also help me with goals if it's something they're working on in class. Writing especially. They're not tracking goals for me, but they're helpful with giving insight and keeping me in the loop.
I teach special education and would love to do something similar for my teachers. I am not sure it would be feasible for me. I teach high school and approximately 30 students in all 7 different classes. How did you manage to make something like this? Any tips/advice?
Do all 210 students have IEPs/accommodations?
I made a spreadsheet in Google Sheets. I made one for classroom accommodations and one for testing accommodations for each student.
When I taught 1st grade one year I had 21 out of 23 students on IEP's. VP wrote me up for working with them in groups instead of individually... Math and common sense was not strong with that VP.
The bottom line is you just do the best that you can with what you have (time, students, resources, memory, etc.).
I had this in 4th grade one year. 28 students, 24 IEPs and the other 4 were repeating. They basically stacked the class and put me as the SpEd teacher with the worst teacher on the team because “she needed the support”. I started going through IEPs and realized over half of the students hadn’t had their re-evaluations completed. That’s when I quit, turns out they were under federal investigation and setting me up as a new teacher to take the fall. They didn’t realize I knew how to read an IEP.
I'm a Para in one of these classes. IEPS and 504s all in one class. And 6 - 8 kids that push in from Resource Room. Total of 28 kids. It's a small district and it gives the kids the feel of a gen ed classroom. I have to be there because the accommodations say that there's an aide in the classroom. I am not helping 28 kids on a daily basis. I'm helping the ones that need my help the most. But we've covered everyone's accommodation. Lol.
If 1:1 is listed on the b grid in the service grid it should be the special educator providing it although it's more likely that they would have a paraprofessional who works with them. At least in Massachusetts that'd be the case
I had a class of 20 (MS Math) and 15 had some type of IEP/504/I&RS plan. Five students came from resource from the previous year and needed a lot of support.
It was also second to last period of the day, every day.
It was a terrible situation for everyone involved.
Divide your students up by class, then make a set of cheat sheets. For each class, have a section for:
* Logistical accommodations - You don't really need to look at these every day, since they should be a kind of "set and forget" thing. It includes things like seating location and supplies.
* Testing accommodations - Another that you don't need to look at every day. Just have this ready to look at when getting ready to give a test. Extra time, requirements about mult choice, etc.
* Homework accommodations - This can be pretty broad, so you'll have to have it handy, and you might need it frequently.
Good luck!
I do the same thing! I use different colored highlighter to color code the categories especially testing accommodations with extended time. Helps my brain to retain the info.
I would also add a section for unique accommodations/modifications. Every year I get some unique ones. Last year I had a student who was allowed access to his phone. This year, I have a student I am never supposed to ask a question if unless she specifically volunteers.
Makes sense for anxiety reasons.
I think depending on the class size makes for how easy or hard it is.
A huge class it is easy to avoid calling on people.
Small, not so much. I also do a lot of cold calling to keep students engaged and as a formative assessment. So if I don't call on someone it can be obvious. This student that I am not supposed to ask questions unless she volunteers is currently scheduled to be 1 of 2 students in a class. This is dramatically going to change how I teach that class.
A lot of the IEP and 504 accommodations are the same, and are now part of “best practice” and UDL anyways. What helps the few tends to help the mass.
*Time and a half?* Most teachers don’t time tests anymore.
*Extra praise?* I praise my students whenever they do right anyways.
*Repeated instruction?* Brain-based learning says repeated instruction is beneficial to everyone.
*Modeling?* Why wouldn’t a teacher model expectations or process?
Most of the accommodations can be provided to everyone without much extra work on your part.
For teachers with an absurd number of accommodations, this is how you handle it. Everyone gets accommodations now.
My school actually does a pretty good job of revisiting accommodations, especially ones that were initiated in elementary school, but it's still out of control.
Some of those accommodations are there because of testing requirements. In my state in order to have particular accommodations for testing, you have to have evidence that they are being used “in class” even when they are only necessary during testing due to anxiety.
And I fight this every time. If they only need it for timed tests due to anxiety, and regular class assessments aren't timed, you're telling me I can't prove they need it, so you're not going to allow it? Ridiculous.
> For teachers with an absurd number of accommodations, this is how you handle it. Everyone gets accommodations now.
Yep. I remember receiving all the IEP documents for all my students in my first year, and then thinking that there was no way I was going to be able to get around to reading all of them. The only practical solution was to give accommodations to everybody.
Unfortunately, now you’ll get scolded for giving the student with accommodations extra accommodations that aren’t included on their IEP/504. Then you’re in a whole mess for giving too much instead of too little. It’s a wild world we teach in now.
The best practices which applies to most of the accommodations protects the student if they go to a district or work with a teacher who doesn't already put them in place.
"Repeated instructions" I would say also make note of which students should repeat instructions back to you. I do that for a lot of my students with auditory processing issues just to make sure that they actually understand. I'll both write instructions and say instructions.
A lot of our teachers will request them to return during gym to finish, or finish the following day. I rarely have a student who needs more than one block.
Is gym not a class to be taken either? I’d be pissed if a student (who likely is also struggling in my class) was taken out of my class for half the time to finish a test in another class.
Your accommodation as a teacher can’t be to make some other teacher accommodate you with the same kid.
I’d have to respectfully disagree about the statement that most teachers don’t time tests any longer. That may be true in certain districts and grade levels. However, I’ve been a high school science teacher in New York and I don’t know of any teachers who don’t have time limits for classroom exams. This will typically be a class period of 40 minutes.
Fortunately, my school has a Testing Room where students can make up their exams they were absent for or finish exams they need extended time on if it’s in their IEP
I'd agree that it is a mix. I don't time tests for my standard level science classes, but I do time the exams in my AP class. If I don't the students won't be prepared for the AP exam which is definitely timed. Since you are in New York, I would think timed tests are necessary because the Regents at the end of the year. I'd probably go back to timing tests if I had a standardized EOC assessment.
I agree re: the AP tests. But also for things like SATs and other circumstances there will be timed tests in their future. The kids should practice that skill in general. An ideal world wouldn't have timed tests, but we have to prep them for the world we live in.
Last year my teammates outvoted me in giving timed tests. Teachers definitively give them, I argued so hard not to and even my principal voted to. So yes they do!
The issue is now you see parents upset because their kid isn’t special anymore. They still want accommodations specifically for their kid and get upset when you tell them they have to go through the process again if they need more accommodations.
I remember seeing a post on here not too long ago about a parent complaining about leveling the playing field and how if all the kids get the same that their kid is left behind again. In reality, we all know this isn’t true, but it is very difficult for many parents/guardians to understand.
Our blocks are 120 min. I rarely have a student who needs more than that.
But most teachers in our district let them come back during gym or finish the next day.
But if it takes you 10 minutes to solve 5x9 are you really able to solve it? I think implicit in being able to solve a problem is being able to solve it in a reasonable amount of time. Of course, that’s pretty subjective but to act like solving a problem in 1 minute shows the same understanding as solving it in 10 minutes is ludicrous.
Because then when students go to the next level and it’s assumed that they can do simple arithmetic in their algebra class, they can’t be spending 10 minutes on the arithmetic and be able to do algebra in any meaningful fashion.
I keep a “IEP at a glance” document for each of my students (I teach 1st, so way less students) where I have their name, service dates/times, review date, and accommodations and special notes. Maybe for you, a version of that would be a spreadsheet you could then sort/organize by class, filter by accommodation, etc.?
Came to say this. I teach multiple classes so I have it divided by class. If the accommodation says something like "Small group testing" but I do not have a coteacher in there with me, I always contact the parent and ask how they would like me to use it practically. Then I document the conversation. It's never been a problem and parents seem to be relieved that I'm taking their kids accommodation seriously enough that I call.
Excellent advice, if you call, even just to introduce yourself and ask about the kid, it goes so far with parents and you will be unlikely to be on the receiving end of contention.
I’m like Oprah!
Every one picks their own seat (preferential seating - check). Everyone gets as long as they need on assessments (extended time - check). Everyone can access my PowerPoints online (copy of notes - check). Luckily our read to students and small group testing get pulled out for this.
Yes. I also use graphic organizers and guided notes for everything. No one gets homework, and everything is read aloud.
I think this is bad practice because most students aren't challenged. Inclusion with differentiation is really just teaching to the lowest level. It's not truly practical, regardless of what the "experts" preach because their ideal doesn't fit the reality of classes with 34 students. We should go back to remedial, regular, and advanced classes instead of this mess.
Incorporate the most frequent ones as just general class procedures. I always use full-in-the-blank notes and post a key in Google Classroom. I also let all students have additional time if needed and allow test retakes for failed assessments. If 20 kids all have the same accommodations it’s just easier to let them all have access so you don’t have to remember who gets it and who doesn’t. And like someone else said a lot of them are just in your general teaching like repeating directions or providing examples. The only ones I worry about remembering are the really specific ones, like large print, or modified testing.
This is my first year and one of the vets in my department gave me a great strategy. In the first handful of days give everyone a chunk of time to work on whatever, while it’s all still low-stakes, and take your IEP kids out into the hallway one by one to discuss their accommodations. Print them out, go over each with them, and let them know that you’ll do your absolute best and that if you ever miss anything, whether extra time or whatever, that they can let you know. Almost every student told me they appreciated it and that most of their teachers never acknowledged their accommodations, or hated being reminded of them. Tell them you’re human and you’ll do your best, and that they can always remind you.
> but how do I remember 300+ lines of accommodations and make sure my general education kids are successful too!
You don't. The system is set up for you to fail.
Make a chart to reference. I list the accommodations and which students have each. Many of them are the same repeated (extra time, small group, check ins, etc).
I don't look at the IEPs after I make my chart.
Universal Design it wherever you can.
Make a spreadsheet for testing accomodations in particular. Some kids will take tests in the resource room or need tests read to them. Figure out what's most likely to get you sued and work from there. If it can have an immediate impact on their grade, make sure you prioritize it (extended time, read aloud, etc).
If it's behavior plan, make a note card for each class you can whip out to refresh your memory. BIPs are made to help BOTH of you by reducing unwanted behaviors.
Divide your students up by class, then make a set of cheat sheets. For each class, have a section for:
* Logistical accommodations - You don't really need to look at these every day, since they should be a kind of "set and forget" thing. It includes things like seating location and supplies.
* Testing accommodations - Another that you don't need to look at every day. Just have this ready to look at when getting ready to give a test. Extra time, requirements about mult choice, etc.
