An Online Resource for Louisiana Educators and Families

 

 

Creating Access for All:

The Access Guide, designed by Louisiana educators, provides a variety of suggestions, resources, and tools to maximize the likelihood of higher academic achievement for ALL students, including struggling learners, students with  significant disabilities, and those who need added rigor. 

 

Where can the Access Guide be found?

  • Website link coming soon

  • Under "Most Requested Information" on the Louisiana Department Education website

How does the Access Guide support instruction for struggling learners?

When planning instruction, users can search suggested strategies, accommodations, technology, and product options (formative/summative assessments) aligned to courses in the Louisiana Comprehensive Curriculum.

 

 

How does the Access Guide support the needs of students with significant disabilities?

The side provides information and sample products related to curriculum assessment and instruction issues for students with significant disabilities.  The resources can be used in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of a student's educational program linked to grade level content.

 

How can I give feedback on how the Access Guide meets my needs and the needs of my students?

We welcome your feedback through the Access Guide User Survey found at (link coming soon).

 

Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment:

Students with Significant Disabilities

IDEA('04) and NCLB requires that all students, including those with significant cognitive disabilities, have access to the general education curriculum and participate in statewide assessments.  These federal laws call for

  • raised expectations

  • challenging academic standards

  • alternate assessments aligned to grade level content

The Access Guide provides resources for instructional teams to use in meeting these requirements, including information related to:

Alternate Assessment

Students with the most significant cognitive disabilities are eligible to participate in LEAP Alternate Assessment Level 1 (LAA1) based upon the LAA1 Participation Criteria.

 

Louisiana Extended Standards

These standards are to be addressed by students who meet the LAA1 Participation Criteria.  They capture the essence of the Louisiana Grade Level Expectations (GLEs) and provide a way for students with significant cognitive disabilities to access the general education curriculum.  The standards serve to:

  • articulate academic learning from one grade to the next

  • facilitate access to grade level content

  • move from the concrete to the abstract

  • attend to prerequisite skills and understanding

Extended Standards do not represent the entire curriculum for a given grade or content area.  Rather, they represent the core academic content that may be assessed at each grade span.

 

Sample Instructional Materials in Alternate Formats

The Access Guide provides a searchable database of sample instructional materials linked to the Extended Standards and GLEs.  The materials can be further adapted to support the needs of individual students.

 

Writing the IEP

Guidelines are provided on developing IEPs linked to the GLEs, Extended Standards, and functional skills.

 

Essential Issues

The site provides information related to essential issues listed below that must be considered when planning an IEP  and instructional day for a student who has a significant disability.

 

  • Ability to Contribute

  • Postive Behavioral Support

  • Age-appropriateness

  • Self-determination

  • Assistive Technology

  • Student Dignity

  • Friendship

  • Student Preferences

  • Future-oriented

  • Community Access (high school)

  • Generalization

  • Vocational Training/Employment (high school)

  • Inclusion

 

  • Partial Participation

 

Pieces of the Picture

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) looks at how curriculum should be changed to adapt to the students, not the other way around.

 

Does your curriculum need adapting? 

Use this simple test to see if your curriculum needs adapting:

  • Does it provide multiple ways for students to learn information or does it focus on limited methods such as reading or lecturing?

  • Does it provide multiple ways for students to demonstrate how they know the information, or does it focus on written tests and assignments?

  • Does it provide multiple ways to motivates students to become engaged in learning, or does it ignore student preferences and limit choices?

For more information, visit the UDL website at: www.doe.state.la.us/lde/eia/1538.html

 

Do you know about AIM?

Districts are required to provide AIM (Accessible Instructional Materials) in a timely manner for students who are unable to use standard print-based curriculum materials. This means that as IEP teams make curriculum decisions, they need to determine a student’s need for AIM.

Consider:

  • Does my student have difficulty reading the standard text book and other core curriculum materials?

  • Would an alternate format such as digital text, audio, large print or Braille assist my students in accessing the curriculum?

  • Why type of format meets my student’s needs and how will our team acquire those materials for the student?

For answers, go to www.atanswers.com/aim

 

Do you know about LATI?

The Louisiana Assistive Technology Initiative (LATI) provides training, information and resources to educators and families about assistive technology in LA schools. There are 8 AT Centers across the state that provide professional development. Centralized AT projects such as the AT Reimbursement Program can be located at the Department of Education webpage at http://www.louisianaschools.net/lde/eia/1538.html.