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Burnette, JaneAdapting Instructional Materials for MainstreamedStudents: Issue Brief 1.Council for Ex:eptional Children, Reston, Va.; ERICClearinghouse n Handicapped and Gifted Children,Reston, Va.Office of Speci.. Education and RehabilitativeServices (ED), Washington, DC. Div. of Innovation andDevelopment.Jun 87400-84-001023p.; A product of the ERIC/SEP Special Project onInteragency Information Dissemination.Information Analyses - ERIC Information AnalysisProducts (071) -- Reports - Des%:riptive (141)

EDRS PRICE MF01/PC01 Plus Postage.DESCRIPTORS *Disabilities; Elementary Secondary Education;

*Instructional Materials; Mainstreaming; *MaterialDevelopment; *Media Adaptation; Special Education

ABSTRACTThe report describes the procedures and products of

seven materials adaptation projects sponsored by the Office ofSpecial Education Programs in the U.S. Department of Education anddiscusses ideas and techniques that can be adopted by schooldistricts in their own materials adaptation efforts. Projectrequirements prescribed that adaptations should result in materialsthat could be used independently by students, would be adaptable to avariety of disabilities, would be accompanied by supplement.; (such asmanipulatives and games), would have different entry levels, andwould provide for evaluation of student progress. The report isorganized according to the eight steps of curriculum adaptation usedby the projects to develop their adapted materials: (1) develop alearner characteristics profile; (2) determine teachers'instructional needs; (3) analyze textbook and compare with needs oflearners and teachers to determine areas requiring modification; (4)determine specific modifications to be made; (5) develop goals andobjectives for the adaptations; (6) implement ongoing formativeevaluation; (7) select and train teachers for field testing; and (8)produce prototype, evaluate, and revise to develop final product.Appendixes provide descriptions of the seven funded projects andtheir proaucts and a bibliography. (DB)

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Points of view or .pinions stated in this docu-ment do not neCeLlanly represunt officialOERI position or policy

Adapting InstructionalMaterials forMainstreamed Studentsby Jane Burnette

A Product of the ERIC/SEP Special Project on InteragencyInformation Dissemination, the ERIC Clearinghouse onHandicapped and Gifted Children

Published by The Council for Exceptional Children

ERIC

2BESI COM

AILABLE.

I Issue Brief 1 I

'adapting Instructional Materials for Mainstreamed Students.

by Jane Burnette

Issue Brief 1The ERIC/SEP Special Project onInteragency Information Dissemination

The ERIC/SEP Special Project on Interagency Information Dissemination is designed to provide information aboutresearch in special education, in particular, research funded by the Division of Innovation and Development, Officeof Special Educatic a Programs, U.S. Department of Education. This product was developed by the ERICClearinghtn.se on Handicapped and Gifted Children under contract no. 400-84-0010 with the Office of SpecialEducation Programs, U.S. Department of Education. The content, however, does not necessarily reflect the positionof SEP/ED, and no official endorsement by either SEP or ERIC of these materials, the products discussed in thisreport, or the publications mentioned should be inferred.

I Contents I

PrefaceIntroduction 1

Overview of Project Procedures 3Phase I 4Phase II 8Phase III 12Appendix A 15Appendix B 19

I Preface I

From 1981 to 1985, the Office of Special EducationPrograms in the US. Department of Education spon-sored the adaptation of several widely used textbook-based curricula to make them more appropriate formainstreamed mildly handicapped students. The procure-ment was designed to provide instructional materialsin a form appropriate for a wide range of abilities andlearning styles, and thereby make available to regularclassroom teachers the educational media and materialsthey need to effectively instruct handicapped studentsintegrated into their classrooms. It was hoped that theseadaptation projects would act as a catalyst to materialsdevelopers and publishers by developing flexibletechniques and products appropriate for use by anentire class of students.

Many textbook-based curricula currently in use arenot designed for classes of students with a wide rangeof abilities or diverse learning styles. Although 68% ofall handicapped children receive the majority of theireducation in regular education classrooms, teachersreport problems in achieving instructional integrationof these students that result from a discrepancy betweenthe/ needc and the instructional materials used in class.At the time of the projects reported here, teachers weremodifying approximately 40% of the materials theyused.

A 1978 Educational Testing Service survey of morethan 30,000 teachers conducted as part of a nationalneeds assessment of educational media and materialsfor the handicapped higtlighted the need to modifycumcula to fit the varying skills and abilities ofmainstreamed students. Surveyed teachers gave as theirprimary reason for needing supplementary materials alack of variety and flexibility in the materials currentlyavailable. They indicated that the most significantproblems with existing materials arose from thevocabulary, use of repetition and manipulatives, andformats. They needed adapted materials that

Could be used independently by students.Are adaptable to a variety of disabilities.Are accompanied by more supplements, includingmanipulatives and games.

Have different entry levels.Provide for evaluation of student progress.

The teachers' needs served as goals for sevencurriculum adaptation projects sponsored by the U.S.Department of Education. These projects focused theirmodifications on such areas as vocabulary, rate ofconcept introduction, amount of repetition, inclusionof manipulatives, use of gaming, and design forindependent use. The projects were conducted by awide variety of organizations, including private educa-tional research centers (Macro Systems, Inc., EducationDevelopment Center, Inc., and the Technical EducationResearch Centers), university centers (Utah State Univer-sity Developmental Center for Handicapped Personsand the Experimentai Education Unit of the Universityof Washington), and an intermediate educational unit(the Allegheny Intermediate Unit, Pittsburgh, Pennsyl-vania).

The Office of Special Education Programs requiredthat the materials be designed so that mildly andmoderately handicapped students could use themwithout being singled out; this requirement resulted inmaterials that benefit all students in the regular class,including high performing students, nonhandicappedstudents with learning problems, and mainstreamedhandicapped students. Further, contractors were re-quired to involve the textbook publishers and authorsin the adaptation design. This ensured that theadaptations would meet the learning objectives of theoriginal text, and also enhanced the products' marketa-bility and potential for commercial publication. Thefollowing Issue Brief discusses the procedures andtechniques used by these projects to develop theirmaterials.

