You’ve just given a class assignment. Most of the students get started on it and as you walk around the room, you notice that everyone is getting into gear – almost everyone, that is. There sits student X with a blank piece of paper and a blank or sullen expression. “What’s going on?” you ask. “Do you need some help getting started?”

“I can’t do this,” replies the student.

At this point you might be wondering to yourself – can’t or won’t? How can we tell the difference between a student who can’t do the work we’ve assigned or who won’t do the work we’ve assigned? Additionally, when we consistently see a particular student not meeting his or her potential, it makes us wonder whether the issue is one of “I can’t” or “I won’t”.

The first thing to do is to check the student’s records for an I.E.P. (Individualized Education Plan). This plan will give you information on modifications that the student needs to be successful in the regular classroom. You might also speak with the special education teacher/department to see what strategies they recommend using with this particular student, if he/she is already identified.

If the student is not already identified as having special needs, look for a gap in performance. Not just a small gap, but a huge gap between the student’s ability/potential and performance. This is a very definite sign that the student may need additional help to complete assignments. For example, one year I had a student named Marcus (name changed). This young man confused me for the longest time because his participation in class discussions and his work product did not match. When engaged in a classroom discussion he was able to fully explain the concepts discussed in class, and showed a competent grasp of the material taught. However, when asked to write his responses to any question or to complete any kind of writing assignment, Marcus became a different person. He pouted. He sulked. He shouted. He obstinately refused to write anything. When I finally coaxed him to write just one sentence, it became obvious why he put up such a fight. Writing was a true challenge for him. Although a middle school student, his sentences were incomplete with most words misspelled and the letters a mixture of lower case and capitals. It was like pulling teeth to get one sentence out of this boy. I can only imagine his frustration in not being able to get all of his thoughts onto the paper.  In essence, there was a huge gap between his mental ability/potential and his paper/pencil performance. Marcus needed additional help for a learning disability.

When faced with a student who truly can’t perform to their full potential, it is our responsibility to make sure that he/she receives help.

·         Talk with your special education coordinator or department chair. Ask if they would be willing to observe the student and confirm your concerns.

·         Speak with other teachers on the grade level/team to determine whether anyone else is also seeing a problem.

·         Once you have confirmation of your observations, begin the special education referral process. There will be a lot of paperwork to fill out, but remember that you are trying to help a child meet his/her potential.

·         The referral process can be lengthy, so you might want to get suggestions from the special education department of ways to help the student in class. What alternative activities and assessments can you use to measure mastery of content? With Marcus we tape recorded his answers to essay questions for tests and he dictated writing assignments.

·         Keep a record of all strategies used. Note what works and what doesn’t. This will help later when trying to determine modifications for the student’s I.E.P.

 Now, what do you do with that student who isn’t performing to their ability because they “won’t” as opposed to “can’t”? Tune in next week for more ideas.

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