Recommendations for Teachers of Special Needs
Students in Secondary Science Classrooms
All students should have the opportunity to learn about the natural world in science classes. The
following strategies are general guidelines for teachers to help make time spent in science classrooms
meaningful and productive for everyone! Remember to refer to your Teacher Guide and Instructional
Guide for suggestions designed for a specific lesson.
Understand the Learning Challenges Faced by Special Needs Students
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Arrange a meeting in the first week of school with IEP teachers to identify students with IEPs in your
science classes.
Create an “IEP At-A-Glance” type of form for each of your students with IEPs. Include on this form
information on specific disabilities that might make science challenging for the student along with
suggestions from the IEP teacher on how to accommodate these needs.
Discuss with the IEP teacher whether you will contact parents/guardians when needed or if the IEP
teacher will make this contact.
Discuss with the IEP teacher what you feel are the learning goals for your class. How will the student
demonstrate that they have met these learning goals? Do the goals need to be modified in some way
to accommodate any learning disabilities the student may have? If behavior is an issue, establish a
contract and a clear system for warning the student and for consequences if their behavior endangers
safety (theirs or other’s) or the ability for everyone to learn.
Discuss with the IEP teacher whether or not you feel a need to have an IA in the classroom to
support the student. Consider the total number of IEP and ELL students in one section.
Set up a regular way to check in with the IEP teacher to report on the student’s progress, difficulties
and successes.
All students benefit from the following strategies; however, these things are
critical for special needs students:
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Post vocabulary words on a word wall. Include pictures or sketches when appropriate. Organize
cards according to general science processes (e.g., “observing”) and content-specific terms. Include
WASL words (e.g., manipulated variable)
Post large, labeled, scientific illustrations, data tables, graphs, concept maps, writing frames that are
used or generated during class discussions.
Model what you expect students to do before they begin. Provide simplified rubrics so that
expectations and the way points are assigned are transparent to students.
Explicitly teach and model skills for non-fiction reading and writing. Collaborate with the IEP
teacher and LA teachers to adopt similar language and strategies.
Post the focus question for each class and a 3-4 step agenda for what will happen in class that day.
Use internet animations and pictures to provide visuals to form a connection with each lesson as you
introduce abstract concepts
Provide opportunities for student choice in what happens in class, whether it’s a question to
investigate, a choice of readings, or a choice of projects.
Created collaboratively with science and special ed specialists.
Draft June 2009
To accommodate learning challenges:
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Use inquiry and constructivist approaches. Inquiry instruction uses hands-on experiences, calls on
prior knowledge, encourages student collaboration including listening, writing and talking with
other students. Make connections to prior knowledge to help make concepts less abstract.
Do investigations with a strategically selected partner or in small groups. Collaborative learning
encourages communication and sharing of ideas and should include both interdependent and
individual accountability. Change seating groups on a regular basis. Teach all students skills and
strategies for effective collaboration.
Be intentional with the writing and work you ask students to do. Place a small mark (e.g., dot or X)
next to the parts of a lab sheet or worksheet they must complete. Give extra points if they finish more
than those parts.
Provide photocopies of support documents (e.g., data tables, lab procedures, fill-in-the-blank
reading tool) for students with difficulty writing. Students can glue or tape these into their notebooks
to save time and energy writing. Supports should emphasize providing access to the content.
Accompany oral directions with concise written directions for the student to refer to (and viceversa). Pair verbal directions with demonstration whenever possible.
Use a checklist for students as they complete procedures. Put procedures in a plastic paper protector
so students can use a Vis-à-vis pen to check off the steps.
Enlarge the print for directions and texts when possible. Large, legible print is easier to read and
understand. Limit the amount of text on one page.
Provide photocopies of readings ahead of time for students to take home or take to the resource
room and read. They will be more able to participate in class discussions if they have had a chance to
read the content before hand. Provide a few questions for them to think about.
Individually discuss (ahead of time) questions that will be asked during the Reflection/Making
Meaning part of the lesson, so students with special needs can participate in the discussions with
confidence.
