PROFESSIONAL LEARNING TEAM REPORT
2011-2012
PLT Title
The Accommodating Truth
Blurb for PLT Conference Brochure
“2-4-6-8, how do we accommodate?” The truth is that Chenery Unified Arts teachers may teach as
many as 950 students over the course of the school year. The truth is that it is challenging to meet the
individual needs of so many learners. The truth is, when realistically accessible and manageable, several
accommodations can be used in Unified Arts classes to improve the learning outcomes for students on
IEP’s and 504’s.
Contact Information (Write * next to facilitator’s name.)
Name
School
*Monica Frender
Chenery
Katie Kelley
Chenery
Ryan Schmitt
Chenery
Dena Cocchiola
Chenery
Kristen Ciappina
Chenery
Leon Dyer
Chenery
Diane Brancazio
Chenery
Grade Level or Subject
Health 6-8
Art All
PE 6-8
PE All
PE All
Tech Ed 6-8
Tech Ed 7-8
Guiding Theme
Differentiated Instruction/RTI
Integrated, Real-Life Experiences
Acquisition of 21st Century Skills
Deepening Teacher Content Knowledge
Improving School Climate/Culture
Teaching the “Whole Student”
Other (explain) _______________________________________________________
Inquiry Question
“What accommodations can we use in UA classes in order to improve the learning outcomes for
students on IEP’s and 504’s?”
Process
The purpose of the Unified Arts PLT was to examine the present state of accommodating for
students on IEP’s and 504’s and determine needed changes. The inquiry question was, “What
accommodations can we use in UA classes in order to improve the learning outcomes for students on
IEP’s and 504’s?” The UA PLT members teach a variety of subjects, including Art, Health, Technology
Education and Physical Education.
Despite a large variety in the subjects taught and the classroom environment, all Unified Arts
teachers were able to agree on three accommodations as the most prevalent. The three
accommodations were Priority Seating, Frequent Check-ins and Repetition of Instructions. A survey
was administered by the SPED teachers to all 7th and 8th grade students on IEP’s and 504’s. The
questions on the survey were:
1) Do you feel like your seat helps you focus in class?
2) Does your teacher explain instructions more than once?
3) Does your teacher check-in with you during class?
Under each question was a list of all the Unified Arts classes along with the words: Rarely, Sometimes
and Frequently. The students answered how often the three accommodations occurred in each class.
After the students took the pre-survey, the UA teachers made adjustments to accommodate the
students based on their feedback.
The Unified Arts teachers used the pre-survey data to make changes in hopes of better
accommodating their students. The UA teachers changed the seats of some students to give more
preferential seating. The teachers also made a point to check in more frequently with the students on
IEP’s and 504’s. During the individual check-ins the teachers were deliberate to repeat the instructions.
After approximately a month of the Unified Arts teachers making adjustments, the students took the
post-survey. The post-survey was exactly the same as the pre-survey so as not to alter the data. With
the data from both surveys, the UA teachers created an exhibit highlighting the findings. The UA
teachers choose to present their findings with a tri-fold exhibit and powerpoint. Each teacher took
some individual time to create a mock-up storyboard of the powerpoint. Each storyboard was
presented to the group and a final outline for the powerpoint was decided upon.
The Unified Arts teachers also included in the exhibit a reflection of the process and action steps
for moving forward. Each teacher individually took time to write several, “I teach best when…”
statements. The statements describe what each teacher needs in order to successfully accommodate
the large number of students on IEP’s and 504’s. The “I teach best when…” statements are included in
the powerpoint presentation.
Finally, all of the Unified Arts teachers worked together to organize and assess the data. The
teachers reviewed the statistics together and discussed the changes implemented in the classrooms.
Each teacher shared his or her thoughts and reflection of the PLT process. The group expressed the
feelings that more work needs to be done in the area of accommodating for students on IEP’s and 504’s
and appreciativeness for time to focus on this issue.
