This resource provides introductory information about the Lincoln Learning Solutions Student Support Services team and associated accommodations, procedures, policies and resources.
Student Support Services Offerings
LLS offers Virtual Liaisons for client schools that have students with accommodations from IEP/504 plans and are using Lincoln Learning Solution's instructional staff.
Liaisons work with these client schools to provide them with detailed information regarding accommodations that can and cannot be met in an online learning environment.
Ongoing support for current students is rendered by maintaining records regarding accommodation implementation while adhering to the timelines provided by client schools.
If clarification is needed regarding listed accommodations, liaisons will reach out to client schools to obtain the additional information necessary to accurately implement the accommodations.
Once they have obtained such information, the liaisons distribute it to LLS teachers expecting them to begin implementing the accommodations in their courses.
These liaisons serve as a conduit between LLS and the Client School, provide assistance to schools in understanding online accommodations, review and clarify accommodations, and provide progress reports for students with IEPs or 504 Plans.
This article will explain the following topics in more detail. Click the links below to jump to any of these sections directly.
The Enrollment Process for Students with IEP/504 Accommodations
Guidelines and Policies for Students with IEP/504 Plans
Accommodations That Can Be Implemented in the Online Learning Environment
Accommodations That Cannot Be Implemented in the Online Learning Environment
Requesting a Progress Report for Students with IEP/504 Plans
The Enrollment Process for Students with IEP/504 Accommodations
The LLS Student Support Services team adheres to a specific process when enrolling students with an IEP/504. This ensures that they thoroughly review the proper documentation for students with these accommodations.
This process provides LLS teachers with all the information they need to implement the accommodations accurately and maximize their students’ learning environments.
The current procedure for processing IEP/504 accommodations documents is as follows:
Step 1: The client creates a student profile in Pulse and must click the box for IEP/504 plan. This will alert LLS that the student has accommodations.
Step 2: The client uploads IEP or 504 accommodations in Pulse.
Step 3: The Virtual Liaison reviews the accommodations document.
From there the Virtual Liaison determines if accommodations are clear and concise for online implementation.
NOTE: If accommodations do not contain all necessary criteria for implementation in the online learning environment, the Virtual Liaison will contact the client school to obtain necessary information and clarifications.
Lastly, the Virtual Liaison will send the LLS teacher(s) an email. The teacher will review accommodations, make necessary modifications, and send the student an email.
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Guidelines and Policies for Students with IEP/504 Plans
LLS adheres to the start and end dates of IEP/504 plans. Client schools must:
Provide Information: For LLS to implement accommodations quickly and efficiently, client schools must upload the students' most current IEP/504 accommodations pages in Pulse.
NOTE: It is essential that all necessary documents be uploaded in Pulse concurrent with enrollment.
Clarify: If accommodations for students are not clearly stated or do not contain the criteria needed to be implemented in the online learning environment, the Student Support Services Department will contact the client school to obtain clarifications.
Be Prompt: Accommodations will only be implemented if client schools upload the accommodations page(s) in Pulse; therefore, it is important to upload these in a timely manner.
IMPORTANT: Students will complete the course as it is presented until the accommodations page(s) is uploaded in Pulse and clarifications are provided by the client school, if needed.
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Accommodations
Accommodations That Can Be Implemented in the Online Learning Environment
The Virtual Liaisons will work with client schools regarding accommodations that require further information to be implemented.
The accommodations listed below are readily available to all students based on the framework of Lincoln Learning Solutions curriculum.
- Frequent Breaks
- Extended Time
- Open Book or Use of Notes
- Use of a Calculator
- Dictionary
- Translator
- Highlighter
- Positive Feedback
- Texthelp
TIP: Click here for the Texthelp Features Overview which contains additional information.
The accommodations listed below are not readily available to all students but can be implemented in the online learning environment with the proper documentation.
- Ability to excuse written work from grading on spelling and conventions: Teachers can excuse the students from any spelling or grammatical errors on written assignments and only grade the content.
- Reduce spelling lists (Grades 1-6): Spelling lists in Grade 1 through Grade 6 can be reduced by either 25% or 50%.
NOTE: The client school is responsible for providing a specific percentage by which spelling lists should be reduced.
- Study Guides: Study guides are available and can be sent to students. These guides require student completion and need to be returned to teachers for feedback.
- Opportunity to reset assignments/assessments: Resets are available.
NOTE: Client schools will determine at what percentage the assignment/assessment will be reset and how many resets to provide.
