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Curriculum Adaptations and Modifications as Tools to Manage Behavior

Kara Weinstein

Michigan State University

CEP 841: Classroom Management in the Inclusive Classroom

Dr. Troy Mariage

July 29th, 2022

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Problem Statement

Managing student behavior is a key component of a teacher’s job. In order to be able to

teach the classroom needs to be an environment where students can learn. Teachers create

effective learning environments by creating a space that promotes positive behavior. Conscious

decisions are made about the furniture placement, wall decor, schedules, and routines in order

to create an environment that promotes student success. In addition to creating a learning

environment, teachers also set up behavior management systems. Teachers may implement

positive behavior intervention systems or token systems to promote positive behaviors. All

these choices are made to encourage appropriate behavior so students can learn. The other

component of a teacher’s role is teaching. Could teachers use their expertise in instruction to

manage behavior? This paper explores using instruction as a behavior management system

and explains how teachers can adapt and modify instruction to positively impact behavior.

This paper focuses on both general education students and students with disabilities. It

is important that special education students are included in decisions on adaptations and

modifications of instruction. During the 2020-2021 academic year there were 7.2 million

students with disabilities ages 3-21 in The United State which is approximately 14.5% of all

students (Riser-Kositsky, 2022). These 7.2 million students can benefit greatly from adaptations

and modifications that make the curriculum more accessible to them. Too often adaptations for

students with disabilities are simply decreasing the number of problems that students need to

complete. This creates an assignment that is boring and oftentimes still difficult which results in

bored and frustrated kids who may turn to misbehavior for entertainment. A literature review on

instructional adaptations for students with disabilities by Scott, Vitale, and Masten (1998) cited

that, “...teachers tended to lower their expectations for students with LD rather than attempting

to improve instructional effectiveness for them through adaptations” (p. 114). We owe it to our

students with disabilities to do better than simply lowering expectations. This paper explores the
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research on adapting and modifying instruction to manage behaviors and provides ways that

teachers can adapt and modify instruction to benefit all students.

Definition

It is important to understand the definitions of adaptations and modifications.

Adaptations are changes to the how, when, and where concepts are taught (McGlynn & Kelly,

2019). Adaptations do not change the content that students are learning. Adaptations may

include the use of text-to-speech technology, use of graphic organizers, or extended time.

Modifications are changes that are made to the curriculum (McGlynn & Kelly, 2019). For

example, a student who struggles with addition may receive instruction on that concept while

the rest of their class receives instruction on traditional multiplication. The content of instruction

is changed when modifications are made. Modifying instruction has both pros and cons.

Modifying curriculum is positive when the students are not expected to be able to understand

grade level material (McGlynn & Kelly, 2019). Modifying instruction for students who are not

ready for grade-level content can ensure material is at the correct level and will allow them to be

successful. However, modifying instruction does have drawbacks. When the content of

instruction is changed, there is information that students do not learn. This may be detrimental

on standardized tests, such as the ACT and SAT, and graduation exams (Lee, n.d.). Adaptations

are preferable to modifications because of these cons.

The term modification will appear throughout the findings. There are times when the

terms ‘modify’ and ‘modification’ are used as verbs to describe how teachers are changing their

instruction to create adaptations. Many research articles used these terms in their titles when

referring to changes to instruction. The changes the authors research should be classified as

adaptations because the strategies they propose do not change the content that is being taught.
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Research Findings

Adapting and modifying curriculum is a research-based strategy to manage behavior.

Many different authors reviewed the literature and conducted studies that provide the evidence

necessary to label this strategy as research-based. Dunlap & Kern (1996) said, “Instructional

and curricular arrangements are controlled by the teacher and probably represent the most

salient opportunities for antecedent control of student conduct” (p. 299). Kern et al. (2002) said,

“Specifically, interventions at the school-wide level generally eliminate a substantial number of

problems a typical school encounters” (p. 317). There has been concrete evidence that the

adaptation of curriculum to manage behavior works for students with. Additionally, two specific

adaptations and the use of functional behavior assessments emerged throughout the literature.

