Websites

[|WATI AT ASSESSMENT GUIDE] Outstanding resource for AT consideration, assessment, implementation
= AUTISM RESOURCES = = =

[|Project Spectrum - Google Sketchup]
=== www.orcabook.com - Website that has high interest but low readability books (good for middle/high school). If you go to Orca Currents section has books for reluctant readers, also has teacher's guides. Can see books here and sometimes can buy them for cheaper on amazon.===

= READING RESOURCES =  =E-Text Resources=

[|Accessible Books and eTexts]
=[]- online free audio books for out of copyright books. Human read.= =[|Start to Finish] books for struggling readers- an online library access via cloud= [|National Center on Instruction] [|Reading and writing research, materials and resources] [|What Works Clearinghouse - Beginning Reading]- K - 3
 * ==[|Details]==
 * ==[[file:456simmons/E-Book Resource List.doc|Download]]==
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[|What Works Clearinghouse - Reading/Writing]
[|The Florida Center for Reading Research] [|Summary Table for FCRR Reports] - extensive reviews of specific reading programs, [|Children of the Code] - a comprehensive, online social education project and public television documentary series, addresses the complexities of fluently making sense of "the code" the basis of understanding the written word. [|Electronic and Audible Book Resources] - (scroll down to page 2) an extensive collection of resources, share this with everyone!

Research Articles:
**[|1. Greg Roberts, Joseph K. Torgesen, Alison Boardman, Nancy Scammacca (2008) Evidence-Based Strategies for Reading Instruction of Older Students with Learning Disabilities, Learning Disabilities Research & Practice 23 (2), 63–69.]** **Summary Points:** "Because students who do not read well generally do not read very much, they miss out on countless opportunities for reading practice and for learning from what they have read." (p. 63) "It is important to recognize that the challenge of motivating struggling students to read becomes increasingly difficult as they age...whether due to an accumulating history of failure or to the considerable effort required for decoding and processing text." (p. 64.) The National Reading Panel identified five components to successful early reading instruction. We have adapted the five components for older readers to 1. word study, 2. fluency, 3. vocabulary, 4. comprehension and 5, motivation." (p. 64.) **Vocabulary** "Capable readers have large, often times sophisticated vocabularies, nurtured by reading a great deal across a wide variety of genres. Older students identified as having LD, on the other hand, generally avoid reading as an independent activity, thus limiting their exposure to new vocabulary." (p. 65) Not surprisingly, "the most reliable gateway to improved vocabulary for older students appears to be reading a lot, reading well and reading widely." (p. 66) Consider the use of [|Progress Monitoring]. **Comprehension** "Activating prior knowledge helps student make connections between what they already know and what they are reading...Struggling readers may not access (or possess) prior knowledge taht supports the new information they will learn..." (p. 67) "Graphic organizers are visual representations that assist students in identifying, organizing and remembering important ideas from what they read." (p. 67) Students with LD will need explicit strategy instruction and will need to learn how to monitor strategy use. **Motivation** "Motivation and engagement make reading enjoyable, increase strategy use during reading and support comprehension....Struggling readers ofent lack this moviation which limits opportunities to build vocabulary, improve comprehension and develop effective reading strategies." (p. 67) "Comprehension of complex text involves the conscious application of effortful strategies for processing text; students who are not engaged, or who are not interested in extracting meaning from text, are much less likely to put in the effort to comprehend and, as a result, miss opportunities to become proficient in comprehending complex text." (p. 67) Four critical features necessary for student motivation: 1. "Providing interesting content goals for reading 2. supporting student autonomy 3. providing interesting texts 4 increasing social interactions among student related to reading." (pp. 67 - 68)
 * ==[[image:reachingallreaders/LD.jpg caption="LD.jpg" link="http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1540-5826.2008.00264.x?journalCode=ldrp&volume=23&issue=2"]]== ||
 * ==LD.jpg== ||

**[|2. Summary Report of the Iowa Text Reader Studies 2006-2007]** A longitudinal study of 20 students which studied the impact of a computer based text reader on reading performance. **Summary Points:** "In addition to the fluency and passage comprehension results being statistically highly significant, they are also educationally significant. The results demonstrate that students can access the core materials at twice the rate, with understanding, at levels of higher thinking, allowing them to work competitively in an inclusion setting. From a teacher perspective, the students would be more likely to be able to access and understand the same material as his peers while working independently." ( p. 15) 3. **Applying Principles of Universal Design to Test Delivery: The Effect of Computer-based Read-aloud on Test Performance of High School Students with Learning Disabilities** by Robert Dolan, Tracey E. Hall, Manju Banerjee, Euljung Chun, and Nicole Strangman //** Download the article ** (Acrobat PDF, 508 K)// Standards-based reform efforts are highly dependent on accurate assessment of all students, including those with disabilities. The accuracy of current large-scale assessments is undermined by construct-irrelevant factors including access barriers, a particular problem for students with disabilities. Testing accommodations such as the read-aloud have led to improvement, but research findings suggest the need for a more flexible, individualized approach to accommodations. The current pilot study applies principles of Universal Design for Learning to the creation of a prototype computer-based test delivery tool that provides students with a flexible, customizable testing environment with the option for read-aloud of test content. Two contrasting methods were used to deliver two equivalent forms of a National Assessment of Educational Progress United States history and civics test to ten high school students with learning disabilities. In a counterbalanced design, students were administered one form via traditional paper-and-pencil (PPT) and the other via a computer-based system with optional text-to-speech (CBT-TTS). Test scores were calculated, and student surveys, structured interviews, field observations, and usage tracking were conducted to derive information about student preferences and patterns of use. Results indicate a significant increase in scores on the CBT-TTS versus PPT administration for questions with reading passages greater than 100 words in length. Qualitative findings also support the effectiveness of CBT-TTS, which students generally preferred over PPT. The results of this pilot study provide preliminary support for the potential benefits and usability of digital technologies in creating universally designed assessments that more fairly and accurately test students with disabilities.

= MATH RESOURCES =

**[|Ten Tips for Software Selection for Math Instruction]**
==**[|AccessSTEM]** - The AccessSTEM website is a space where K-12 teachers, postsecondary educators, and employers learn to make classroom and employment opportunities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) accessible to individuals with disabilities, and share [|promising practices]. ==