Expressive and/or Receptive Communication Demands: Example 1

1.�� Focus Learner Information

a.�� Describe the focus learner�s primary disability as identified in the iep. Describe the learner�s strengths and challenges and their potential impact on instruction for the learning targets.

[My focus learner�s primary disability as identified in his Individualized Education Plan is Autism. However, he also has a language disorder and an anxiety disorder.]

b.�� Identify the two learning targets (primary and supporting/secondary) selected for the learning segment.

�[Primary Learning Target: Answer comprehension questions and effectively complete the corresponding activities with minimal prompting.]

c.�� List the goals and/or benchmarks in the focus learner�s iep relevant to achieving either learning target.

�[After listening to scientific texts about animals, that are read-aloud, my focus learner will successfully answer comprehension questions and effectively complete the corresponding activities with minimal prompting.]

[One of my focus learner�s annual goals for reading from his Individualized Education Plan states that he will be able to demonstrate comprehension of a text when an emergent reader text is read aloud to him. Therefore, answering comprehension questions about texts that contain scientific concepts will help him practice this skill. In addition, completing comprehension activities related to the text will help my focus learner apply and build upon his understandings. This will help him draw connections and deepen his knowledge. Another reading annual goal, related to comprehension, listed in my focus learner�s Individualized Education Plan states that he will be able to retell a story that was read aloud by recalling the main ideas. This goal will also be supported by the learning tasks within my lessons. My focus learner will have to recall the main ideas from the text in order to successfully complete the activities within each lesson.

5. �Supporting the Focus Learner�s Use of Expressi ve and/or Recepti ve

C ommunica tion

R espond to the pr o mpts 5a�e below to explain how your plans suppo rt the focus learner�s use of a co mmunicat ion s k ill related to the primary learning t a rget. If a learning tar g et was fr om the co m municat ion cu rr i culum area, the com municat ion s k ill does not need to be dist inct fr om the learning t a rget.

a. �Communica tion Ski ll (Function). Iden t i fy and descr ibe one com municat ion s k ill

(f unc t ion) that

���� t he focus learner needs to access inst ruct ion and/or de monst rate learni ng for the p r i mary learni ng target

���� i ncludes the lan gua ge of the discipline associated wi th the academ ic learning tar g e t, as app ropr i a te

E x amples include retelling a s tor y, explaining a mathem a t ics p roblem-sol v ing str a t e g y, answer ing open-ended ques t ions, st a t ing an opinion, suppor t ing a posi t ion w i th ev idence, foll o w ing di rect ions, si gna ling or ini t iat ing a t u rn du r ing peer discussion, app ropr iately expressing frust rat ion, pa rt icipat i ng in a conversat ion, answer ing a quest ion, selec t ing the r i g ht si g n, indicat i ng pr e f e rence w i th an eye gaze, r e quest i ng assistance, selec t ing a picture or other v isual representat ion, s t a rt i ng or s toppi ng co m m unicat ion, responding to an env i ronmental cue, or si gnaling/co mmunica t ing needs.

[One communication skill that my focus learner needs to access instruction and demonstrate learning for the primary learning target is �answering a question�. He will answer comprehension questions and complete corresponding activities to relay his understanding of the text.]

b. �Descr ibe how the focus learner w i ll use the communicat ion s k ill (funct ion) to part icipate in learni ng tas ks and/or de mons tr a te l earning in rel a t ion to the primary learning target.

[After I complete the active read aloud, I will ask my focus learner questions about the text. He will also be required to complete comprehension activities that ask questions about the new information that he has learned about animals. These questions will require responses in various formats. Some questions will require a verbal response; however, most questions will require pointing to the correct choice or matching items together because these are the response methods that work best for my focus learner. During my lessons, I want to ensure that I am doing everything I can to support my focus learner in achieving his learning targets.]

c.� �G i ven the co m municat i on s k ill (func t ion) ident i f i ed in 5a, desc r ibe the expressi ve and/or recep t i ve com m unicat ion demands that t he focus learner needs to use in order to par t icipate in lea rning tasks and/or de m onstr a te learni ng f or the primary learning t arget.

