Lesson 5: Curriculum Adaptation

What is curriculum?

Curriculum is a standards-based sequence of planned experiences where students practice

and achieve proficiency in content and applied learning skills. Curriculum is the central guide for
all educators as to what is essential for teaching and learning, so that every student has access
to rigorous academic experiences

Today’s classrooms are diverse and inclusive by nature. Differentiation of instruction and
assessment and the principles of universal design are now recognized practices for teachers.
Both differentiation and universal design provide systematic approaches to setting goals,
choosing or creating flexible materials and media, and assessment. To undertake differentiation
and universal design, teachers need to be aware of a range of accommodations (multiple
means of representation, of expression, and/or of engagement) that may be necessary to help
each student in the classroom succeed. These accommodations may take the form of
adaptations and/or modifications.

Many students with special needs and significant learning challenges will be able to achieve the
learning outcomes for subjects or courses with no or minor adaptations. Some may be able to
achieve the learning outcomes of some subjects or courses with adaptations. A small proportion
will need to work on individualized outcomes, goals different from the curriculum; this is referred
to as modification.

(Baliao, https://specialeducationnotes.co.in/C13unit4.htm)

Curriculum Adaptations

Curriculum adaptation is an important form of professional development that promotes

buy-in, builds understanding of key features of learning and teaching, and improves student
learning.

Curricular Adaptation is an ongoing process that changes the regular prescribed curriculum by
modifying or adapting it in terms of the content or delivery of instruction to meet the learning
requirements of students with learning difficulties including children with disabilities.

https://stemteachingtools.org/brief/5

Curricular Adaptations are changes permissible in educational environments which allow the
student equal opportunity to obtain access, results, benefits, and levels of achievement. These
adaptations consist of both accommodations and modifications.

Both accommodations and modifications are considered adaptations but there are significant
differences.
According to (NCERT 2015)
a. Adaptation refers to adjusting assessments, material, curriculum, or classroom
environment to accommodate a student’s needs so he/she can participate in, and
achieve the teaching-learning goals.
b. Modifications involve making changes to learning goals, teaching processes,
assignments and/or assessments to accommodate a student’s learning needs.

Adjustments or modifications can be made in:

● Teaching and learning environment
● Teaching and learning strategies
● Teaching and learning support materials
● Level of Support
● Assessment

For any adaptation to be effective it must FLOW:

Fit into the classroom environment

Lend themselves in meeting individual student needs
Optimize understanding for each student
Work well with activities planned for the lesson

Why is Curriculum Adaptation necessary?

● Curriculum adaptation is a form of reasonable accommodation as mandated by the

UNCRPD 2006, which facilitates the teaching- learning process when there are students
with learning difficulties in the mainstream classroom.
● Curriculum adaptations are made to simplify and reduce the content so that learners with
difficulties can absorb the most critical part of the curriculum.
● Adaptation of the curriculum ensures that all learners get access to quality and
meaningful learning experiences.
● Children with learning difficulties do not feel excluded when it comes to understanding
the subject matter.

Guidelines for Curriculum Adaptation

The following principles should be considered for adapting the curriculum:

1. Adaptation should not change the original concept of the curriculum used because the
objective of adaptation is to provide some learning experiences to all learners.
2. To provide the same experiences, compensatory activities should be planned in such a
way that the child gets a holistic picture of the concepts taught in the regular classes. The
objective of the instructional material should remain the same for all learners.
3. Modification in the instructional material should aim to facilitate maximum participation of
children with learning difficulties in such a way that it also motivates all learners in the
classroom.

The following need to be kept in mind before any adaptations are made:
A. Correlate adaptations to individual educational plans/ Individual Training Plans
B. Do not adapt just for the sake of adaptation
C. Teachers should determine the best and the most appropriate methods to address
students’ needs.
D. The teacher is not expected to make different programs for students.
E. The teacher should find ways to meet the learning needs within the unit or lesson being
taught.

Steps in Curriculum Adaptation

1. Examine the structure of the instruction
2. Examine the demands and evaluation criteria of the task
3. Examine the Learning environment
4. Examine the materials for learning
5. Examine the support structure
6. Arrange alternate activities for foster participation and interaction

Types of Curriculum Adaptation

Quantity
Adapt the number of items that the learner is expected to learn or number of activities
students will complete prior to assessment for mastery.
For example:
Reduce the number of social studies terms a learner must learn at any one time. Add
more practice activities or worksheets.

Time
Adapt the time allotted and allowed for learning, task completion, or testing.
For example: Individualize a timeline for completing a task, pace learning differently
(increase or decrease) for some learners.