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I Introduction I

This report describes the procedures and products ofseven materials adaptation projects sponsored by theOffice of Special Education Programs in the U.S.Department of Education, and discusses ideas andtechniques that can be adopted by school districts intheir own materials adaptation efforts. The Departmentof Education projects adapted widely used elementaryand secondary curricula in social studies, science, andmathematics. The textbooks selected for adaptation hadhigh national sales volumes, indicating wide future useby school systems across the nation.

The projects created a number of imaginativeproducts to adapt these texts to the needs of handi-capped learners in regular classrooms. For example, theproject conducted by the Technical Education ResearchCenters created the first microcomputer-based adapta-tion of an elementary science curriculum for studentswith mild learning disabilities. Macro Systems, Inc.,developed audiocassettes depicting the life of thecommon man in different times and historical situationsbased on a secondary social studies text, Our CommonHeritage. The cassettes were accompanied by supple-mentary aids for the text, a world history data base, anda computerized management system for student data.

The Allegheny Intermediate Unit in Pittsburgh, Penn-sylvania, produced a resource book providing models,examples and reproducible masters of adapted curricu-lar materials; the project also designed and imple-mented a computerized procedure that comparesindividual students' learning characteristics and theirteachers' styles to provide a list of instructionaltechniques and supplementary aids appropriate for thestudent. The other projects created similarly imag-inative adapted materials that would be fun for studentsto use. These products utilized many types of instruc-tional media and supplementary aids, such as preread-ing organizers, framed outlines, study guides andworksheets, audiocassettes, and computer-based aids.

This report is organized according to the eight-stepprocedure used by the projects to develop their adaptedmaterials. Each step is discussed in a separate sectionthat includes examples of the projects' approaches andexperiences. Appendix A provides a brief descriptionof each of the projects and its package of adaptedproducts. A bibliography listing sources of informationon the curriculum adaptation process and its constit-uent steps comprises Appendix B.

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3

I Overview of Project Procedures IAlthough some of the procedures used by the projectsrequire resources beyond those available to individualteachers, many of the techniques are adaptable anduseful ideas that can be implemented by teachers withschool distric. support, and the more elaborate proce-dures can be implemented by school districts orintermediate units. As one project noted,

Teachers themselves could develop similar sorts ofmaterials. The process, however, is time-consuming,especially for complex texts. School systems thatsupport this idea should be encouraged to provide paidtime over the summer months to teachers who wouldbe charged with developing adaptations of [texts].Every effort should be made to take a team approach,by including both special educators and classroom

subject matter teachers in the curriculum developmenteffort. Such a team approach would ensure a betterproduct, and it would also serve as the catalyst forimproved communications between the resource roomor consulting special educator and the classmom.teacher. (Solomon, Education Development Center,1985)

The Department of Education projects all followeda set of basic steps to curriculum adaptation. shownbelow. Although formative evaluation is shown as astep in the process, it was ongoing throughout thedesign and development of the materials. The remain-der of this report will describe each step to curriculvadaptation and the approaches to each of these stei)staken by the projects.

Basic Steps to Curriculum AdaptationPHASE L Needs Assessments

Step 1. Develop a iearner characteristics profile.

Step 2. Determine teachers' instructional needs.

Step 3. Analyze textbook and compare with the needs of learners and teachers to determine areasrequiring modification.

IPHASE II. Design and Development

S tep 4. Determine specific modifications to be made.

Step 5. Develop goals and objectives for the adaptations.

iPHASE Ill. lesting and Production

S tep 6. Formative evaluation (ongoing).

Step 7. Select and train teachers for field testing.

Step 8. Produce prototype, evaluate, and revise to develop final product.

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I PHASE I INeeds Assessments

The Department of Education projects took variedapproaches to the assessments of learner characteristics,teacher needs, and the text to be modified. Theirapproaches were affected by the subject matter (socialstudies, science, or math), their philosophy toward theproject, and whether they had targeted a specifichandicapped population, such as students with learn-ing disablities. The projects strived for flexibility so thatthe adapted curriculum could be used for an entire classwith a wide range of abilities and learning styles, andby teachers with varying classroom organizations andteaching styles.

'Step 1..Assessing Learner Characteristics

The development of a learner characteristics profile toguide design can be crucial to the success of adaptedmaterials. The profile identifies the various means ofproviding students with access to the subject matter: Ithighlights skills that are difficult for students, somethods of conveying information that rely on theseskills can be avoided; it also highlights studentstrengths that can be capitalize.: on. The projectsinvestigated three aspects of learner characteristics:

Characteristics associated with specific handicappingconditions.

Current skill levels within the subject matter area.Individual abilities.

Learner characteristics: needs associated with learningdisabilities. Two projects examined characteristics asso-ciated with learning disabilities. The project conductedby the Education Development Center, which modifiedan American history text, noted the following indicatorsof learning disabilities identified by Deshler (1978):limited attendon span; memory disorders; and a varietyof perception and communication disorders that affectvocabulary acquisition, concept formation, reading,oral communication, and written communication. Asso-ciated with these problems are lowered self-concept,poor self-perception, and reduced motivation as a resultof the learning handicap.

The elementary science project conducted by theTechnical Education Research Centers also focused onlearning disabilities, noting that

most children need a change away from reading as theprimary source of science information, more time andencouragement '0 explore materials and phenomena,opportunities to report their findings and generalizediscoveries, and motivating activities for practicing,test-taking, and applying their newly found ideas ofcause and effect. Learning disabled students need thesefeatures and materials designed to overcome perceptualand memory handicaps. (Travis, Technical EducationResearch Centers, 1985:,

Learner characteristics: mathematics skill levels. Alearner characteristics profile based on subject matterskills was used by the Utah State University Develop-mental Center for Handicapped Persons, which adaptedmathematics materials. Three standard tests, the KeyMath, the Peabody Individual Achievement Test, andthe Individual Computational Skills Program, wereadministered to students in the project's field-testdistricts. Subtests and test items were analyzed todetermine student skills and deficiencies in the follow-ing areas: counting and place value, addition, sub-traction, multiplication, division, fractions, decimals,percentages, measurement, and word problems (applica-tions).

