Adapted Texts

Most textbook publishers, in response to the large range of students' reading abilities, interests, cognitive strengths and weaknesses, and motivations in various classes, have adapted text books to provide students with greater access to the curriculum and information covered in these texts. To facilitate access to the curriculum covered in the textbooks, the Newark Public Schools utilizes the following chart to guide textbook adoptions and to assist teachers, administrators, parents, school-based intervention and/or IEP teams to identify and utilize available adaptations and resources:

Subject: Grade:
Text Book Series	Adaptations that facilitate student access and differentiated instruction
Core Text	Name:
Reader’s Companion	Provides reading prompts for selected texts, which increases student’s interaction with text and subsequent comprehension (provide examples)
Adaptive Text	Students are provided with important information from selected text for current and future reference, which should be on a lower reading level.
Assessment System	How students’ knowledge and skills are assessed and subsequent weaknesses and strengths are identified, which addresses diverse student needs, including students with disabilities
Adaptive Selection Supports	Provides strategies to address identified weaknesses in the corresponding knowledge and skills
Guidebook for Universal Access	Provides multiple suggestions and strategies to address student’s identified needs
Audio CD of text	Presenting the selected orally enables student to listen to &/or read along with the content. Ensures the student has access to the content, if they have trouble reading or seeing it.
Digitized version of text	By placing the text into word processor, access can be increased and instruction differentiated by utilizing the word processor to: Highlight important information (underlying, bold, color, etc.) Using the thesaurus tool to increase vocabulary Using the “auto summarize” tool to summarize text for current and future reference Using the “Outline” tool in the “View” menu to assist in seeing how information is organized to assist in its understanding Developing and using Curriculum Based Assessment reading probes for various selections. For example, under “tools” Microsoft word provides a “word count” and a “readability” level, which can select probes based on the student’s reading level.
Motivation	Components of the textbook series, which can assist in motivating students and providing them with background knowledge.
Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI)	Software that supports and reinforces the information contained in the text and the corresponding grade/subject curriculum

The Newark Public Schools utilizes the following books, adaptations and resources to assist in teaching and learning the corresponding curriculum:

In addition to the above adaptive textbooks, IEP or 504 teams may request “assistive technology” to increase access for a student with disabilities, which could include: