Working with Curriculum Adaptations

Understanding curriculum adaptations -- and the para's role in delivering them

For paraprofessionals and the teachers who supervise them

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| The frameCurriculum adaptations allow students with disabilities to access and participate in the general education curriculum. They come in many forms -- simplified text, reduced response options, alternate materials, modified goals -- and they are almost always designed by someone other than the para. The para's job is to deliver the adaptation as designed, understand why it exists, and flag problems when they arise. This brief covers the major types of adaptations and the para's role with each. |

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 often 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 is best: everyone is working on their own version today

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. Marcus'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 Marcus to fill in the frame, not to prompt him to write a full narrative. When Marcus finishes his three sentences, the para acknowledges the goal: you finished your three sentences. That is your writing goal for today. She does not compare his output to his classmates.

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| 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 |

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| Bottom lineCurriculum adaptations are tools with a purpose. Your job is to deliver them as designed, preserve their dignity, and report when they need to be revised. The design is not yours to change -- but the quality of delivery is entirely in your hands. |

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