Learner characteristics: individual focus. The thirdaspect of a learner characteristics profile is exemplifiedby the one developed by Macro Systems, Inc., whichfocused on the abilities of individual students as ratedby their teachers. The project modified an Americanhistory text. A list of skills was compiled from a reviewof research and professional literature, and was pre-sented in seven categories: personal/social skills,written langauge, oral language, interpreting maps andglobes, understanding time and chronology, interpret-ing pictures and graphics, and thinking. Under eachcategory, a set of skills was listed (examples are shownon the next page). leachers were asked to indicatewhich skills are of greatest importance and to identifyareas in which supplemental aids have the greatest

impact leathers icrentified the percentage of theirmildly handicapped students who had extreme, some,and slight difficulty with each particular skill and thepercentage of students who would greatly, somewhat,or slightly benefit from supplemental materials.

Although Macro Systems developed their owninstrument to assess learner characteristics, otherinstruments are available commercially. For example,Meyers-Briggs publishes an inventory of learner style.In addition, some school districts have developedchecklists from the information available in studentfiles. A book available for $5 from the NationalAssociation of Secondary School Prinicpals, StudentLaming and Brain Behavior, includes an annotatedbibliography of learner characteristics profiles. (SeeAppendix B for further information.)

These three elements of learner characteristicsprofiles are important to consider before developingsupplementary aids or modifying curricula. Althoughindividual teachers wishing to modify materials maynot have the time or resources to survey large numbersof students or use procedures as elaborate as those usedby the projects, they can scrutinize the characteristicsof their students from these perspectives to help focusthe design of teacher-made supplements. The knowl-edge gained from such an examination can also aidteachers in other aspect of class management. Inaddition to using learning characteristics as guidingprinciples in the design of their adaptations, manyprojects included sections on learner characteristics inthe teacher's manuals that accompanied their materials.

More elaborate procedu,es are feasible on theschool district or regional level, as exemplified by aprogram developed by the Allegheny IntermediateUnit that matches student needs with teacher style,discusssed in the next section.

'Step 1.Examples of StudentCharacteristics from aStudent Needs Profile

Thinking Skills

synthesizingclassifyingorganizing informationanalyzing problems

Written Language Skills

reading comprehension

Oral Language Skills

summarizingreasoninginterpreting

Interpreting Maps and Globes

Interpreting Pictures and Graphic Materials

analyzing the organization and structureof charts

identifying comparisonsdetermining the bases on which graphs

are builtSocial Skills

working independentlyfocusing attentionsustaining attention

Understanding Time and Chronology

Note. From Macro Systems, Inc., 1985.

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6

'Step 2.Assessing Teachers'Instructional NeedsTo meet the needs of handicapped students, manyteachers already modify their instruction through avariety of methods, including less lecturing and moreconcretr xamples. However, a precise and structuredassessment of teachers' styles, preferred instructionaland evaluation techniques, and logistical constraints inrelation to student characteristics can help to pinpointthe types of adapted and supplemental materials mostneeded. For example, if class time is at a premium, then'learner directed" materials such as student worksheetsmay be most beneficial. On the other hand, someteachers may want to promote group interaction orsupplement lectures with visual aids.

The examples on the next column present someareas typically addressed on assessments of teachers'instructional needs. Assessing teacher needs in compar-ison to learner characteristics can help to fill in the gapsbetween actual and ideal learning results. The Al-legheny Intermediate Unit, which modified a historycurriculum, matched individual students' results on thelearner characteristics profile to the teacher's style inorder to identify areas of mismatch between studentand teacher. Some examples of the kinds of problemsdiscovered are

The teacher uses large group instruction, but thestudent has difficulty learning in large groups.The student needs oral directions because of readingproblems, but the teacher instructs students to readthe directions given in the workbook. (AlleghenyIntermediate Unit, 1984)

Commercial instruments that assess teacher style arealso available. For more information on assessingteacher and learner characteristics, see People Types andTiger Stripes, (Center for Applications of Psychologicallype, Inc., 1983, Appendix B).

In addition to a teacher style profile, the AIUconducted a teacher survey of materials to highlightareas where adapted supplemental materials wereneeded. The diagnostic process was computerized andinformation from the various profiles was entered asnew students entered history classes. The computerprinted appropriate teaching options for each student,including examples of adapted materials.

'Step 2.Examples of TopicsAddressed in Teachers'Instructional NeedsAssessments

Classroom Management

classroom organization and structuregroupingdirectionsclassroom rulesmotivation techniques

Presentation

methods of presenting new informationto students

cognitive levelPractice and review

materialsmethods of practice

Evaluation

written testsclass discussionproiectstest time limitstest length content level of tests

Personal Style

need for structureleadership stylebeliefs about how students learndiscipline and management style

1 0

Step 3.Analyzing the Textbook

The Department of Education projects selected textswith a high national sales volume, indicating broadfuture use by school systems. The texts were analyzedto identify aspects that did not meet the identifiedstudent and teacher needs. For example, the EducationDevelopment Center conducted a survey of Americanhistory texts, which revealed a number of commoncharacteristics that make their use by students withlearning disabilities difficult their length (often over800 pages), highly sophisticated vocabulary, highreading levels, and difficult organization.

[American history] texts are notorious for telescopinghundreds of years of history into many densely packedpages. All of the textbooks we reviewed provided /ludentswith a detailed chronology of our nation's hisbry. In themix of dates, events, historical personalities, vars, andother historical facts, important underlying concepts arerarely highlighted. For able readers, an understanding ofthe u nderlying concepts emerges from the rich narrative,but for poor readers or less able students, the immersionof concepts in a mix of detail can be overwhelming.Improved student access and pathways to the text [areneeded]. (Solomon, Education Development Center, 1985.)

Some projects, like the Allegheny IntermediateUnit, took their analyses one step further and devel-oped unit and chapter hierarchies that outline criticalconcepts, facts, and ideas based on Bloom's Taxonomyof Cognitive Levels. Others identified one or two criticalconcepts from a review and content analysis of eachchapter. These concepts were used in developingadapted products that included only the most impor-tant historical information.

The aspects of the text that were typically examinedin the analyses are shown in tLe next column.

