Prepared by: Glydelle E. Cataluña

BEED-SPED 3A

Introduction: Accessible Instructional Materials or AIM are

materials that are designed or converted in a way

that makes them usable across the widest range of

student variability regardless of format. IDEA

focuses on accessible formats of print materials. In

relation to IDEA, the term refers t print

instructional material that have been transformed

into the specialized formats of Braille, large print,

audio, or digital text. For some students, printed

materials can be a barrier to participation and

achievement in the general education curriculum.

Some questions a team may explore to determine if a

student may not be able to make effective use of

standard print-based materials

Can the student see the material well enough to

read the information?

Can the student physically manipulate the material

without undue effort?

Does the student have the necessary physical

stamina to read for extended periods of time?

Can the student decode letters and words at or

near grade level?

Can the student read with fluency at or near grade

level?

Is there a general indicator that a student could use

or learn to use a specialized format effectively?

A primary indicator would be that the

student understands the content of print

materials when the information is presented

in another format. For example, when

printed material is read aloud to the

student, the student understands the

content and can use the information.

What are some of the benefits of providing

curriculum materials in a digital format?

Digital formats are listed below:

Text-to-speech decoding and comprehension support.

On-demand reading aloud of typed responses for editing.

Options to customize text font size and page layout.

Multimedia glossary to provide vocabulary support.

Learning supports and stud skill supports built-in.

What if the team knows that the student already

uses one or more specialized formats?

If specialized formats are currently being

used by the student, the team can indicate

that the student needs one or more

specialized formats and can justify the

decision by noting a continuing need for the

specialized formats currently provided to the

student. As the team proceeds, there will be

opportunities to consider whether currently

used formats are sufficient or if additional

or different formats are needed.

What is the difference between a specialized format

and an alternative format?

Specialized Format

Includes exactly the same content as the print

material. The specialized format does not change

the content, only the way in which the content is

presented to the student. The specialized format

neither adds nor change any information.

Alternative format

May address the same goals, but the content of

the material is modified or changed in some way

so that I can be understood by the student.

Sources of information

Trials with materials in specialized formats using the same content and trials using the alternative materials

Reading diagnostic information

Informal observations by teachers and parents

Formal measures conducted by a psychologist, psychological associate, or educational diagnostician

Outside evaluations or reports from a doctor or other medical or educational professional(s)

Determination by the IEP team that the student requires alternative state-wide or district-wide assessments

Determination by the IEP team that the student requires an alternative educational curriculum

How are AIM selected? The selection process includes the following

checkpoints:

1. List the print materials that are used across

the curriculum

2. Consider the instructional context in which

they are used

3. Select which formats the students needs

4. Determine which materials are needed in the

selected formats

1. List the print materials that are used across the

curriculum

The team gathers information about the

print instructional materials used across

the curriculum in which their student will

participate and makes a list.

2. Consider the instructional context in which they

are used

The team considers their student’s skills,

needs, and preferences; the environments in

which the student will be working; and the

tasks for which specialized formats will be

needed.

3. Select which formats the student needs

The team determines which specialized

formats will be most useful for their

students. They select the format needed by

this student based on matching the

students needs and the instructional

context needs with the features that can be

manipulated in the specialized formats.

More than one may be needed and selected.

4. Determine which materials are needed in the

selected formats

The team uses the information gathered to

select which print instructional materials

are needed in which formats.

Frequently Asked Questions What are print materials?

IDEA defines “print instructional materials” as

printed “textbooks and related printed core

materials that are written and published

primarily for use in elementary and secondary

school instruction and are required by a state

education agency or local education agency for

use by students in a classroom” (IDEA

[674(e)(3)(C)]).

What is meant by the term “related printed core

materials”?

As stated above, these materials are “written and

published primarily for use in elementary and

secondary school instruction and are required by

a state education agency or local education

agency for use by students in a classroom” (IDEA

[674(e)(3)(C)]). They are generally thought to be

materials that are published and packaged as

accompaniments to a textbook and included in a

contract with a publisher.

What are some examples of print

instructional materials that might be listed

in this section?

Textbooks and related printed core materials that

are used in each of the student’s classes should

be listed by title and publisher. It is also very

helpful to have the ISBN, as that will be needed

to search for the material in the formats needed

by the student.

What would not be considered a textbook or

related printed core instructional material?

Books and other materials published for public

consumption such as trade books, magazines,

and newspapers are not considered instructional

materials under the definition included in IDEA.

Are news magazines and other periodicals which

are produced by a publisher for elementary and

secondary education and required by an SEA or

LEA for use in a classroom considered related

printed core instructional materials?

Yes, if, as part of the curriculum, the state

education agency (SEA) or local education agency

(LEA) requires the use of such materials which

are published primarily for use in elementary

and secondary school instruction, they would be

considered part of related printed core

instructional materials.

If a school district’s foreign language classes use

literature and other works published in other

countries as a part of the core curriculum, are

these works considered related printed core

instructional materials? Does U.S copyright law

apply to these works?

U.S. copyright law applies to works published in

another country and used as part of the

curriculum. However, unless these works are

published primarily for use in education, they

would not fall under the definition of related

print instructional materials. While it would be

an effective practice to provide such materials to

the student, there is no requirement to do so in

IDEA.

Some of the published curricula used in school

districts provide online instructional materials,

games, exercises, and other materials. Must online

resources for students be provided in accessible

formats?

The mandate in IDEA to provide related core

instructional materials in specialized formats

only applies to materials which have a print-

based source and are provided in the form of

print on paper.

If otherwise qualified students attend post-

secondary classes at a community college or

university as a part of their K-12 program, what is

the school district’s responsibility to provide AIM

for these curricula?

State educational agencies and local educational agencies

have the responsibility under IDEA to provide specialized

formats of print instructional materials to students served

under the Act who need them in a timely manner. This

responsibility would extend to all courses which the SEA

and LEA offer for elementary or secondary school credit,

even if they are provided by another entity through a

contract or other arrangement. The SEA or LEA could, as a

part of its contract with other entity, require that entity to

provide specialized formats of materials to students who

need them.

Some publishers provide CDs with their textbooks.

Are these CDs accessible?

Not all CDs are accessible; in fact, most CDs

provided by publishers are locked and contain

non-editable PDF files that are not accessible. It

should be noted that the requirement to provide

specialized formats to students with print

disabilities included in IDEA only applies to

printed materials.

Can a CD that comes with a textbook for students

be copied? What if there is one CD provided for the

teacher and there are multiple students with print

disabilities who need the text in a digital format?

U.S. copyright law applies to these materials.

They cannot be freely reproduced. Teams should

refer to the licensing agreement between the

school district and the publisher to determine

whether or not CDs can be copied. They can also

request permission to copy directly from the

publisher.

Instructional Context Common student skills:

Cognitive skills:

Since specialized format are made up of exactly the

same content as traditional print instructional

materials presented in different ways, it is important

to revisit a student’s ability to understand the content

and gain information from presentation of the content.

Importance of the report

It is important because it provide accessible

versions of instructional materials to students who

are blind or otherwise unable to use printed

materials. It afford the flexibility to meet the needs

of a broad range of students, even those without

disabilities. Thinking about the student, the team

understand how materials are used so that the

team can make a good decision about which

specialized formats, or combination thereof will

work for the student.

Recommendation I recommend to use the accessible materials that

are generally discussed in terms of four types of

specialized formats: Braille, large-print, audio, and

digital text. In selecting accessible instructional

materials, you can visit the related sections of All

About AIM. This section provides detailed

information and resources related to the process of

selecting accessible instructional materials to meet

the needs of the student.