edTPA Special Education,
Communication,
Academic Language & You
Student Teaching Professional Development Session
January 27, 2014
Dr. Sandra Cimbricz
Learning Goals
1. Identify key aspects of academic
language particular and important to
the edTPA Special Education (SE).
2. Know what resources are especially
useful and/or information important
to these particularities.
3. Relate academic language to specific
tasks and the big picture of edTPA SE.
LG #1: What are key aspects of academic
language particular and important to edTPA
SE?
• COMMUNICATION in the edTPA SE is a
much broader concept. See edTPA SE
Handbook, p. 51.
• Ideas important to academic language and
literacy fall “under” COMMUNICATION in
the edTPA SE.
LG #1: What are key aspects of academic language
particular and important to edTPA SE?
Academic language or “curriculumrelated communication” is a
particular kind of communication
or “means by which learners
develop and express content
understandings.”
~edTPA SE Handbook, p. 51
LG #1: What are key aspects of academic language
particular and important to edTPA SE?
Communication in the edTPA SE ultimately
focuses on how you help students develop
the ability and skills needed to
1) understand and
2) be understood
using communication to do so.
Learning Goal 1: Check-in
What are the key aspects of
academic language particular
and important to the edTPA
Special Education (SE)?
Learning Goal #2
What resources are especially
useful and/or information
important to “communication?”
Two Tasks: Two Rubrics
LG #2:
TASK 1: Planning for Instruction & Assessment
Rubric 4: SUPPORTING the Focus Learner’s Use of
Expressive and/or Receptive Communication
(See edTPA SE Handbook, p. 20.)
Task 3: Assessment
Rubric 14: EXPLAINING the Focus Learner’s Use of
Communication (See edTPA SE Handbook, p. 39.)
NOTE: All three overarching categories of Universal Design
for Learning are important to all of the edTPA SE rubrics.
LG #2: What’s similar? What’s
different?
COMMUNICATION
edTPA SE glossary
• Demands
• Skill/Function
• Situational Expectations
• Vocabulary
ACADEMIC LANGUAGE
other edTPA glossaries
Demands
Function
Discourse
Vocabulary
• Concepts & Meanings*
• Syntax
• Supports*
• Social Use*
For more information, see
edTPA SE Handbook,
pages 51-52.)
Syntax
LG #2: Communication Demands
(Handbook glossary, p. 51)
Answers question:
What are the specific ways that your focus
learner USES COMMUNICATION to
• understand what to do to participate in
learning tasks? and/or
• demonstrate/express learning or perform
appropriately in the context?
LG #2: Communication Skill (Function)
Demands of a Learning Task
1. RECEPTIVE listening, reading text,
pictures, or signs
2. EXPRESSIVE speaking, writing,
demonstrating
3. REPRESENTATIONAL symbols,
notation, gestures, facial expressions
For more information, see Making Good Choices in
Special Education Support Guide (pages 16-17) and
Universal Design for Learning
http://www.cast.org/udl/).
LG #2: Communication Skill
(Function) (Handbook glossary, p. 51)
Answers question:
What is the purpose of communication?
• To understand?
• To be understand?
FOCUS ON THE ACTION VERB!
http://www.brockport.edu/oat/docs/academic_lang.pdf
http://www.brockport.edu/oat/docs/bloom_ec.pdf
LG #2: Communication Supports
(Handbook glossary, p. 52)
What strategies and supports will you use to
build the focus learner’s academic language
(or curriculum-related communication)
within a learning task (and why)?
• Universal Design (Supports) for Learning
• also includes assistive technology and
other mediators.
LG #2: Task 1: Rubric 4
(Planning)
What COMMUNICATION
DEMANDS do you identify and
support
• for participation in learning?
and/or
• demonstrating learning for the
primary learning target?
LG #2: Guidelines for Rubric 4:
(edTPA SE Handbook page 20)
IN YOUR PLANNING,
1. identify the PRIMARY LEARNING TARGET. (With SE, this
target can be academic, functional, non-academic).
ACADEMIC STANDARD: NYS Earth Science
Standard 4: Minerals have physical properties
determined by their chemical composition and
crystal structure (Key Idea 3-3.1a).
PRIMARY LEARNING TARGET: The learner will be
able to describe what a mineral is and what it is
made.
LG #2: Guidelines for Rubric 4:
(edTPA SE Handbook page 20)
IN YOUR PLANNING,
2. choose instructional strategies that
- clearly emphasize the purpose of expressive
and/or receptive communication related to the
primary learning target. Think about ALL THREE
CATEGORIES of Universal Design for Learning.)
-relate and support the focus learner in achieving
the PRIMARY LEARNING TARGET. Let the ACTION
VERB be your guide.
-support the learner’s use of vocabulary demands
and at least one other communication demand
(syntax, social use of communication, situational
expectations for communication).
LG#2: Task 3: Rubric 14
(edTPA SE Handbook p. 39)
In your assessment of learning,
how do YOU explain the focus learner’s
use of the targeted expressive and/or
receptive communication skill (function)
and other communication demands to
• access the learning task?
and/or
• demonstrate learning for the primary
learning target?
Learning Goal #2: Check in
• What resources are especially useful
and/or information important to these
particularities?
Especially Helpful Resources
For Universal Design for Learning, see:
http://www.cast.org/udl/).
In addition to the edTPA Special Education Handbook,
the resources listed below are available via
Brockport’s Student Teaching Handbook. They have
been cut and pasted below for ease in locating:
1. http://www.brockport.edu/oat/docs/spedmakingg
oodchoices.pdf
2. http://www.brockport.edu/oat/docs/academic_la
ng.pdf
3. http://www.brockport.edu/oat/docs/CT_internatio
nal_baccalaureate.pdf
Learning Goal #3:
How do communication and academic
language relate to specific tasks and
the big picture of edTPA SE?
Your Turn:
Find the communication demands and supports in these video clips?
1. Are students being asked to understand and/or express that
understanding? Explain. (CS DEMANDS)
2. In what ways specifically (receptive, expressive, or
representational)?
3. What skill/function (action verb) is focal to this learning? CS
FUNCTION)
4. How will you help students learn and convey their
understanding/ learning using communication? (CS SUPPORTS)
Consider all three categories or networks important to
Universal Design for Learning.
Math:
https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/conjecture-lesson-plan
ELA:
1. https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/evidence-argumentslesson-planning
2. https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/evidence-argumentslesson-reflection