7

uStep 3.Features Typically Examinedin Textbook Analysis

Materia ..ontent

vocabulary and reading levelconcept development and generalizationreasoning and decision makingspecific skill development

Methods of Presentation/Organizationsequence of materialamount of material presentedmethod of presentationtype of directions givenamount of repetition and reviewtype of evaluation and testing

Supplementary Materialsstudent study aids (activity sheets,

overviews, etc.)descriptions of learning objectives, key

concepts, and teaching strategiesFormat

design, layout, and print organization ofteaching units

large or small group usageindependent student usageeffective use of graphic display, photographs,

and illustrations

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I PHASE 11 IDesign and Development

The design and development phase brings the informa-fion from the needs assessments together to form thespecifications for a set of adapted materials structuredto meet idenfified needs. The two steps in the designand development phase are (1) determine the specificmodifications to be made, and (2) develop goals andobjectives for the adaptations. Throughout the designand development process, formative evaluation asdescribed in Step 6. was ongoing.

Step 4.Determining the SpecificModifications to Be Made

The projects tried to create adapted materials thatwould be flexible enough to be used under differentinstructional conditions with a variety of learners. Oncethey had identifed the problematic areas or aspects ofthe text to be modified, they selected formats thatwouldmeet student and teacher needs. An example of oneproject's products related to student needs is presentedon the next page. The design phase of curriculumadaptation represents a creative process that cannot bedescribed in a step-by-step manner. Each designsituation is unique, and each effort differs in the humanand financial resources and time constraints that mustbe placed on it.

The Department of Education projects' commongoal was to teach the basic learning objectives of thetext equally well to all students in the regular class.They kept special student characteristics in mindthroughout the development process and incorporatedspecific techniques to address these needs. Examplesof the formats and special techniques used by theprojects and their goals and objectives are given afterStep 5.. ALhough many of the techniques used by theprojects require time or resources beyond those avail-able to individual teachers, many formats and tech-niques are not particularly elaborate or time consuming.

In developing materials to meet the needs of speciallearners, the projects created products that can enhancethe motivation and learning of the entire class. Forexample, the Education Development Center's Ameri-can history project wanted to include experiential homeactivities in their modifications. They designed anactivity for each of the 12 chapters of the text that wouldinvolve students actively in historical investigations inwhich they must seek information from adults. In oneof these activities, students are asked to create a list oftechnology in the home during their grandparents'childhood, their parents' childhood, and their ownchildhood. In another activity, students interview theirparents and other adults about the Vietnam War.

The Technical Education Research Center's micro-computer-based science project wanted a more tangibleway of demonstrating the core concept of matter andheat energy, that is, that all matter is made up ofmolecules in motion, and adding or removing heatenergy changes the speed and arrangement of themolecules; this in tur n produces changes in the physicalproperties of matter. To demonstrate the concept, thedevelopers designed a picture of molecules in motionon the computer screen. Temperature probes connectedto the computer are calibrated with ice and boilingwater to show the motion of water molecules in variousstates of matter: solid, liquid, and gas. As the probetouches ice, water, and water vapor, the moleculesdepicted on the screen move faster crid fartherapart.

At the University of Washington's ExperimentalEducation Unit, an extensive series of experimentsassessing the effectiveness of different types of supple-mentary materials was conducted. For example, onestudy assessed vocabulary sheets and study guides.Both of these techniques were found to improve studentlearning; these improvements were shown for highperforming students as well as those performing atlower levels, and for learning disabled students as wellas nonhandicapped students. For a discussion ofvarious study aids, seo Teaching Study Skills: A Guide forTeachers (Devine, 1981, Appendix B).

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.Step 4.

An Example of One Project's Products Related to Student Needs

Student Needs

Written language skillsReading comprehensionDifferentiating main ideasOrganizing ideasThirddng skillsHypothesizing/predictingComparing/contrastingSynthesizing and abstractingClarifying/organizing informationAnalyzing problemsProblem solvingAssociating related ideasDiscussion of learning characteristics

Formats

Chapter previewsStudent activity sheetsMicrocomputer software

Student activity sheetsMicrocomputer softwareAudiocassettes

Information for teachers

Note: From Macro Systems, Inc., 1985.

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iStep 5.Developing Goals and Objectives

Goals and objectives for the modified materials weredeveloped in keeping with those of the original textMacro Systems project which developed a history database, listed the following student abilities as goals:

Order and sort data.Form concepts.Set priorities in the use of criteria.Give examples as evidence.Discern relationships.Compare and contrastMake inferences.Support judgments with reason.Problem solve.Construct hypotheses and make predictions.

The lessons lead students through a step-by-stepapproach to building and testing a hypothesis. Afterstudents and instructors become familiar With thematerial in the data base and the functions of the database manager, they may develop their own questions,hypotheses, and different ways of using the data base.Term paper ideas may germinate from exploring thedata in the files or the files themselves.

The project also developed a computerized instruc-tional management system that helps teachers trackstudent progress in meeting the objectives of the textrelated to these goals. Enabling objectives for each ofthe textbook objectives are included in the system, aswell as a computer technique for charting the progressof each child as he/she meets the enabling objectives.As these products were developed, they underwent acontinual design, development, and retest cycle. Thiscycle is discussed in the following section.

.

Types of Adapte4Special Techniques Used

,

ProductsPrint Products

Structured overviewsPrereading organizersChapter or section summariesStudent study sheetsWorksheets with feedbackTutorial quizzesWord or phrase banks

Audiotapes

Audiotapes

Activities, Manipulatives, and Games

Home activitiesManipulativesGames

Microcomputer Software

CoursewareInstructional management systems

,1 L-4

'Step 5.troducts Produced by the Projects,

oals and Objectives

Techniques Enabling Objectives Goals

Frames around page to help studentsconcentrate and focus attention

Reduced reading levelAddress limited number of conceptsLimited number of items per pagePictures or diagramsBoldfaced vocabulary wordsLocation cues to help students find

pages/paragraphs with answersConcise, boldfaced directions

Print ProductsCreate reading anticipation

Bypass reading problemsStimulate discussionProvide repetition of key elements

Provide review and repetitionAvoid overwhelming the student

Help students understand directions

Increase reading comprehension

Learn important conceptsDevelop vocabularyCultivate skills such as graph, chart,

and map reading

Stopping points in script soamount of information presented canbe adjusted to teacher and studentneeds

