- Building a Successful System
- Educator Support
- Family Engagement
- Student Belonging
- Staff Collaboration
- Effective Instruction and Student Supports
What is it?
For students with disabilities to experience school success, they need access to high-quality instruction and opportunities in general education as well as individualized “special education and related services and supplementary aids and services, based on peer-reviewed research to the extent practicable” [IDEA, Sec. 300.320 (a)].” In fact, the purpose of the IEP is to enable a child with a disability to make progress on their IEP goals and in the general education curriculum and to be educated and participate with children with and without disabilities, including within extracurricular and nonacademic activities.
Successful students with disabilities have access to general academic, social, emotional, and behavioral evidence-based instruction and curriculum that are delivered using high-leverage practices. This access is supported by services and modifications that are outlined in the IEP:
- Special education, which means specially designed instruction, at no cost to the parents, to meet the unique needs of a child with a disability, including instruction conducted in the classroom, in the home, in hospitals and institutions, and in other settings; and instruction in physical education.
- Related services, which means transportation and such developmental, corrective, and other supportive services as are required to assist a child with a disability to benefit from special education.
- Supplementary aids and services, which means aids, services, and other supports (e.g., accommodations) that are provided in regular education classes, other education-related settings, and in extracurricular and nonacademic settings.
- Program modifications or supports for school personnel, which includes necessary modifications to the general educational program as well as supports to assist school staff in implementing the services and modifications in the IEP.
In addition to using school and classwide data to make instructional decisions, educators monitor and evaluate progress on the annual IEP goals and engage in a validated process, like data-based individualization, to make adaptations to the instructional content, methodology, or delivery to promote progress.
What do teachers and leaders need to know?
Dr. Bryan Cook shared in the IRIS Module, Evidence-Based Practices (Part 1): Identifying and Selecting a Practice or Program, “I think it’s our professional duty as educators to use what is most likely to bring about improved student outcomes. And if you believe, as I do and most educators do, that multiple high-quality experimental research studies are the best way, the most reliable way, to determine whether something works then evidence-based practices just give you the best bet that a practice will work.” As IEP Teams design individualized programming that best addresses the student’s disability-related needs, allows the student to progress toward annual goals, and provides access and benefit from the general curriculum and school teams consider intervention and instructional supports that meet the needs of groups of students, it is important to consider three circles of evidence. These include the best available research evidence, family and student wisdom and values, and professional wisdom and values. While the three circles of evidence provide a starting point for teams, it is important to also examine whether the identified practices and supports are FAIR (feasible, acceptable, impactful, and relevant). Considering these components helps improve the likelihood that the instruction and supports are implemented as intended.
When implementing instruction and supports for students with disabilities, within individual, small-group, or whole-class instruction, educators and leaders should consider following this three-phase cycle:
- Planning instruction by setting meaningful learning targets, determining the sequence of instruction, and setting clear objectives for each lesson.
- Delivering instruction using explicit systematic instruction with multiple opportunities for students to respond and receive feedback.
- Reviewing and intensifying instruction and supports to determine if the instruction is meeting the needs of the student(s) or if an adaptation is needed to the content, methodology, or delivery of instruction.
At the center of this cycle are data-based decisions that are woven into each step of the process of planning, delivering, and intensifying instruction. Teachers can apply this three-phase cycle to support academic and functional needs.
Where can you learn more?