Special Needs Students

Here are specific suggestions for accommodating special needs students within a Connected Mathematics classroom.

Using CMP with Special Needs Students
Modifying Assignments
Modifying Assessment
Grading Considerations
Parent and Guardian Support
Factors Essential for Student Success

Here are general suggestions for various classroom configurations that include special needs students.

Scheduling Special Needs Students in a Co-Taught Class
Instruction in a Co-Taught Math Class
Instructing Special Needs Students Without a Co-Teacher
De-tracking Math is Beneficial for All Students
Cautions for Teaching Heterogeneous Groups

Source of This Information

Using CMP with Special Needs Students

Connected Mathematics can be and has been successfully taught in classrooms in which special-needs students are included in heterogeneous classrooms. De-tracking of students offers the least restrictive environment for all students.

Teaching mathematics through problems allows all students an opportunity to achieve higher levels of understanding. Students develop their understanding through group as well as individual work and benefit from conversations about the mathematics embedded in the problem and the various strategies used to solve the problem. Many of the evaluation studies on CMP have included heterogeneous classrooms. (See the Research and Awards section.)

CMP provides all students with opportunities for leadership, encourages students to work cooperatively, and promotes self-esteem and self-acceptance in all students. However, the politics and structure of schools vary widely across the country, so the following suggestions from CMP classrooms are meant only as that—suggestions.

Since CMP is problem-based, it is also a language-based curriculum; for this reason, many teachers think students with learning disabilities will have difficulty. There are many techniques for helping students with reading difficulties. However, because the mathematics is embedded in the problems, the context can help all students make sense of the mathematics, including the symbols and rules that capture the main ideas and strategies. In the past, this help has not been available for students, including those with special needs.

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Modifying Assignments

• Modified assignments should be made available to any student who is at risk of failure, but only after student observation and parental permission.
• Photocopy assignments so students may write directly on the homework sheet.
• Do not run back-to-back copies for students who have difficulty transferring information.
• Enlarge assignments and increase spacing between problems for students with visual/perceptual or fine motor difficulties.
• Color-code or highlight important concepts/words or sequential step problems.
• Scaffold questions to guide students.
• Help students with organizational skills. Provide a procedure to keep track of assignments in all subjects. It also helps to have frequent backpack and notebook clean-outs.
• Modify the unit projects. You may want to let the special-education students and teacher select a common topic and/or work as a team. This allows the special-education teacher to scaffold the project in order to facilitate student success.
• Provide samples of finished products as models such as an occasional write-up for a problem, a mathematical reflection, or a project.
• Provide vocabulary supplements. These may include modified definitions and extra space for students to add their own examples or visual clues.
• Adjust the number of problems or pages assigned to match the student's capabilities.
• For many students, modifications become less frequent as the year progresses.
• Though scaffolding and other adjustments are made to the curriculum, maintaining the integrity of the mathematics content is the goal.

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Modifying Assessment

• Select specific test questions based on individual goals/objectives.
• Read quizzes aloud and check for understanding.
• Replace the numbers in the problems with "friendlier" numbers; for example, replace $4.99 with $5.00.
• Scaffold test questions. Add questions to guide student thinking.
• Allow students to dictate or give answers orally.
• Provide supplemental/alternative tests.

An example of how a Unit Test is adjusted for special needs students may be found in the Teacher's Guide of Variables and Patterns on pages 91–94.

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Grading Considerations

• Grade special needs students according to individual goals/objectives.
• The report card should reflect target grades for those students who receive accommodations based on individual needs. Be sure to get parental consent.
• When adjusted curriculum or grading is needed, it should be recorded in the IEP or Section 504.

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Parent and Guardian Support

• Parents of special-needs students should be aware of any special adjustments in the learning goals and grading that may occur for their student.
• Give parents or guardians suggestions for working with their students at home. These could be similar to those used by the special-education teacher or regular classroom teacher.
• Newsletters should include an overview of the curriculum, unit objectives, and strategies for helping students at home.
• Address issues regarding alternative options for homework.
• Parents of special needs students should be given a glossary of terms for each unit and any additional information needed to assist their student at home.