Sound effects, music, and dramatictechniques

Summaries provided on tapes

AudiotapesSimplify concepts and language

Increase motivation

Summarize materialBypass reading problemsCapture student interest

Develop listening skills

Learn important concepts

Conversion of reading-based tohands-on activities

Activities, Manipulatives, and GamesIncrease motivation

Develop concepts

Involve parents

Develop and apply conceptsDevelop another mode of learning

11

Simple keyboard design

Simple screen design

Help menusAdjustable length oi pausesSelf-pacingFeedback for responsesSound effectsGraphicsInclusion of tools for instantaneous

graphing of scientific data

Track student progressCapability for teacher modification

of student discsMaintain data for and print reports

Microcomputer SoftwareBypass reading problems

Provide repetition and feedbackwhen needed

Capture student interestIncrease motivationIllustrate concepts graphically

More effective use of instructional timeEnable teachers to custom design

instruction

Increase skills in graph, chart, andmap reading

Develop, research, and testhypotheses

Greater individualization ofinstruction

Provide documentation for parents,reports, IEP meetings

Save administrative time

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I PRASE III ITesting and Production

The testing and production phase includes formativeevaluation, teacher training, data collection, and finalproduction of the materials. Formative evaluation wasused throughout the development process to ensurethat the new materials would be appropriate for thetarget students and would attract and sustain studentinterest, that teachers would find the materials helpfuland convenient to use, and that the new materialswould produce results with their target populationsimilar to the results produced by the original materialswith their target population. Teachers to participate inthe evaluation were selected and trained in the use ofthe adapted materials. Data on the materials werecollected by various means and compared to a set ofevaluation criteria. Once it was determined that theevaluation criteria were met, the materials wereproduced in final corm.

.Step 6.Formative EvaluationThe formative evaluation consists of a cycle of1. Identifying needs.2. Adapting materials.3. Sharing materials.4. Implementing curriculum adaptations.5. Evaluating materials.

As applied to the projects, this was a cyclical feedbackprocess that involved key groups whose various needsand objectives were incorporated into the materials.The key groups included state and local school systemadministrators and curriculum specialists, site teamleaders, participating teachers, the publisher and author,subject matter specialists, and software developers.Revisions to the adapted materials were ongoingthroughout the formative evaluation cycle, based oncriteria suggested by the needs assessments. As theywere developed, the materials were reviewed andfeedback was incorporated into the revisions.

Macro Systems, Inc., noted that for effectiveformative evaluation, the communications process

should be flexible and fluid so that constructive andcreative suggestions are not stifled from any partyinvolved. Further, the process must be simple and easyto understand and implement. It must support thematerials development effort rather than burden it.Clearly defined and agreed upon criteria must establishthe parameters of the final form of materials and mustbuild in the necessary quality control assurances.Finally, the formative evaluation process must conformto the school year and the instructional sequence usedby particpating teachers.

Although teachers modifying materials may nothave access to all of the key groups involved in theprojects' evaluations, they can enlist other teachers toreview and test their modifications. In addition toproviding useful information for revisions, involvingboth regular and special education teachers in theprocess can serve as a catalyst to improve communica-tion, and use of the same materials can set up astructure, common goals, and a schedule that allowsspecial and regular teachers to work together and sharetheir expertise.

.Steps 7 and 8.Teacher Training, Data Collection,and Final Production

For field-testing throughout the evaluation cycle,participating teachers were trained in the use of thematerials prior to incorporating them into regularclassroom instruction. Generally, the purposes of thetraining were to ensure that the teachers understoodthe goals and techniques of the adaptations and themethods of collecting evaluation data. The AlleghenyIntermediate Unit (AIU) broadened the scope of itstraining, however, and conducted a training programthat is perhaps the most extensive of all of the projects.The AIU first conducted a survey on the training needsof the teachers it serves, and used this information toplan in-service training for the project. The objectivesof the training were to help teachers become familiarwith the characteristics of handicapped students and

the components of the project, to provide informationon learning styles, and to show how to use thediagnostic information to plan classroom adaptations.The AIU continues its iraining for teachers in adaptingcurricula, and has developed a manual for teachers oncurriculum adaptation, called the ADAPT Manual(Allegheny Intermediate Unit, Appendix B).

Training sessions held by the project also servedas a forum for the exchange of ideas. For example, theWestern Pennsylvania Regional Resource Center hosteda workshop for the teachers involved in the AlleghenyIntermediate Unit's project. At this workshop, teacherssurveyed commercial materials for ideas and describedadapted activities that they had successfully imple-

.Steps 6, 7, and 8.Sample Evaluation Criteria

13

mented in their classrooms. An exchange of additionaluses for these materials generated ideas for new anddifferent products.

As the Department of Education projects testedtheir materials in classrooms, evaluation data werecollected (a) on review forms, (b) through meetings anddiscussions, and (c) by observation. The data werecompared with specified evaluation criteria, and thematerials were revifed and reevaluated. A sample ofoverall product evaluation criteria is shown below.Once it was felt that the products met these criteria,they were produced in final form and published.

I. Staff development program adequately trains teachers to understand and implementmaterials produced.

2. Materials are appropriate for target student population's learning styles and abilities as identified bystudent characteristics profile.

3. Materials attract and sustain student interest.4. Materials can be easily and conveniently used by teachers.5. Materials meet teacher needs identified in the instructional needs assessment.6. Materials produce results in student achievement comparable to results obtained for

regular students using the original materials.

I Appendix A IBrief Descriptions of Projects and Their Products

Contractor: Macro Systems, Inc.Contract Number 300-83-0264Grade and Subject secondary world historyTextbook Adapted: Our Common Heritage published by Ginn

and Co.Product Publishers:Data Base: "Quest for Files," Mindscape, 3444 N. Dundee

Rd., Northbrook, IL 60062, Order No. 85-822(Apple) ($125.00); 85-823 (IBM) ($125.00).