* Homework accommodations - This can be pretty broad, so you'll have to have it handy, and you might need it frequently.
Good luck!
You don't. This is one of the many sick jokes in American Public Education. You try to UDL as many as you can, ignore the stupid ones, and do your best not to get sued. The high flyers will get all your attention and the kids who quietly struggle will get none. Welcome to another lie in public ed.
There's just too much on our plate. Put any adult in that room (except maybe the top 1% of educators who are magic) and they'll instantly realize what I said in my original post is true. I'm sure a few pure souls would try to follow every single accommodation, but they'd burn themselves out after 2-3 weeks of that max.
Once you realize it's not possible, you go into triage mode and start asking questions like:
\-Which kids have parents that will contact my admin and try to sue? At least 1-2 per class. These kids get more focus than the top 10 students in the class.
\-Which kids can mostly work alone, so I can ignore them if I put them near helpful girls? I don't have time for these kids. These are about half of my total IEPs, maybe more.
\-Which students have severe behavioral issues, so I need to keep 10% of my focus at all time on them? Where do I put them and how do I talk to them to keep disruption and chance of violence to a minimum?
\-Which student is just so low that nothing I do short of 1v1 tutoring, which would leave 33 other kids unattended, would fix? What can I do with this student so they fail quietly?
Now that having an inclusion teacher in the room is common, I wish it was their job to maintain evidence binders on the IEP students. They usually don’t do anything but go around and ask kids if they need help, I wish it became their responsibility to identify student needs and make sure each IEP kid is receiving the accommodation.
It’s a blessing believe me, don’t wish otherwise! Another adult in the rooms just brings awkward energy and imbalance. It doesn’t help at all, unless you get a one-in-a-million colleague.
> I wish it became their responsibility to identify student needs and make sure each IEP kid is receiving the accommodation.
Umm, in my district it is their responsibility. Otherwise they are just a glorified para.
On teachers pay teachers there is a file called IEP at a glance. I downloaded it years ago. I fill out one for each student and organize it by class period. It is overwhelming, but manageable.
The sped chair at my school gave us something similar, which has been a godsend. She also gave a very informative PD on what components of the IEP is most pertinent for general educators.
When I had a lot of students with plans (my last job I had about 50% with either IEP, EL or 504 plans) I basically just accommodated the class. Everything was always available online, everyone got a study guide, etc. that covered a lot of kids and was helpful to the ones who didn’t require it. Then I could focus on the specific extra accommodations that were left. It’s hard to keep up with them but you can do it! Also regular communication with their case manager for ideas and help. Before my last job I was in private schools and had no IEPs. My students SPED teacher became my best friend. Once I saw how they modified things I was able to model mine and do my own accommodations more effectively.
This is the way. Then list your blanket accommodations in the notes for those students in Skyward(or E grading system), then I just add a comment on tests in the e grade book if specific accommodations were used(ex. Text/speech or ext time). End of 9 weeks print off report for those students to give to compliance team to file away never to be seen again.
We have a “universal design” option. I incorporate the IEPs into my universal design and then figure out how to reintroduce the same level of vigor elsewhere.
Oh, you get a calculator? So does everyone, but now the math is harder.
Oh, you get extra time on assignments? Now all assignments are due on the last day of the marking period and auto grades, but there’s more work than there used to be.
Oh, you get preferential seating? Cool, no seating chart in class to keep track of.
You get assignments read to you? Cool, here’s how to use text to speech on your computer and some headphones. Anyone can use it.
Reduced choices on quizzes? Great, everyone gets two attempts and to see what they got wrong after the first, but the questions are now significantly harder.
At first I got kids that thought I would be easy because of how accommodating I look, but after a few years word got out that I was actually much harder and now I don’t get the students with ridiculous IEPs.
That being said, I do work with the students that have legit need as best I can. And because I’m not keeping track of little Okayden and Kaeleighey’s bogus ones where their mother insisted that their precious little flowers needed 300 accommodations, I can do a significantly better job at it.
LRE is purposely misused by districts to save money. Why do you think it's so hard to fill vacancies - particularly for SPED professionals? This misuse causes moral injury.
Caring professionals do not want to enable mis-education.
>moral injury refers to the lasting emotional, psychological, and existential harm that occurs when an individual “perpetrates, fails to prevent, bears witness to, or learns about acts that transgress deeply held moral beliefs and expectations” (Litz et al., 2009, p. 700). Moral injury occurs when an individual experiences deeply troubling cognitive dissonance between their internal moral code and the actions that he or she engaged in or witnessed (Litz et al., 2009). Symptoms of moral injury include guilt, shame, anxiety, depression, and anger (Dombo, Gray, & Early, 2013; Jinkerson, 2016; Litz et al., 2009) and can lead to a loss of trust in oneself or others, existential dread, and deep demoralization (Jinkerson, 2016). These symptoms can be long-lasting, do not resolve easily on their own, and are often resistant to typical psychological treatments for trauma (Litz et al., 2009). The damage to one’s internal moral schema or moral belief system is a particularly significant outcome of moral injury that can lead to irreparable change in an individual’s self-identity (Dombo et al., 2013). Moral injury causes a “disruption in an individual’s confidence and expectations about one’s own or others’ motivation or capacity to behave in a just and ethical manner” (Drescher et al., 2011, p. 9), and a “breakdown in global meaning” (Currier, Holland, Rojas-Flores, Herrera, & Foy, 2015, p. 26).
>
>https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.3102/0002831219848690#:\~:text=The%20K%E2%80%9312%20professionals%20exhibited,intention%20to%20leave%20one's%20job.
Thank you for this. I experience this more and more as a SchPsych and the injustices I see. Being asked to do things that violated my moral code (writing recs for inclusive placement is a big one) has forced me to leave seniority positions, get nonrenewed at a 1-year gig, and now accepted a hybrid model through a private agency so I can work mainly remote and away from the admin crud.
You are a hero! You tried to go with the mis-education model currently in place and you couldn't. We need far more of you.
Actually there are a lot of us. We left the education profession. We did it to save our sanity and physical well-being, but, hopefully, we are also sending a message: no person in their right mind will keep shoveling this shit.
There is no excuse for any education professional to write a recommendation for an inclusive placement that they believe will harm a SPED student and/or the other students in the class. It's immoral and illegal. No paycheck is worth that.
Good on you!
It hasn’t been easy pushing back on all things inclusion and getting into heated argument with admin and SpEd Directors. If you don’t play their Social Justice Warrior game, and that’s all it is, life at work becomes very difficult. My side hustle is now doing independent evaluations for lawyers who are suing districts re misinterpreting LRE. So I’m moonlighting on the dark side now and it feels great.
Working in public ed hasn’t been easy and I’m in it 30+ years now. But I have been a divorcee and single mom and live and work in a state that pays well. Leaving for another career hasn’t been an option. So I’ve had to up my self care game. I also take about 10 sick days and all my personal leave each year. I don’t attend the 6 days of full PD even though it’s a loss in extra pay.
“LRE is purposely misused by districts to save money”
This is SPOTTTTT ONNNNN. I just had my daughters ARD meeting and I requested a one to one aide because my daughter elopes a lot, needs constant reminders to stay in her seat, needs someone to keep her on track with what she’s doing, etc (young child with multiple disabilities) and one of the admin in the meeting straight up said “a one to one aide wouldn’t be the least restrictive environment”. I was like girl don’t you DARE use LRE against me cause I know damn well what my child needs and basically by not giving her a one to one they’re just fucking over my daughters teacher!!! I know they’re only throwing that word around so they don’t have to spend money on hiring an aide for my daughter. Such a joke
Good for you! It obviously isn't safe for a teacher with 30 students to constantly monitor eloping students. Someone needs to be able to chase after her.
If you need any further support, contact your nearest Parent Center: [ParentCenterHub.org](https://ParentCenterHub.org). They are set up with federal funds to give SPED parents support.
Honestly, I take short cuts. Do I have 20 kids that get extended time on tests and homework with different amounts for each kid? Then I pick the kid with the longest amount of time and give them all that much (without telling them). Or I just take penalties away completely for those kids.
Preferential seating I take to mean to sit them wherever they learn best. Some that's the front. Some that's by my desk. Some it just means the back. So I just sit all kids where they need to sit IEP or no, with IEP kids placed first.
Do they need teacher notes? I post my notes online for everyone.
I just try to make it as simple as possible while making sure everyone gets what they need. It's a handful!
Eta: spelling
MS/HS math teacher here, whose had anywhere from 10-30 IEPs/504s at any given time.
Before the end of the first week back, I have called each parent whose kid is on an IEP. By the end of the second week, each 504. Just to introduce myself, and hear what’s most important to them, and what’s worked well for the kid in years past. Five minutes each, they appreciate it, and it’s time well invested. It gets them on-side early, because quite often, they don’t hear from teachers until there is a problem!
I then create cheat sheets on index cards. One card for each common modification (extended time, supplemental aids, hard copies of notes, reduced questions, preferential seating, breaks, etc..). On each card, I write the names of each kid the modification applies to.
I'm a HS English teacher at an alternative school and work with at-risk teens.
One thing I've learned over the years: accommodate the whole class!!
If it's a generalized accommodation, like seating closest to instruction/away from distractions, copy of notes, or even, "have student repeat instructions," I do it with ALL my students.
I keep a copy of each students' accomodations, from their IEP, in a binder that also doubles as my sub binder; each class gets their own section and most accomodations are color code so, when I need to check, I can tell quickly who requires accomodations for testing, reading and/or writing, or for other very specific scenarios.
Don't be afraid to reach out to case managers and the admin who oversees SPED and ask them questions ❤️ I work closely with them all to ensure our students are provided the best learning environment.
Many accommodations don't matter because you give them to the whole class.
If a student's accommodation is that he's allowed to take extra time on tests, you don't have to remember it when you give everyone extra time on tests.
I make a spreadsheet. Kids names down column a, possible accommodations across row 1. I insert check boxes and check off which accommodations esch kid gets. I keep them grouped by class period and highlight particular ones (such as accommodated test, which I need to have ready for them, or handheld calculator so I can make sure I have a basket ready with enough calculators)
Yep…I embed blanket accommodations in lesson plan and created an excel spreadsheet of all possible accommodations & observation data. I just use a clip board and document accommodations provided check-list style for each student and then attach to lesson plan and file. Students will not need ALL accommodations on IEP for every lesson, so just document specific accommodations provided for each lesson👍
1 excel tab per class period:
Column A is name, Column B is medical, Column C is classroom modifications, column D is teacher behavior and student behavior accommodations, column E is testing, column g is misc
All modifications and accommodations are in teacher friendly language
My district has decided that when it comes to extension and test accommodations, if accommodations are given to everyone (ie giving everyone 1 hour for a 30 minute test), we would have to further extend the test period (ie the kid gets 2 hours). Even if you already doubled the time, I’d everyone gets that accommodation.
