Co-Teaching, Accommodations, and a Student Who Refuses Text-to-Speech

Use Classroom's per-student assignment control rather than a separate labeled worksheet. Post the core assignment to the whole class, then create an adjusted version and use the Assign to dropdown to send it only to the six students who need it; peers never see who received what. For the student distracted by the Stream, set the Class stream to Classwork only or direct that student to the Classwork page; that is a class-level setting, so confirm it does not break how the other teacher posts announcements. For reading, prefer built-in ChromeOS Select-to-speak and adjustable font and size over Read&Write as the default: the built-in tool is less stigmatizing, works without an extension, and lets the student choose voice and speed. Read&Write stays available for word prediction and screenshot reading, but it is Chromebook-only, so the iPad users need iOS Speak Screen or a human read-aloud. The accommodation is access to text, not a particular app. Document what was tried and what the student accepted, and keep the same assignment title so the gradebook does not reveal a separate track.

Add the special education teacher as a co-teacher to the Class, not as a guardian or a second class. Co-teachers can see student work, grade, and post, which is what the IEP service model requires; the alternative, a duplicate Class, splits the gradebook and defeats the point of co-teaching. Before inviting, agree on data minimization: co-teacher access is broad, so the team should decide who else has it and review the list each term. If the school's policy bars co-teacher access for a paraprofessional, do not give that person the co-teacher role; instead share only the specific student's assignment folder in Drive as Commenter. The other teacher's drafts problem is usually a workflow problem, not a permission problem: if students use Make a copy for each student, the files live in the Class Drive folder and co-teachers can see them before submission. Check that the assignment was not posted as Materials; Materials do not create student copies. Test the setup with one student before the unit starts, because permission failures are invisible until a student cannot open the file.

Honor the refusal as information, not defiance. The accommodation is access to grade-level text, not use this voice. First check the mechanics: headphones, volume, the voice selected in Select-to-speak, and whether the student prefers a slower rate or a different accent. Then offer a menu: Select-to-speak with a different voice, Read&Write's voice options, iPad Speak Screen, or a human read-aloud for the longest texts. Pair the tool with a 10-minute self-advocacy script so the student can ask for a read-aloud without feeling singled out. Do not remove the accommodation because the first tool failed; document the trial and the student's preference in the IEP progress notes. Also check whether the weird voice is a proxy for embarrassment; if so, let the student use a headphone splitter or read in a quiet corner rather than in front of the class. The eight-week testing deadline is a reason to settle on a workable tool now, not to force the most convenient one.