Social Studies, Human Resources and Adptations

Gifted and talented children and youth are those students with outstanding abilities, identified at preschool, elementary, and secondary levels. The potential of gifted students requires differentiated and challenging educational programs or services beyond those provided in the general school program. Students capable of high performance include those with demonstrated achievement or potential ability in one or more of these areas: general intellectual, specific academic subjects, creativity, leadership, and visual/performing arts.

Resources for Educators, Schools and FamiliesAcceleration is an option for students who are academically advanced compared to peers in their age group. The Acceleration Institute website informs parents, educators, researchers and policymakers of the research and practices concerning academic acceleration. Visit the Acceleration Institute website. Developing Academic Acceleration Policies: Whole Grade, Early Entrance & Single Subject is a resource available to guide policymakers, school administrators, and educators to create or modify acceleration policies at the local level. View Developing Academic Policies: Whole Grade, Early Entrance & Single Subject. Sample whole grade acceleration procedure

2021 Minnesota Statutes

Increasing Depth, Complexity, and RigorAnother way to develop curriculum for gifted learners is to incorporate greater depth, complexity, and rigor. You can achieve this through a variety of strategies. One simple method is to provide students with questions requiring a higher level of critical thinking. Discussion groups, such as Socratic seminars and fishbowl discussions, in which students explore such questions are particularly effective--you can ask your students to paraphrase their peers' responses and then add on or pose other questions.

Promote critical thinking and reasoning abilities. Develop and expand thinking skills. Utilize differentiated strategies for learning. Build or extend cognitive language skills. Facilitate opportunities for learning.

excellent resource in helping teachers develop challenging curriculum for gifted and talented students in their classroom. The book is unique in that it focuses exclusively on curriculum development and is geared toward all grade levels. Three curriculum models are emphasized throughout the book and each is explained in detail in the first chapter.

No matter where they obtain their education, they need an appropriately differentiated curriculum designed to address their individual characteristics, needs, abilities, and interests.

Content consists of ideas, concepts, descriptive information, and facts. Content, as well as learning experiences, can be modified through acceleration, compacting, variety, reorganization, flexible pacing, and the use of more advanced or complex concepts, abstractions, and materials.

To modify process, activities must be restructured to be more intellectually demanding.

requiring districts to modify their World’s Best Workforce strategic plans to include access for all learners to an ethnic studies curriculum using culturally responsive methodologies;

Just as you don't think about your eye color every day, people with visual impairment don't always think about their condition every day either.

If a visually impaired person asks for assistance, don't hesitate to help.

People rarely lose their eyesight during their teen years. When they do, it's usually caused by an injury like getting hit in the eye or head with a baseball or having an automobile or motorcycle accident.

As the term indicates, a visual impairment involves an issue with sight which interferes with a student’s academic pursuits. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) officially defines the category as “an impairment in vision that, even with correction, adversely affects a child’s educational performance. The term includes both partial sight and blindness.”

Early intervention can help a child strengthen his or her vision. This means that as a parent, you should waste no time if you suspect that your child possesses a visual impairment.

While the causes vary, there are several common signs which may indicate that a child has a visual impairment. These include:Irregular eye movements (for instance, eyes that don’t move together or that appear unfocused)Unusual habits (such as covering one eye or frequently rubbing eyes)Sitting abnormally close to a television or holding a book close to the face

Visual impairment in the classroom

Visual cues are central to most early childhood education systems.

In a school environment, visual impairments can cause difficulties when it comes to traditional reading and writing activities, reading at a distance, distinguishing colors, recognizing shapes and participating in physical education games which require acute vision, such as softball and kickball.

Accommodations do not reduce grade level standards but rather help provide access to the course content. They do not alter the amount or complexity of the information taught to the student. Accommodations are changes in the program from a way things are typically done so that a student with a disability can have equal opportunity to participate and allow the student to be successful. These changes do not substantially or fundamentally lower or alter the standards.

Be based on current individualized needs;Reduce the effect of the disability to access the current curriculum;Be specific about where, when, who and how the accommodations will be provided;Include current input from parents, teachers, student, and therapists;Be based on current specific needs in each content area.

Changes in the medium used:braillelarge printaudiotapeelectronic textoral testing/scribing Changes made in the way materials are presentedCopies of overhead projector/smartboard activities to be viewed at his/her desk as needed.The teacher or presenter should verbalize all information as it is written on the board or overhead. Information presented on the board should be in a high contrast color. Use a slant-board to position papers appropriately for reduced visual strain and to avoid glare.The computer screen should be eye level and tilted to avoid glare.Use recorded text as needed.Classroom recording of lectures/instruction by the student.Large Print textbooks/materials.Braille textbooks/materials.Clear, dark copies of worksheets.Use of a reading guide to assist in keeping place while reading and completing worksheets.Present materials against a plain backgroundUse a good contrast background and present on a contrasting tray or mat. Time requirements:Time and a half or double timeConsideration for the student's reading/writing speedConsideration for the time needed to use adaptive equipmentConsideration for eye fatigue and scanning ability Changes in the way students demonstrate learningModified assignments (when appropriate and needed) to accommodate visual fatigue (extended time and/or shortened amount of assignments).Avoid activities requiring extensive visual scanning.Avoid visually cluttered materials.Allow students to use (bold marker, 20/20 pen, mechanical pencil, or another unique writing tool) to complete assignments.Use of bold line paper.Use of raised line paper.Abbreviated homework assignment (includes all concepts, just fewer items).Shorter written assignment.Oral testing. Changes in Setting: preferential seating in the classroom for all films, assemblies and demonstration lessons.seated facing away from windows.permission to move about the room as needed to see information presented away from his/her desk. Changes in the Setting: EnvironmentAvoid glare in general from overhead lights. Consider placing light filters on fluorescent lights.Open and close doors fully (a half-open door can be a dangerous obstacle).Eliminate unnecessary background noise. Consider isolation headphones.Eliminate clutter from the room, particularly in aisles and movement paths.Place materials in consistent places so that students know where particular items are always located.Preferential locker position and locks with keys vs. combination locks.Use of task lighting as needed.

Perhaps this holds truest within the special education realm. Equipping your child or student with the right iPad and iPhone apps can enhance his or her learning process.