Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 38, September 20, 2024
By October 1, 2025, all candidates for an endorsement as a
Curriculum Adaptation Specialist will be required to complete a program aligned
to the Advanced Specialty Set for Special Education Academic Intervention
Specialist (2015), published by the Council for Exceptional Children, 2900
Crystal Drive, Suite 1000, Arlington VA 22202-3557, and available at
https://exceptionalchildren.org/standards/specialty-sets-specific-practice-areas.
(No later amendments to or editions of these guidelines are incorporated.) The
standards effective until September 30, 2025 are as follows:
a) Foundations - The competent curriculum
adaptation specialist understands the philosophical, historical, and legal
foundations of special education.
1) Knowledge
- The competent curriculum adaptation specialist understands:
A) the general curriculum
structure;
B) curricular issues and
their associated implications for students with disabilities;
C) levels of influence affecting curriculum
development and implementation (classroom, school, district, State,
national);
D) State law related to
the general curriculum;
E)
processes for curriculum development; and
F) philosophical, sociological, and
psychological perspectives or models that undergird curricular development and
instructional approaches for students with disabilities.
2) Performance - The competent curriculum
adaptation specialist meets the standards set forth in Section
28.100(a)(2).
b) Characteristics of Learners - The
competent curriculum adaptation specialist understands the impact that
disabilities have on the cognitive, physical, emotional, social, and
communication development of an individual and provides opportunities that
support the intellectual, social, and personal development of all students.
1) Knowledge - The competent curriculum
adaptation specialist understands:
A)
learning research and implications for students with disabilities;
B) the impact of various disabilities, levels
of disabilities, and combinations of disabilities on learning and skill
development;
C) the impact of
listening skills on the development of critical thinking, reading
comprehension, and oral and written language; and
D) the impact of language development on the
academic and social skills of individuals with
disabilities.
2)
Performance - The competent curriculum adaptation specialist:
A) determines the appropriate curriculum for
an individual based on the student's age, skills, learning strengths, and
desired long-term outcomes; and
B)
modifies and adapts curricula appropriate to the student's learning
style.
c)
Assessment - The competent curriculum adaptation specialist understands the
educational assessment process and uses various assessment strategies to
support the continuous development of all students (ages 3-22).
1) Knowledge - The competent curriculum
adaptation specialist understands:
A)
curriculum-based assessment and curriculum-based measurement as methods for
determining instructional needs and monitoring student progress through
curricula;
B) methods used for
statewide assessment of student learning standards;
C) problem-solving models used to analyze
curricular needs and learning characteristics of students;
D) alternative methods for assessing and
grading student performance; and
E)
varied test-taking strategies.
2) Performance - The competent curriculum
adaptation specialist:
A) uses varied
assessment strategies to determine appropriate curricular modification and
adaptations for students with disabilities;
B) modifies specific assessment devices and
assessment procedures to match the individual needs and learning style of
students;
C) systematically
monitors student progress through general and modified curriculum;
D) systematically measures and evaluates the
effectiveness of curricular adaptations or modifications in instructional
strategies on student learning;
E)
conducts student error analyses to identify needed instructional
modifications;
F) adapts formal
tests to accommodate students' disabilities and modes of communication;
and
G) assesses reliable methods of
response of individuals who lack communication and performance
abilities.
d)
Planning for Instruction - The competent curriculum adaptation specialist
understands how students differ in their approaches to learning and creates
instructional opportunities that are adapted to diverse learners. The
specialist understands instructional planning and designs instruction based on
knowledge of the discipline, students, community, and curriculum goals.
1) Knowledge - The competent curriculum
adaptation specialist understands:
A) sources
of specialized materials for individuals with disabilities;
B) a variety of approaches for modifying the
general curriculum;
C) essential
elements of social skills, life skills, study skills, and vocational and other
alternative curricula; and
D)
strategies for modifying materials, changing teaching procedures, altering task
requirements, or selecting an alternative task based on students' learning
styles and needs.
