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The frame. Curriculum adaptations let students with disabilities take part in the regular class lessons. They come in many forms. Easier text. Fewer answer choices. Different materials. Changed goals. They should always be built by someone other than the para. The para's job is to run the adaptation the way it was built. Know why it is there. Flag problems when they come up. This brief covers the main types of adaptations and the para's role with each.
Adaptations to the lesson are the job of the special education teacher, the regular teacher, or a specialist. That may be an SLP for speech, or an OT for fine motor. Paras do not build adaptations. They run them.
This line matters for two reasons. First, building adaptations needs you to know the student's IEP goals, the class standards, and what works in research. The para may not have that. Second, an adaptation that is built poorly can block a student instead of helping. A para who means well but cuts a text down too much may take away the thinking the student needs.
Easier text keeps the main idea of a reading passage. But it uses simpler words and shorter sentences. It may also have helpful visuals. Bolded key terms. Pictures. Word lists in the margin.
Para role: use the easier text the teacher has set up. Do not cut it down more on the fly unless the teacher has said you can. If the easier text still seems too hard, write down the parts that are giving the student trouble. Tell the teacher.
For tests or practice work, a student may get a version with fewer answer choices, fill-in-the-blank with a word bank, or true/false instead of multiple choice. This cuts the thinking and language work of answering.
Para role: make sure the student is using the adapted test or task, not the regular one. Do not cut the choices more without being told to. If the student cannot use even the adapted task, write down where things break down.
Some students join the same lesson as peers but use different materials. Hands-on objects in place of a worksheet. Real items in place of pictures. A communication board in place of speaking. These materials are usually set up ahead of time.
Para role: have the different materials ready before the lesson. Know what the student is supposed to do with them. Do not swap in other materials because the right ones are missing. Find the right materials or tell the teacher.
For students working on different academic standards, the goal itself may be different from the class standard. A class writing a five-paragraph essay may include a student whose goal is to write a three-sentence paragraph with a topic sentence. The student joins the writing time but works toward a different outcome.
Para role: know the student's exact goal for the lesson. Prompt toward that goal, not toward the class goal. Write down data on the changed goal, not on the class rubric.
AT tools are sometimes part of a lesson adaptation plan. These include text-to-speech, AAC devices, word prediction, and screen readers. The para helps the student use AT inside the adapted lesson. See Brief 04.09 (UDL) and Brief 10.02 (AAC Overview) for more on AT support.
A clear rule: paras run adaptations. They do not build them. In real life, the line can blur. A para may be the first to notice that an adaptation is not working. The text is still too hard. The different materials do not match the lesson. The adapted test has a typo that changes the meaning. Noticing these things is part of the job. What the para does next matters:
A lesson adaptation that peers can clearly see can hurt the social side of being in class. An easier-looking worksheet. A different book. An adult sitting right next to the student during quiet work. Ways to keep dignity:
A para arrives at a science lab and finds the teacher has not printed the adapted lab worksheet. The regular worksheet is at a 6th-grade reading level. The student reads at a 2nd-grade level. The para is not allowed to cut the regular worksheet down herself. But she can read the question aloud to the student. She can have the student answer out loud while she writes the answers down. She also emails the teacher right away to flag the missing materials. This is a fair fix in the moment while the bigger problem is dealt with.
A fourth-grade class is writing stories with a beginning, middle, and end. Arjun's goal, set in his IEP, is to write three linked sentences using a sentence frame. His adapted materials include a sentence frame and a graphic organizer with three boxes. The para's job is to prompt Arjun to fill in the frame, not to prompt him to write a full story. When Arjun finishes his three sentences, the para quietly names the goal: "You finished your three sentences. That is your writing goal for today." She does not match his work against his classmates'.
| Try this | Watch out for |
|---|---|
| Know what each adaptation is for before the lesson starts, not during | Building your own adaptation on the fly when the prepared one is missing or unclear |
| Have adapted materials ready and in place before students arrive | Calling out the student's different materials in front of peers |
| Tell the team quickly and clearly when an adaptation is not working | Running the regular lesson instead of the adaptation because the adapted version was not ready |
| Name the student's changed goal as the mark of success, not the class standard | Writing data against the class standard when the student is working on a changed goal |
Bottom line. Curriculum adaptations are tools with a purpose. Your job is to run them the way they were built. Keep their dignity. Tell the team when they need to be changed. The design is not yours to change. But how well they are run is fully in your hands.
Understanding curriculum adaptations -- and the para's role in delivering them
For paraprofessionals and the teachers who supervise them
Who makes adaptations
Adaptations to curriculum are the professional responsibility of the special education teacher, the general education teacher, or a specialist (such as an SLP for communication adaptations or an OT for motor-based adaptations). Paras do not design adaptations. They implement them.
This distinction matters for two reasons. First, designing adaptations requires knowledge of the student's IEP goals, the curriculum standards, and the research base for effective modifications -- knowledge the para may not have. Second, adaptations that are poorly designed can undermine a student's access to the curriculum rather than improve it. A well-intentioned para who simplifies a text too aggressively may inadvertently remove the cognitive demand the student needs to make progress.