Findings
The Unified Arts teachers choose three accommodations that were the most prevalent. The three
accommodations were Priority Seating, Frequent Check-ins and Repetition of Instructions. The UA
teachers, with the aid of the SPED teachers, administered a pre and post-survey to all 7th and 8th grade
students on IEP’s and 504’s. The questions on the survey were:
1) Do you feel like your seat helps you focus in class?
2) Does your teacher explain instructions more than once?
3) Does your teacher check-in with you during class?
Under each question was a list of all the Unified Arts classes along with the words: Rarely, Sometimes
and Frequently. The students answered how often the three accommodations occurred in each class.
The pre-survey findings were as follows:
RAW DATA
Health
Tech Ed
Phys Ed
Art
NORMALIZED DATA
Health
Tech Ed
Phys Ed
Art
Seat Location Helps
100
77
N/A
86
Seat Location Helps
1
0.77
N/A
0.86
Teacher Repeats
Instruction
3.3
3.1
3
3.1
Teacher Checks In
Teacher Repeats
Instruction
0.66
0.62
0.6
0.62
Teacher Checks In
3.2
2.8
2.8
3.2
0.64
0.56
0.56
0.64
After the students took the pre-survey, the UA teachers made adjustments to accommodate the
students based on their feedback. The post-survey data had not been totaled at the time of this report.
The post-survey data will be available with the UA PLT exhibit at the PLT conference.
The Unified Arts PLT members believe some of the data may have been skewed based on the
following:
 Students answered survey questions for classes they were not enrolled in
 The survey-taking environment was unsecure
 The layout of the survey may have been unclear to some students
The Unified Arts PLT members individually reflected on this experience and what materials or
resources are necessary to accommodate for students on IEP’s and 504’s. The teacher reflections
will be presented with the UA PLT exhibit at the PLT conference. Common themes among the
reflections were:
I teach best when I am given a document that highlights all of my students that are on IEPs and 504s.
I teach best when there is an ease of communication between Unified Arts teachers and special
education teachers.
I teach best when I know what specific accommodations are crucial to helping my students reach the
highest level of success in my class.
The Unified Arts PLT teachers felt it would be beneficial if IEP changes are highlighted to make the
changes easy to see and understand. Additionally, a document listing the students needing
accommodations, that can quickly be referenced, would be a tremendous aid in the classroom.
Recommendations / Next Steps
The Unified Arts PLT focused on the inquiry question, “What accommodations can we use in UA
classes in order to improve the learning outcomes for students on IEP’s and 504’s?” This inquiry
question and data collection was a new undertaking this year. The UA teachers were unanimously
grateful for the time to focus on this issue and increase individual and collective awareness.
Throughout this PLT process several opportunities for improvement appeared. The UA teachers
question the security of the survey-taking environment. In the future the survey will be administered
using Survey Monkey to safeguard the data.
This year, the pre and post-surveys were administered to 7th and 8th grade students on IEP’s and
504’s. In the future, the surveys will be administered to, and differentiated for, all of the various grades.
During the data collection it became apparent that students took the survey for classes they were
not enrolled in. This caused the UA teachers to question how well the students understood the survey.
In the future the PLT team will seek to meet with the SPED teachers to discuss the process and the
careful monitoring of the students during the survey. Additionally, future surveys will be reworded to
include the student’s past class experience.
The pre and post-surveys gave meaningful insight into how the students felt the accommodations
are serving them. The survey did not, however, include how the teachers felt the accommodations are
serving the students. In the future the Unified Arts teachers will partake of a teacher survey to assess
student progress and changes in the classroom experience.
Overall, this PLT has increased the Unified Arts teacher’s awareness and demonstrated the need for
accommodating materials and resources. The UA teachers feel there is a great need for improved
communication with the SPED teachers, a document highlighting students and their accommodations
and a revised IEP delivery system. Based on the student feedback, teacher feedback and desire to
continue improving in this area, the UA teachers would be willing to continue pursuing this topic in the
future.