The correlation between curricular adaptations and student behavior has been proven in

multiple studies. The study “Class-Wide Curricular Modification to Improve the Behavior of

Students with Emotional or Behavioral Disorders” by Kern, Bambara, and Fogt (2002) focuses

on 6 boys between the ages of 13 and 14 that have emotional or behavioral disorders. The

researchers focused on the impact of choice and student interest as adaptations for instruction

in 40 minute science lessons. The students were given at least one choice in each lesson which

was often a group vote on the activity or the sequence of the lesson. They were also given at

least one activity that was based on student interest. The authors found that student

engagement increased from students spending 57% of the observation intervals (10 seconds

each) on-task in the baseline phase to 87% after the intervention was introduced (Kern et al.,

2002). Additionally, there was a decrease in destructive behavior. The baseline data had

destructive behavior in 8% of the observation intervals where after intervention destructive

behavior was only seen in 1% (Kern et al., 2002). This research shows that adapting curriculum

is an effective way to manage behavior for students with emotional and behavioral disabilities.

Providing students choice and integrating student interests are adaptations that were

deemed successful in many different articles. The study by Kern, Bambara, and Fogt (2002)
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previously referenced used student choice and insertion of student interest as the adaptations in

their study. The article, “Modifying Instructional Activities to Promote Desirable Behavior: A

Conceptual and Practical Framework” by Glen Dunlap and Lee Kern (1996) has section with the

heading ‘research on preference and choice’. The authors cite a study where 3 students with

intellectual disabilities were given academic tasks with preferred choices, i.e. learning about

coins using a shopping assignment. This research showed that there was a reduction of

undesirable behaviors in these 3 students when a preferred task was given (Dunlap & Kern,

1996). When reviewing the literature on choice making the authors found that giving students

choices during instruction gives them control and can reduce problem behaviors in students with

autism, intellectual disabilities, and emotional and behavior disorders (Dunlap & Kern, 1996).

This study and literature review provides ample evidence to conclude that student choice and

interest should be used as adaptations to modify behavior.

When educators choose which adaptation to implement, they should start by

implementing an adaptation for an entire group. Applying an adaptation to a whole group will

make it easier to implement. The article “Implementing Instructional Adaptations for Students

with Disabilities in Inclusive Classrooms” by Scott, Vitale, and Masten (1998) reported that

teachers' attitudes toward instructional adaptations for students with disabilities are high, but

their implementation is low. Scott et al. (1998) stated, “Overall, research findings in the area of

implementation consistently have revealed an important gap between classroom teacher’s

perceived acceptability of instructional adaptations and their practices in implementing them” (p.

114). Whole class adaptations lessen the workload for teachers and results in a higher

probability that they will be implemented for students.

Although whole class adaptations, such as giving students choice and inserting student

interest, have been proven effective and are efficient for teachers there will be students who still

need additional support. These adaptations may not be successful in every scenario. When this

is the case, teachers can use functional behavior assessments. Functional behavior
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assessments can be used to determine the specific needs of a student based on their

behavioral and curricular needs. Dunlap and Kern (1996) state, “Curriculum-based interventions

require an understanding of the specific variables exerting influence over an individual student’s

behavior. Functional assessment is a process that has facilitated the identification of influential

variables” (p. 304). They outline the use of hypothesis development, hypothesis testing,

intervention, evaluation, and modification as the process of creating an assessment-based

observation (Dunlap & Kern, 1996). When students reach the level where they need functional

behavior assessments to be completed, they may need modifications as well as adaptations.