Types of adaptations
Adapted or simplified text
Simplified text maintains the key content of a reading passage but reduces the vocabulary level, sentence length, and text complexity. It may also include added visual supports such as bolded key terms, accompanying images, or margin glossaries.
Para role: use the adapted text the teacher has prepared. Do not further simplify on the fly unless the teacher has specifically authorized this. If the adapted text still seems inaccessible, note specific parts that are causing difficulty and report to the teacher.
Reduced response options
For assessments or practice tasks, a student may receive a version with fewer answer choices, fill-in-the-blank with a word bank, or true/false rather than multiple choice. This reduces the cognitive and language demand of the response task.
Para role: ensure the student is using the adapted assessment or task, not the standard version. Do not further reduce response options without direction. If the student is not able to use even the adapted task, note the specific point of breakdown.
Alternate materials
Some students participate in the same lesson as their peers using different materials -- manipulatives in place of a written worksheet, physical objects in place of pictures, a communication board in place of a verbal response. These materials are typically prepared in advance.
Para role: have the alternate materials ready before the lesson. Know what the student is supposed to do with them. Do not substitute different alternate materials because the prepared ones are unavailable -- find the right materials or alert the teacher.
Alternate or modified goals
For students working toward alternate academic achievement standards, the goal itself may be different from the general education standard. A class writing a five-paragraph essay may include a student whose goal is to compose a three-sentence paragraph with a topic sentence. The student participates in the writing activity but is working toward a different outcome.
Para role: know the student's specific goal for the activity. Prompt toward that goal rather than toward the general education expectation. Record data on the alternate goal, not on the general rubric.
Assistive technology as an adaptation
AT tools -- text-to-speech, AAC devices, word prediction, screen readers -- are sometimes part of a curriculum adaptation plan. The para supports the student's use of AT within the adapted curriculum. See Brief 04.09 (UDL) and Brief 10.02 (AAC Overview) for more detail on AT support.
The para's role in delivery vs. design
A clear rule: paras deliver adaptations, they do not design them. In practice, the line can blur. A para may be the first to notice that an adaptation is not working -- the text is still too hard, the alternate materials do not match the lesson, the adapted assessment has a typo that changes the meaning. Noticing these things is part of the job. What the para does next matters:
Report the problem to the teacher or special educator promptly and specifically
Use your professional judgment minimally in the moment (read the sentence aloud if the student cannot access the text) while you report the larger problem
Do not redesign the adaptation without authorization
Keeping adaptations dignified
A curriculum adaptation that is obvious to peers -- a visibly simpler worksheet, a different book, an adult sitting right next to the student during independent work -- can undermine the social goals of inclusion. Strategies for preserving dignity:
Pre-place adapted materials discretely before students arrive, or have them in a folder the student retrieves without drama
Use materials that look similar to what peers are using wherever possible -- a simplified text printed on the same paper at the same font looks less different than a hand-drawn version
Avoid talking about the student's adaptation in front of peers: not this one is easier for you
When peers ask why the student has different materials, a brief neutral answer that is accurate is best: that is what he is working on today. Avoid an answer peers can immediately falsify -- everyone is working on their own version, when they plainly are not -- because a claim that does not hold up invites the scrutiny the answer was meant to deflect
Scenarios
Scenario A: The missing materials
A para arrives at a science lab period and realizes the teacher has not yet printed the adapted lab worksheet for the student. The standard worksheet requires reading at the 6th grade level; the student reads at the 2nd grade level. The para does not have the authorization to simplify the standard worksheet herself, but she can read the question aloud to the student and have the student respond verbally while she records the answers. She also emails the teacher immediately to flag the missing materials. This is a reasonable in-the-moment accommodation while the larger problem is addressed.
Scenario B: The alternate goal in the writing class
A fourth-grade class is writing personal narratives with a beginning, middle, and end. Arjun's goal, as specified in his IEP, is to compose a sequence of three related sentences using a sentence frame. His adapted materials include a sentence frame and a graphic organizer with three boxes. The para's job is to prompt Arjun to fill in the frame, not to prompt him to write a full narrative. When Arjun finishes his three sentences, the para quietly acknowledges the goal: you finished your three sentences. That is your writing goal for today. She does not compare his output to his classmates.
| Try this | Watch out for |
|---|---|
| Know what each adaptation is for before the lesson begins -- not during | Designing your own adaptation on the fly when the prepared one is unavailable or unclear |
| Have adapted materials ready and in place before students arrive | Calling attention to the student's different materials in front of peers |
| Report promptly and specifically when an adaptation is not working | Delivering the standard curriculum instead of the adaptation because the adapted version was not ready |
| Acknowledge the student's alternate goal as the measure of success, not the general education standard | Recording data against the general education standard when the student is working toward an alternate goal |
Reading is useful, but recall is where it sticks. Three short scenarios, low-stakes, no scoring. About 3 minutes. You can stop any time.
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