Blog Assignment #7 (Inquiry Question)

How can you Help Students with Disabilities succeed in State and District Writing Assessments?

First, it is important to note that good teaching and parental support can assist any student in learning to write more effectively.  There are several academic differences that exist between students with disabilities and their counterparts in school.  For instance, when it comes to effective writing techniques, students with disabilities have a tendency to know less about the characteristics of good writing, often begin a writing assignment with little or no planning, only make minor corrections when revising an assignment and experience difficulty with their handwriting, spelling and punctuation. 

To help counteract these hurdles, teachers/parents can incorporate several strategies/techniques into their lessons when assisting students with learning disabilities.  For instance, the article suggests using the "
three principles of effective writing instruction" (http://www.tourettesyndrome.net/wp-content/uploads/Warger2.pdf) when assisting students with writing.  They are:

· Using a basic framework of planning, writing, and revision.

· Instructing students in steps of the writing process and the features and conventions of

  the writing genre.

· Providing feedback guided by the information explicitly taught.

(http://www.tourettesyndrome.net/wp-content/uploads/Warger2.pdf)

In addition, it is vital to help prepare the students for their writing assignments.  It is essential to their success that the teacher and student work together to develop a strategy for the assignment, while building student background knowledge. The use of technology in instruction and testing is another teaching strategy that can be implemented while assisting students with their writing assignments.  Finally, it is important to provide students with the appropriate accommodations during assessments/testing.

 Warger, C. (2002). Helping Students with Disabilities Succeed in State and District Writing Assessments. ERIC /OSEP Digest #E625. Retrieved April3rd, 2011, from: http://www.tourettesyndrome.net/wp-content/uploads/Warger2.pdf