Audiotapes: "A Sound History of the World," DLM TeachingResources, DLM Park, P.O.Box 4000, Allen, TX 75002,Order No. GI500J ($99.00)

Products:

1. Teacher's guide. Helps teachers understand the learn-ing characteristics and needs of mildly handicappedstudents; includes approaches to management andorganization of the ability-integrated classroom,general strategies for adapting curricula, and sug-gestions for creative supplemental activities for usewith students. For each chapter, key vocabulary aredefined and primary and enabling objectives pro-vided. Teachers can use the objectives to developactivities and evaluate student performance. Theguide contains chapter organizers and summariesat a reading level below grade 8. These previews andsummaries create reading anticipation and serve asreview aids; they can also be used as a stimulus forclass discussion or as directed silent reading assign-ments.

2. Student activity and study skills sheets. Strengthencurriculum elements through creative repetition,vocabulary development and improved readingcomprehension; and cultivate learning skills such asgraph, chart, and map reading.

3. Audiocassettes. Depict life in historically importanttimes and places; simplify concepts and language;and are graduated in complexity of content, conceptload, and sophistication of vocabulary. Summariesare provided on the tapes. Sound effects, periodmusic, and dramatic techniques enhance the scriptsand capture students' interest, increasing motivationand listening skills. Supplemental print materialsreinforce vocabulary, people and events, and theideas and concepts in the audiocassettes. Concisesentences at a simplified reading level describe thecontent of the tapes and ask students to think about

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important concepts. Three student activity work-sheets each focus on a different area: vocabulary caxlhistorical terms; people, places and events; and ideasand concepts.

4. %WV history data base. Helps students learn facts,understand relationships, and develop conceptswhile acquiring skills in the use of the computer. Thesoftware includes a simple data base managerintegrated with data adapted from the textbook andmany other sources.

5. Electronic gradebook. Helps teachers track studentprogress in meeting the objectives of the text. ThisComputerized Instructional Management Systemcontains enabling objectives for.each of the textbookobjectives and a computer technique for charting theprogress of earl child as he or she meets the enablingobjectives. It can record, compute, and print reportsof student performance, eliminating hand calcula-tions and other time consuming record keepingtasks. It is especially valuable for teachers who wantto monitor student performance cls-sely, have carefuldocumentation of student status in meeting objec-tives, and provide colleagues and parents withdetailed documentation. It was written for teacherswith or without computer experience.

Contractor: Macro Systems, Inc.Grade level and subject: Middle school American historyTextbook adapted: America's Heritage published by Ginn and

Co.Product publisher (audiotapes): "A Sound History of Ame-

rica," DLM Teaching Resources, I DLM Park, P.O. Box4000, Allen, TX 75002, Order No. G8400J ($99.00)

Products:

1. Audiocassettes depicting vignettes of life in differentperiods of American history. Includes 10 two-sidedcassettes that each present a 10-minute lesson. Theprogram covers exploration to the present time andclosely parallels the standard curriculum.

2. Teacher's guide supplementary materials. Includes ananswer key, creative teaching suggestions, anddiscussion starters.

3. Student activity sheets with recall questions for review.Ninety-six blackline masters are included.

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Contractor: Technical EducationResearch CentersContract Number 300-83-0266Grade level and subject: elementary scienceTextbook adapted: Heath Science published by D.C. Heath

and Co.Product publisher "Exploring Matte?' (Grade 4) (Order

no. ISBN 14608-0, $150.00) and "Heat Energy" (Grade 5)(Order no. ISBN 11109-0, $66.00), D.C. Heath and Com-pany, 2700 N. Richarc It Ave., Indianapolis, IN 46219,1-800-334-3284

Products:

1. Student software in three categories:Dictionary entries for quick reference and reviewof science concepts. The entries use attractiveannotated graphics and simulations to demon-strate concepts such as the transition from solidto liquid gas in the water cycle;;!hermal expansion,contraction and conduction; and the constructionof molecules from atoms.

Tutorial quizzes that give students unlimitedchances to answer challenging questions. Thequizzes provide Corrective feedback and addi-tional opportunities to answer if the student isincorrect.

Active learning and hands on use of materials inthe form of games and demonstrations, graphicsand graphs. Durable temperature probes attachto the computer's game ports, converting thecomputer to a tool for temperature collection anddisplay in the form of thermometers and linegraphs. As the student touches objects with theprobes, the screen display instantly reflects tem-peratures. The program will print out a graph atany point during measurement. A game in whichplayers race through a course touching the probeto objects of different temperatures is included.

2. Teacher software that allows easy individualization ofstudent disks. Teachers can choose the student'slearning programs and provide special features suchas sound, adjusted length of pause prior to keyboardacceptance of input, special vocabulary, and screenformat.

3. A teacher's guide that provides complete lesson plans,including suggestions for enrichment activities, studentsheets and tie-ins to other subjects. It contains specialsections on helping learning disabled studentssucceed in science, managing a computer-basedscience classroom, and using the teacher programeffectively to individualize student disks.

Contractor: EducationDevelopment Center, Inc.Contract Number 300-83-0265Grade level and subject: secondary American historyTextbook adapted: A History of the United States published by.

Ginn and Co.

Products:

1. A Teacher's Resource Guide for use with the text. Theguide contains

35 sets of self-instruction worksheets (one perchapter), each including an entry sheet thatpresents key vocabulary, a timeline to highlightkey concepts, a structured series of questions, anda self-test to help students assess their ownunderstanding of the chapter's main points(answer sheets are included).Instructions to the teacher on ways to use theworksheets.

One classrocm activity for each of the 12 unitsthat provides teachers with methods of teachingimportant concepts in ways that build upon thestrengths of learning disabled students but aresuitable for the entire class. The activities do notrequire proficiency in reading and writing, but areconcrete experiential activities that rely on oral orvisual learning modes.One home activity for each of the 12 units thatinvolves students and parents or other adults innonthreatening fun activities that build on animportant unit concept.A selected bibliography of literature on socialstudies and learning disabled persons.

2. Prototype software for an eventual five part software seriesto promote the development of map skills. It includes

A program for the first level.Map graphics for all five levels.A draft teacher's manual.A draft students' activities workbook with paper-and-pencil activities correlated to all five levels ofthe software.