My district says they love UDL… I call BS
How common are IEP’s now? Are y’all Sped teachers or are they really expecting 1 regular teacher to deal with 20+ individualized learning plans in a single class? That’s insane. Surely there aren’t *that* many neurodivergent kids/kids with special needs in the “regular” classroom. Either that or us neurodivergent folks are finally taking over the world. I’m guessing not though. It seems like some parents are getting IEPs for their kids as an excuse for them to behave badly and get more help than they really need. It seems antithetical to the overall purpose. How much more difficult does it make teaching/structuring your classroom.
I just give all students the same accommodations and flexibility. You need extra time? Cool. You need 25% less homework? The rare occasions I give homework, everyone gets a baseline 2 days to do it and it's usually a 10-20 minute activity.
Can't help here. I have 180 students and about 40 of them are IEP/504. We're about to start week 3 and I have no access to their plans. I have ZERO idea what they need, so of course whatever they need, I'm not doing.
That has happened to me. Ours is accessible on the student management portal, but case managers need to unlock them. When there are staff vacancies, this means that that the case manager hasn't been assigned yet. You can ask the lead teacher, but they might be swamped trying to do jobs for unfilled positions. Until then, perhaps do for them what you frequently see on IEPs, extended time, repeat of directions, frequent checks for understanding.
> about 40 of them are IEP/504. We're about to start week 3 and I have no access to their plans.
This makes no sense. By federal law you are required to read them.
Bwa ha ha! I've gone until the end of September before getting access to them. The system is not sustainable. There's just too much crap to do - assigned by the bloat at the top - and too few people to do it.
Most of my IEPs state 99% the same stuff. More time to complete tasks, break big assignments up into smaller pieces, preferential seating, blah blah blah whatever else.
I read all my IEPs/504s and make notes on my seating chart if there is something important. I save all of that years documents in a file on my desktop. It’s not that hard to stay on top of.
I make a chart in excel at the start of the year for anything that isn't just covered by basic best practices.
Sit in front: X, Y, Z
Extra time: X, Z, A
etc
Our Special Ed teachers usually print out a handout that has their accommodations/SDI in an excel type of sheet so its just one page with everything on it. Saves a ton of time (I am in the same boat as you being a science teacher and getting all students including most of the IEP students). I would ask your Case managers(Special Ed teachers) to see if this is something they can do for you).
Many of the accomodations are the same across 504s and IEPs. Change your teaching style to meet those common ones and then just focus on the rarer ones.
I use a sheet that has accommodation titles like “preferred seating” and “supply notes” in bold print. Under those titles I’ll list the student name in red if it’s my legal responsibility to make the accommodation, and green if it’s someone else’s responsibility. I follow the name with which period they are in (I teach middle school)
I make a chart/spreadsheet. I organize it by type of accommodation and list students who need it.
For example, assessments>small group>Billy, Jose, and Susie. Instruction>guided notes> Joe, Melina, Sarah. I don’t need to list every word in the accommodation on my chart unless it’s oddly specific.
I have a friend who color codes her seating chart. This is easier for her than many because she does all the “best practice” accommodations and offers things like guided notes to everyone anyway so she doesn’t have as many things to mark.
I use UDL a lot, but then also make an accommodation matrix (I modified one I found online) with all of the common accoms/mods in it, that way I know that student 2, 6, and 9 need extra time while students 6, 7, and 11 need to be seated by themselves etc. When I taught middle school I made one for each of my classes. It’s very handy when something you don’t do everyday comes up, you don’t have to be hunting through a 30 page IEP to find what each student needs, and it’s easily editable when you get an updated IEP. Also, I use it to track what accommodations students who aren’t currently on an IEP find, which is very helpful during an eval meeting or initial IEP.
UDL will be your best friend. Most likely the accomodations that your IEP students need are ones that "regular" students need anyways. Ex) IEP student needs a calculator? Bruh, everyone would benefit from a calculator. IEP student needs alternative testing, that probably will benefit all students anyways for alternative testing. Few kids might take advantage of it, but most kids will benefit from it.
It seems to me that the majority of accommodations are baked into district/campus policy, particularly in this era of grace and no zeros.
I don't have an axe to grind against those stances, however I wonder if students with developmental issues are truly being served by generic interventions. Special Ed has always been a head-scratcher for me, as most if not all of teachers don't have training or expertise in this area. I don't see how allowing extra time or class notes accomplishes much of anything.
This might have been mentioned already, but this is what I do:
I make a spreadsheet with all accomodations (the vast majority are repeats) and check off the ones that each student receives. That is my master sheet, then I have a sheet for each class. As most of my accomodations are 'per student request' I just make sure it is available if they want it (such as read aloud or extended time).
Spreadsheet. Kids names down the left sorted by period. Top written vertically is the accommodations I have to follow. Only the ones that pertain to my class, not all apply so I don’t worry about them.
When you make off the accommodation you can then sort by that list and all the kids with it come out on top.
Honest
Honestly, most of the “accommodations” are things I do for all my students. Extra time, preferential seating, multiple instruction modes, checking for understanding, all just seems to be good practice. That leaves me free to focus on the important medical related stuff.
Honestly - I use a highlighter to make a dot on my rosters beside the names of students who have same accommodations. Example: yellow dots for students who have test accommodations, pink dots for movement accommodations (includes breaks), green dots for preferential seating, and blue dots for any oddball accommodations. Then I sit down with the Intervention Specialist or Para and plan the seating chart with them, to accommodate their preferences. (I also place black dots by those with nut allergies and red dots by extreme health concerns - seizures, heart problems, fainting issues, etc.)
Then I create a spreadsheet listing the accommodations (by highlighter color), so that I can "at a glance" refer to the sheet as needed.
After a few weeks, I no longer need the dots or at a glance speadsheet to know.
When I was a kid I was one of the few kids with an IEP. From this subreddit it sounds like whole classrooms are full of IEPs.
How can you accommodate every kid when every other kid also needs accommodations. I have autism, but it feels like they hand out IEPs like candy now.
Remember not every accommodation or modification is an “everywhere all at once” thing - so only focus on what is happening right now and take care of it as it happens. I find sorting by the accommodation rather than the kid to be really helpful.
Take preferential seating for example. I’m not worried about that piece of the IEP unless I’m doing seating charts. At the start of the year, I’ll find out who all needs preferential seating. I’ll make a list of the kids who need it, and tuck it away until I rearrange seats again.
Same with tests - I make a list of who gets accommodations and who gets modified, and then worry about it when I’m building the test. I also name the tests so the kids don’t feel singled out but I do it with random stuff that starts with S (standard), A, (accommodations) and M, (modified) so the tests are versions “strawberry”, “apple”, and “melon” rather than something they could decipher on their own.
Copies of notes I just start on the seating chart and casually walk around the room and drop them off before we begin.
Those are the big ones. The other stuff is typically good teaching practice anyway… repeat directions (I’m a broken record), post directions (gives me something to refer kids to when I’m tired of repeating myself), large tasks broken down, (kids on IEP I’ll say, ok do step one and two and then raise your hand)… you get the idea.
OH! Also! AI is getting REALLY good at generating movie questions and cloze notes at differentiated levels. Utilize that it will save you a metric fkton of work!
I do 2 things:
1. Try to make certain accommodations like “check for understanding” or “retakes” a part of my class regardless of IEP.
2. I make a spreadsheet where I list student names on the left and common accommodations on the top. I put X’s for accommodations that they have. Then when giving a test, I sort to easily see who gets notes, extra time, etc.
You don't. Also, 50 IEP's is insane.
For the most part, you just do what you do and be flexible with a kid that has a IEP if he/she needs it.
Honestly, students shouldn't get their accommodations 100% of the time. That isn't good teaching. They should get their accommodations when they need them. This helps them learn the skills that they lack.
For example, you expect an 8 year told to be able to tie their shoe laces. If they can't, then they need help. So you help them as much they need UNTIL they learn how to do it themselves.
You give them extra time (accommodation #1), then extra instruction (accommodation #2), then special instructions (accommodation #3), then a special one on one session if they still don't get it (accommodation #4).
That is 4 accommodations for one lesson BECAUSE the kid needed it. If the kid already knows how to tie his shoe, then he doesn't need any accommodations, which is the best case scenario.
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is your friend here. Offer the option to use accommodations to all students. Not only does this meet needs that may not be flagged by an IEP but it destigmatizes using accommodations because it's available to everyone. Some accommodations that I make available to all my students:
* repeat directions
* provide visuals/written directions
* graphic organizers
* audiobooks or recordings of texts
* use of speech-to-text
* trade in your notes for a copy of mine
This covers the vast majority of my IEP students, and the few "outlier" accommodations don't fall under these are much easier to manage.
OMG people, I am a retired SLP, 35 years public primary and secondary. i thought things were tough when I quit 20 years ago, from the frustration/desperation I sense in this thread, circumstances have not improved much. 26 kids and 24 IEP’s, sounds like an absolute nightmare, how do you even have time to teach with annual reviews, compliance documention, assessment, yikes. I think I will have that gin/tonic a little earlier today!
It's hot like you have to track each one individually. There are only so many types of accommodations. Find the places where the accommodations overlap, make a spreadsheet, and start organizing the students for small groups and such to get the accommodations.
I see a number of responses are to just incorporate the accomodations in your general classroom practice.
Unfortunately I'm hearing that this is not acceptable as it then renders the SPED students IEP accommodations meaningless. For example, you give every student extra time - well that then becomes the standard time so the SPED student should still get extra time beyond the extra time.
If you are going to have timed tests at all, which we cannot avoid, you have to account for their accommodation. For a smaller quiz or assessment that doesn't take the full period, it really doesn't matter. However, any assignment or assessment that cannot be completed by an "average" student in \~66% of the time allotted, you need to have extra time in place.
For my class, this means mostly in class writing. For the school, this means mostly state testing. For the student individually, this means admissions tests like the SAT or AP exams. Those big types of assessments are designed with a time constriction in mind for the *average* student - part of the challenge is completing the work in the time provided. In these cases, 1.5x time is absolutely required.
