شبكة المعلومات العربية التربوية

The current study aimed to introduce the reality of educational programs provided by the resource rooms’ teachers in developing literacy skills for students with learning disorders (LD). A descriptive survey approach was used for data analysis. Participants of the study consisted of 32 resource room teachers, and three special education supervisors in Ramallah and Al-Bireh governorate. A convenient sample consisted of 13 teachers was chosen for the study. For this qualitative research, the data collection process utilized a purposeful sampling and semi-structured interviews. The results showed that the services and programs offered in the resource rooms were of a medium quality. And the effect of the diagnostic academic portfolio of the Arabic language and mathematics as part of the educational program is not reflected in the improvement of students' skills with LD in the literacy area, rather the improvement of students came as a result of the diagnostic academic bag of the Arabic language and mathematics as part of the educational program. Furthermore, the findings indicate that there are no specialized and qualitative curriculums, which include accommodations and adaptations that are appropriate for students enrolled in resource rooms. As for the challenges, the most significant difficulties are the large amount of written workload for the teachers. The mandatory application of the diagnostic academic portfolio, despite the lack of broad items related to the availability of devices and technologies, and the lower academic level of students, and lack of their willingness to join the resource room was challenging as well. In conclusion, resource rooms that are designed for students with LD should take into considerations the following: 1) to design appropriate academic toolkit; 2) design and prepare adequate physical and therapeutic tools that for all persons with special needs; 3) create instructional curriculum using all available educational resources, methodologies, and approaches; 4) provide sufficient financial budget for training students with LD, and finally train all resource room teachers on best methods to work with students with LD. (Author’s abstract)