Principals Session: Scaffolds, Adaptations, and
Accommodations
Goals and Outcomes
Overarching Objectives of the May 2014 Network Team Institute
Identify scaffolds, adaptation, and accommodations of curriculum modules and provide redirective feedback to teachers. Identify effective
implementation and adaptation of curriculum modules. Identify ways to provide teachers with constructive feedback to improve their practice
around the NY 9-12 ELA modules.
High-Level Purpose of this Session
The purpose of this session is for principals to recognize practices to adapt and scaffold curriculum that acknowledge learning variability, while
maintaining the curriculum integrity, and academic rigor for all learners.
Session Outcomes
What do we want participants to be able to do as a result of this session?

Participants will be able to name a common characteristic of scaffolds, adaptations,
and accommodations.

Participants will be able to recognize scaffolds, adaptations, and accommodations.
May 2014—Page 1
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How will we know that they are able to do this?

Aligned survey question
New York State Common Core

Participants will be able to provide redirection to teachers to maintain rigorous
instruction and meet standards. Participants will be able to identify scaffolds,
adaptations, and accommodations.
Related Learning Experiences

Session: Argument Writing Going Deeper-Teachers
Key Points

Diverse learners, including students with disabilities and English learners, may sometimes face academic struggle in the process of
developing secondary ELA argument writing pieces.

All students can learn within an academically rigorous ELA class with scaffolds, adaptations and accommodations that appropriately
address the curriculum, the learning process, and the learners.
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New York State Common Core
Session Overview
Section
Time
Overview
Prepared Resources
Introduction
2 min
Introduce participants to session
and session objective
Session PowerPoint
5 min
Participants consider and discuss
questions related to recognizing
student struggle and when/if to
intervene.
15 min
Participants review scaffolds,
adaptations and accommodations
to determine if and under what
circumstances they might be
appropriate for students.
3 min
Participants consider what the role
the ELs level of language
Session PowerPoint
progression has in determining
appropriate scaffolds.
Position mic runners at various
spots around the room for report
out.
5 min
Participants consider and practice
a conversation to redirect teachers
who are making inappropriate
Session PowerPoint
changes that do not keep them on
track for maintaing standards.
Position mic runners at various
spots around the room for report
out.
Academic Struggle
and Rigor
Scaffolds,
Adaptations, and
Accommodations
ELLs
Redirective Teacher
Conversation
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Session PowerPoint
 Session PowerPoint
 Practice Activity-Scaffolds,
Adaptations and
Accommodations Handout
Facilitator Preparation
Position mic runners at various
spots around the room for report
out.
Position mic runners at various
spots around the room for report
out.
New York State Common Core
Section
Time
30 mins
Overview
Prepared Resources
Facilitator Preparation
Total for this session
Session Roadmap
Section: Introduction
In this section, you will introduce participants to session and session
objectives
Slide
Time
1
0 min
Picture
Materials used include: Session PowerPoint
Script/Activity Directions
Welcome participants to this session.
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New York State Common Core
Slide
Time
2
1 min
3
Picture
Script/Activity Directions
Review the session objectives with participants.
1 min
•
Participants will be able to name a common characteristic of
scaffolds, adaptations, and accommodations.
•
Participants will be able to recognize scaffolds, adaptations, and
accommodations.
•
Participants will be able to provide redirection to teachers to
maintain rigorous instruction and meet standards.
Review the agenda with participants.