���� V ocabulary Demands: S poken, w r i tten, or de m onstr a ted words, sy mbols, si gns, or behav iors repr esent ing i n f o rm a t ion, concepts and meaning s, or feeling s.

���� Ot her Communica tion Demands: A ddi t ional expressi ve and/or recep t i ve communica t ion de mands needed to pa rt icipate in learning tas ks and/or demonst rate learni n g. Addi t ional comm unicat ion demands include syntax,

social use of co mmunica t ion, or si tuat ional expectat ions f or o ral, w r i tten, or demonst rated co mmuni cat ion.

[In regards to receptive language demands, my focus learner needs to be able to understand the meaning of the vocabulary terms being discussed during the lesson and must have the ability to interpret a comprehension question as a question.

To help support the spoken and written vocabulary demands of each lesson, many visuals will be used to aid my focus learner with his new learning.

In regards to expressive language demands, my focus learner needs to be able to express his understanding and wants/needs during each lesson. For example, he needs to be able to express that he doesn�t understand a comprehension question being asked or state that he needs a short break from instruction to jump up and down etc. He must also be able to communicate his learning. My focus learner will be allowed to state his answers orally, point to the correct picture, or match pictures in order to demonstrate his comprehension during the different learning activities. This will provide him with an effective method of maintaining and self-directing his expressive abilities.

Additional Communication demands needed to participate in learning tasks and demonstrate learning include situational demands and social use of communication. My focus learner must use appropriate language during all instructional time. He must not yell and throw tantrums when he is upset and must express himself in a constructive manner.]

d. �Descr ibe the f ocus lear ner�s expressi ve and/or r ecept i ve com municat ion s k ills and needs relat i ve to the t a r geted com municat ion s k ill (func t ion), vocabulary demands, and other co m municat ion de mands ident i f ied in 5a and 5c. C ite ev idence of what the f ocus learner kno w s, w hat s/he can do, and w hat s/he is learning to do.

[In regards to the targeted communication skill of answering a question, my focus learner will be learning how to demonstrate his comprehension by expressing an answer to the questions being asked. My focus learner is usually able to interpret a question as a question but struggles with expressing his answer. Therefore, while he will be given the option to answer questions orally, he will also be given the option to point to the correct picture as a way of selecting his answer. Also, many activities incorporate matching two items together in order to help him express his understanding of a concept. Furthermore, to demonstrate I am verbally asking a question during closure activities of lessons, I will give my focus learner two choices to select from so he understands that I am requiring an answer. For example I will say: �Is it an elephant or a fish?� These methods will differentiate process for my learner and help me structure my lessons in a way that best supports his learning needs.]

e. �Descr ibe the inst ruct ional suppor ts that help the focus learner ac qui r e, gene rali ze, maintain, and success fully use the t a rgeted expressi ve and/or recept i ve com municat ion s k ill (func t ion), vocabulary demands, and other communica t ion de mands ident i f ied in p rom p ts 5a and 5c.

[I will be using a Picture Exchange Communication System to help support my focus learner in acquiring, generalizing, maintaining and successfully using the targeted communication function of answering a question. In addition to asking my focus learner questions orally, I will be showing him the question as I am stating it. Above the text of the question, I will place corresponding picture icons to help assist my focus learning in understanding the question. In order to express his answers, he mostly will be asked to point to the correct picture as a way of demonstrating his answer or to match a picture to a corresponding concept in order to relay his thinking. Icons will also be displayed on my focus learner�s embedded schedule and positive reinforcement �laptop� chart. These icons will be used to help encourage my focus learner to use appropriate social communication while answering the questions during learning (situational and social communication demands of this lesson).]

�(The content of the prompts adapted from edTPA Special Education Assessment Handbook, 2014, pp. 18-19)

(The content of the responses adapted from the edTPA Planning Commentary developed by Lauren Mazzota and available from http://laurenmazzottaportfolio.weebly.com/assignments.html)

Expressive and/or Receptive Communication Demands: Example 2

1.�� Focus Learner Information

a.�� Describe the focus learner�s primary disability as identified in the iep. Describe the learner�s strengths and challenges and their potential impact on instruction for the learning targets.