Level of support
Increase the amount of personal assistance to keep the student on task or to reinforce or
prompt use of specific skills. Enhance adult-student relationship; use physical space and
environmental structure.
For example: Assign peer buddies, teaching assistants, peer tutors, or cross-age tutors.
Specify how to interact with the student or how to structure the environment.
Input
Adapt the way instruction is delivered to the learner.
For example: Use different visual aids, enlarge text, plan more concrete examples,
provide hands-on activities, place students in cooperative groups, pre- teach key concepts or
terms before the lesson.

Difficulty
Adapt the skill level, problem type, or the rules on how the learner may approach the
work.
For example: Allow the use of a calculator to figure math problems; simplify task
directions; change rules to accommodate learner needs.

Output
Adapt how the student can respond to instruction.
For example Instead of answering questions in writing, allow a verbal response, use a
communication book for some students, and allow students to show knowledge with hands-on
materials.

Participation
Adapt the extent to which a learner is actively involved in the task.
For example In geography; have a student hold the globe, while others point out
locations. Ask the student to lead a group. Have the students turn the pages while sitting on
your lap(kindergarten).

Alternate goals
Adapt the goals or outcome expectations while using the same materials. When routinely
utilized, this is only for students with moderate to severe disabilities.
For example In a social studies lesson, expect a student to be able to locate the colors of
the states on a map, while other students learn to locate each state and name the capital.

Substitute Curriculum( functional curriculum)

Provide different instructions and materials to meet a learner's individual goals. When
routinely utilized, this is only for students with moderate to severe disabilities
For example: During a language lesson a student is learning toileting skills with an aide.
​
(https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/meaning-and-concept-of-curriculum-adaptation-accommo
dation-and-modification-pptx/269516643)
Curriculum Adaptations
● Material content:for differently abled children adaptations will be in the form of enlarging
the print, double spacing. Visual clues, reduce the content, use alternatives models,
videos, assignments, etc.
● Teaching strategies: Adapt the teaching strategies to fit the needs of children with
diverse abilities, eg. Use modeling and direct instruction, provide additional
demonstrations using step by step approach, provide concrete experiences, use
cooperative learning, peer tutoring, individualized instruction etc.
● Level of support: some children with special needs require more support from peers or
teachers. Eg. increase the amount of personal assistance.
● Adapting the rules: The teacher may adapt the rules relating to how a learner should
approach the work by allowing the use of a calculator to solve problems in math. Eg
change directions/ instruction, simplify instruction, allow child to response question orally
instead of write, allow extra time to complete activity etc
● Substituting the curriculum: A child with special needs may require the curriculum
substituted for him E.g. Instead of language tests, children will be offered some other
tests such as computer skill tests etc.

Why Adapt?

Inclusivity: To ensure all students, regardless of their backgrounds or abilities, have access to
quality education.

Relevance: To make learning more meaningful and applicable to students' lives.

Effectiveness: To improve student engagement and outcomes.

https://ajod.org/index.php/ajod/article/view/377/718

Specific Examples of Curriculum Adaptation:

Differentiated instruction: Tailoring instruction to meet the individual needs of students.

https://ctl.stanford.edu/differentiated-instruction#:~:text=Differentiated%20instruction%20involve
s%20teaching%20in,varied%20course%20content%2C%20activities%2C%20and

Universal design for learning (UDL): Creating learning environments that are accessible to all
students.

https://www.understood.org/en/articles/universal-design-for-learning-what-it-is-and-how-it-works

Culturally responsive teaching: Incorporating students' cultural backgrounds into the curriculum.
https://graduate.northeastern.edu/resources/culturally-responsive-teaching-strategies/#:~:text=C
ulturally%20responsive%20teaching%2C%20also%20called,importance%20of%20including%2
0students'%20cultural

The Process of Remedial Teaching

Curriculum Adaptation

Remedial teachers should adapt the curriculum to accommodate the learning

characteristics and abilities of pupils. They should set some teaching objectives which are easy
to achieve to ensure that pupils may acquire the knowledge as desired after the completion of
each module.
Teaching should not be directed by textbooks which should not be taken as the school
curriculum. There is no need to cover all the contents in the textbooks as well. Schools can
classify the teaching content into core and non-core learning aspects according to the teaching
objectives and pupils abilities. Core learning aspects require in-depth studies and application
whereas materials in the non-core or advanced learning aspects may be streamlined or
appropriately selected for teaching.
Teachers are encouraged to adopt recommendations on cross-curricular teaching by
linking up related teaching areas flexibly so that more time can be spared for effective activities
and learning.
Teachers should make good use of all teaching materials. For example, they may select
and use the materials in textbooks to meet the teaching objectives, or compile their own
supplementary teaching materials. They may also design materials of different standards.
Materials from the internet, newspapers, magazines and references provided by the Education
Department may help teachers design interesting and enjoyable activities to enhance pupils’
effectiveness of learning.