Implications

Begin with a Whole-Class Adaptation

Educators should adapt curriculum with an adaptation that has a high probability of

success. Adaptations that have been proven effective for whole groups are the easiest to

implement with the highest probability of success. Logic tells us that we should implement these

strategies first. The Multi-Tier System of Supports can be used when determining where to

begin (Scott, 2017). The first tier of supports are supports that are provided to all students which

is why teachers should begin by implementing adaptations for the whole class before they move

to tier 2 (small group supports) or tier 3 (individual supports). Additionally, using large scale

adaptations increases the probability of teachers implementing the adaptation. Scott, Vitale, and

Masten (1998) reviewed literature on teacher perceptions of adaptations and their

implementation of the strategies. The authors found that teachers were unlikely to implement

interventions if they were not perceived to be easy to implement even though they viewed the

adaptations positively. They concluded that teachers found whole class adaptations the most

feasible and they found the interventions that they could implement themselves were the most

reasonable (Scott et al., 1998). Logic and research illustrate that teachers should begin
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managing student behavior with an adaptation for the whole-class such as providing choice and

incorporating student interests.

Provide Choice

Students have very little control over their lives. Most of their choices are made by

adults. Providing students choice within lessons is an example of a whole class adaptation that

teachers should implement. This adaptation gives students responsibility for making their own

decisions and creates autonomy (Scott, 2017). Students should be given choices within the

curricular content. They can have a choice of tasks, sequences, and materials. Allowing

students to have a voice in their own education can help them feel more vested and will result in

an increase of desired behavior and a decrease of undesirable behaviors.

Incorporate Student Interest

Student misbehavior is often a result of boredom. Students do not engage in learning

when the content is not interesting or meaningful to them. Adapting curriculum to align with

student interests should be implemented to manage student behavior. This adaptation will

engage and motivate students to learn. Student interests are not exclusive to their interests

outside of the classroom. Student interests to consider when adapting curriculum include topics

of interest within the content, instructional activities, and the format of assignments in addition to

outside interests (Janny & Snell, 2013). According to Janney & Snell (2013), “Interest and

choice are strongly linked with motivation” (p. 32). Students who are motivated by the teacher's

instruction will no longer have a need for misbehavior.

Create Rewards

Students are motivated by rewards. Early in life people are motivated by food. As they

age they move through a motivation hierarchy. The reinforcement hierarchy begins with food

and progresses toward self-satisfaction. Motivators between the food and self-satisfaction

stages include tangible items, tokens, activities, privileges, peer recognition, and adult approval

(Larrivee, 2009). Teachers should create opportunities for students to be rewarded when they
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adapt instruction. Dunlap & Kern (1996) state, “If the antecedent and contextual conditions

provide an ample supply of relevant attention, then disruption will not occur. Moreover,

disruptive behavior will be unlikely if the student has access to other kinds of rewards (e.g., peer

attention, interesting materials) that are available in the classroom and that support desirable

(rather than disruptive) behavior” (p. 299). Instruction should be adapted to provide

opportunities for peer recognition and adult approval. Adaptations that result in these rewards

include strategies such as author’s chairs or gallery walks. Instruction can also be adapted so

that the students are motivated by the materials they are working with or the product they

create. A lesson that includes math manipulatives or a learning game provides an activity that

acts as a reward for students. Rewards reinforce desired behavior, thus adapting curricular

instruction to include rewards helps manage behavior.

Utilize Functional Behavioral Assessments

All students are different and the same strategies will not work for each student. When

whole-class adaptations do not work for individual students then a functional behavior analysis

needs to be completed. A Functional Behavior Analysis (FBA) is an in-depth assessment of a

student's behavior completed by a team of educators (Larrivee, 2009). FBAs describe the

behavior, predict why it is occurring, and explore the function of the behavior (Scott, 2017).