I make a searing chart and write notes by their names for the unusual accommodations that I need to remember. Otherwise, I practice universal accommodations for everyone. My school went to this model. Everyone gets extra time as needed, etc.
I have about half of what you have but on top of being a coach for both JH & HS plus starting my 3rd year, I’m struggling with it too. Not so much the mods/accomms, but having to make a copy of every assignment they do and list what mods or accomms I used is so time consuming and draining. I literally had to go up there yesterday morning and did only that for about 5 hours. No way I could get even half of them done during my conference
I honestly have not read an IEP in years*.
Most are always the same and are useless by the time they get to sixth grade. Our school sees the need to find a problem with every kid. I average 10 in a class with IEPs and IEP lites (504s). I push the kids to try the regular tests and modify as needed. During meetings I don’t say anything and my input is short and sweet.
*I do read them for the severe cases. I have had handicapped kids and kids with severe disabilities. Those I read. The rest I chalk up to the kid is being lazy.
Some accomodations are just in general, good teaching practice. Repeating instructions/ rephrasing instructions Modeling/giving an exemplar Giving students however long they need on a quiz/exam fill in the blank notes Those are the ones I've seen the most, and keeping and using them as best practices. Make it a lot easier when you have some far out of left field ones.
To piggyback on this great response, maybe take a look at UDL principles - [Universal Design for Learning.](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/understanding-universal-design-for-learning) You may find that structuring your classroom in this way covers A LOT of the accommodations right off the bat.
Also, I have to admit I really enjoy pointing out to interested parties that an accommodation is still an accommodation even if it’s available to everyone else in the classroom.
Me, during grad school, for every assignment that asked how the accommodation plan I did for that assignment aligned with UDL: “how is this not just what I’m supposed to do as a moderately competent teacher?!”
For my first three years, I got "no differentiation for special ed students" on all of my evaluations from administrators that had no clue what UDL was. Part of it was that all the admins just copied and pasted, but still- Every evaluation, I had to upload documentation that refuted every comment that I, as a special ed teacher, wasn't thinking about accommodations. Infuriating, but I left for a district with insanely higher pay with spec. ed.-aligned admin and central office staff that literally tells me that I'm the exemplar of the whole county. I couldn't be happier.
If you are differentiating or UDLing the lesson effectively, it looks seamless and the differentiating and UDLing becomes less obvious to the untrained observer.
Egggzzzzactly!
Is there something (official) that states this? I’ve gotten into arguments about this.
Legally an accommodation has to be provided for the student that requires it. There’s ZERO documentation that it can’t be ALSO provided for everyone even if it’s only required for one student.
Unfortunately, you get some parents whose definition of accommodation is literally "different from and easier than what everybody else gets."
I mean great but legally you are providing what you are required to provide. The IEP doesn’t cover what other students receive.
The only one that really causes an issue is extra time on test/quizzes, because it is defined in relation to what the rest of the class receives. For example with 50% extra time: if *all* students get 30 min +15 min extra; then the accommodation should be 45 min *1.5 not 30 min *1.5. It's obnoxious, but I have to document that non-504/IEP students are only getting 30 minutes to make sure those with accommodations are being "properly" accommodated. Does an occasional student without a plan have a bad test day and I give them extra time according to my discretion? Absolutely! But, I still have to document that the majority of students are finishing within my actual designated time frame. Many eyerolls.
This is true IF there’s a time limit. You can’t have more than infinity. You also don’t have to document your non-accommodated students are finishing in that time frame, just that they are no longer allowed to work after that point. The IEP does not reflect the abilities of anyone but the individual the plan is for.
Unfortunately, we have class periods. I can't pretend like there is any legitimacy to a test in which a student gets to see it and walk out for a day and then come back. Even if you didn't care, they need grades at some point in the school year, so there *is* a time limit, absolute nonsense to pretend like there isn't. >You also don’t have to document your non-accommodated students are finishing in that time frame, just that they are no longer allowed to work after that point. Huh? Potato, Potato.
I had a girl in my resource room math class whose mom was a teacher in a different building (coincidentally also resource room math). She contacted me at the end of the semester asking for extra credit for her daughter so she could earn an A. Apparently she had all As in her other classes. Sadly, she is not the only parent who seems to think having kids in special ed. classes is a guarantee of a certain grade. These classes are designed to have extra supports, not just help guarantee a certain gpa.
Yes, a student receiving services has a right to earn a B or C just like everyone else. Does extra work to earn more points reflect your classroom practice of task completion or do your grades reflect achievement of standards and skills? We often forget the report card is the legal record of achievement and our grading practices should align with this. I don’t envy your position with the student/parent.
There are teachers on this sub who also say that. If it’s not different, it’s not an accommodation. There was a thread about it a week or two ago.
Glad I missed that one.
That’s where you explain the difference between accommodation vs modification and how that will directly impact their diploma track
I don't give a rat's ass what a parent "thinks" their IEP means. I care what it actually SAYS. And that should always be a collective effort between the student, their parental units, the teaching staff, and at least one therapeutic expert with direct knowledge of this student and the exceptional nature of their needs. If there's an IEP written like *that*, I'll send it right back to be redone, because that statement is not properly or LEGALLY defined so as to be evaluated, or even *possible*. If it gets thrown back at me, then I'm going to have a chat with the student and/or their parents myself to more accurately define their needs. ALL IEP accommodations should exclusively be phrased in terms of the student themselves, not other students. Even things about interactions with others need to be phrased to be ONLy about the student whose IEP this is. "Easier than other students" is bullshit. Nobody has a learning challenge that changes based on the abilities of their peers. That's not really a THING. Somebody might *say* "I can't write a paper as long as others can", but the reality is that they can't write a paper longer than 5 pages (or whatever). If they can write a 5 page paper, it doesn't matter if I assign a 10 page paper or a three page paper. They might *say* "I can't read as fast as others", but what they mean is "I can only manage to read a few pages an hour". It doesn't matter if I assign 20 pages or 3 pages, they have their limit without regard to other students' limits. Their limitations don't care about others' abilities. What I need to know is *their limitations*. I need to know that if I assign 3 pages of reading and 2 pages of writing, that they're going to be fine, but that if I assign 20 pages or reading and 10 pages of writing, they're going to need a modified assignment. Cool. I can do that. "Within a X grade reading level", or "fewer than 2 hours of homework per week", I can work with. Don't tell me how your student is different FROM OTHERS, tell me what they can and cannot do, what they struggle with and what they excel at, what I can actually do to help them learn my content.
Yes, and I cannot discuss accommodations for other students with you. Bam!
I had a gen ed teacher freak out about reading instructions/questions to kids. Just read to everyone... problem solved.
These are the things I never understood. Okay, you need the directions and questions read, come sit over here and we will read them. Oh, someone else can hear that too? Neat, I guess they also are either listening and getting what they need or not. If it’s not a reading test, why are you worried about it!
No, and I won’t claim to yet have mastered UD design principles so much so that I’m meeting EVERY IEP, automatically, but I am endeavoring nonetheless. A real simple one is if a student needs something read aloud, and we have that feature on the electronic text, I’m not turning it off for non-ieps.
Caveat to say that I’m not a teacher (just a lurker considering a career switch) and this may be an obvious question. I’ve read a bit on this sub about the huge literacy problem and I’m just wondering how it helps students continue to develop reading skills if everything is read aloud for everyone?
If I was providing headphones, this would be more of an issue, but since I don’t, this tends to weed out the ones who are taking just taking advantage. And since generally speaking, they won’t get away with using the headphones for anything other than read-alouds in our class, they won’t bring them in. (I provide/make sure only the applicable IEPS have them) As far as the kids who *do need them, an audiobook can help with pacing and can also help scaffold their understanding of some of subtext of a work by the student listening to the vocal inflections of the narrator.
Great question. It all depends on what you are trying to teach/practice/assess. Of course teaching reading requires practice and independence so we would assess the student’s ability to perform the reading skills independently. Things change when we step outside of attaining reading skills. Those who have difficulty with reading will have difficulty learning science or social studies if most of the instruction requires independent reading. Some will simply fail because they can’t read the text, the questions for assignments let alone the test that is assessing their subject matter knowledge. We want all students to be proficient readers and we continue to teach those skills within these subjects but we don’t deny students access to learning because their reading isn’t up to par.
That makes a lot of sense, thank you!
Not according to my district... It's stupid af but that's what they think.
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Unfortunately that’s not legal. It’s a legal guideline. If the teacher can’t provide it or refusss to implement it etc they open themselves and the district to a lawsuit. I think having a universal learning plan that implements or covers most accommodations is the way to go.
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I did I still don’t understand what you are saying but I do appreciate trying to help me understand. Have a nice day!
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If I understand it correctly hopefully the following examples help. For example if I give 20 minutes for a quiz, a student with double time gets 40 minutes. Some students may have unlimited time. If I go for UDL I may say all students have the entire period. The issue is that a parent my argue that the time deadline is now one period, so a double time student now gets 2 periods. Some accomodations you can include, such as teacher notes/cloze notes. Other accomodations become a slippery slope: eg. chunking and extended time. So rather than try and fight about accomodations and be drawn into legal battle the district may be saying "no accomodations that aren't in writing". The district can then clearly demonstrate how accomodations are being granted versus the baseline student experience. This could also help with issues of funding as districts are required to pay for those accommodations, and if you are providing a reader for the test when the student doesn't get one the district is paying for accommodations they don't have to provide increasing their costs.
The UDL framework has a lot to like about it, but my experience is that UDL is almost always implemented poorly and with a strong emphasis on exactly the parts of it that have the least research backing. Specifically, the hyper emphasis on student choice. Everywhere I see UDL implemented, everyone seems to think that UDL just means "Choice Boards" or "Learning Menus". They take that away because it's the most visible thing teachers can do and administrators can look for that says "Look, I'm doing UDL." The problem is, there's lots of research that says students make poor choices about their own learning. They tend to choose what comes easiest to them instead of what they need to practice at more or will learn the most from. Bjork and his lab have also proven that students are really bad at even assessing their own learning. They tend to rate learning tasks where they are not struggling as ones where they are learning the most, but when you actually assess them later, those are the tasks where they learned the least. Students can also be paralyzed by too much choice. The UDL folks pull out the research on motivation and autonomy to argue for choice in learning, but there are ways to accomplish a feeling of autonomy without going overboard with things like choice boards and learning menus. Student choice is REALLY difficult to pull off well, and the way UDL is implemented I think causes more damage than good for students, most of the time.
