Over the past few months, Learning List staff have attended quite a few vendor conferences for products under consideration for state adoption in Texas. These conferences have been hosted by Texas’ regional Educational Service Centers and have given vendors an opportunity to present their products and educators an opportunity to preview the new science, math, and technology applications materials that will be available for the 2014-15 school year. We learned a lot at these conferences, and in the next few weeks, we’ll summarize some of the trends we noted in new products. Today’s post focuses on features designed to help special student populations, such as English language learners (ELLs) and students with disabilities (recall that most materials submitted in response to Proclamation 2014 were digital products):
- Spanish-Language Translations. Some products include full student editions in Spanish, while others limit translations to key sections, such as summaries or glossaries. A few products include translations in languages other than Spanish.
- English Language Learner Resources for Teachers. Teacher editions highlight strategies to support ELLs and include ELPS correlations, Spanish vocabulary, and modifications to support mastery of concepts while developing English skills.
- Spanish-Language Resources for Parents. Curriculum and homework guides for Spanish-speaking parents.
- Differentiation Strategies for Teachers. Teacher editions include strategies and professional development to support differentiated instruction.
- Audio Readers. Support for visually impaired students and struggling readers; some products include read aloud components in multiple languages.
- Adjustable Font Sizes. Support for visually impaired students and struggling readers.
- Lexile-Based Reading Levels. Text adapts for students at, above, and below grade level.
- Transcripts of Video-Based Lessons. Support for hearing impaired and struggling learners; some products include transcripts in multiple languages.