Written Output

Is it cheating?  Is it fair?  Can a student earn an "A" in "Writing (ELA)" IF they have used assistive technology?  This was one of our implementation hurdles we discussed as a group today.  Once we went through the experience of writing responses (to the Misunderstood Minds clips), using pencil/paper, then word processing, then using word prediction software and, using Barbara's Writing Task Analysis listed all of the writing skills we WERE having to call upon to produce each, we could be confident in saying that for students with disabilities...

....to be required to hand in a pencil/paper writing task- would NOT be a FAIR EVALUATION!




    -VS-




As teachers, our responsibility is to continue to teach skills and remediate while teaching compensatory skills and strategies.  It is only "assistive" technology after all.