Concept, Benefits, and Implementation of Compensation and Remedial Programs

  

Concept, Benefits, and Implementation of Compensation and Remedial Programs

Author: Santosh Kumar Biswa, Sr. Teacher, Damphu CS, Tsirang, Bhutan

 

Introduction

Due to the presumption that students from low-income populations were the result of inadequate investments in their health, housing, nutrition, education at home, and other experiences enjoyed by rich people, compensatory education has its roots in the history and practice of addressing the effects of poverty on teaching and learning (Reyes, 2006). As a result of unequal economic distribution, achievement gaps are a major issue in many nations around the world (Anderson & Pellicer, 1990). Educational possibilities can be made easier through compensatory and remedial programs, which are employed in schools to suit the needs of diverse learners where inclusivity is deemed appropriate. It eliminates the obstacle that prevents students from finishing their higher education and continuing their studies. To ensure that all students have access to the curriculum, this paper explores the idea of compensatory and remedial programs, their advantages, and how these programs might be implemented in inclusive environments.

Compensation and remedial programs and their benefits for diverse learners

Beecher and Sweeny (2008) contend that education should broaden students' perspectives and foster a feeling of curiosity in them. This can be accomplished by encouraging diversity in the classroom by using a variety of teaching methods. Instead of concentrating more on the obstacles that students face, curriculum changes should be made to better meet the needs of the students. Due to disparities in the classroom, students frequently experience prejudice (Flores, Monroy, and Fabela, 2015). As a result, the curriculum should address these problems with specific compensatory and remedial programs to promote inclusive education. On the other side, compensation programs are started to make students understand the fundamental human rights values of equality, freedom, and unrestricted opportunity to erase societal bias through high-quality education.

The compensatory program takes into account compensating students with accommodations to get around their inadequacies, whereas remedial instruction concentrates on teaching the essential skills that our students need to learn. Reyes (2006) claims that the government's finances will be used to cover the direct costs of education and other initiatives targeted at fostering children's cultural development. These consist of chances for travel, museums, libraries, and computer and book access. Remedial instruction assists teachers in meeting the educational objectives and unique requirements of pupils who are academically falling behind or have difficulty understanding certain topics in the early grades (Schwartz, 2012). They are techniques used in classrooms to help students with learning disabilities, allowing academically underachievers to be incorporated into the mainstream and all students a chance to succeed by bridging the gap between different pupils through diversified solutions (Kochar, 2022). They live in a challenging social environment where psychological stereotypes are destroyed by promoting tolerance and respect for students.

How these programs can be integrated into inclusive settings to ensure that all students have equal access to the curriculum?

To extensively implement the programs, a framework that allows differentiation is required, and teachers must modify the content, process, and outcome for each student (differentiated instruction and curricular retrofitting) (Reeves, 2006). When implementing this program in a setting where all students have access to the curriculum, the following considerations should be made:

·       Differentiated learning techniques should incorporate a variety of instructional modalities, accommodations, mentoring, personalized learning plans, and flexible groupings that take into account students' interests and academic levels.

·       The compensating technique is also put into practice by distributing money for additional resources, instructional materials, and supplies, as well as pay and incentives for teachers who work with at-risk children, uniformed class groups, and individual pupils (Reyes, 2006).

·       A distinctive remedial education curriculum could be developed. Scheduled times include before and after school. These activities ought to be incorporated into other plans that are implemented as a part of a bigger, more inclusive, and inclusive educational program or scheme; this might be done through a country's curriculum or syllabus standards or by a compensating education policy (Schwartz, 2012).

·       Create classes after school where the curriculum's demands are lessened. To do this, teachers would need to "actively engage students in distinctive and enriched learning experiences... to allow their interests to thrive and build life skills via the experience" (Beecher and Sweeny, 2008).

·       Teachers must be sensitive to the strengths and weaknesses of each student in the class to implement personalized learning that takes an individual child-centered approach. It is founded on the observance of fundamental human rights, creative learning, and instructional design that promotes diversity, reflective practices, and fruitful learning.

·       The teacher's position drastically alters in a learning environment that meets a variety of demands. It is also clear that to upskill teachers with the best methods for evaluation and lesson planning, a sustained commitment to professional development is necessary. Teachers should learn to relinquish control and successfully promote independent student learning as they have evolved into learning facilitators.

·       According to Beecher and Sweeny (2008), schools must have continual formal and informal assessments, formative and summative education, and informed assessment to monitor student progress on a daily, weekly, monthly, and annual basis.

·       The school should use "flexible grouping" to encourage pupils to interact with one another in different ways. This will foster intimate relationships between students of all abilities and the creation of a learning environment.

Conclusion

There is still educational inequality in many emerging nations, which calls for action. Programs that promote cultural sensitivity and a more respectful outlook on others help compensate for and correct injustices. The success of similar efforts in other nations should also be considered in terms of societal factors that can serve to reduce educational inequality (Chalky Papers, 2022).

 

 

References

Anderson, L. W. & Pellicer, L. O. (1990). Synthesis of Research on Compensatory and Remedial Education. http://www.ascd.org/ASCD/pdf/journals/ed_lead/el_199009_anderson.pdf

ChalkyPapers. (2022). Compensatory and Remedial Programs for Diverse Learners. https://chalkypapers.com/compensatory-and-remedial-programs-for-diverse-learners/

Flores, R.P., Monroy, G.V., Fabela, A.M.R. (2015). Compensatory policies attending equality and inequality in Mexico educational practice among vulnerable groups in higher education.  Journal of Education and Learning, 4(4), 53-63. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1097791.pdf  

Kochar, M. (2022). Remedial Education. https://gurushala.co/text-blog/MTIzMQ==

Reyes, A. (2006). Texas state compensatory education. Journal of Education Finance, 31 (3), 221-237. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/40704262

Schwartz, A. C. (2012). Remedial Education Programs to Accelerate Learning for All.  https://www.researchgate.net/publication/316858336_Remedial_education_to_accelerate_learning_for_all