Universal Design for Learning and Grading for Students with Complex Access Needs

(upbeat music) - The question of fairness in grading, and particularly for those teachers who are utilizing the principles of Universal Design for Learning in their instructional planning, is one that kind of nags teachers. They want to differentiate perhaps the products that students produce, but yet they're reluctant to also differentiate their assessment for a concern about fairness. So if a student with disabilities is participating in the Texas general assessment or the Texas general assessment with accommodations that student is expected to meet the same learning standard as students without disabilities. So they can fairly be graded on the same kind of scale as typical students. When a student participates in the alternate assessment, or if the student has significantly modified learning objectives, learning goals, on his or her IEP, then I think it is fair, in fact, to use a different grading rubric. In other words, to have different performance expectations for that student. Now, I think something that can maybe ease the mind of teachers who are facing this dilemma is for them to separate the issue of assessment and assessment feedback from grading. Assessment based on a set of standards that might be sort of explained within a rubric can be very individualized for students or it can be based on the same standards. And if one student, let's say, develops a PowerPoint presentation in order to demonstrate an understanding of a science concept and another student completes a multiple choice test to demonstrate the achievement of standards, then the teacher needs to look at both of those products and say, "Do I see evidence of of standards mastery in both of those products, even though those products are different?" When it comes to grading we decide what is an A, what is a B, what is a C. And teachers can decide for John and Mary an A means this, but for Manuel an A needs something different. The individualization that goes with assessment in grading is definitely allowable for students with the most complex access needs.