Students with learning disabilities and other learning difficulties often struggle with traditional classroom teaching methods. These students require specially designed education and services that are outlined in an individualized education plan (IEP). As students progress throughout their schooling, they are required to perform increasingly rigorous academic tasks. When students are required to perform tasks above their instructional level, it can lead to frustration and apathy. In particular, writing is a challenging skill for many students with learning challenges because it requires executive functioning skills in addition to spelling, grammar, and advanced vocabulary usage.
I am an intervention specialist and I teach seniors who all have writing goals on their IEPs. At our school, we currently use the strategic instruction model (SIM) from the University of Kansas Center for Research and Learning to teach reading, writing, and executive functioning skills to our students on IEPs. The SIM approach involves the use of an eight-stage, research-validated process for teaching students academic skills to the level of acquisition(mastery of the strategy) and generalization (the ability to use the technique in different contexts). The SIM paragraph writing strategy was developed in the late 1980's and published in the early 1990's. Consequently, many of our students are very resentful of the repetitiveness and monotony of how the intervention was originally designed.
The purpose of my study was to determine if modernizing the SIM paragraph writing strategy to incorporate a digital format and relevant application would increase student writing achievement. The paragraph writing strategy provides a systematic format so that students learn how to structure their writing effectively and consistently so that they can focus more on the content needed to communicate their ideas. In my study, I measured the impact of the revitalized curriculum by looking at writing samples that students completed before and after the intervention. Results were analyzed from the years 2016-2018. Each student’s pre and post-tests were evaluated based on the Northview SCRIBE Writing Rubric. Using the same rubric was helpful to determine overall changes and to look at differences within particular subareas for students. Students could earn scores of limited (1),basic (2), proficient (3), accelerated (4), and advanced (5) in the areas of topic sentences,lead-off sentences, follow-up sentences, clincher sentences, sentences (types and structure), point of view, word choice, and conventions.
Measuring the Effectiveness of Implementing a Digital Writing Intervention Program for Students with Learning Disabilities
By: Jessie Minard
Measuring the Effectiveness of Implementing a Digital Writing Intervention Program for Students with Learning Disabilities
By: Jessie Minard