The five levels of software contain increasinglydifficult maps and mapping operations. Students workfirst with finding straight line distance, then routedistance, then they manipulate and draw inferencesfrom map symbols, and finally, solve problems requir-ing facility with elevation maps. Each level breaks theseoperations down into finer subtasks, models theappropriate way to use the computer as a tool to solveproblems, and provides students with an opportunityto solve their own problems. The prototype alsoprovides a means to help students organize theirresponses in advance, reinforcement, and help keys.

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For example, the software presents problems suchas the following: students are asked to follow an Irishfamily circa 1850 as they emigrate to the U.S. A map isintroduced on the screen and the computer demon-strates the steps to solving the problem. A new problemof the same type is presented and the student solves itfollowing the steps demonstrated earlier. If the studentis incorrect, he or she presses a help key and thecomputer demonstrates the proper steps to solving theproblem the student was working on.

Contractor: ExperimentalEducation Unit, University ofWashingtonGrade level and subject secondary scienceTextbook adapted: Experiences in Physical Science, published

by Laidlaw Brothers Publishing Co.Product publisher: 'Physical Science Vocabulary Program,"

Precision Teaching Materials and Associates, Box 6262,Great Falls, Montana 59406

Products:

1. The Physical Science Vocabulary Program. The kitincludes worksheets and exercises to develop vocab-ulary, an instruction manual and glossaries, a samplestudent folder, standard behavior chart, 20 vocabu-lary practice sheets, and an evaluation form.

2. Evaluation of Approaches. Two evaluations wereconducted. In the first, experimental, control, andcontrast groups in seven science classrooms in oneschool were used to compare the effects of studyguides and precision teaching. There were 42students in the experimental group, 70 in the controlgroup, and 124 in the contrast group. The use ofprecision teaching and study guides were randomlyscheduled. The gain scores on a multiple choice testshowed both approaches equally effective, and bothbetter than no adaptation of the materials for allstudents.

The stridy guides emphasized the main idea ofeach chapter. Two types were used: (a) a framedoutline containing a sequenced list of the chapter'smain ideas, with key words blanked out (studentsfilled them in while the teacher lectured), and (b)vocabulary exercise worksheets containing vocabu-lary words but not their definitions (students wrotethem in) and another set of worksheets thatcontained definitions but omitted the words. Anadditional vocabulary exercise was word-to-definition matching. The primary means of instruc-tion was lecturing. The teacher placed transparencieson the overhead projector, described the variouspoints, and asked the students questions. The teacher

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also arranged some games for the children withvocabulary words.

In the precision teaching approach, students werepaired and one member of each pair read isolatedwords from a vocabulary drill sheet. Partnersswitched roles at one minute intervals. Whenstudents reached the proficiency level (80 w.p.m.),they were given a phrase sheet instead of the singleword vocabulary sheet. On the third day, studentswere provided with a page of sentences that hadsome words left out; the students filled them in. Theychecked their own answers and recorded theirscores. They continued using the practice sheets forfive additional days.

3. For the second evaluation, a combination of vocabularyexercises and framed outlines was used in sevenclasses with 202 students. Over a period of 12 weeks,eight chapters of the text were covered; the modifica-tions were used for some chapters but not for others.The vocabulary exercises were basedon the precisionteaching method, with eight words printed on asheet in random order, each repeated at least threetimes. The framed outlines showed 10 to 12 of thechapter's main ideas in their logical sequence,presenting a structure that allowed teachers andpupils to identify and rehearse the sequence of thechapter's main ideas. Criterion-referenced tests wereadministered to the students before and after theyworked on each chapter. The data showed that thescores of handicapped as well as nonhandicappedstudents were better when the chapters weremodified.

Contractor: AlleghenyIntermediate Educational Unit,Project TOSS (Teaching Optionsfor Social Studies)Contract Number: G0083-038Grade level and subject: intermediate social studiesTextbook adapted: Challenge of Freedom published by Laidlaw

Brothers Publishing Co.Product publisher: "Study Activities" (Order No. 6575,

$66.00) and "Teacher's Manual" (Order No. 6576, $2.19),Laidlaw Brothers Publishing Co., Thatcher & Madison,River Forest, IL 60305, (312) 366-5320.

Products:

1. A book of reproducible masters for adapted materials anda teacher's guide. The adapted materials formatsinclude structured study guides and informationorganizers that help students summarize content;concept activities that explain abstract material in aconcrete manner; group activities that provide forpeer support and interaction; and games and

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manipulatives that provide a fun and stimulatingway to review for tests. The materials incorporatedthe following features:

Location dues to help students find the page orparagraph that holds the answer.Minimal reading for each activity.Clear and concise directions printed in bold type.Word or phrase banks to assist students withmemory or recognition difficulty.Pictures and diagrams for visual stmulation andclarity.

The worksheets and study guides were developedusing unit and chapter hierarchies that outline criticalconcepts, facts, and ideas based on Bloom's Taxonomyof Cognitive Levels.2. A computer-based system to match teaching options to

teacher style and learner characteristics. Informationfrom the teacher style profile and learner profile isentered into Cle computer, which identifies anymismatch between student needs and teacher style.The computer prints out appropriate teaching op-tions for each individual student along with exam-ples of adapted materials appropriate for the student.(Additional money was provided by the AILJ to fundthe development of this system, and it is notcommercially available.)

Contractor: Utah State UniversityDevelopmental Center forHandicapped Persons

Contract Number: 300-82-0320Grade level and subject: Secondary mathematicsTextbook adapted: Supplemental courseware for a variety of

math textsProduct publisher: "Instructional Management System, Math"

(For Apple, $179.00 + $5.00 handling), Grolier ElectronicPublishers, Inc., Sherman Turnpike, Danbury, CT 06186,(800) 858-8858

Product:

Supplemental Arithmetic for Microcomputers (SAM)courseware. This is a material-generation and record-management program designed to be used byremedial education teachers as a supplement totraditional mathematics textbook series. It providesteachers with sequenced behavioral objectives andprintouts of placement tests, individualized work-sheets, and students' progress records. All objectivesare cross-referenced to commercial mathematicstextbooks so that the learner can continue learningthe math concepts taught in the regular classroomafter remediation with SAM.