2)
Performance - The competent curriculum adaptation specialist:
A) modifies the general curriculum by
analyzing what is taught, how it is taught, how the student will demonstrate
proficiency, and the instructional setting needed by the student for successful
learning;
B) utilizes the least
intrusive intervention or adaptation first;
C) matches individual learning styles with
appropriate curricular adaptations;
D) determines critical functional skills
within the general curriculum; and
E) selects instructional materials which
engage students in meaningful learning.
e) Learning Environment - The competent
curriculum adaptation specialist uses an understanding of individual and group
motivation and behavior to create a learning environment that encourages
positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and
self-motivation.
1) Knowledge - The competent
curriculum adaptation specialist understands:
A) reinforcement theory and its application
to learning; and
B) the impact of
the environment on student learning.
2) Performance - The competent curriculum
adaptation specialist modifies the learning environment based on a student's
learning strengths, curricular needs, and appropriate instructional
strategies.
f)
Instructional Delivery - The competent curriculum adaptation specialist
understands the central concepts and methods of inquiry; uses a variety of
instructional strategies to encourage students' development of critical
thinking, problem-solving, and performance skills; and creates learning
experiences that make content meaningful to all students (ages 3-22).
1) Knowledge - The competent curriculum
adaptation specialist understands:
A) various
methods for adapting content, instructional strategies, instructional settings,
and materials to maximize learning;
B) various student learning strategies that
increase capacity for learning;
C)
study strategies to assist students in the completion of various
tasks;
D) various methods for
grouping students to maximize learning; and
E) how technology may be used to maximize
learning.
2) Performance
- The competent curriculum adaptation specialist:
A) develops an individualized curriculum for
all students in the least restrictive environment;
B) adapts content, materials, and
instructional strategies in reading to meet individualized needs;
C) adapts content, materials, and
instructional strategies in mathematics to meet individualized needs;
D) adapts content, materials, and
instructional strategies in language arts to meet individualized
needs;
E) adapts content,
materials, and instructional strategies in academic content areas (e.g.,
science and social studies) to meet individualized needs;
F) adapts content, materials, and
instructional strategies related to social skills, life skills, vocational
skills, and study skills to meet individualized needs;
G) uses research-supported instructional
strategies and practices;
H) uses
adaptations and strategies for facilitating maintenance and generalization of
skills across environments;
I) uses
assistive technology devices to meet individualized needs and maximize
learning; and
J) teaches students
cognitive strategies which maximize learning.
g) Collaborative Relationships - The
competent curriculum adaptation specialist uses knowledge of effective written,
verbal, and visual communication techniques to foster active inquiry,
collaboration, and supportive interaction among professionals, parents,
paraprofessionals, and students.
1) Knowledge
- The competent curriculum adaptation specialist understands models for
co-teaching and consultation.
2)
Performance - The competent curriculum adaptation specialist:
A) collaborates with other educators
concerning appropriate use of the different learning and instructional
strategies for various students;
B)
provides direct assistance, when needed, to general educators, other special
educators, and related service personnel as adaptations are implemented;
and
C) assists general educators,
other special educators, and related service personnel in anticipating and
accounting for potential problems related to adaptations.
h) Professional Conduct and
Leadership - The competent curriculum adaptation specialist understands
teaching as a profession, maintains standards of professional conduct, and
provides leadership to improve students' learning and well-being. The
specialist advocates for the use of curricular adaptations for all students
which reflect the dignity of the learner and assure the integrity of the
learning environment.
i) Reflection
and Professional Growth - The competent curriculum adaptation specialist is a
reflective practitioner who continually evaluates how choices and actions
affect students, parents, and other professionals in the learning community and
actively seeks opportunities to grow professionally. The specialist reflects on
curricular adaptations which promote student growth and modifies strategies to
enhance learning.