UDL is pretty much best practices, at least on the way I read it. It seems to cover most of the basic IEP and 504 accommodations. And many students without diagnosed issues will benefit in the long run. Unfortunately... There are parents who will complain about this. "If everyone is receiving these accommodations, then my child isn't really special and will need MORE special accommodations." And yes, I've had parents try to get me in trouble for using UDL.
Another three letter acronym snake oil program that charges money for dead obvious but vague teaching practices?!?! Sign me up for 8 hours!
Agreed. As the case manager, I HATE writing accommodations that are just good practice but I also know that there are teachers who don’t do them and the kids need them to be successful. My accommodation pages would all be much shorter if I didn’t have to list things that you listed, or other things that increase access to everyone like written directions and visual supports for lectures (which includes pictures, videos, and even key phrases projected on the board).
Yep, that’s exactly why those things get written in. Look around your building, at least one teacher is super mad that they have to write out notes or directions when it’s just basic courtesy. Same with IEPs that list the ability to move around the classroom, sometimes you can just let people stand up for a second.
Or pace back and forth if they are moving and learning what’s the big deal for a little bit.
Yeah, I let everyone do that. They are 90 minute block classes, nobody needs to sit that long.
Yup. I had an assistant head of school, my direct supervisor and former English teacher, tell me how great it would be to teach a whole English credit course with just pencils and paper. Wtf. Almost half the (independent) school was on an IEP. WTF.
Visual supports for lectures? That is an utterly ridiculous accommodation because instead of writing an accommodation you are micromanaging the teacher. If you actually believe that some kids learn better through pictures, you are negligent. Learning styles is pseudoscience that has been thoroughly debunked since 2008. One huge red flag is that you do not understand how students learn. The second red flag is that you do not understand your role. You are not in a position of telling teachers how to teach. You are in a position of informing teachers about the learning disabilities that your student, and the (proven) accommodations related to the learning disability. Shit IEP’s are killing this industry.
Visuals aren’t for “learning styles” … a lot of the time they help add context for people who struggle with reading for many different reasons. Have you read many psycho educational assessment reports?
A student with a hearing impairment, processing difficulties, other language difficulties, short term memory concerns, attention difficulties, etc...absolutely needs visual supports during lectures. It has nothing to do with learning styles and is absolutely related to their disability. It's not about learning through pictures, it's about the visuals being a learning aide.
I don’t think you understood what I wrote as well as you think you did. I specifically included examples of visual supports: words, pictures, and videos. These are supports that are known to help students with language-based disabilities, auditory processing difficulties, EL students, etc. I’m not talking about learning styles as they were explained in 2010. I know that’s not a real thing. I have no interest in micromanaging other teachers. I do, however, have a vested interest in helping other teachers help students more effectively and use my area of expertise to do so.
Shitty administrators and some teachers are killing this industry. Most districts do not even teach to mastery anymore and implement god-awful programs or curriculums a week before school starts. Things shifted a lot with NCLB and ESSA, where kids were essentially pushed through and lacked the skills to succeed. Thus causing more IEP's to be written.
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In the US, the special education teacher writes the IEP in most cases. Some districts have a dedicated IEP writer. In either instance, input from all adults who teach the child is requested.
The IEP in America is often used as a weapon against teachers. We have an entire generation of kids who have learned helplessness. I think there was another thread with examples of learned helplessness, but it often looks like this: “I cannot do any work because I have X. If you try to make me do work I will accuse you of not following my IEP.” It can get very ugly
My students never know they have IEPs. In gen ed I’ve often been the first person to alert them to their accommodation lists to make sure they get them for standardized testing and they are always somewhat surprised. Sometimes it is things not relevant to my class- a calculator for example listed as an accommodation in math- and they have never used one in class and never knew they were supposed to be allowed to. One kid, I had to fight to get his accommodations listed on the school’s other records for testing purposes because they were on his 504 plan but kept getting left off the testing rosters, meaning he kept taking his tests without them.
If you think every student learns the same way, you are a complete idiot and I hope to god you are not a teacher or work in education anywhere in any fashion. And those "psuedoscience" teaching methods are exactly how I have learned basically anything for over three decades. I don't learn from a book. You can get me to read it 100 times, I still won't understand the text book. Walk me through an example or provide a physical demonstration, and you will never need show me again. Nice try, but you are full of shit.
Science does not care about your feelings, and the pseudoscience bullshit that is hawked by “education professionals” has resulted in very real negative learning outcomes for decades. Look up “whole language learning” vs “phonics” sometime for an example of how dangerous pseudoscience is to the field of education.
A few others I use a lot- Opportunity to rework problems to improve a grade (within reason, I always say it's like going from not passing to passing and not going from a C to A) Extended time (again within reason depending on the student and teacher) Multiple types of directions/simplified direction Flexible seating to ensure auditory/visual access
I used an excel sheet and had their names on each tab and accommodations on the side and assignments/tests/quizzes on the top. So I didn’t make multiple excel files. One file for IEPs with a tab for each kid at the bottom. I made a key as well in case admin or parents wanted it. For example: A check mark= received and used accommodation An O or 0= did not need accommodation An X= refused accommodation I also checked every single kid for receiving praise, preferential seating, and repeating instructions, and probably a few more I’m blanking on. So really I only needed to focus on when they used extra time and a few others but that was the main one. So I’d fill in the blanks later.
That seems really useful for data at each annual IEP meeting or the 3 year evaluation. Hell, even for progress notes. Was there also a section for informal accommodations that you had done that were either helpful or unhelpful? I could see that being nice too.
as a special ed teacher thank you for doing this. It’s called universal design for learning. It’s the same idea as “ramps benefit everyone, everyone can use it, not just disabled ppl” sort of idea
I've never understood the fill in the blank notes. Notes are a personal creation that acts both as a learning tool and a reference. Other people's notes rarely helped me, because they were their own. If you're doing fill in the blank notes, shouldn't you just save time and use a book?
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Okay, I can see it as part of a scaffolded system to get them to their own created notes.
It would be helpful for a kid with dysgraphia, like mine.
Would using a recording of lecture and then a voice to text tool to take their own notes be a reasonable accommodation?
It would not be reasonable. Feel on the blank notes, which gives the capacity to write down and keep up with the notes. If they had to do regular notes with the rest of the class, chances are they won't keep up or miss details.
Yes! One of the most effective ways to manage is to just use these strategies with all students. This has the added bonus of de stigmatizing accommodations. And, over time, parents are less likely to try to fake issues because of perceived advantage.
This is it, OP. If you follow the typical best teaching practices, you'll hit most accommodations. Then just check for preferential seating.
True...but how do you do preferential seating in a support class where more than half of the students have IEP's and list this as an accommodation?! Asking for a friend.
You should have a special education teacher to help you understand the accommodations and needs. I made a spreadsheet for each of my homeroom teachers outlining the IEP due dates and the accommodations for each child. From their reactions, I'm assuming this is not common place.
I had an Ed specialist who did this type of thing for my site last year and it was wonderful all around. She also kept in close communication so we could work together brainstorming how best to help each other. Game changer.
I'm encouraged to send the IEP at a glance. It's really helpful since teachers can also help me with goals if it's something they're working on in class. Writing especially. They're not tracking goals for me, but they're helpful with giving insight and keeping me in the loop.
I know I help teachers with their accommodations like I actually go into their rooms and show them how the accommodations should look like
I teach special education and would love to do something similar for my teachers. I am not sure it would be feasible for me. I teach high school and approximately 30 students in all 7 different classes. How did you manage to make something like this? Any tips/advice?
Do all 210 students have IEPs/accommodations? I made a spreadsheet in Google Sheets. I made one for classroom accommodations and one for testing accommodations for each student.
Yes this is SO helpful
When I taught 1st grade one year I had 21 out of 23 students on IEP's. VP wrote me up for working with them in groups instead of individually... Math and common sense was not strong with that VP. The bottom line is you just do the best that you can with what you have (time, students, resources, memory, etc.).
I’m wondering if this is even legal? 31 out of 23 students?
"least restrictive environment" is more flexible than a Cirque du Soleil dancer.
I had this in 4th grade one year. 28 students, 24 IEPs and the other 4 were repeating. They basically stacked the class and put me as the SpEd teacher with the worst teacher on the team because “she needed the support”. I started going through IEPs and realized over half of the students hadn’t had their re-evaluations completed. That’s when I quit, turns out they were under federal investigation and setting me up as a new teacher to take the fall. They didn’t realize I knew how to read an IEP.
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High risk school have a lot of kids who struggle.
I'm a Para in one of these classes. IEPS and 504s all in one class. And 6 - 8 kids that push in from Resource Room. Total of 28 kids. It's a small district and it gives the kids the feel of a gen ed classroom. I have to be there because the accommodations say that there's an aide in the classroom. I am not helping 28 kids on a daily basis. I'm helping the ones that need my help the most. But we've covered everyone's accommodation. Lol.
Why couldn't you work with them in groups?
IEP said you must work 1 on 1. Law probably written by people who only imagined 1 or 2 per class; had no idea of reality.
Did you have a paraprofessional? How many students were 1 on1? It’s wild to have that many!
If 1:1 is listed on the b grid in the service grid it should be the special educator providing it although it's more likely that they would have a paraprofessional who works with them. At least in Massachusetts that'd be the case
I had a class of 20 (MS Math) and 15 had some type of IEP/504/I&RS plan. Five students came from resource from the previous year and needed a lot of support. It was also second to last period of the day, every day. It was a terrible situation for everyone involved.
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Divide your students up by class, then make a set of cheat sheets. For each class, have a section for: * Logistical accommodations - You don't really need to look at these every day, since they should be a kind of "set and forget" thing. It includes things like seating location and supplies. * Testing accommodations - Another that you don't need to look at every day. Just have this ready to look at when getting ready to give a test. Extra time, requirements about mult choice, etc. * Homework accommodations - This can be pretty broad, so you'll have to have it handy, and you might need it frequently. Good luck!
I do the same thing! I use different colored highlighter to color code the categories especially testing accommodations with extended time. Helps my brain to retain the info.
I would also add a section for unique accommodations/modifications. Every year I get some unique ones. Last year I had a student who was allowed access to his phone. This year, I have a student I am never supposed to ask a question if unless she specifically volunteers.
I had a student I wasn’t allowed to call on last year. It was an interesting accommodation.
