Charting A New Course: A Practical Modification Process for Students with Special Needs

by Kathy R. Nathan

We are excited to share with you our handbook for the modification of curriculum! The authors' primary motivation for writing it was based on the knowledge that students with special needs who were performing significantly below grade level were not receiving the right kind of support to be successful in the general education curriculum. Common barriers to learning were the large scope of the curriculum, the rapid pace of instruction and the complexity of the content. Resources for modifications were scarce for high school teachers, and those that were available were too specific to be of much help.This handbook is different from any other you may have read on the topic of modifications in that the intent is to introduce a process that is designed for modifying courses, prepared only once and then used as the foundation for individualized modifications if needed. The goal is not only to provide students access to curriculum that is achievable and appropriate, but also to assist their hard working teachers who struggle to modify specific assignments, activities and assessments on a daily basis. It is not an additional curriculum but rather modification of the one that teachers know so well and are currently using for all their students.Consensus from those who have tried this process has been that the initial effort required to create a basic modification plan was later rewarded by important a sharing of the work load and a significant saving of time and frustration in the midst of daily classroom instruction. In addition, benefits for students included higher achievement, an authentic assessment of what they had learned, greater independence and self-esteem, and assimilation into general education classrooms that was relevant and respectful.All things considered, our answer to why we wrote this handbook is our need to insure an appropriate education for all, our empathy for those who struggle academically and for their teachers, and most importantly, our desire to make a positive impact on the lives of those differently-abled young people who are depending on us.

156 pages, Paperback

Published September 5, 2017