Department of Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese:
Accommodations and Modifications of the Foreign Language Requirement
The faculty of the Department of Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese does not have the authority to diagnose a
learning disability. We may only identify students whose performance in written and oral work seems to
suggest a learning need. These are the procedures to follow if you suspect a student has a learning need in
foreign language studies.
What to look for:
1.
A student who:
a. attends class regularly
b. does all the homework
c. seeks extra help from you or from a tutor
2.
Given the above criteria, the student with difficulties in learning a language will have one or more
of the following characteristics. He/ she:
a. does better in other courses than s/he does in the language course
b. has an average of C or lower in the course despite obvious efforts to learn the material
c. does less well than other students who have taken fewer language courses in high school
d. placed in the 1010 or 1050/1060 level despite having taken two or more years of high
school language courses
e. has taken a beginning language course more than once
f. depending on the length of time already spent studying the language, is either eager to
learn the language (a relative beginner), or is frustrated at numerous attempts (more
experienced)
g. spends excessive amounts of time studying for the course
h. exhibits a strong affective reaction to FL learning – anxiety, frustration, stress, inhibition,
passivity in the classroom, acting out behaviors, avoidance behaviors, etc.
3.
In addition, he/she shows some indication of language learning difficulty; for instance:
a. difficulty in repeating words or sentences after the instructor
b. spelling mistakes atypical of those made by most students
c. inconsistent spelling
d. poor spelling, handwriting, or sentence structure in written English
e. demonstrated lack of understanding of grammatical structure; for example, uses nouns as
verbs, uses two articles before a noun (e.g., la une table, la una casa) in written work
f. describes feeling lost in classroom lessons and discussions
If you have any questions, bring a sample of work from the student and discuss the situation with the
Language Coordinator.
When you suspect that a student probably does have a language learning disability:
1.
2.
3.
Talk to the student. In fact, the student will probably seek you out to discuss their frustration with
the course. Remember that you can only “suspect” that the student has a learning need. Never
make the diagnosis yourself.
Meet with the Coordinator, detailing the student’s attendance, work and progress in the course.
Bring a copy of the student’s work if possible.
The Coordinator may want to set up a meeting with the student, the teacher, and herself to discuss
the possibilities of accommodation of the language requirement and then will send the student to
the Student Disability Access Center (SDAC). If the SDAC determines that the student has a
learning need, he/she will be referred to a specialist to be tested at the student’s own expense.
This process can take several weeks.
4.
5.
6.
7.
If the student is found to have a learning disability, the SDAC will fill out a memo detailing the
test results and suggesting possible means of accommodations for this particular student. The
student must provide both you and the Coordinator with a copy of the SDAC memo before
accommodations can be implemented. Accommodations cannot be made retroactively.
If after 4-6 weeks accommodations fail to work for the student, the student or teacher should set
up a meeting with the Coordinator. At this time, adjustments may be made in the accommodation
procedure.
If the adjustments made prove insufficient from the instructor’s and student’s points of view after
a reasonable trial period (six weeks), the Coordinator will recommend modification of the
language requirement to the Association Dean’s office, in a letter to the student’s Association
Dean. Upon the Dean’s approval of modification of the foreign language requirement, the student
will take substitute courses (in English) related to the culture or literature of a non-English
speaking people.
A modification of the language requirement will not be recommended in cases where excessive
absences or lack of effort in the course make it difficult or impossible to evaluate the effectiveness
of accommodations.
Keep in mind:
1.
2.
Many students hear the term “learning disability” and assume at first that this is a negative
reflection on their intelligence. Some students (and their parents) react emotionally to any
discussion of a learning disability.
Do not inflate the student’s grades. It is tempting to inflate the grade of a student with a
learning disability. However, grade inflation only gives a false reading of how well the
accommodations are working. It is difficult for the Coordinator to recommend further
accommodations, and even more difficult to recommend a modification if the student’s grades
indicate success in the course as is.
Possible types of accommodation:
1.
2.
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9.
10.
attendance and participation required
unlimited time on quizzes and exams
grading criteria varied to take into account student’s strengths and weaknesses
spelling not graded
elimination of writing component or dictations
additional reading of listening comprehension section of exams
focus on oral/aural aspect of course
compositions or written assignments to be done but not graded
reduction in the amount of reading
regular tutoring