Use a scribe for students who have difficulty writing so they can express their ideas. Alternatively,
find time for them to discuss their understanding individually with you (during class, lunch or after
school).
To assist students with attention-related issues:
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Assign seats intentionally. An attention-craving student seated in front might prove a serious
distraction to himself and the rest of the class. A student with difficulty focusing may experience
increased success if seated away from high-traffic areas. Allowing students to choose seats often
results in isolating students with IEPs.
Allow students with attention problems to stand while doing investigations or during discussions.
Find time for one-on-one instruction. Speaking with a student individually is a powerful tool for
focusing attention.
Find classroom jobs and responsibilities (e.g., handing out or collecting papers, putting materials
away, caring for classroom pets and plants) to help active students contribute to classroom routines
and break-up extended time sitting.
Created collaboratively with science and special ed specialists.
Draft June 2009
How to Grade Special Needs Students Fairly,
In a Way That Shows What You Have Taught Them
Taking the Pain Out of Testing
 Avoid long talks before tests.
 Allow for extended time or un-timed tests.
 Allow students to use an alternative test site.
 Allow students to clarify the questions for understanding.
 Correct for content only, not for spelling or grammar.
 Analyze the fit of the process as well as the fit of the difficulty or content.
 Allow alternative methods for student assessment.
 Give study guides.
 Break up the testing to take at different times.
 Allow for re-testing.
 Have the student take the regular test in the classroom and a modified test in the special ed classroom.
Modifying Assignments and Calculating Grades
-- Break long assignments or projects into manageable chunks, and grade each piece as it is accomplished, without
necessarily requiring all pieces at the end.
-- Determine whether the materials are appropriate for the student’s current level of functioning.
-- Use a checklist for students as they complete steps for assignments.
-- Put a box around different types or classifications of information – advertisers use this on us all the time!
-- Make arrangements for homework assignments to reach home with clear, concise directions.
-- Accompany oral directions with concise written directions for the student to refer to (and vice-versa).
-- Consider using a median grade (instead of a mean) when averaging end-of-term grades.
-- Accept homework papers dictated by the student and recorded by someone else, if need be.
-- Consider assigning half-sheet homework (it’s less overwhelming).
-- Avoid obfuscation. Consider rewriting content area text in the vernacular (with critical vocabulary bolded and the
pronunciation explained in a way the student will understand). What you create this year puts you ahead of the
game for next year; develop your own resource file – and share!
-- When using Xerox copies, keep it neat (no cut-offs, juxtapositions, or blurry text).
-- Enlarge the print! Fine print is a kind of evil Jedi mind trick (“You don’t care what’s written here; just sign on the dotted line”).
Large print is easier to read and understand.
Creating the Test
 Remember, nothing shows “value added” like a good pre and post test system.
 Be sure to test the content, and not the code.
 Never use “match up” lists! The items and the options are much too difficult to keep track of or remember.
 “Fill in the blank” tests tend to test the code, and not the content. Making the blank be the last word in the
sentence can help minimize this effect, if the style is unavoidable. Word banks can also help.
 For multiple choice sections, write the answer options out and have students circle the right answer, instead of
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transcribing the letters. The same goes for true/false indicators. Also, consider how minimally different your
distracters must be in order to assure you that the students learned what you want them to take away. Nobody
likes trick questions.
You might provide a written outline for essay questions.
Provide essay questions instead of objective, or vice-versa, depending on individual student needs.
Create the test before you plan the unit – this practice is helpful to all students, but crucial for special needs
learners.
Again, enlarge the print and use text boxes to separate content or prompt types. Oh, and remember to check
your work for typos, spelling errors, and awkward constructions.
“D” or “F” grades indicate that we need to change (modify) something. Keep high expectations,
but provide more supports to help students reach those expectations.
Be willing to MODIFY, MODIFY AGAIN, and KEEP MODIFYING!
Created collaboratively with science and special ed specialists.
Draft June 2009