From Accommodations to Specially Designed Instruction in Written Expression
A fifth grader with a specific learning disability in written expression and ADHD attends a co-taught English language arts class. His IEP goal is to write a three-paragraph opinion piece with a topic sentence, two supporting details per paragraph, and a concluding sentence across four of five trials. The IEP lists a graphic organizer, extended time, scribing for long assignments, and preferential seating. In class, the general education teacher gives the whole class a graphic organizer and says, “Use your accommodations.” The student’s recent writing samples contain one or two sentences, no topic sentence, and no revision. A paraeducator often scribes the student’s entire response because he refuses to write. Progress data consist only of a quarterly benchmark. The special education teacher is asked to improve outcomes without adding more separate placement.
1. Analyze whether the current supports are specially designed instruction or accommodations, and explain why the student is not making progress.
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Most of the current supports are accommodations, not specially designed instruction. A graphic organizer, extended time, preferential seating, and scribing change how the student accesses the task or how he demonstrates learning; they do not systematically teach the writing skills he lacks. Handing the whole class an organizer and telling the student to “use his accommodations” does not provide explicit instruction in how to generate a topic sentence, select relevant details, organize an opinion, or revise.
The paraeducator’s full scribing is also likely counterproductive. If the adult writes the entire response, the student avoids the very practice needed to develop written expression, and the team cannot tell whether the student can perform the goal. The lack of frequent progress data compounds the problem: a quarterly benchmark is too infrequent to show whether instruction is working and cannot guide adjustments. The student needs SDI that includes modeling, think-alouds, guided practice, feedback, and gradual release, with scribing used only as a temporary access support when the task is not measuring handwriting or spelling.
2. Design a weekly SDI and progress-monitoring plan for the writing goal.
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A practical plan would include three 20–25 minute SDI sessions per week in the co-taught setting or a quiet space, focused on the IEP goal rather than general class assignments.
Instructional sequence:
- Mini-lesson on one component, such as writing an opinion topic sentence, using a model text and teacher think-aloud.
- Teacher and student co-construct a paragraph using a planning frame; the teacher models selecting two relevant supporting details.
- Student drafts a paragraph independently while the teacher provides immediate corrective feedback.
- Student revises one element after feedback, so revision is taught rather than assumed.
- Paraeducator supports brainstorming, oral rehearsal, or typing only after the student has drafted ideas; full scribing is reserved for tasks that measure content, not writing goals.
Progress monitoring:
- Collect one permanent writing sample weekly, scored with a simple rubric: topic sentence, two supporting details, concluding sentence, and organization.
- Record the score on a graph and compare it with the goal criterion across five trials.
- Review data every two to three weeks; if the student is not improving, adjust the model, increase guided practice, or change the graphic organizer.
- Share the graph with the student so he can see progress and set a short-term goal.
3. How should the special education teacher collaborate with the paraeducator and general education teacher?
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The special education teacher should clarify roles in writing and in a brief meeting. The general education teacher remains responsible for the grade-level writing curriculum and for providing accommodations during class tasks, while the special education teacher designs and monitors the SDI and ensures the IEP goal is measured. The paraeducator should receive specific training on the writing frame, questioning prompts, and data collection, and should understand that scribing is an accommodation for access-not a substitute for writing instruction. The team should agree on which assignments are used for progress monitoring and which are modified for access.
The teacher should also build in brief weekly co-planning, even 15 minutes, to review the student’s writing samples and decide whether the next lesson should focus on topic sentences, supporting details, or revision. The paraeducator should collect work samples under the teacher’s direction and should not be asked to make eligibility or grading decisions. Finally, the team should monitor whether the student is becoming overly dependent on adult support and plan to fade prompts and scribing as the student’s independent writing improves.