I APPENDIX B 1Bibliography

Adams, A., Carnine, D., & Gersten, R. (1982). Instructionalstrategies for studying content area texts in the intermedi-ate grades. Reading Research Quarterly, 18, 27-55.

Alley, G. R. and Deshler, D. D. (1979). Teaching the learningdiserled adolescent: Strategies and methods. Denver: LovePublishing Company. ,

Allegheny Intermediate Unit. (1984, January). ExceptionalChildren's Program Project TOSS (Teaching Options forSocial Studies). Final report. Submitted to the US. Depart-ment of Education, Special Education Programs. Availablefrom the ERIC Document Reproduction Service, 3900Wheeler Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22304 (1-800-227-3742).

Allegheny Intermediate Unit. ADAPT manual. Available fromthe ERIC Document Reproduction Service, 3900 WheelerAvenue, Alexandria, VA 22304 (1-800-227-3742.)

Benedetti, D. (1984). The effectiveness of an instructionaladaptation on the acquisition of science information by learningdisabled students. (Doctoral Dissertation, University ofWashington, Seattle.)

Bloom, Benjamin, et al. (1956). Taxonomy of educationalobjectives, handbook 1: Cognitive domain. New York: DavidMcKay and Company, Inc.

Canfield, Albert A., and Canfield, Judith S. (1976). Instructionalstyles inventory. Ann Arbor, Michigan: Humanics Media,Liberty Drawer 7970, Ann Arbor, MI 48107.

Center for Applications of Psychological Type, Inc. (1983).People types and tiger stripes: A practical guide to learningstyles. P. O. Box 13807, Gainsville, FL 32604.

Coleman, L. J. (1979). Using readability data for adaptingcurriculum materials. Education and Training of the MentallyRetarded, 14, 163-169.

Darch, C., & Carnine, D. W. (1981). Effects of explicit instruction,visual displays, and team games on acquisition of informationfrom expository material. Unpublished manuscript, Univer-sity of Oregon, Eugene.

Deshler, D. D. (1978). Psychoeducational aspects of learningdisabled adolescents. In L. Mann, L. Goodman, and J. L.Weiderhold (Eds.), Teaching the learning disabled adolescent.BosWn: Houghton Mifflin.

Deshler, D. D., & Graham, S. (1981). Tape recordingeducational materials for secondary handicapped students.TEACHING Exceptional Children, 12,54.

Deshler, D. D., Lowrey, N., and Alley, G. R. (1978).Programming alternatives for learning disabled adoles-cents: a nationwide survey. Academic Therapy, 14.

Devine, Thomas G. (1981). Teaching study skills: A guide forteachers. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, Inc.

Experimental Education Unit, University of Washington,Adapting science materials for regular and learningdisabled seventh graders. Remedi..1 and Special Education,7(1), 31-39.

Far West Laboratory for Education Research and Develop-ment. Padarging your educational program. 1855 FolsomStreet, San Fransisco, CA 94103.

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Glass, R. Christiansen, J., and Christiansen, J. L. (1982).Teaching exceptional students in the regular classroom. Boston:Little, Brown.

Lenz, B. K. (1982). The effect of aavance organize, 3 on the learningand retention of learning disabled adolescents within the ontextof a cooperative planning model. (Doctoral Dissertation,University of Kansas, Lawrence, 1982.)

Lovitt, T., Rudsit, J., Jenkins, J., Pious, C. and Benedetti, D.,(1985). Experimental Education Unit, University of Wa-shington. Two methods of adapting science materials forlearning disabled and regular seventh graders. LearningDisability Quarterly, 8, 275-285.

Meyen, E. L., Vergason, G. A., and Whelan, R. J. (Eds.). (1983).Promising practices for exceptional children: Curriculumimplications. Denver: Love Publishing Company.

Macro Systems, Inc. (1985, July). Final report for contract#300-83-0264. Report submitted to the US. Department ofEducation, Special Education Programs. Available from theERIC Document Reproduction Service, 3900 WheelerAvenue, Alexandria, VA 22304. (1-800-227-3742).

Maloney, C. R. and Solomon, M. Z. (1987). ConceptualizingAmerican history for learning disabled students. Manuscriptsubmitted for publication.

National Association of Secondary School Principals, (1982).Student learning styles and brain behavior. Available fromNASSP 1904 Association Dr., Reston, VA 22091.

National Science Foundation. (1982). Nationalpatterns of scienceand technology resources. Washington, DC: Author.

Pfeiffer, J. W. and Jones, J. E. (1973). A handbook of structuredexperiences in human relations training (Vols 1-7). CA:University Associates.

Reynolds, M. C. and Birch, J. W. (1977). Teaching exceptionalchildren in all America's schools: A first course for teachers andprincipals. Reston, VA: The Council for Exceptional Chil-dren.

Schmuck, Richard A., and Schmuck, Patricia A. (1982). Grouppractices in the classroom (3rd ed.). Dubuque, IA: WilliamC. Brown.

Solomon, M. (1985, June). Adaptation of instructional materialfor use with mainstreamed students. Draft report submittedby the Education Development Center, Inc., to the U.S.Department of Education, Special Education Programs,Contract No. 300-83-0265. Available from the ERICDocument Reproduction Service, 3900 Wheeler Avenue,Alexandria, VA 22304. (1-800-227-3742).

Sprick, R. S. (1979). A comparison of recall scores for visual-spatial,visual-serial, and auditory presentations of intermediate gradecontent. (Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University ofOregon, Eugene.)

Stowitschek, C. E. (undated). Development of a microcomputersystem to supplement secondary level mathematics curricula.Final report on contract No. 300-32-0320, submitted by theUtah State University Developmental Center for Handi-capped Persons to the US. Department of Education,

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Spedal Education Programs. Available from the ERirDocument Reproduction Service, 3900 Wheeler Avenue,Alexandria, VA 22304. (1-800-227-3742).

Travis, B. (1984-E, winter). Science courseware for learningdisabled students, in Hands On! Technical EducationResearch Centers Newsletter, 8(1), 12.

Wood, Judy W. (1984). Adapting instruction for the mainstream.Columbus, OH: Charles E. Merrill Publishing Company.

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