Alison Sobkowski Ed 333 Professor Flinn, 10/03/18 Curriculum: High/Low AGS Collection ‘Transition Area: High/Low Curriculum, Passing and Graduating from High School Format: Workbooks and teacher textbooks Contact/Ordering Information: American Guidance Service, Inc. 4201 Woodland Road Circle Pines, MN 55014-1796 Learning characteristics of the student for whom this curriculum would be age and earning appropriate: This curriculum appeals to students who are struggling with reading and are reading below grade level. Students are able to work on grade level content areas despite their struggles in reading. The American Guidance Service addresses many academic areas such as Writing, History, Government, and Geography. This curriculum would be useful for students with reading based learning disabilities in both middle school and high school. High/Low AGS Collection Addresses the following transition needs: Students learn grade level content presented at a lower reading level which helps them to reach grade level expectations in the specific content area(s). Through this curriculum, students are able to further progress through the required classes needed to graduate high school. Other features of High/Low AGS Collection: The student workbook on Geography provides students with a variety of maps, diagrams, charts, and illustrations to better understand the different Geography concepts and practice using them. The workbook also uses a variety of short answer, fill-in the blank, and multiple choice questions to allow students to demonstrate their knowledge in a variety of ways. At the back of the student workbook there is also a test provided that can be used to assess the students? learning. Evidence/Research/and Promising Practices: Research has been conducted on how to improve the reading comprehension of students with disabilities in high school. One study found that many students with disabilities struggle to understand the complex content area texts they encounter as they progress in high school. This difficulty is a result of their reading skills being below grade level. This study found that intensive reading interventions lead to an inerease in achievement for students with learning disabilities. The reading interventions were set up as daily fifly minute classes which occurred over a two-year period. More research needs to be conducted on this topic since this is one of the few studies that has been conducted. However, this is a promising study that demonstrates that when trying to improve the reading skills of high schoolers with learning disabilities, intensive reading instruction can be a vital tool to help them bridge the gap between themselves and their peers. Reference: Exceptional Children, Oct. 2015, Vol. 82 Issue 1, p117-131, 15p