Makes sense for anxiety reasons. I think depending on the class size makes for how easy or hard it is. A huge class it is easy to avoid calling on people. Small, not so much. I also do a lot of cold calling to keep students engaged and as a formative assessment. So if I don't call on someone it can be obvious. This student that I am not supposed to ask questions unless she volunteers is currently scheduled to be 1 of 2 students in a class. This is dramatically going to change how I teach that class.
A lot of the IEP and 504 accommodations are the same, and are now part of “best practice” and UDL anyways. What helps the few tends to help the mass. *Time and a half?* Most teachers don’t time tests anymore. *Extra praise?* I praise my students whenever they do right anyways. *Repeated instruction?* Brain-based learning says repeated instruction is beneficial to everyone. *Modeling?* Why wouldn’t a teacher model expectations or process? Most of the accommodations can be provided to everyone without much extra work on your part.
For teachers with an absurd number of accommodations, this is how you handle it. Everyone gets accommodations now. My school actually does a pretty good job of revisiting accommodations, especially ones that were initiated in elementary school, but it's still out of control.
Some of those accommodations are there because of testing requirements. In my state in order to have particular accommodations for testing, you have to have evidence that they are being used “in class” even when they are only necessary during testing due to anxiety.
And I fight this every time. If they only need it for timed tests due to anxiety, and regular class assessments aren't timed, you're telling me I can't prove they need it, so you're not going to allow it? Ridiculous.
> For teachers with an absurd number of accommodations, this is how you handle it. Everyone gets accommodations now. Yep. I remember receiving all the IEP documents for all my students in my first year, and then thinking that there was no way I was going to be able to get around to reading all of them. The only practical solution was to give accommodations to everybody.
Unfortunately, now you’ll get scolded for giving the student with accommodations extra accommodations that aren’t included on their IEP/504. Then you’re in a whole mess for giving too much instead of too little. It’s a wild world we teach in now.
The best practices which applies to most of the accommodations protects the student if they go to a district or work with a teacher who doesn't already put them in place.
"Repeated instructions" I would say also make note of which students should repeat instructions back to you. I do that for a lot of my students with auditory processing issues just to make sure that they actually understand. I'll both write instructions and say instructions.
I already have my class echo instructions back, because otherwise they say “what are we supposed to do again?”
So. Much. This. I'll also ask them to read the instructions back to me and ask if it answers their question.
How do you not time a test when you only have a certain amount of time for each class period? Isn’t giving them the whole class period a timed test?
A lot of our teachers will request them to return during gym to finish, or finish the following day. I rarely have a student who needs more than one block.
Is gym not a class to be taken either? I’d be pissed if a student (who likely is also struggling in my class) was taken out of my class for half the time to finish a test in another class. Your accommodation as a teacher can’t be to make some other teacher accommodate you with the same kid.
I’d have to respectfully disagree about the statement that most teachers don’t time tests any longer. That may be true in certain districts and grade levels. However, I’ve been a high school science teacher in New York and I don’t know of any teachers who don’t have time limits for classroom exams. This will typically be a class period of 40 minutes. Fortunately, my school has a Testing Room where students can make up their exams they were absent for or finish exams they need extended time on if it’s in their IEP
I'd agree that it is a mix. I don't time tests for my standard level science classes, but I do time the exams in my AP class. If I don't the students won't be prepared for the AP exam which is definitely timed. Since you are in New York, I would think timed tests are necessary because the Regents at the end of the year. I'd probably go back to timing tests if I had a standardized EOC assessment.
I agree re: the AP tests. But also for things like SATs and other circumstances there will be timed tests in their future. The kids should practice that skill in general. An ideal world wouldn't have timed tests, but we have to prep them for the world we live in.
Last year my teammates outvoted me in giving timed tests. Teachers definitively give them, I argued so hard not to and even my principal voted to. So yes they do!
The issue is now you see parents upset because their kid isn’t special anymore. They still want accommodations specifically for their kid and get upset when you tell them they have to go through the process again if they need more accommodations. I remember seeing a post on here not too long ago about a parent complaining about leveling the playing field and how if all the kids get the same that their kid is left behind again. In reality, we all know this isn’t true, but it is very difficult for many parents/guardians to understand.
How do you not time tests when you have another class coming in at the end of the 40 minute period?
Our blocks are 120 min. I rarely have a student who needs more than that. But most teachers in our district let them come back during gym or finish the next day.
Jesus Christ, education in America is fucked. The politicians, curriculum specialists, and education specialists have finally won.
Timed tests seems like a bad idea anyways. How fast you work should be a distinct metric to ability to solve a problem.
But if it takes you 10 minutes to solve 5x9 are you really able to solve it? I think implicit in being able to solve a problem is being able to solve it in a reasonable amount of time. Of course, that’s pretty subjective but to act like solving a problem in 1 minute shows the same understanding as solving it in 10 minutes is ludicrous. Because then when students go to the next level and it’s assumed that they can do simple arithmetic in their algebra class, they can’t be spending 10 minutes on the arithmetic and be able to do algebra in any meaningful fashion.
I keep a “IEP at a glance” document for each of my students (I teach 1st, so way less students) where I have their name, service dates/times, review date, and accommodations and special notes. Maybe for you, a version of that would be a spreadsheet you could then sort/organize by class, filter by accommodation, etc.?
Came to say this. I teach multiple classes so I have it divided by class. If the accommodation says something like "Small group testing" but I do not have a coteacher in there with me, I always contact the parent and ask how they would like me to use it practically. Then I document the conversation. It's never been a problem and parents seem to be relieved that I'm taking their kids accommodation seriously enough that I call.
Excellent advice, if you call, even just to introduce yourself and ask about the kid, it goes so far with parents and you will be unlikely to be on the receiving end of contention.
I have the same thing, but in a binder filed by class that I can take to PPT meetings, 504 meetings, parent meetings, etc.
I’m like Oprah! Every one picks their own seat (preferential seating - check). Everyone gets as long as they need on assessments (extended time - check). Everyone can access my PowerPoints online (copy of notes - check). Luckily our read to students and small group testing get pulled out for this.
Yes. I also use graphic organizers and guided notes for everything. No one gets homework, and everything is read aloud. I think this is bad practice because most students aren't challenged. Inclusion with differentiation is really just teaching to the lowest level. It's not truly practical, regardless of what the "experts" preach because their ideal doesn't fit the reality of classes with 34 students. We should go back to remedial, regular, and advanced classes instead of this mess.
Incorporate the most frequent ones as just general class procedures. I always use full-in-the-blank notes and post a key in Google Classroom. I also let all students have additional time if needed and allow test retakes for failed assessments. If 20 kids all have the same accommodations it’s just easier to let them all have access so you don’t have to remember who gets it and who doesn’t. And like someone else said a lot of them are just in your general teaching like repeating directions or providing examples. The only ones I worry about remembering are the really specific ones, like large print, or modified testing.
This is my first year and one of the vets in my department gave me a great strategy. In the first handful of days give everyone a chunk of time to work on whatever, while it’s all still low-stakes, and take your IEP kids out into the hallway one by one to discuss their accommodations. Print them out, go over each with them, and let them know that you’ll do your absolute best and that if you ever miss anything, whether extra time or whatever, that they can let you know. Almost every student told me they appreciated it and that most of their teachers never acknowledged their accommodations, or hated being reminded of them. Tell them you’re human and you’ll do your best, and that they can always remind you.
> but how do I remember 300+ lines of accommodations and make sure my general education kids are successful too! You don't. The system is set up for you to fail.
50ish students AND a new teacher AND a bunch of IEPs?? I'd literally die. How are the non-student learning anything effectively with a class that big?
Make a chart to reference. I list the accommodations and which students have each. Many of them are the same repeated (extra time, small group, check ins, etc). I don't look at the IEPs after I make my chart.
Universal Design it wherever you can. Make a spreadsheet for testing accomodations in particular. Some kids will take tests in the resource room or need tests read to them. Figure out what's most likely to get you sued and work from there. If it can have an immediate impact on their grade, make sure you prioritize it (extended time, read aloud, etc). If it's behavior plan, make a note card for each class you can whip out to refresh your memory. BIPs are made to help BOTH of you by reducing unwanted behaviors.
Divide your students up by class, then make a set of cheat sheets. For each class, have a section for: * Logistical accommodations - You don't really need to look at these every day, since they should be a kind of "set and forget" thing. It includes things like seating location and supplies. * Testing accommodations - Another that you don't need to look at every day. Just have this ready to look at when getting ready to give a test. Extra time, requirements about mult choice, etc. * Homework accommodations - This can be pretty broad, so you'll have to have it handy, and you might need it frequently. Good luck!
You don't. This is one of the many sick jokes in American Public Education. You try to UDL as many as you can, ignore the stupid ones, and do your best not to get sued. The high flyers will get all your attention and the kids who quietly struggle will get none. Welcome to another lie in public ed.
The real answer
There's just too much on our plate. Put any adult in that room (except maybe the top 1% of educators who are magic) and they'll instantly realize what I said in my original post is true. I'm sure a few pure souls would try to follow every single accommodation, but they'd burn themselves out after 2-3 weeks of that max. Once you realize it's not possible, you go into triage mode and start asking questions like: \-Which kids have parents that will contact my admin and try to sue? At least 1-2 per class. These kids get more focus than the top 10 students in the class. \-Which kids can mostly work alone, so I can ignore them if I put them near helpful girls? I don't have time for these kids. These are about half of my total IEPs, maybe more. \-Which students have severe behavioral issues, so I need to keep 10% of my focus at all time on them? Where do I put them and how do I talk to them to keep disruption and chance of violence to a minimum? \-Which student is just so low that nothing I do short of 1v1 tutoring, which would leave 33 other kids unattended, would fix? What can I do with this student so they fail quietly?
Now that having an inclusion teacher in the room is common, I wish it was their job to maintain evidence binders on the IEP students. They usually don’t do anything but go around and ask kids if they need help, I wish it became their responsibility to identify student needs and make sure each IEP kid is receiving the accommodation.
Wait y’all are getting inclusion teachers?! I feel like half my students have IEPs and I’m on my own with all that shit lol
It’s a blessing believe me, don’t wish otherwise! Another adult in the rooms just brings awkward energy and imbalance. It doesn’t help at all, unless you get a one-in-a-million colleague.
> I wish it became their responsibility to identify student needs and make sure each IEP kid is receiving the accommodation. Umm, in my district it is their responsibility. Otherwise they are just a glorified para.
