INTRODUCTION

At Wellesley Public Schools, we believe that all children can and do learn every day.  It is our mission to develop and nurture a system in which continuous learning and improvement is a fundamental part of the culture.  To that end, we have engaged students, teachers, and community members in developing a Strategic Plan in which we support differentiated learning environments for students, foster collaboration and professional development among teachers, and provide high quality curriculum and materials.  

The District Curriculum Accommodation Plan (DCAP) is a key component of our approach.  The DCAP was written by a team of Wellesley educators in order to articulate a set of accommodations at the elementary and secondary levels. Accommodations are instructional strategies provided by general educators that facilitate access to curriculum. DCAP accommodations incorporate elements of best practices and do not change the content of the WPS curriculum. Rather, they support multiple learning styles and assist students in accessing the environment, curriculum or materials. The WPS DCAP divides accommodations into four categories: presentation, setting, timing, and response. The WPS DCAP is a resource for teachers who are seeking to best educate the variety of learners who makeup our classrooms. In the following pages, educators, parents, and students should find practical applications for how to support diverse learners.

RATIONALE

In accordance with Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 71, Section MGL38Q1/2, and led by the building principal, staff at each school will use the DCAP as a catalog of best practices in order to ensure that best instructional strategies and supports are available for both students and staff.

VISION

The Wellesley School District endeavors to create optimal learning experiences for all students.  The Wellesley DCAP guides administrators, teachers, and parents in ensuring that all possible efforts have been made to meet students’ needs in the general education program.  Holding high expectations for all students requires that educators and parents understand, respect, and consider the effects of diverse learning, cultural, and linguistic needs when making instructional choices. The DCAP describes best classroom practices and serves to strengthen and improve the general education program for all students.

SUPPORTS FOR OUR STUDENTS

General

  • Guidance counselors
  • School Psychologists
  • METCO support
  • English Language Learner instruction and support
  • Concepts courses in Math and Science
  • Guidance Seminars
  • Student Support Teams
  • SEED Program
  • Grade level teaming model
  • Homerooms
  • HRS Social Worker/Outreach Worker
  • School-assigned Police Officer
  • Teaching Assistant Support
  • Co-teaching (Special Education & Regular Education)

Literacy

  • Grade 6 Literacy Workshop
  • Active reading strategies
  • Visual aids
  • Targeted and differentiated small group instruction
  • Grade 7 Labs
  • Grade 8 Communication Lab
  • Independent and choice reading
  • Close reading
  • Student models for writing instruction
  • Graphic organizers, study guides, structured notes
  • Reading classes

Math

  • Leveling in Grade 8
  • Math Workshops
  • Grade 7 Labs
  • Co-taught Algebra classes (Grade 8)
  • Differentiated instruction

SUPPORTS FOR OUR PARENTS & COMMUNITY

  • Parents of Performing Arts Students (POPS)
  • Wellesley Parents Supporting Arts Students (WPSAS)
  • Friends of Wellesley METCO
  • PTO Guest speakers
  • Guidance Workshops
  • PTO meetings and PTO Executive Board
  • WMS School Council

SUPPORTS FOR OUR EDUCATORS

  • School-based workshops
  • Professional Learning Communities (PLCs)/
  • Common planning time
  • In-district Professional Development courses
  • Cultural proficiency training (IDEAS)
  • Faculty Meetings/Department Meetings
  • Technology Department: on-call support and scheduled training
  • Mentors for 1st year in WPS (meet regularly 1x/cycle)
  • Monthly New Faculty Meetings during 1st year
  • Core professional learning for 2nd and 3rd year

ACCOMMODATIONS

Areas of Need

  • Written Language
  • Reading
  • Math
  • Executive Function & Attention
  • Social & Emotional
  • Expressive & Receptive Language
  • Motor – Gross & Fine

Four Categories of Accommodations

Presentation

How does the teacher get information across?

Examples of accommodations include: providing rubrics, graphic organizers, examples and exemplars, and audio and visual supports.

Setting

What is the physical educational setting?

Examples of accommodations include: allowing for preferential seating, differentiated and flexible small groups, opportunities for movement, and use of technology tools to adjust for noise levels.

Timing

What is the time of day, how much time is allotted, and what is the pace of lessons?

Examples of accommodations include: breaking up larger assignments, recommending additional tutoring or lab work, allowing extended time for assessments when appropriate, providing schedules that include movement and transition times.

Response

How do students communicate what they know to teachers?

Examples of accommodations include: ensuring access to appropriate task-related technologies, scheduling student discussion and verbalization time prior to written assignments,  and offering varied manipulative, notation, and cueing tools to highlight key course concepts.