CompassLearning understands that equitable access to learning materials ensures that all students, including English Language Learners and those with disabilities, have the same opportunities to achieve at optimum levels. CompassLearning monitors all federal legislation regarding accessibility of education, including the guidelines of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Sections 504 and 508 of the Rehabilitation Act 1998 (P. L. 102-569), and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as amended, Title III, Sec. 3111-3129, 20 U.S.C. 6821-6849.

As a member of the Software Information Industry Association (SIIA), CompassLearning also monitors efforts to implement Section 508 of the Americans with Disabilities Act and other related legislation with regard to interpretation of and compliance with Section 508 regarding student use of input and output devices and software user interface design.

The Government Relations division of SIIA has advised us that full implementation of the reauthorized implementation of the IDEA Act is likely within two years. CompassLearning Product Development staff members are part of an SIIA Working Group to evaluate legislative activity on appropriate processes to meet compliance.

CompassLearning supports universal access by preparing content so it is usable with assistive technology at the point of delivery. This preparation includes:

1. Navigation and Keyboarding
2. Input and Output Focus
3. Personalization of Operating System Settings
4. Customization of Graphics and Sounds
5. Accessible search features
6. Accessible Web pages

To meet individual student needs, CompassLearning also delivers assessment and learning activities in a variety of formats, including online and in print. Current universal access features include:

Assessment

• Students can set their own pace.
• Teachers can make accommodations for special mastery levels, time for completion of custom tests, and navigation.
• Instructions and images are clear, allowing for easy navigation.
• Auditory support for assessment questions is provided for Levels K-2.
• Diagnostic-prescriptive capabilities permit individualization of instruction based on assessment results.

Curriculum

• Students can set their own pace.
• Students can read language arts texts online or print them in PDF format for offline use.
• Auditory assistance is provided in Levels K-6 reading and math activities.
• Activities are engaging to keep students focused and on task.
• Pages within activities are clearly organized and consistent in structure.
• Concepts are repeated, reviewed, and summarized for clarity.
• Activities teach concepts through songs, graphics, and videos.
• Visual enhancements for teaching concepts include font, font size, spacing, color, bullets, and numbering.
• Graphic organizers are used to create rubrics.
• Graphics and pictures are added to practice sheets and tests.
• Activities call on students to use the different intelligences.
• Activities use interactive games, puzzles, and programs that have built-in feedback and repetition capabilities.
• Activities are broken up into manageable units, which help improve student self-esteem.
• Multimedia in activities is used to trigger the sympathetic imagination and improve emotional intelligence.
• Odyssey Writer allows writers to make frequent revisions without tedious recopying.
• Odyssey Writer includes outlining and semantic webbing (mapping ideas) so writers can easily rearrange their compositions.
• Odyssey Writer is a "What You See is What You Get" (WYSIWYG) tool.
• Online individual student work promotes more emotional honesty and self-disclosure, less fear, less shyness, and less aggressive domination of discussions.

Current research and development at CompassLearning in the area of universal access will lead the browser-based product to its full potential. Quality Assurance testing of our product will be completed in late 2004, and we are currently pursuing partnerships with companies that provide assistive technology and customizable devices. Because of the open architecture of our software, we do not anticipate difficulty utilizing our software with additional devices or with settings in operating systems that allow personalization.

For a PDF version of this policy click here.