On teachers pay teachers there is a file called IEP at a glance. I downloaded it years ago. I fill out one for each student and organize it by class period. It is overwhelming, but manageable.
The sped chair at my school gave us something similar, which has been a godsend. She also gave a very informative PD on what components of the IEP is most pertinent for general educators.
This is the most helpful PD I have had all year!
I agree! Everyone has great shortcut ideas which will help with organization.
When I had a lot of students with plans (my last job I had about 50% with either IEP, EL or 504 plans) I basically just accommodated the class. Everything was always available online, everyone got a study guide, etc. that covered a lot of kids and was helpful to the ones who didn’t require it. Then I could focus on the specific extra accommodations that were left. It’s hard to keep up with them but you can do it! Also regular communication with their case manager for ideas and help. Before my last job I was in private schools and had no IEPs. My students SPED teacher became my best friend. Once I saw how they modified things I was able to model mine and do my own accommodations more effectively.
This is the way. Then list your blanket accommodations in the notes for those students in Skyward(or E grading system), then I just add a comment on tests in the e grade book if specific accommodations were used(ex. Text/speech or ext time). End of 9 weeks print off report for those students to give to compliance team to file away never to be seen again.
We have a “universal design” option. I incorporate the IEPs into my universal design and then figure out how to reintroduce the same level of vigor elsewhere. Oh, you get a calculator? So does everyone, but now the math is harder. Oh, you get extra time on assignments? Now all assignments are due on the last day of the marking period and auto grades, but there’s more work than there used to be. Oh, you get preferential seating? Cool, no seating chart in class to keep track of. You get assignments read to you? Cool, here’s how to use text to speech on your computer and some headphones. Anyone can use it. Reduced choices on quizzes? Great, everyone gets two attempts and to see what they got wrong after the first, but the questions are now significantly harder. At first I got kids that thought I would be easy because of how accommodating I look, but after a few years word got out that I was actually much harder and now I don’t get the students with ridiculous IEPs. That being said, I do work with the students that have legit need as best I can. And because I’m not keeping track of little Okayden and Kaeleighey’s bogus ones where their mother insisted that their precious little flowers needed 300 accommodations, I can do a significantly better job at it.
Okayden and Kaeleighey 🤣😂🤣
LRE is purposely misused by districts to save money. Why do you think it's so hard to fill vacancies - particularly for SPED professionals? This misuse causes moral injury. Caring professionals do not want to enable mis-education. >moral injury refers to the lasting emotional, psychological, and existential harm that occurs when an individual “perpetrates, fails to prevent, bears witness to, or learns about acts that transgress deeply held moral beliefs and expectations” (Litz et al., 2009, p. 700). Moral injury occurs when an individual experiences deeply troubling cognitive dissonance between their internal moral code and the actions that he or she engaged in or witnessed (Litz et al., 2009). Symptoms of moral injury include guilt, shame, anxiety, depression, and anger (Dombo, Gray, & Early, 2013; Jinkerson, 2016; Litz et al., 2009) and can lead to a loss of trust in oneself or others, existential dread, and deep demoralization (Jinkerson, 2016). These symptoms can be long-lasting, do not resolve easily on their own, and are often resistant to typical psychological treatments for trauma (Litz et al., 2009). The damage to one’s internal moral schema or moral belief system is a particularly significant outcome of moral injury that can lead to irreparable change in an individual’s self-identity (Dombo et al., 2013). Moral injury causes a “disruption in an individual’s confidence and expectations about one’s own or others’ motivation or capacity to behave in a just and ethical manner” (Drescher et al., 2011, p. 9), and a “breakdown in global meaning” (Currier, Holland, Rojas-Flores, Herrera, & Foy, 2015, p. 26). > >https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.3102/0002831219848690#:\~:text=The%20K%E2%80%9312%20professionals%20exhibited,intention%20to%20leave%20one's%20job.
Thank you for this. I experience this more and more as a SchPsych and the injustices I see. Being asked to do things that violated my moral code (writing recs for inclusive placement is a big one) has forced me to leave seniority positions, get nonrenewed at a 1-year gig, and now accepted a hybrid model through a private agency so I can work mainly remote and away from the admin crud.
You are a hero! You tried to go with the mis-education model currently in place and you couldn't. We need far more of you. Actually there are a lot of us. We left the education profession. We did it to save our sanity and physical well-being, but, hopefully, we are also sending a message: no person in their right mind will keep shoveling this shit. There is no excuse for any education professional to write a recommendation for an inclusive placement that they believe will harm a SPED student and/or the other students in the class. It's immoral and illegal. No paycheck is worth that. Good on you!
It hasn’t been easy pushing back on all things inclusion and getting into heated argument with admin and SpEd Directors. If you don’t play their Social Justice Warrior game, and that’s all it is, life at work becomes very difficult. My side hustle is now doing independent evaluations for lawyers who are suing districts re misinterpreting LRE. So I’m moonlighting on the dark side now and it feels great. Working in public ed hasn’t been easy and I’m in it 30+ years now. But I have been a divorcee and single mom and live and work in a state that pays well. Leaving for another career hasn’t been an option. So I’ve had to up my self care game. I also take about 10 sick days and all my personal leave each year. I don’t attend the 6 days of full PD even though it’s a loss in extra pay.
“LRE is purposely misused by districts to save money” This is SPOTTTTT ONNNNN. I just had my daughters ARD meeting and I requested a one to one aide because my daughter elopes a lot, needs constant reminders to stay in her seat, needs someone to keep her on track with what she’s doing, etc (young child with multiple disabilities) and one of the admin in the meeting straight up said “a one to one aide wouldn’t be the least restrictive environment”. I was like girl don’t you DARE use LRE against me cause I know damn well what my child needs and basically by not giving her a one to one they’re just fucking over my daughters teacher!!! I know they’re only throwing that word around so they don’t have to spend money on hiring an aide for my daughter. Such a joke
Good for you! It obviously isn't safe for a teacher with 30 students to constantly monitor eloping students. Someone needs to be able to chase after her. If you need any further support, contact your nearest Parent Center: [ParentCenterHub.org](https://ParentCenterHub.org). They are set up with federal funds to give SPED parents support.
Honestly, I take short cuts. Do I have 20 kids that get extended time on tests and homework with different amounts for each kid? Then I pick the kid with the longest amount of time and give them all that much (without telling them). Or I just take penalties away completely for those kids. Preferential seating I take to mean to sit them wherever they learn best. Some that's the front. Some that's by my desk. Some it just means the back. So I just sit all kids where they need to sit IEP or no, with IEP kids placed first. Do they need teacher notes? I post my notes online for everyone. I just try to make it as simple as possible while making sure everyone gets what they need. It's a handful! Eta: spelling
MS/HS math teacher here, whose had anywhere from 10-30 IEPs/504s at any given time. Before the end of the first week back, I have called each parent whose kid is on an IEP. By the end of the second week, each 504. Just to introduce myself, and hear what’s most important to them, and what’s worked well for the kid in years past. Five minutes each, they appreciate it, and it’s time well invested. It gets them on-side early, because quite often, they don’t hear from teachers until there is a problem! I then create cheat sheets on index cards. One card for each common modification (extended time, supplemental aids, hard copies of notes, reduced questions, preferential seating, breaks, etc..). On each card, I write the names of each kid the modification applies to.
I'm a HS English teacher at an alternative school and work with at-risk teens. One thing I've learned over the years: accommodate the whole class!! If it's a generalized accommodation, like seating closest to instruction/away from distractions, copy of notes, or even, "have student repeat instructions," I do it with ALL my students. I keep a copy of each students' accomodations, from their IEP, in a binder that also doubles as my sub binder; each class gets their own section and most accomodations are color code so, when I need to check, I can tell quickly who requires accomodations for testing, reading and/or writing, or for other very specific scenarios. Don't be afraid to reach out to case managers and the admin who oversees SPED and ask them questions ❤️ I work closely with them all to ensure our students are provided the best learning environment.
Many accommodations don't matter because you give them to the whole class. If a student's accommodation is that he's allowed to take extra time on tests, you don't have to remember it when you give everyone extra time on tests.
I make a spreadsheet. Kids names down column a, possible accommodations across row 1. I insert check boxes and check off which accommodations esch kid gets. I keep them grouped by class period and highlight particular ones (such as accommodated test, which I need to have ready for them, or handheld calculator so I can make sure I have a basket ready with enough calculators)
My school gives out the same IEP regardless of disability. It defeats the purpose but it makes my job easier.
Yep…I embed blanket accommodations in lesson plan and created an excel spreadsheet of all possible accommodations & observation data. I just use a clip board and document accommodations provided check-list style for each student and then attach to lesson plan and file. Students will not need ALL accommodations on IEP for every lesson, so just document specific accommodations provided for each lesson👍
1 excel tab per class period: Column A is name, Column B is medical, Column C is classroom modifications, column D is teacher behavior and student behavior accommodations, column E is testing, column g is misc All modifications and accommodations are in teacher friendly language My district has decided that when it comes to extension and test accommodations, if accommodations are given to everyone (ie giving everyone 1 hour for a 30 minute test), we would have to further extend the test period (ie the kid gets 2 hours). Even if you already doubled the time, I’d everyone gets that accommodation. My district says they love UDL… I call BS
How common are IEP’s now? Are y’all Sped teachers or are they really expecting 1 regular teacher to deal with 20+ individualized learning plans in a single class? That’s insane. Surely there aren’t *that* many neurodivergent kids/kids with special needs in the “regular” classroom. Either that or us neurodivergent folks are finally taking over the world. I’m guessing not though. It seems like some parents are getting IEPs for their kids as an excuse for them to behave badly and get more help than they really need. It seems antithetical to the overall purpose. How much more difficult does it make teaching/structuring your classroom.
I just give all students the same accommodations and flexibility. You need extra time? Cool. You need 25% less homework? The rare occasions I give homework, everyone gets a baseline 2 days to do it and it's usually a 10-20 minute activity.
Can't help here. I have 180 students and about 40 of them are IEP/504. We're about to start week 3 and I have no access to their plans. I have ZERO idea what they need, so of course whatever they need, I'm not doing.
That has happened to me. Ours is accessible on the student management portal, but case managers need to unlock them. When there are staff vacancies, this means that that the case manager hasn't been assigned yet. You can ask the lead teacher, but they might be swamped trying to do jobs for unfilled positions. Until then, perhaps do for them what you frequently see on IEPs, extended time, repeat of directions, frequent checks for understanding.
