ERIC Number: EJ1140169
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017
Pages: 8
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0040-0599
EISSN: N/A
Selecting Appropriate Text for Adolescents with Disabilities
Swanson, Elizabeth; Wexler, Jade
TEACHING Exceptional Children, v49 n3 p160-167 Jan-Feb 2017
One of the most efficient ways of learning essential content in the curriculum is through reading; however, accessing content through reading even some of the most basic texts for many students with disabilities is a challenge (C. Lee & Spratley, 2010). As a student enters secondary settings, text complexity, vocabulary demands, and curricular pace increase (Kennedy & Deshler, 2010). Thus, general and special educators must be prepared to support the literacy needs of students with disabilities, regardless of student placement (i.e., whether in general education or intensive intervention classes). Using high-quality texts complex enough to support learning in content areas and intensive instructional settings but not beyond a student's skill level is necessary, but there is little guidance for teachers on how best to choose appropriate text. Authors of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS; National Governors Association Center for Best Practices & Council of Chief State School Officers [NGA & CCSSO], 2010a) provide guidelines for choosing high-quality complex texts for use in both general education and special education settings (NGA & CCSSO, 2010a, 2010b). Acknowledging that although students with disabilities are a "heterogeneous group that require instructional procedures tailored to their specific needs" (NGA & CCSSO, 2010b, p. 1), they should be given the same opportunity as students without disabilities to excel within the general curriculum in preparation for success in college and careers (NGA & CCSSO, 2010b). The purpose of this article is to provide general and special educators with an interpretation of the CCSS text selection guidelines and guidance on how to use them to evaluate text.
Descriptors: Adolescents, Disabilities, Regular and Special Education Relationship, Special Education Teachers, Reader Text Relationship, Reading Material Selection, Common Core State Standards, Reading Comprehension, Reading Fluency
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: Teachers
Language: English
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