Welcome to another online addition of the Arizona Promising Practices forum. For those new to this service, each issue, which will now be sent to you on a regular basis, will focus on: (1) Recommended National Educational Websites; (2) A Local or Arizona Website/Practice of Importance; and (3) One promising practice article in condensed form. We welcome your recommendations for improvement to this forum or suggestions on future topics. The Arizona Promising Practices Forum and website, www.azpromisingpractices.com is a FREE resource of the Arizona Department of Education.

Dale Brown, ACPE Consultant - daleb@idir.net

In this issue we focus on Promising Practice Research aimed at Alternative Intervention Strategies or Academic Accommodations for Disabled Learners. It is a practical guide with helpful suggestions that may be used by your Individual Education Plan (IEP) Team or as pre-referral intervention strategies.

But first:

National Website focusing on Best Practice - The early years of child development are some of the most important in the development of children. The National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (NEC-TAS) is a website devoted to helping get off to a good start. Lots of information and research on the site – check it out at - http://www.nectas.unc.edu/

Arizona Website of Importance - Arizona Families Online Coalition is a group of children, parents and families who network via the internet. Many interesting resources and topics are presented here – check out this website at: http://aztec.asu.edu/afol/index.html

Best Practice Research and Tips

Academic Adjustments
 
In educational settings, reasonable accommodations are referred to as academic adjustments. For students with disabilities, academic adjustments might include adaptations in the way specific courses are conducted, the use of auxiliary equipment and support staff, and modifications in academic requirements. Specific adjustments are not mandatory; instead, they should be should be negotiated, selected, and arranged in consultation with you, the instructor, and disability support services personnel, as the case may be. Below is a list of some possible aids and services, with a brief description of each. 

Classroom Accommodations
 
· Preferential seating
Seating in front, by door, helps reduce audio/visual distractions

·Accompanier 
Having someone (another student, or a counseling staff member) to go with you to class and sometimes stay in class with you.

·Assigned classmate as volunteer assistant 
Similar to an accompanier, an assistant may help you take notes or provide informal support.

·Beverages permitted in class 
Helps alleviate dry mouth or tiredness caused by medications.

·Lecture Accommodations 
Pre-arranged breaks Helps you anticipate and manage anxiety, stress, or extreme restlessness caused by medication.

·Tape Recorder 
Alleviates pressure of notetaking, freeing you to attend and participate more fully in class.

·Notetaker 
Similar to above, having someone in class to take notes alleviates anxiety of having to capture all the information; sometimes the anxiety of attending class interferes with effective notetaking.

·Photocopy of another's notes 
If notetakers are not available, then securing notes from another student helps free you to attend and participate more fully in class.

Examination Accommodations 

·Change in test format 
Altering an exam from a multiple choice format to an essay format may help you to demonstrate what you know more effectively and perhaps reduce interference from anxiety or the effects of learning disability.

·Permit use of computer software programs or other technological assistance 
May assist you to write if physical handwriting is difficult due to medication side effects that create muscular or visual problems.

·Extended time 
Negotiating permission for a specific extra amount of time before the exam might help you to focus on the exam content instead of the clock, and lessens the chance that anxiety or other symptoms will interfere with your performance.

·Segmented 
Dividing an exam up into parts taking them in two or three sessions over 1-2 days helps to reduce the effect of fatigue and focus on one section at a time.

·Have exams to be individually proctored, including in hospital 
A non-distracting, quiet setting helps reduce interference from anxiety or other symptoms or medication side effects.

·Increased frequency of tests or examinations 
Having more opportunities to demonstrate knowledge creates less pressure than having just a midterm or a final.

·Have exams read orally, dictated, scribed or typed. 
As you know, symptoms, such as anxiety; medication side effects; or a learning disability may interfere with your mental focus, concentration, ability to retrieve information, and/or writing capacity during a typical paper-pencil test. Having an exam read or typed might help reduce the amount of external pressure and distractions, and give you more of an equal opportunity to demonstrate his or her expertise without the disability skewing the results.

Assignment Accommodations 

·Substitute assignments 
Asking for written exercises or other out-of-class exercises may be better ways for you to demonstrate your grasp of the required knowledge in a course.

·Advance notice of assignments 
Having a syllabus helps you to anticipate and plan time, energy, and workload, as well as to arrange for any support or academic adjustments.

·Delay in assignment due dates 
If you've had to be hospitalized for reasons related to your disability or if other unforeseeable events have interrupted your semester, extra time on a due date might be all that is needed for you to pass the course. Your request for an extension should be very specific; i.e., a new due date should be negotiated and formalized, not be left open-ended.

·Handwritten rather than typed papers 
If you do not yet have typing skills, you might benefit from asking to have papers handwritten instead of typed.

·Assignment assistance during hospitalization 
Staying connected with either your course instructor or your school's disabilities services staff person while you are in the hospital may mean you can finish your course as planned, and not have to take an incomplete or withdrawal grade, lose your money, or repeat the course again. 

·Use alternative forms for students to demonstrate course mastery 
You may be better able to demonstrate your knowledge in ways that don't require lots of writing (e.g., a narrative tape instead of a written journal) or time pressure (an essay exam rather than only multiple choice, or an extra paper if you have not performed well on the exam due to your disability).

·Textbooks on tape 
May be helpful to listen to a textbook instead of reading it, if your vision or concentration interferes with your reading ability.

Courtesy of Boston University Consumer Studies for the Disabled.