Dunlap & Kern (1996) propose 5 steps to assess behaviors in order to create

assessment-based interventions. Educators start by creating a hypothesis that identifies that

antecedent to the behavior and then they test their hypothesis. Once educators have a correct

hypothesis they develop an intervention and evaluate its effectiveness. Based on the results of

their observations and the data that is collected, interventions are modified as needed (Dunlap

& Kern, 1996). Behavior assessments give educators insight into the purpose of a student's

behavior and allows them to create adaptations and modifications that are specific to the

student. These adaptations and modifications should be made to instruction as well as other

components of the classroom.

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The results of the behavior assessment will then be used to create a Behavior

Intervention Plans (BIP). BIPs are plans that focus on the influences of behavior that are

occurring presently and can be altered to improve the student’s behavior. A BIP contains

behaviors that are targeted, how to remove antecedents, and replacement behaviors (Larrivee,

2009). Larrivee (2009) describes BIPs, “It is essentially a teaching plan, not just a list of goals

and objectives for the students to achieve” (p. 213). Behavior Improvement Plans should include

adaptations and modifications to the curriculum. These interventions will be selected specifically

for the student based on the data collected during the behavior analysis. The process of

assessment and plan creation will continue until the student’s behavior is managed. Once the

students behavior is managed, assessment will continue to monitor their progress.

Conclusion

Adapting and modifying curriculum is a proven method to manage student behavior. This

strategy has been proven effective for students with disabilities. Implementing this strategy will

help educators manage the behavior of 7.2 million students with disabilities. When behaviors

are managed, educators will be able to create learning environments that set students up for

success. Adaptations to improve student behavior do not need to be complicated and time

consuming. Any teacher can implement choice in their next lesson by allowing students to vote

on the sequence of the lesson or choosing which homework problems to complete. All teachers

can and should implement adaptations and modifications to their instruction in order to manage

student behavior in their classrooms.

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Additional Resources

The organizations below are resources to learn more about students with disabilities. The

websites contain additional information and research about a range of topics relevant to special

education.

National Center for Learning Disabilities - https://www.ncld.org/

1220 L Street, NW Ste. 100 Box #186 Washington, DC 20005

(301)966-2234

Understood - https://www.understood.org/

96 Morton Street, Floor 5 New York, New York 10014

(646)757-3100

Learning Disabilities Association of America - https://ldaamerica.org/

4068 Mount Royal Boulevard, Suite 224B, Allison Park, PA 15101

(412)341-1515
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References

Dunlap, G., & Kern, L. (1996). Modifying instructional activities to promote desirable behavior: a

conceptual and practical framework. School Psychology Quarterly, 11(4), 297–312.

https://doi.org/10.1037/h0088936

Janney, R., & Snell, M. E. (2013). Modifying schoolwork: Teachers' guides to inclusive practices.

Paul H. Brookes Publishing.

Kern, L., Bambara, L., & Fogt, J. (2002). Class-wide curricular modification to improve the

behavior of students with emotional or behavioral disorders. Behavioral Disorders, 27(4),

317–326. https://doi.org/10.1177/019874290202700408

Larrivee, B. (2009). Authentic classroom management creating a learning community and

building reflective practice. Pearson.

Lee, A. M. I. (n.d.). What are academic modifications? Understood. Retrieved July 26, 2022,

from https://www.understood.org/en/articles/modifications-what-you-need-to-know

McGlynn, K., & Kelly, J. (2019). Adaptations, modifications, and accomodations. Science Scope,

43(3), 36–41. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26899082

Riser-Kositsky, M. (2022, July 22). Special education: Definition, statistics, and trends.

Education Week. Retrieved July 22, 2022, from https://www.edweek.org

/teaching-learning/special-education-definition-statistics-and-trends/2019/12

Scott, B. J., Vitale, M. R., & Masten, W. G. (1998). Implementing instructional adaptations for

students with disabilities in inclusive classrooms. Remedial and Special Education,

19(2), 106–119. https://doi.org/10.1177/074193259801900205

Scott, T. M. (2017). Teaching behavior: Managing classrooms through effective instruction.

Corwin, a SAGE Publishing Company.