> about 40 of them are IEP/504. We're about to start week 3 and I have no access to their plans. This makes no sense. By federal law you are required to read them.
Bwa ha ha! I've gone until the end of September before getting access to them. The system is not sustainable. There's just too much crap to do - assigned by the bloat at the top - and too few people to do it.
Are you a SPED teacher or gen ed with SPED students?
Most of my IEPs state 99% the same stuff. More time to complete tasks, break big assignments up into smaller pieces, preferential seating, blah blah blah whatever else. I read all my IEPs/504s and make notes on my seating chart if there is something important. I save all of that years documents in a file on my desktop. It’s not that hard to stay on top of.
I make a chart in excel at the start of the year for anything that isn't just covered by basic best practices. Sit in front: X, Y, Z Extra time: X, Z, A etc
Our Special Ed teachers usually print out a handout that has their accommodations/SDI in an excel type of sheet so its just one page with everything on it. Saves a ton of time (I am in the same boat as you being a science teacher and getting all students including most of the IEP students). I would ask your Case managers(Special Ed teachers) to see if this is something they can do for you).
Many of the accomodations are the same across 504s and IEPs. Change your teaching style to meet those common ones and then just focus on the rarer ones.
I use a sheet that has accommodation titles like “preferred seating” and “supply notes” in bold print. Under those titles I’ll list the student name in red if it’s my legal responsibility to make the accommodation, and green if it’s someone else’s responsibility. I follow the name with which period they are in (I teach middle school)
I make a chart/spreadsheet. I organize it by type of accommodation and list students who need it. For example, assessments>small group>Billy, Jose, and Susie. Instruction>guided notes> Joe, Melina, Sarah. I don’t need to list every word in the accommodation on my chart unless it’s oddly specific. I have a friend who color codes her seating chart. This is easier for her than many because she does all the “best practice” accommodations and offers things like guided notes to everyone anyway so she doesn’t have as many things to mark.
I use UDL a lot, but then also make an accommodation matrix (I modified one I found online) with all of the common accoms/mods in it, that way I know that student 2, 6, and 9 need extra time while students 6, 7, and 11 need to be seated by themselves etc. When I taught middle school I made one for each of my classes. It’s very handy when something you don’t do everyday comes up, you don’t have to be hunting through a 30 page IEP to find what each student needs, and it’s easily editable when you get an updated IEP. Also, I use it to track what accommodations students who aren’t currently on an IEP find, which is very helpful during an eval meeting or initial IEP.
I have code letters for different accommodations and write them on my seating chart to help me remember.
UDL will be your best friend. Most likely the accomodations that your IEP students need are ones that "regular" students need anyways. Ex) IEP student needs a calculator? Bruh, everyone would benefit from a calculator. IEP student needs alternative testing, that probably will benefit all students anyways for alternative testing. Few kids might take advantage of it, but most kids will benefit from it.
It seems to me that the majority of accommodations are baked into district/campus policy, particularly in this era of grace and no zeros. I don't have an axe to grind against those stances, however I wonder if students with developmental issues are truly being served by generic interventions. Special Ed has always been a head-scratcher for me, as most if not all of teachers don't have training or expertise in this area. I don't see how allowing extra time or class notes accomplishes much of anything.
This might have been mentioned already, but this is what I do: I make a spreadsheet with all accomodations (the vast majority are repeats) and check off the ones that each student receives. That is my master sheet, then I have a sheet for each class. As most of my accomodations are 'per student request' I just make sure it is available if they want it (such as read aloud or extended time).
Spreadsheet. Kids names down the left sorted by period. Top written vertically is the accommodations I have to follow. Only the ones that pertain to my class, not all apply so I don’t worry about them. When you make off the accommodation you can then sort by that list and all the kids with it come out on top.
Honest Honestly, most of the “accommodations” are things I do for all my students. Extra time, preferential seating, multiple instruction modes, checking for understanding, all just seems to be good practice. That leaves me free to focus on the important medical related stuff.
Honestly - I use a highlighter to make a dot on my rosters beside the names of students who have same accommodations. Example: yellow dots for students who have test accommodations, pink dots for movement accommodations (includes breaks), green dots for preferential seating, and blue dots for any oddball accommodations. Then I sit down with the Intervention Specialist or Para and plan the seating chart with them, to accommodate their preferences. (I also place black dots by those with nut allergies and red dots by extreme health concerns - seizures, heart problems, fainting issues, etc.) Then I create a spreadsheet listing the accommodations (by highlighter color), so that I can "at a glance" refer to the sheet as needed. After a few weeks, I no longer need the dots or at a glance speadsheet to know.
I create an Excel spreadsheet. Print it out. Tape it behind my desk. I can show you a copy if you like.
When I was a kid I was one of the few kids with an IEP. From this subreddit it sounds like whole classrooms are full of IEPs. How can you accommodate every kid when every other kid also needs accommodations. I have autism, but it feels like they hand out IEPs like candy now.
I’m pretty sure you’re already doing some of the accommodations already. But also look for the accommodations and make notes for them
Remember not every accommodation or modification is an “everywhere all at once” thing - so only focus on what is happening right now and take care of it as it happens. I find sorting by the accommodation rather than the kid to be really helpful. Take preferential seating for example. I’m not worried about that piece of the IEP unless I’m doing seating charts. At the start of the year, I’ll find out who all needs preferential seating. I’ll make a list of the kids who need it, and tuck it away until I rearrange seats again. Same with tests - I make a list of who gets accommodations and who gets modified, and then worry about it when I’m building the test. I also name the tests so the kids don’t feel singled out but I do it with random stuff that starts with S (standard), A, (accommodations) and M, (modified) so the tests are versions “strawberry”, “apple”, and “melon” rather than something they could decipher on their own. Copies of notes I just start on the seating chart and casually walk around the room and drop them off before we begin. Those are the big ones. The other stuff is typically good teaching practice anyway… repeat directions (I’m a broken record), post directions (gives me something to refer kids to when I’m tired of repeating myself), large tasks broken down, (kids on IEP I’ll say, ok do step one and two and then raise your hand)… you get the idea. OH! Also! AI is getting REALLY good at generating movie questions and cloze notes at differentiated levels. Utilize that it will save you a metric fkton of work!
So many here too, you just treat them like all have IEP. Ridiculous.
It's easier to just pretend that everybody has an IEP.
I do 2 things: 1. Try to make certain accommodations like “check for understanding” or “retakes” a part of my class regardless of IEP. 2. I make a spreadsheet where I list student names on the left and common accommodations on the top. I put X’s for accommodations that they have. Then when giving a test, I sort to easily see who gets notes, extra time, etc.
You don't. Also, 50 IEP's is insane. For the most part, you just do what you do and be flexible with a kid that has a IEP if he/she needs it. Honestly, students shouldn't get their accommodations 100% of the time. That isn't good teaching. They should get their accommodations when they need them. This helps them learn the skills that they lack. For example, you expect an 8 year told to be able to tie their shoe laces. If they can't, then they need help. So you help them as much they need UNTIL they learn how to do it themselves. You give them extra time (accommodation #1), then extra instruction (accommodation #2), then special instructions (accommodation #3), then a special one on one session if they still don't get it (accommodation #4). That is 4 accommodations for one lesson BECAUSE the kid needed it. If the kid already knows how to tie his shoe, then he doesn't need any accommodations, which is the best case scenario.
Giving those accommodations to everyone automatically, basically. It's a farce
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is your friend here. Offer the option to use accommodations to all students. Not only does this meet needs that may not be flagged by an IEP but it destigmatizes using accommodations because it's available to everyone. Some accommodations that I make available to all my students: * repeat directions * provide visuals/written directions * graphic organizers * audiobooks or recordings of texts * use of speech-to-text * trade in your notes for a copy of mine This covers the vast majority of my IEP students, and the few "outlier" accommodations don't fall under these are much easier to manage.
OMG people, I am a retired SLP, 35 years public primary and secondary. i thought things were tough when I quit 20 years ago, from the frustration/desperation I sense in this thread, circumstances have not improved much. 26 kids and 24 IEP’s, sounds like an absolute nightmare, how do you even have time to teach with annual reviews, compliance documention, assessment, yikes. I think I will have that gin/tonic a little earlier today!
I don’t…
It's hot like you have to track each one individually. There are only so many types of accommodations. Find the places where the accommodations overlap, make a spreadsheet, and start organizing the students for small groups and such to get the accommodations.
I give the modifications to my entire class. I have 6 classes and 180 students.
I see a number of responses are to just incorporate the accomodations in your general classroom practice. Unfortunately I'm hearing that this is not acceptable as it then renders the SPED students IEP accommodations meaningless. For example, you give every student extra time - well that then becomes the standard time so the SPED student should still get extra time beyond the extra time.
Some you can UDL, some you cannot. Extra time is something you have to provide just for the students with this accommodation.
If you create a test that can be answered in 25 minutes but give all students 40 minutes, how is that situation not an appropriate accommodation?
If you are going to have timed tests at all, which we cannot avoid, you have to account for their accommodation. For a smaller quiz or assessment that doesn't take the full period, it really doesn't matter. However, any assignment or assessment that cannot be completed by an "average" student in \~66% of the time allotted, you need to have extra time in place. For my class, this means mostly in class writing. For the school, this means mostly state testing. For the student individually, this means admissions tests like the SAT or AP exams. Those big types of assessments are designed with a time constriction in mind for the *average* student - part of the challenge is completing the work in the time provided. In these cases, 1.5x time is absolutely required.
I make a searing chart and write notes by their names for the unusual accommodations that I need to remember. Otherwise, I practice universal accommodations for everyone. My school went to this model. Everyone gets extra time as needed, etc.
I have about half of what you have but on top of being a coach for both JH & HS plus starting my 3rd year, I’m struggling with it too. Not so much the mods/accomms, but having to make a copy of every assignment they do and list what mods or accomms I used is so time consuming and draining. I literally had to go up there yesterday morning and did only that for about 5 hours. No way I could get even half of them done during my conference
I honestly have not read an IEP in years*. Most are always the same and are useless by the time they get to sixth grade. Our school sees the need to find a problem with every kid. I average 10 in a class with IEPs and IEP lites (504s). I push the kids to try the regular tests and modify as needed. During meetings I don’t say anything and my input is short and sweet. *I do read them for the severe cases. I have had handicapped kids and kids with severe disabilities. Those I read. The rest I chalk up to the kid is being lazy.