Including a Student with Cerebral Palsy in a Volleyball Unit
Ms. Ferreira teaches a required grade 9 class of 34 in a single gym. The class is midway through a four-week volleyball unit. One student, Jordan, has an IEP and spastic diplegic cerebral palsy: Jordan walks with forearm crutches, has good use of the arms and hands but limited grip endurance, tires quickly, and has a documented balance concern after a fall on stairs last year. Jordan's IEP includes adaptive physical education consultation once a month, and the APE teacher's note says Jordan should participate with peers using modifications. Equipment available: standard nets on adjustable standards, a cart with lighter volleyballs, beach balls, balloons, and a few larger foam balls. The period is 45 minutes, and the gym hosts a lunch period immediately after, so mats must be cleared. Jordan's 1:1 paraprofessional works with Jordan in other classes but is not assigned to physical education.
1. What modifications should Ms. Ferreira make so Jordan participates in the same activity as peers rather than a separate one? Order them from least to most restrictive and justify.
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Start from the assumption that Jordan belongs in the same activity, then modify the activity rather than removing Jordan from it. The continuum runs from least to most restrictive.
Least restrictive - same game, changed equipment and rules: lighter volleyball or beach ball, net lowered to badminton height, smaller court, one bounce allowed before the catch, a two-hand catch-and-throw in place of a volley, and a playing zone with a partner who covers adjacent space.
Next - changed tempo and grouping: 3v3 on a shortened court, frequent substitutions, and a designated server role so Jordan gets repeated touches without sprinting to a position.
Next - parallel activity within the same lesson: the same catching and throwing task in a nearby grid while peers play.
Most restrictive - separate or pull-out adapted physical education: appropriate only if the options above do not permit safe, meaningful participation.
The IEP specifies participation with modifications, so the burden is on Ms. Ferreira to document what she tried. Removing Jordan to a stationary toss task for the whole period would be a placement change made without the team and would forfeit the tactical and social content of the unit. The test is meaningful participation, not merely occupancy of the gym.
2. Identify the specific safety concerns in this setup and what she should check or change.
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The crutches create a genuine hazard: on a polished gym floor with a ball rolling, a student on forearm crutches has no hand free to break a fall, and Jordan's documented balance concern raises the stakes. She should check:
- Floor condition - dry surface, no mopping during class, no condensation near doors.
- Rolling balls - institute a rule that any ball entering Jordan's zone is stopped by the nearest student, and keep a clear three-foot buffer around the playing area.
- Net standards - weighted bases, no exposed pins, never placed in a traffic lane.
- Pace and fatigue - crutches plus volleyball is high demand; schedule rest intervals and allow Jordan to sit on a bench between rallies.
- Grip - lighter balls reduce grip demand, and Jordan should be able to switch to a beach ball or balloon if grip fails.
- Emergency readiness - know where the phone, AED, and nurse are; if Jordan falls, assess before lifting.
She should also confirm with the school nurse and APE teacher what the IEP and any health plan permit, and ask whether physical therapy has recommendations about weight-bearing duration and rest. Finally, document the modifications so a substitute knows them.
3. How should Jordan be assessed in this unit?
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Assess Jordan on the same grade-level outcomes and standards as peers, with the modifications in place, and also against IEP goals. That means the rubric criteria should be the ones the unit teaches - sending a ball over the net to a target, receiving a ball, moving to a position, and making tactical decisions - not "uses a forehand volley with correct footwork," which the modifications deliberately replaced.
Jordan can be scored on catching and throwing a beach ball over a lowered net to a target, on choosing where to send the ball in a 3v3 game, and on staying engaged and safe. Progress should also be compared with Jordan's own baseline, and the IEP team should see that data.
Grade on participation, effort, tactical knowledge, and self-assessment, not on raw performance compared with peers. Do not assign an automatically lower "modified grade"; the standard is the same even though the route is different. Share the rubric at the start of the unit so Jordan knows what success looks like, and keep all performance data private.