Before determining what modifications to implement, I examined Maxwell's history and disability classification. His confidential file revealed the first signs of disability appeared in pre-school when he demonstrated particular difficulty with consonant clusters. The information in the file implies that this speech difficulty resulted in delayed reading and written language skills. This difficulty is also demonstrated through his End of Grade Scores throughout elementary school (See Table 2).
 

Grade Level	Reading Score Precentile	Math Score Percentile
3	11	44
4	20	96
5	66	96
6	42	98
7	74	99
8	75	99

Table 2. Maxwell Butterfield's End of Grade Test Scores

Because of the obvious discrepancy between his math scores and his reading scores, Maxwell was tested for a learning disability in fourth grade and identified through the results of two tests: the Woodcock Johnson Test and the Wechshler Intelligence Scale for Children or WISC-III (See Tables 3 and 4).
 
 

Subject Tested	Scores in 1995	Scores in 1998	Scores in 2001
Broad Reading	95	100	97
Mathematics	134	132	138
Written Language	81	75	98

Table 3. Maxwell Butterfield's Woodcock Johnson Scores
 
 

Subject Tested	Scores in 1995	Scores in 1998	Scores in 2001
Verbal	126	119	116
Performance	129	111	125
Full Scale	130	116	135

Table 4. Maxwell Butterfield's WISC-III Scores

Both of these tests are used not only to compare the student to a norm group, but also to identify whether there is a specific learning disability present. A person can be labeled as having a specific learning disability when a discrepancy of 15 points exists between the WISC-III and the Woodcock Johnson test. The proctor of the two tests reported that Maxwell was unable to hold information in short-term memory while performing some operation or manipulation utilizing it. He also had difficulty scanning and sequencing simple, visual information. However, what resulted in Maxwell's being diagnosed with a specific learning disability in reading and the written language was the fact that his Woodcock Johnson scores in reading and the written language were not as high as his WISC-III scores. However, his consistently high scores in mathematics allowed the proctor to identify him as academically gifted in that subject. The proctor also observed Maxwell's behavior and noted that Maxwell always put forth excellent effort. When the proctor had difficulty understanding Maxwell's speech impediment and had to ask him to repeat his answer, Maxwell always did so willingly.
 As shown in Tables 3 and 4, there was little change in Maxwell's scores from 1995 to the present. In 1998, the proctor noted that Maxwell continued to struggle with phonological processing and decoding skills. She reasoned that these struggles resulted in him having difficulty getting information through reading. Additionally, he has to work hard to express his thoughts and ideas in writing, having a plethora of errors in spelling, punctuation, and omission of words. His troubles with language can be clearly seen when his Woodcock Johnson Scores are compared with a norm group (See Table 5).
 
 

Subject Tested	Discrepancy from Norm Group
Reading Comprehension	-23
Written Expression	-41
Mathematics	+16

Table 5. Comparison of Maxwell Butterfield's 1998 Woodcock Johnson Scores to Norm
 

 After the 1998 tests, a group of special education and general education teachers met with Maxwell's parents to form an individualized education program. They created a list of short-term goals, which were to be met with 85% accuracy over the next year:
Maxwell Butterfield would

•  Use a dictionary and thesaurus to aid him in appropriate word choice
•  Draw webs to organize ideas
•  Construct an outline before writing essays and papers
•  Write a draft before completing a final paper
•  Create paragraphs with topic sentences and supporting ideas
•  Edit all essays and papers before turning them in
•  Answer comprehension questions
•  Practice spelling words

•  Teacher notes
•  Graphic organizers
•  Alternate assignments, which can be modified and re-graded
•  Seated near teacher

•  Read aloud option
•  Extended time
•  Dictation
•  Study guide
•  Short answer (rather than long essay)

•  Use of a computer so that spell check can be run

The proctor again mentioned Maxwell's struggles with the written language and noted that he was creative in developing paragraphs and in organizing papers. His creativity, however, was causing him to write complex sentences that were difficult to discern. His short, straightforward sentences were much easier to understand. In their discussion of short-term goals, it was decided that the goals would remain the same since they were not reached to 85% accuracy. In terms of his modifications, the group eliminated all of the classroom instruction modifications and left the following:
For testing situations:

•  Read aloud option
•  Extended time
•  Dictation

•  Use of a computer so that spell check can be run