This year I seem to have an especially large load of students with IEPs and I've accepted the challenge with open arms, knowing that lesson-planning requires ongoing changes in differentiation. Upon completing a recent unit and assessing student knowledge, I was concerned about the large number of failing grades on their final exam. Our school has a policy that every student is allowed to retake a test within one week as an opportunity to improve upon their grade. I extended an open invitation to those 'challenged' students to retake their test with me as their reader, knowing that it would require a large block of my free time.
There have been moments in my life when I took my learning for granted. I may have struggled with challenging selections of reading or writing, but it was nothing to the extent that these students likely deal with every day. As I read each multiple-choice question and the possible answers, I was amazed at how difficult it was for students to make definitive decisions on any one answer, but I exerted patience in every way. In some cases it was specific vocabulary which interfered with their thought-process, while others were tripped up by creative answers that were easily dismissed by average students. I provided both time and understanding with their test retake, sensing that the removal of stress would be instrumental in their success. I never rushed them to make a decision and sometimes expanded upon concepts with difficult vocabulary.
While the typical student would complete such a test in less than an hour, each of these students required a minimum of two hours of one-to-one time on my part...with one needing almost three hours to finish. To my amazement, all four students showed noticeable improvements on their retakes. Not just a simple grade mark of improvement, but obvious advancements in reading, writing, and comprehension. Four 'F's were transformed into a solid C, two Bs and a low A. When I corrected their tests and returned them with the higher grades, students were stunned by the results...as was Mr. D. I doubt they realized how much time (or the removal of this constraint) may have impacted their abilities with test-taking.
In reflection of what I sense could be a constructive solution, I struggle to see how I might make changes on future assessments in order to achieve maximum results in test scores. These students require genuine one-on-one attention, but resources are limited both on my part as well as support staff. There are only so many minutes in each day, much less a lifetime. The human mind is indeed complex in the way it grasps information and extracts facts...be they conceived or factual in nature. As I journey deeper into the world of teaching in 2015, I continue seeking ways to expand on differentiation in the classroom.
