Special Education

Teaching Students with Learning and Behavioural Differences
A Resource Guide for Teachers             

Case Study 4 - Melissa Marks

Melissa, 17, is a Grade 11 student who is having difficulty reading text books at grade level. A review of her permanent record showed average grades in elementary school in all academic areas. Melissa's Junior High marks were lower. She received failing grades in a number of subjects by Grade 9. Melissa excels at athletics. Her physical education marks have always been outstanding and she plays a number of extra curricular sports. Since the beginning of this school year, her school achievement has been inconsistent, particularly in subjects that require a great deal of reading (e.g. English, Social Studies, Biology). Melissa's school attendance has become an additional concern: during her Grade 10 year she was absent 30 days and this pattern seems to be repeating itself this year. Melissa works 25-30 hours per week as a waitress in a local coffee shop. As a result, her homework is usually completed after 11 p.m.

Informal Assessment

During a conference with her English teacher, Melissa indicated that she was having the following problems:

  • She frequently has to re-read passages a number of times to get the message. Therefore, reading seems to take her much longer than it takes other in the class.
  • She has difficulty summarizing what she reads.
  • She doesn't know what to do when she sits down to study for tests. She tries to re-read the important parts, but it doesn't seem to help her get better test marks.
  • When she tries to read something orally, it takes so much energy to sound out the words that she misses the meaning of the passage. Therefore, she hates it when she has to read orally in class, even it it's just with a small group or partner.
  • When she reads a text book or literary selection, she doesn't understand many of the words. It would take her a long time to look up all the words she doesn't understand so she just skips over them and tries to get the overall meaning without knowing the meaning of each word.
  • She is particularly concerned about her Social Studies 11 class because there is a lot of reading and she needs the class to graduate.

In-School Collaboration

Melissa's English teacher arranged to meet with the learning assistance teacher and Melissa's social studies teacher. The social studies teacher confirmed that Melissa was having similar difficulties in his class. The learning assistance teacher agreed to:

  • phone Melissa's parents to explain the concerns,
  • meet with Melissa and administer a standardized reading assessment that would assist in classroom planning, and
  • arrange a planning meeting to include Melissa, her parents and all concerned teachers.

Individual Education Plan - Melissa Marks

Student: Melissa Marks School: Excell Secondary School
Age: 17 Grade: 11
Date of Birth: 1976 04 11 Date of plan: October 25, 1995
Parents/Guardians: George and Mary Marks Review date: December 10, 1995

Planning Committee (initial to approve plan)

Teacher: E. Bronte, English _____
Parents: G. Marks _____
M. Marks _____
LA Teacher: M. Church _____
Other: S. Fraser, Social Studies _____
G. Chlorophyl, Biology _____

1. Present Levels of Functioning

Instructional Levels:

Reading

16 percentile total reading (WRMT- Form G)
9 percentile Comprehension

Strengths:
Works hard - cheerful attitude
Good at sports

Areas of concern: Reading grade level materials required for courses

Assessment data attached?

______ No   ______ Yes, Date: Oct 1, 1995

2. Learning Assistance Goal

Melissa will develop strategies to assist her to get meaning from her required readings in English, Social Studies, and Biology classes.

Objectives (Melissa will...)

  1. use previewing to improve concentration and understanding
  2. use reading strategies such as PQR3 to increase reading effectiveness
  3. use context clues to define new vocabulary
  4. use underlining or highlighting to improve summarizing skills

3. Adaptations to the Regular program

  1. Extra time will be provided for reading assignments when possible.
  2. A peer reviewing strategy will be used in the classroom.
  3. New vocabulary will be either introduced in class or handed out to all students who request the information.
  4. Audio tapes of text books will be made available to Melissa as a resource.

4. Evaluation

Curriculum goals intact ____
Curriculum goals modified ______

5. Additional Information

Melissa will meet with the Learning Assistance Teacher twice per week or 30 minutes to practice using specific reading strategies