[My focus learner�s primary disability as identified in her Individualized Education Plan is an

emotional disturbance. The learner has an anxiety disorder and is classified with a language disorder.]

b.�� Identify the two learning targets (primary and supporting/secondary) selected for the learning segment.

[Primary: After using questioning, surveying, using Read & Write Gold to read, reciting after

each section, and reviewing the answers, my focus learner will successfully comprehend the

text by successfully completing her SQ3R page and completing various follow-up activities.]

c.�� List the goals and/or benchmarks in the focus learner�s iep relevant to achieving either learning target.

[One of my focus learner�s annual goals for reading from her Individualized Education Plan states �When presented with a specific informational text from her content area subjects, she will answer questions about the text that test for understanding.� In these lessons my focus learner will work on increasing her comprehension of informational texts by using the reading strategy called SQ3R. Learning a new reading strategy also supports her annual IEP goal that states, �She will learn new learning strategies and demonstrate these strategies when completing her class assignments, projects, or tests.� In learning the SQ3R strategy, my learner will skim the text to create her own questions so she can be somewhat interested in the topic. After taking a �walk� through the text, questions on vocabulary, titles, and bold print, questions will be composed. To support her comprehension, after each paragraph is read, she will stop and check for an answer. Following the process of SQ3R, using her checklist as an guidance

will set her up to successfully answer questions about the text that will demonstrate her

understanding and, through repetitive lessons using this strategy, it will help her practice and

improve upon this skill. An annual language goal that is also related to comprehension listed in

her individualized education plan is, �She will formulate grammatically correct sentences and

maintain appropriate verb tense in written and oral communication.� This goal will also be

supported by the learning tasks, after reading informational passages, by writing her answers to

the questions in complete sentences. This will be performed during every lesson.]

5. �Supporting the Focus Learner�s Use of Expressi ve and/or Recepti ve

C ommunica tion

R espond to the pr o mpts 5a�e below to explain how your plans suppo rt the focus learner�s use of a co mmunicat ion s k ill related to the primary learning t a rget. If a learning tar g et was fr om the co m municat ion cu rr i culum area, the com municat ion s k ill does not need to be dist inct fr om the learning t a rget.

a. �Communica tion Ski ll (Function). Iden t i fy and descr ibe one com municat ion s k ill

(f unc t ion) that

���� t he focus learner needs to access inst ruct ion and/or de monst rate learni ng for the p r i mary learni ng target

���� i ncludes the lan gua ge of the discipline associated wi th the academ ic learning tar g e t, as app ropr i a te

E x amples include retelling a s tor y, explaining a mathem a t ics p roblem-sol v ing str a t e g y, answer ing open-ended ques t ions, st a t ing an opinion, suppor t ing a posi t ion w i th ev idence, foll o w ing di rect ions, si gna ling or ini t iat ing a t u rn du r ing peer discussion, app ropr iately expressing frust rat ion, pa rt icipat i ng in a conversat ion, answer ing a quest ion, selec t ing the r i g ht si g n, indicat i ng pr e f e rence w i th an eye gaze, r e quest i ng assistance, selec t ing a picture or other v isual representat ion, s t a rt i ng or s toppi ng co m m unicat ion, responding to an env i ronmental cue, or si gnaling/co mmunica t ing needs.

[One communication skill that my focus learner needs to access instruction and demonstrate

learning for the primary learning target is asking and answering questions.]

b. �Descr ibe how the focus learner w i ll use the communicat ion s k ill (funct ion) to part icipate in learni ng tas ks and/or de mons tr a te l earning in rel a t ion to the primary learning target.

[The focus learner will use the communication skill of asking and answering questions to

participate in learning tasks by forming questions about the text and finding the answers in the

readings. She will need to formulate questions to ask about the text and generate answers to these questions after reading the text by completing the SQ3R model.]

c.� �G i ven the co m municat i on s k ill (func t ion) ident i f i ed in 5a, desc r ibe the expressi ve and/or recep t i ve com m unicat ion demands that t he focus learner needs to use in order to par t icipate in lea rning tasks and/or de m onstr a te learni ng f or the primary learning t arget.