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Factors Essential for Student Success

• Collaboration of math and special education teachers
• Common planning time
• Plan ahead—preview each unit together for possible problems, adaptations, and modifications.
• Choose objectives and homework for different levels.
• Administrative support—Include special education teachers in math in-services, professional development, and department curriculum meetings.
• Contact time outside of the math classroom must be provided for the special education teacher and students.

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Scheduling Special Needs Students in a Co-Taught Class

Definition: A co-taught class is a regular education class that has two teachers assigned for the hour—one regular and one special education teacher.

• The special education teacher hand-schedules each student based on individual needs, which are determined by the IEP goals/objectives and recommendations of previous math teachers.
• The special education and regular education teachers are involved in the IEP process to develop goals, objectives, and behavior plans.
• Consideration is given for classroom populations that may include LD, EI, EMI, POHI, VI, HI, 504 Plans, and/or at-risk students.
• An ideal co-taught configuration contains 6–8 special education students.

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Instruction in a Co-Taught Math Class

• When possible, maintain heterogeneous groupings.
• The special education teacher may introduce lessons to the special needs students prior to joining the regular education classroom. This may include introducing vocabulary, pre-reading the investigations, or launching the investigation differently.
• The launch and class instruction is led by the regular education math teacher.
• The special education teacher gives added support during class by monitoring and circulating throughout the room to check for student progress and to provide one-to-one assistance as needed.
• Another option is parallel teaching by the special education teacher — teaching the same material in a small group within the regular math class setting.
• If essential goals for the units are NOT met before the final investigations are taught, the special needs students can be targeted for temporary small group instruction in a resource room setting.
• Collaboration is essential! The two teachers should discuss the basic skills of a unit and choose class work and homework assignments that practice those skills.

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Instructing Special Education Students Without a Co-Teacher

• The regular education teacher is responsible for each student's learning.
• Ask the special education department to share IEP's and accommodations for each student. Both the special education and classroom teachers are responsible for appropriate delivery of services outlined in the IEP.
• When planning a unit, the regular education teacher should ask for assistance from the school's special education department to pick essential goals for his/her special needs students.
• The special education department is responsible for writing the student's growth plan to include curriculum topics and units.
• Notify the special education teacher of upcoming activities (such as reading tests or helping with projects and other long term assignments) in which their assistance in the classroom will be needed.
• Communicate to the special education teacher when specially designed instruction is essential.
• Notify the special education teacher when students are falling behind or in danger of failing.

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De-Tracking Math is Beneficial for All Students

• It promotes self-esteem and self-acceptance through peer interaction for all students.
• It offers the least restrictive environment to special needs students.
• It exposes students to appropriate behaviors.
• It enables special needs students to become contributing members of the regular education population.
• It provides regular education students with opportunities for leadership roles through peer tutoring.
• It encourages all students to spend time working cooperatively.
• It engages all students in the mathematics of the unit.

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Cautions for Teaching Heterogeneous Groups

• Failure in heterogeneous groups must look at the curriculum AND instruction for faults. They are co-dependent.
• The teacher must be prepared for alternative activities. He/she should also have questions or activities ready to ensure that the academically talented feel challenged.
• At times, ability group within the class.
• Address pacing concerns.
• Know the curriculum well enough to know what "basics" at-risk students need to be successful in future mathematics units and classes.

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Source of This Information

These suggestions and ideas have been compiled over several years of working with students in CMP and not all of them are used on all students all of the time. These are various strategies tried with varying success with a variety of high needs students. These strategies are intended to be a springboard to help reflective teachers consider alternatives for their struggling students. We use more scaffolding early in the year and try to create more independence in students as the year progresses.

—Ruthanne Kladder and Jill Peitz, Traverse City Area Public Schools, MI

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These ideas were taken from the CMP Web site hosted by Michigan State University.