Students With Special Needs or Exceptionalities Background Profile/Reflection 2

Student A is a 7th Grade Band percussionist with an 504 Plan centered on “ADHD,

anxiety, and depression.” This play was developed very recently, within the last two months.

Student A has several accommodations that allow them to be successful and comfortable in the

classroom. In Instruction and Curriculum, teachers must repeat and clarify instructions as

needed. Also, teachers must redirect Student A and prompt them to remain on task, due to their

ADHD. Lastly, Student A can have extended time on assignments up to one class period/block.

These accommodations apply to all classroom settings and occur during the instructional day.

Regarding the educational environment, Student A must have access to their school counselor as

needed, and must have preferential seating away from distractions.

Overall, I have not had to modify my teaching drastically in any way. I haven noticed

times that Student A has blurted out in class, but I simply remind them to raise his hand. I

believe that he has done a lot better the last few weeks in regards to disruption and demonstrating

self control of his speech. Student A has to be reminded often to stay on task, and has to be

redirected to be more successful. I have noticed that this student can get very overwhelmed, but

he has not asked for access to their counselor. I will make sure to be aware of how Student A is

feeling and reacting to certain situations, as I may call the counselor down to ensure that he has

the best environment possible. This student has had behavior problems in other classes, and has

recently been taken out of school with OSS for fighting another student. I haven’t noticed any

major behavior problems like this in my classroom with Student A, but I will be aware of this in

the future.
 Student B is a 6th Grade Band Student that plays the trumpet. They have a 504 centered

on the student being diagnosed with“ADHD.” Student B has several accommodations and

modifications to their instruction, curriculum and learning environment. First, Student B must

have “preferential seating, away from distractions, and near the point of instruction”. This is

applicable to all settings, especially the band room. When I first arrived, the student was sitting

in the middle of the ensemble, with plenty of other distractions. I noticed that Student B would

get distracted, talk a lot, and often get in arguments with his peers. I moved Student B to the edge

of the ensemble to nullify distractions and put him near the point of instruction. Next, this

student must have “small group testing”. When having playing tests, I have the student play with

another student, which I noticed gave them more confidence. Also, the teacher must “clarify

directions and check for student's understanding when student has begun working.” I always

make sure to double check that this student understands instructions, because they can get very

overwhelmed, and frequently get off task.

The teacher should “privately provide feedback to [Student B] to address inappropriate

behaviors...then have student repeat back [their] understanding.” Whenever Student B has

behavior problems, which is frequently, I have the class work on something by themselves and

pull the student to the side to privately discuss his behavior. Before I was aware of this 504 Plan,

I corrected the student in front of the whole class, which in turn caused the student to behave

even worse. Lastly, the teacher must “allow for a five minute "cool off" time when [Student B]

becomes upset and indicates that [they] need this -may send to School Counseling office - call

prior to sending.” Student B can get very overwhelmed, which usually turns to anger, causing

them to argue with students and the teacher. When this occurs, I allow the student to have 5
minutes to “cool off.” I have yet to need the counseling office, but I am aware that they are there

if something needs to be addressed.