North Reading Public Schools

 District Curriculum Accommodation Plan

Vision  

The North Reading Public Schools prepare all students to be productive citizens who thrive in the 21st century.

Mission

 The North Reading Public Schools provide a safe, supportive, and contemporary learning environment where dedication to excellence, service, and life-long learning is paramount. All students are challenged to work collaboratively and to become creative and critical thinkers. Emphasis is placed on mastering core academic knowledge, developing 21st century skills, pursuing individual potential, and fostering citizenship in a global society.

District Curriculum Accommodation Plan

(Updated 6/2019)  

Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 71, Section 38Q1/2 require the adoption and implementation of a District Curriculum Accommodation Plan (DCAP).  This plan is intended to guide school personnel in ensuring that all possible efforts have been made to meet the needs of the student in the general education environment.  The DCAP is designed to be a resource to assist  general education teachers in accommodating diverse learning styles.  In addition, the DCAP assists general educators in providing appropriate services and supports within the general education environment including, but not limited to, direct and systematic instruction in reading and the provision of services to address the needs of children whose behavior may interfere with learning.  

Objectives of the North Reading Public Schools District Curriculum Accommodation Plan:

1. To educate the community on the teaching practices, accommodations, and strategies that are available for all students through inclusive practices in the general education environment.  
2. To assist general education teachers in analyzing, assessing, and accommodating diverse learners within the classroom.
3. To identify supports and instructional delivery practices that are available within general education settings to assist all students in accessing the general curriculum.
4. To provide a resource for educators to access in order to meet the needs of a variety of learning styles and support an inclusive approach to meet the needs of  all learners.  

The North Reading Public Schools has adopted and embraced the concept of Universal Design of Learning (UDL) which is a framework designed to promote equal opportunity to instruction for all students based on the science of  learning.  Universal Design of Learning is a way of thinking and teaching that encourages teachers to proactively consider learner variability and remove barriers to instruction.  UDL emphasizes flexibility for how students are engaged in learning, how information is presented, and how students respond or demonstrate their knowledge and skills.  The goal of UDL is to create expert learners- learners who can self-assess, self-regulate, self-monitor, and sustain their effort and persistence.  Instruction becomes accessible and all students have the opportunity to become expert learners, when the principles of UDL are implemented. Please see below for recommended UDL resources.

Accommodations

 Accommodations are available to all students within the North Reading Public School District.  General education teachers are encouraged to use these accommodations, and others, to meet the diverse learning needs of all of their students.  This list is representative of suggested accommodations as it relates to instructional as well as social emotional learning support, as well as for assessment purposes. This list is not inclusive of all options that may be successful with individual students:  

Instructional Support Accommodations: 

• Consult with your building Principal for the name of the building UDL Mentor.

• Apply UDL strategies:

• UDL and Educator  Evaluation Alignment
• Multiple Means of Engagement
• UDL Progression Rubric
• UDL Flowchart
• UDL Implementation Rubric

• Consult the DESE Inclusive Practice Guidebook

DESE Inclusive Practice Guidebook

• Arrange partner or small group instruction
• Provide wait time to encourage participation Wait Time
• Provide flexible seating (i.e. furniture arrangements within classroom, seating close to instruction)
• Repeat or re-teach concepts as necessary based on informal and formal assessment results
• Frequently monitor progress and provide feedback to students
• Instruct students in study skills and model these skills during instruction
• Provide instruction in note taking Notetaking
• Utilize all available technology to improve student access to curriculum
• Allow the use of a word processor for assignments and assessments
• Provide graphic organizers, rubrics, and exemplars
• Provide manipulatives for instruction
• Provide clarification of directions
• Utilize alternate paper when appropriate (i.e. graph paper)
• Provide alternate testing environments to reduce or eliminate distractions
• Break down tasks into manageable steps
• Offer extended time for tests/assignments when time is not a contributing factor of the assessment
• Encourage peer tutoring
• Provide opportunities for small group instruction
• Enlarged text
• Decrease amount of problems on assignments/assessments/homework to demonstrate understanding
• Small group or one on one assessment administration
• Provide alternate ways for students to demonstrate knowledge (verbal assessments, scribe, use of technology, menu of options for assessment)
• Consult with your building Principal
• Consultation between Principal and Director of Student Services

Behavioral and Social/Emotional Accommodations:

All staff have access to the district’s Social Emotional Learning Ambassadors as a resource for support and guidance as it pertains to implementing social emotional learning accommodations in the classroom.  Additionally, each of the five buildings have access to the resource book which framed the training for the district ambassadors:

Social Emotional Learning in the Classroom: Practical Guide for Integrating all SEL Skills into Instruction and Classroom Management: William Ribas, Ph.D; Deborah Brady, Ph.D; Jane Hardin, M.Ed.

• Establish and post classroom expectations and routines in view of students p. 159-164
• Inform students of changes to routine p.77-84
• Provide opportunities for partner work with assigned roles; p. 84-94; p.56 Table 2.4
• Involve students in “lunch bunch” groups/social skills groups: Consult with your building guidance counselor/ school psychologist
• Arrange seating to promote increased engagement p.65-69
• Develop student contracts and/or positive behavioral improvement plans p. 135-136
• Adjust classroom management strategies to fit the needs of the group p. 147
• Schedule check ins with the guidance counselor/school psychologist p. 136
• Contact parents, facilitate parent support/strategies and communication p. 42, 69
• Include movement breaks, appropriate fidget tools, and energizers through instructional periods p. 36
• Remove distractions p. 144-145, p. 116-117
• Provide cueing/redirection p. 86-88
• Use timers to cue for task focus p. 116-117
• Collaborate with parents to monitor homework/student habits p. 95-103
• Use class or flex time for binder checks and organization p. 95-103
• Consult with your building Principal
• Consultation between Principal and Director of Student Services

Assessment Accommodations

Universal Accessibility Features (UFs)

Universal Accessibility features are tools and supports that are available to all students on the MCAS tests that are either built into the MCAS computer-based test platform or provided by a test administrator on either the computer- or paper-based tests.

Since the state has deemed these accommodations appropriate for all students during standardized testing time, they should be considered for all assignments/assessments as DCAP accommodations as needed.  

Table 1.  Universal Accessibility Features Available to All Students