Belarmino
(https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/remedial-classes-enables-child-gain-positive-impact-filling-sudh
akar#:~:text=Curriculum%20Adaptation,the%20completion%20of%20each%20module.)

Need for Curriculum Adaptations

As a result of the Right to Education Act, 2009, the composition of classrooms is

changing. Students with varying levels of abilities cannot, and should not, be taught in the same
manner. Without adaptations/modifications, some children in your classrooms would never be
challenged to perform upto their potential, while others may not be able to ever experience
success. Curriculum adaptations involve effective teaching in the classroom that takes into
consideration the individual needs of all children including CWSN (Children With Special
Needs) and learning difficulties. It has also been seen that adaptations if carried out effectively
facilitate both academic and social participation in class activities and can be used across
various settings to facilitate success. Adaptations can also help in creating partnerships where
parents and teachers can work together to evaluate/ implement adaptations.

(https://www.education.gov.in/sites/upload_files/mhrd/files/document-reports/Confluence.pdf)

Curricular adaptations are adjustments and modifications implemented in the classroom and in
the materials used to adapt them to specific needs students with a disability may have. Thus,
this work is done to achieve these students’ success and to be sure they have access to
high-quality education.

They are also important to convey a respect and inclusion environment in the class, therefore,
guarantee equal opportunities for students with a disability or special educational needs.

Furthermore, we can split them into those significant and those non-significant. If you want to
know the difference between them, read on!

What are non-significant curricular adaptations?

Non-significant curricular adaptations are small changes and adjustments in how the contents of
the curriculum are organized or presented. These do not affect the level of demand nor the
scheduling of the whole class.
Therefore, they mean a more individualized focus for the teacher or a content adaptation. You
can find some example of non-significant curricular adaptations below:

● Extension of the time the student has to take a task or test.

● Modification of the presentation of contents to highlight key information, either with
colors, graphics, big size texts…
● Adaptation of the activities’ format with more visual exercises, or even reducing the
quantity or complexity of exercises.
● Use of technology to improve comprehension through videos, interactive contents, etc.
● Modifications in statements and the definition of the exercises, to offer more detailed and
easy to understand information.

What are significant curricular adaptations?

Now that we know what non-significant curricular adaptations are, let’s read about significant
curricular adaptations. As you may imagine, they go a step further than the ones we have seen
previously. These ones imply deeper changes in curriculum design adapting to the student’s or
group of students’ needs.

They may lead into modifications in goals, methodologies, assessment… As these are
remarkable changes, a psycho pedagogical assessment of the student will be required.

Some examples of significant curricular adaptations:

 ● Modification of the learning goals established by the official curriculum and adjustment to
the level and needs of the student.
● Adaptation of the methodology used for teaching and use other methods more adequate
to the needs of the student, for example, cooperative learning.
● Adaptation of the assessment by using different types of assessment that adapt to the
student.
● Temporary modification to do activities and tests, providing them more time to do them
properly.
● Implementation of technical support as earphones, magnifying glasses, etc.

Advantages of implementing significant and non-significant curricular adaptations

Implementing curricular adaptations (either significant or non-significant) can contribute with lots
of benefits that are important to highlight:

● Promote inclusion: the inclusion of students with special needs are promoted with
curricular adaptations, improving the support to their needs.
● More autonomy of the student with a disability: thanks to curricular adaptations students
with special needs are provided with the necessary tools to have more autonomy in their
own learning process.
● More motivation: self-esteem and motivation can increase by easing the access to the
curriculum to students’ with special needs, as this is the basis of their academic success.

(https://additioapp.com/en/what-are-significant-and-non-significant-curricular-adaptations/#:~:tex
t=Curricular%20adaptations%20are%20adjustments%20and,access%20to%20high%2Dquality
%20education.)

When then should we consider curriculum adaptation?

Does the curriculum meet the students' needs?

Curriculum adaptations include accommodations, modifications, and supports that allow a child
with a disability access to the general curriculum and assessments.

● Each student is “differently” able

● Identify student needs based on IEP
● Incidental learning does occur
● Learning outcomes may vary
● Adapt curriculum “as is”
https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/curriculum-adaptationppt/252416356