Thorough and exceptional list of strategies for reaching a wide range of student learners, but especially catering to those who require more challenge, as well as those who have requirements specified by IEPs (Individualized Learning Plans) .

1. Strategies for Learning/Studying/Testing
Alternative ways of completing assignments. Students can be permitted to provide oral
presentations, written work, and performances and demonstrations as alternatives to
traditional assignments and tests.
Time extensions. Providing more liberal time frames and deadlines for students is
justifiable.
Taped lectures. Any lecture or formal presentation of content by the teacher can be
taped and copies made available for students. Once collected, this can be retained as a
reference resource for all students and can be used in consecutive classes. Textbooks,
novels, and magazines and other publications are available on audiotape and can be
obtained from many sources. Generally, students who are designated as blind or with
learning disabilities are legally entitled to such services.
Exam modifications. In addition to performances and demonstrations, different kinds of
examinations can be geared to the student's needs and limitations. Students who have
difficulty writing can be given an oral examination or a problem to solve. For students
who can take normal tests, time extensions can be provided to be sure they have an
opportunity to finish. Alternative test formats (short answer, multiple choice, oral, and
essay) can be matched with student needs. An examination can be administered in two or
three parts and spread out over time.
Readers and scribes. Official readers and scribes can be employed as aides, if necessary,
but even peer- tutors and volunteers can be used as readers and scribes.
Computers and calculators for exams. Some students may be able to perform more
easily with a computer than with a pencil. Others may be able to do better work with a
calculator.
Glossaries and Summaries. A glossary can be useful in any kind of subject matter or
content. Students are going to encounter many unfamiliar terms, and this is one way of
modifying direct instruction that does not require a great deal of the teacher's time.
Summaries of units or bodies of information, like an abstract, can also be helpful.
Cognitive Organizers. Like pre-reading questions, cognitive organizers can be used with
a unit of instruction to prepare students for the "big ideas" to be examined in the course
of study.
Visual Aids. Teachers can use technology and media in classrooms to support their
presentations. A large number of teachers rarely use any form of media, including
overhead transparencies, models, tapes, videos, or even pictures in books and magazines.

2. For any child, and particularly those dependent on multiple sources of information, this is
extremely detrimental to learning.
Questions to ask when organizing instruction:
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Are there areas that can be used for various group sizes?
Are the students with disabilities interspersed with their nondisabled peers?
Has careful matching of partners been completed to promote positive relationships?
Does the room indicate a sense of cooperation?
Are materials organized to promote independence?
Explore the building for other space to be incorporated into your schedule for
instruction.
• Are there spaces for students to put personal belongings?
Examples of when to modify/when not to modify:
• Kyeisha does not require and modifications during choral music in the tenth grade.
• John, a ninth grader, participates in homeroom the same as the other students by
turning in his lunch money, responding verbally to denote presence, saying the
pledge in unison, and putting handouts to be sent home in his backpack.
• Carlos, whose academic work in the eleventh grade often needs modifying, does not
need modifications or support in the cafeteria.
• Ricardo, can participate in a creative painting lesson in art class with no modifications
or support.
• Nathan listens to science lectures with his peers in the eighth grade.
Examples of peer support:
• Alice's friend assists her in pushing her wheelchair when she is tired or needs
assistance with difficult terrain.
• John's friend provides verbal prompts in the boys locker room to encourage him to
dress and undress in a timely fashion.
• Cooperative learning groups help Nathan study science facts for exams.
• Kyeisha's friend helps her in cooking by reading the words on the recipe cards, which
are too difficult for Kyeisha.
• Ricardo's friends take turns in walking him to his bus in the afternoons.
Examples of adult support:
• The classroom assistant rehearses a predetermined question with Alice so she can
respond correctly during circle time as her friends do.
• The classroom assistant highlights important words and sentences in the science book
for Nathan.
• The physical therapist attends PE with John during weight lifting to assist in correct
use of weights and to provide instruction to peers and the PE teacher.
• The classroom assistant supervises and provides support for Stewart and 2-3 peers

3. when making purchases in the school store.
Examples of addition of materials:
• Nathan uses the same science textbook that his peers use plus the classroom assistant
reads the chapters on to audio-tape for him to use in addition.
• John completes the same math computation problems but uses a calculator to assist in
completing the assignment.
• Ricardo reads the same stories for reading class with additional picture clues to help
him decode the words.
• Alice uses a pre-inked stamp to put her name on her work papers.
Adaptation of materials means the student is given the same materials as the general
classroom peers with different instructions. Examples of adaptation of materials:
• Ricardo completes only every other problem on the math worksheet.
• Nathan circles the correct answer rather than writing the corresponding letter in the
blank for multiple choice questions.
• Kyeisha circles all of the words from her spelling list on the English worksheet.
• John's written materials are enlarged or written in bold black letters.
The substitution of materials is the third option, which is replacing the curriculum
materials with alternative materials. Caution should be used when substituting materials.
Whenever possible, the materials substituted should come from the general education
classroom.
Examples of substitution of materials:
• Alice tears pages from magazines to be pasted in her journal instead of drawing and
writing.
• Nathan uses real coins and manipulatives to complete his math assignment instead of
worksheets.
• John uses a computer to write his journal entries.
Examples of modification of quantity/expectations:
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Ricardo completes half the math problems required by his peers.
John is given additional repetitions in weight lifting to strengthen his upper body.
Nathan is given additional time to get dressed for PE.
Kyeisha gets to read the Cliff notes of Huckleberry Finn rather than the complete book.
Examples of modifying the demonstration of learning:
• Nathan takes his science tests orally.
• Alice points to her picture schedule when asked what activity she needs to prepare for
next.
• Kay sings the songs using appropriate pitch, rhythm, etc. to indicate her knowledge of
music.