Total
time:
2 min
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Maintaining Academic Rigor with Meeting Students’ Needs
Scaffolds, Adaptations, and Accommodations
Providing course correction and redirecting teachers
New York State Common Core
Section: Academic Struggle and Rigor
In this section, you will lead participants to consider and discuss questions Materials used include: Session PowerPoint
related to recognizing student struggle and when/if to intervene.
Slide
4
Time Picture
Script/Activity directions
5 min
Have participants consider the visual on this slide and individually write down
statements that capture the messages that they see displayed here. (1 minute)
Then have them share with a shoulder partner and discuss their statements,
looking for commonalities, difference, and any new thoughts they generate
from their discussion are embedded here. (1 minute) Have a few audience
members share out. (3 minutes)
Total
time:
5
mins
May 2014—Page 6
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New York State Common Core
Section: Scaffolds, Adaptations and Accommodations
In this section, you will lead participants to consider and discuss
Materials used include: Session PPT, Handout-Practice Activity- Are these
how interventions to support students’ needs meet the criteria of Scaffolds, Adaptations, and Accommodations?
being scaffolds, adaptations, or accommodations, and in which
situations. We will state that these terms tend to be used in
different contexts (i.e. accommodation is a term most commonly
used for SWD, scaffolds for ELL).
Slide
5
Time Picture
3
Script/Activity directions
Review with participants the characteristics of scaffolds, adaptations and
accommodations Remind participants that one student’s adaptation may be
another student’s rescue. They must know their students well and realize that
these scaffolds, adaptations and accommodations are very specific to students’
needs.
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New York State Common Core
Slide
Time Picture
Script/Activity directions
6
2
Share examples of possible scaffolds, adaptations, and accommodations for
W.9-10.1 Write arguments to support claims in analysis, using valid reasoning
and relevant and sufficient evidence.
7
2
Participants will work with the handout, items 1-5 - Practice Activity- Are these
Scaffolds, Adaptations, and Accommodations? To determine if each listed is a
possible scaffold adaptation or accommodation and under what circumstances.
Share with large group.
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New York State Common Core
Slide
Time Picture
Script/Activity directions
8
2
Participants will work with the handout, items 6-9 - Practice Activity- Are these
Scaffolds, Adaptations, and Accommodations? To determine if each listed is a
possible scaffold adaptation or accommodation and under what circumstances.
Share with table team.
9
2
Participants will work with the handout, items 10-12 - Practice Activity- Are
these Scaffolds, Adaptations, and Accommodations? To determine if each listed
is a possible scaffold adaptation or accommodation and under what
circumstances. Share with large group.
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New York State Common Core
Slide
Time Picture
Script/Activity directions
10
2
Participants will work with the handout, items 13 - 15 Practice Activity- Are
these Scaffolds, Adaptations, and Accommodations? To determine if each listed
is a possible scaffold adaptation or accommodation and under what
circumstances. Share with table team.
11
2
Participants will work with the handout, items 16-18 - Practice Activity- Are
these Scaffolds, Adaptations, and Accommodations? To determine if each listed
is a possible scaffold adaptation or accommodation and under what
circumstances. Share with large group.
May 2014—Page 10
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New York State Common Core
Slide
Time Picture
Total
time:
15
mins
Script/Activity directions
Section: ELLs: Supporting English Language Development
In this section, the presenter will give examples of scaffolds for
standard W.9-10.1a for students of different levels of ELD.
Materials used include: Session PowerPoint
Slide
Script/Activity directions
12
Time Picture

3 min

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Level 1/Entering: Teachers may ask students to respond to a prompt
with pictures, gestures, or by filling in cloze sentence frames with words
from a word bank. If students are literate in a home language, they
might also be asked to respond to a written prompt in their home
language.
Transitioning: Teachers may scaffold written prompts with additional
guiding questions, cloze sentences, or other supports to give ELLs access
to the question. Teachers can also show models of written student work
that ELLs can use as a guide. Students write arguments with the support
of a vocabulary glossary, academic language guide, graphic organizers,
or other tools to help them write effectively and organize their ideas.
New York State Common Core
Slide
Time Picture
Script/Activity directions

Total
time:
3
mins
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Commanding: Students may continue to need support around academic
language and vocabulary as they write.
New York State Common Core
Section: Redirective Teacher Conversation
In this section, participants consider and practice a conversation to Materials used include: Session PowerPoint
redirect teachers who are making inappropriate changes that do
not keep them on track for maintaing standards.
Slide
13
Time Picture
Script/Activity directions
4 min
Participants will consider a scenario where they observe a teacher making
numerous changes, including those that compromise students meeting the
standard(s). Participants will consider key points that should be made to the
teacher, the messaging they want to relay, and how they can redirect the
teacher to get back on track to meet their goal.
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New York State Common Core
Slide
Time Picture
14
1 min
Total
time:
5
mins
Script/Activity directions
Q&A
Turnkey Materials Provided


Session PowerPoint
Handout- Practice Activity- Are these Scaffolds, Adaptations, and Accommodations?
May 2014—Page 14
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