���� V ocabulary Demands: S poken, w r i tten, or de m onstr a ted words, sy mbols, si gns, or behav iors repr esent ing i n f o rm a t ion, concepts and meaning s, or feeling s.

���� Ot her Communica tion Demands: A ddi t ional expressi ve and/or recep t i ve communica t ion de mands needed to pa rt icipate in learning tas ks and/or demonst rate learni n g. Addi t ional comm unicat ion demands include syntax,

social use of co mmunica t ion, or si tuat ional expectat ions f or o ral, w r i tten, or demonst rated co mmuni cat ion.

[In regards to receptive language demands, my focus learner needs to understand the

acronyms for SQ3R and it�s meaning it order to successfully achieve the primary learning target.

Once my focus learner understands the acronyms and steps to SQ3R, she will be able to use

Read and Write Gold to demonstrate her learning, specifically her comprehension of the text. To help support this, a PowerPoint presentation will be used as a visual for each acronym for the very first lesson to aid her new learning. In regards to expressive language demands, my focus

learner needs to recognize when she needs help and will confidently and independently seek

out and request help when needed. As my focus learner follows the process of SQ3R to assist

her comprehension, she will first skim through the hard cover/paper copy of the text, form

questions using a literacy strategy known as, Spilt Page Format. Then, listening to the text read

aloud, using Read and Write Gold the learner will follow along and be able to find the answers

to her questions, section by section. Read and Write Gold demonstrates learning in relation to

the primary learning target because she will be able to actually read in order to find the answers

to her questions, therefore she will comprehend the text as the questions are answered and as

she forms her answers in complete sentences aloud. My focus learner will be given a checklist

to make sure all parts of SQ3R are completed and to guide her so she can look up what to do

next in order for her to become independent, asking for help when needed. During my lessons, I

want to certify that I am doing the best I can to help my focus learner in achieving her learning

targets so the learner will also be encouraged to also form questions to ask.]

d. �Descr ibe the f ocus lear ner�s expressi ve and/or r ecept i ve com municat ion s k ills and needs relat i ve to the t a r geted com municat ion s k ill (func t ion), vocabulary demands, and other co m municat ion de mands ident i f ied in 5a and 5c. C ite ev idence of what the f ocus learner kno w s, w hat s/he can do, and w hat s/he is learning to do.

[In regards to the targeted communication skill of asking and answering questions, my focus

learner needs to know how to use her answers to state complete sentences to present her

comprehension aloud. My focus learner can briefly explain what was read with minimal

accuracy, however, I want her to be able to use description words and full detail, as she actually

understands what she is saying. Therefore, using SQ3R, and stopping at every paragraph to

organize her thoughts and look for an answer will allow her to find details and comprehend

piece by piece what is being read. By dividing the text into sections, the learner will repeatedly

use the communication skill by asking and answering questions for each section to improve her

comprehension. Also, there are follow-up activities to review what is learned. Further, my

learner will listen to Read and Write Gold read the text, so the text will be read correctly. These

methods and strategies will help differentiate my lesson to my learner�s needs in order to set her

up for success in achieving the learning targets.]

e. �Descr ibe the inst ruct ional suppor ts that help the focus learner ac qui r e, gene rali ze, maintain, and success fully use the t a rgeted expressi ve and/or recept i ve com municat ion s k ill (func t ion), vocabulary demands, and other communica t ion de mands ident i f ied in p rom p ts 5a and 5c.

[During instruction, after I model and think aloud a section of the text, my learner will be using

the text to speech program, Read and Write Gold in order to read a new text. She will use the

literacy strategy Split Page Paper, to take notes. My learner will use a checklist to make sure all

steps of SQ3R are completed, to check for understanding, and to help form any questions she

may have. These three methods will help the focus learner acquire, generalize, maintain and

successfully use the targeted communication skills and vocabulary demands.]

(The content of the prompts adapted from edTPA Special Education Assessment Handbook, 2014, pp. 18-19)

(The content of the responses adapted from the edTPA Planning Commentary developed by Jessica Argese and available from https://ilearn.marist.edu/access/content/user/10140470@marist.edu/Teacher%20EDUC%20Portfolio/Argese,%20Jessica%20Planning%20Commentary.pdf)