- Opportunity to reduce the number of submitted assignments: 25% or 50% of the teacher graded/project based Assess Its can be excused within a course.
NOTE: The client school is responsible for providing the percentage of excusals.
- Opportunity to reduce the number of assessment questions: The number of assessment questions can be reduced by 25% or 50%
NOTE: Client schools will determine the percentage of reduction.
- Ability to modify writing assignments: Alternate ways of writing can be accepted for writing assignments, including but not limited to lists, using a graphic organizer, and creating a one-paragraph response.
NOTE: The client school is responsible for providing what alternatives will be accepted.
- Permission to read assignments into a voice recorder: If students require this accommodation, client schools are responsible for providing guidance on how this would occur, to which assignments it applies, and what equipment is to be used.
TIP: For online assessments audio support, students can use the Texthelp in Buzz Online Assessments. Click here for a video showing you how to use this resource.
- Limit distractors for multiple choice questions on assessments: The number of answer choices for multiple-choice style questions can be reduced to 2 or 3 choices on assessments. This will apply to all current courses in which the student is enrolled.
- Formula Sheets: Teachers can create formula sheets for students to use as a reference for math and science courses.
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Accommodations That Cannot Be Implemented in the Online Learning Environment
- Excusing Long Answer/Essay Questions from Mastery Assess Its: Long answer/essay questions cannot be removed from Mastery Assess Its. However, the student has the ability to respond in alternative ways such as creating a list of important points, creating a graphic organizer, or composing a one paragraph response maximum.
- Adding Word Banks to Assessments: Some Lincoln Learning Solutions activities and assessments do contain word banks that go along with the lessons.
IMPORTANT: Not all lesson assessments have built-in word banks.
- Chunking Matching-Type Questions on Assessments: Some Lincoln Learning Solutions activities and assessments contain matching questions. These assessments are predetermined and set up during the production of the curriculum, therefore teachers do not have the opportunity to chunk matching questions.
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Credit Recovery Courses
With our Empowered Credit Recovery courses, certain functions exist that allow students to show mastery based on the completion of specific thresholds within the assessments built into the course.
This makes it prohibitive and inadvisable to the overall experience to execute some of the common accommodations such as the reduction in the number of assessments or assessment questions and bears a heavier weight on each item allowing a student less opportunity to recover lost points.
IMPORTANT: The only applicable accommodations to Credit Recovery Courses will be the limited distractors on multiple choice style assessments.
It is for these reasons that we do not recommend applying these types of accommodations to our Credit Recovery courses.
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Requesting a Progress Report for Students with IEP/504 Plans
The Student Support Services Department offers progress reports for students with IEP/504 plans. These reports provide objective feedback and observations regarding the student's communication with the Teacher Facilitator, the level of activity with the content, and progress in their course(s).
The Student Support Services Department will provide client schools with individual progress reports for each course in which students are currently enrolled within five (5) business days of the initial requests.
NOTE: To request a progress report, contact the Virtual Liaisons at studentsupportservices@lincolnlearningsolutions.org
IMPORTANT: LLS will only provide progress reports for students who have current accommodations documents on file. If accommodations on file are not current, LLS will not provide progress reports until updated accommodations have been received.
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Glossary of Terms
Homework: Lincoln Learning Solutions courses do NOT give students homework, as all courses are self-paced. Students are not required to submit ungraded assignments; these ungraded assignments are for the purpose of practice and do not impact students’ grades.
Lincoln Empowered Assess-Its: Assess Its are graded assessments that allow students to demonstrate mastery. They appear as online auto-graded or uploaded teacher-graded assessments.
Online Assessments: An online assessment refers to an assessment a student can complete directly within the Buzz learning management system by answering multiple-choice, multiple-answer, ordering, matching, and essay questions.
Upload Assessments: An upload assessment refers to any type of project or assessment a student completes and uploads to the Buzz learning management system.
Mastery Assessments: Mastery Assess Its are larger, topic-based online assessments.
IMPORTANT: Disclaimer, “LINCOLN LEARNING SOLUTIONS is not a District of Record, School of Record, Local Education Agency (LEA) or Teacher of Record and therefore assumes none of the duties, responsibilities or obligations relating to special education needs; said duties, responsibilities and obligations including, but not limited to, the determination of the need for and appropriateness of any particular accommodation, shall be strictly and completely that of client schools. Student Support Services will be provided by LINCOLN LEARNING SOLUTIONS in accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).”
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