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In this series, take a deeper dive into the Universal Design for Learning Principles. Learn what things you can incorporate to your class to provide multiple ways for your students to learn and understand class concepts and content.

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UDL Tools for All Grades and Subject areas, including: implementation rubric, lesson plan template, daily planner, daily checklist, UDL wheel

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The UDL Implementation Rubric was authored by Melissa Toland, and you can read more about it here. This is an adapted version of The UDL Progression Rubric by Dr. Katie Novak and Dr. Kristian Rodriguez. In the original version, teachers can self-evaluate their performance on each individual checkpoint of the UDL guidelines, whereas the adapted version is less specific in scope and focuses on performance in more general terms in the following areas: multiple means of engagement, multiple means of representation, and multiple means of action and expression. You can view this rubric to see where you may be in your UDL journey across a spectrum ranging from UDL explorer to UDL idol. Click the link below to download the pdf version of this document.

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CAST UDL Guidelines The two files below outline the UDL guidelines by multiple means of representation, multiple means of action & expression, and multiple means of engagement. Knowing the UDL...

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Your First Step Toward a UDL-designed Classroom: Change How You Think About Barriers

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Your First Step Toward a UDL-designed Classroom: Change How You Think About Barriers

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Happy Tuesday, #TeamInclusion! I have a guest post today that co-teachers and UDL advocates will want to read and share. It's by Dr. Deborah Taub, a UDL/inclusive ed expert and the Director of Research and Programs at Keystone Assessment. Through some short but powerful vignettes, she shows us what's possible when co-teachers embrace UDL principles while planning instruction for students with special needs.

After you read this, tell us your experience: Does instructional planning in your school sound more like the first or second example? What are your barriers, if any, to adopting the planning approach Mrs. Summers and Mr. Harris took? What resources can we develop to help you? Read on, and then share your thoughts in the comments below!

***

There are often two questions about Universal Design for Learning (UDL) that I hear when training:

1. Why would I do this? It is no different from differentiated instruction, and

2. How in the world would I do this? It is huge!

Two quick vignettes of teachers planning for instruction illustrate the answer to both questions.

Ms. Jacobs and Mr. Snyder are planning instruction for Dawn, a student with complex instructional needs who is included in Ms. Jacobs' English class.

Ms. Jacobs: We are reading The Giver for the next couple of weeks. The students will be creating a timeline of a historical event and examining how it connects to their lives as a part of the social studies curriculum.

Mr. Snyder: Dawn can't read, so I don't think The Giver is going to be possible for her. And the subject matter doesn't really connect to her daily life so maybe I'll give her an adapted copy of Wilfred Gordon McDonald Partridge instead. It also deals with the importance of memories and forgetting and it is written at a second grade reading level so it should be easier to understand than The Giver.

Ms. Jacobs: Oh, that is a great idea. And maybe her timeline could be sequencing from her daily schedule instead of from history?

Now compare these teachers to Mrs. Summers and Mr. Harris, who are also planning for a student with complex instructional needs included in Mrs. Summers' English class.

Mrs. Summers: We are working on the themes and ideas in The Giver. The students will be creating a timeline of a historical event and examining how it connects to their lives as a part of the social studies curriculum.

Mr. Harris: I love that book-but it can be a bit of a barrier for some of our students unless we pair it with some accessibility supports. We can easily get some adapted versions of The Giver and maybe offer students the opportunity to partner read or use their online text readers.

Mrs. Summers: Yes, that makes sense. We may want to highlight key words or pictures to summarize the main points for some of our students who will still need additional help. And while we are at it, let's think about how to make it a bit more engaging for some of our students...maybe we can start with timelines related to their own lives and then move from there to historical events that shaped their world instead of from a historical event to themselves. It can go both ways.

Mr. Harris: Plus we could use some online timeline creation tools, pictures, or text-based timelines to provide students with lots of ways to engage with the timeline and get interested in the task.

The difference between these two conversations is subtle, but it illustrates one of the key ways differentiated instruction and UDL differ-as well as one of the biggest leaps teachers need to make if they are going to move to UDL-designed curriculum, instruction, and assessment. The biggest difference (and the most vital change teachers need to make to move to UDL-designed curriculum, instruction, materials, and assessment) is moving from the idea that the student is what creates barriers to learning to the idea that the curriculum, instruction, materials, and assessment create the barriers. And, while the conversations above may seem only minutely different, the belief that the student has the potential to access and make progress toward any goal significantly changes the way teachers approach planning, instruction, and assessment.

Consider the classic study by Rosenthal and Jacobsen (1968) that examined how student performance and teacher expectations were tied together. They found that "when we expect certain behaviors of others, we are likely to act in ways that make the expected behavior more likely to occur" (Rosenthal and Babad, 1985). Our instructional decisions are based on our expectations, even if we are not necessarily consciously aware of them.

When we work from the premise that the barrier is within the student, then our job as educators is to fix the student so he can access instruction and materials. This belief sets up limits for all the things a school system can't change about a student: missing limbs, intellectual disabilities, an impoverished home, language and cultural differences, etc. When we work from the premise that barriers are within the instruction and materials, then our job as educators is to change instruction and materials to remove and reduce those barriers. We, as educators and school systems have control over those things.

This doesn't mean it isn't difficult. Looking at creating a UDL classroom may seem absolutely overwhelming. Consider the CAST website for their curriculum self-check: it is HUGE. There are so many things to think about. And then, on top of that, for students with complex learning needs you are still probably going to need to add some individualized supports on top of the universally designed curriculum, like Mrs. Summers and Mr. Harris did when they added summarized text or pictures to represent key concepts and ideas from the full text. Conceptualizing the barrier as being within the curriculum, instruction and materials rather than the student may seem overwhelming for what initially seems like a tiny difference in how these two sets of teachers plan and teach. In my experience though, it is that single key difference that helps create a UDL classroom. It is that single key difference that improves students' opportunities to learn and sets up systems that improve student performance. In addition, it is that key difference that sets the stage for inclusive practices. So, if you want to build an inclusive classroom, the biggest step you can take is to change how you think about barriers.

Want to hear more from Deborah Taub? Be sure to check out this podcast she did on alternate assessment over at Think Inclusive, and this post on leaving behind the notion of inclusion as a place.

More on presuming the competence of all learners: "Presuming Competence: What It Is, What It Looks Like"

Deborah Taub is Director of Research and Programs at Keystone Assessment, where she provides research and professional development assistance for states, territories, and other entities working to develop and sustain best practice. She has assisted states in building and evaluating systemic programs, especially around issues of inclusive practice for students with complex instructional needs, such as those with low incidence disabilities or who are dually identified as having a disability and ELL. Dr. Taub has designed, implemented, and evaluated alternate assessments for students with significant cognitive disabilities, developed UDL and standards-based curricula and instruction, and conducted validity and alignment evaluations. She's an advisory member of National Center for Universal Design for Learning's UDL Taskforce, and a member of the TASH Inclusive Education Committee and the Council for Exceptional Children's CCSS Advisory Group.

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Your first step toward a UDL-designed classroom: Change how you think about barriers (Guest post) - Brookes Blog

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Happy Tuesday, #TeamInclusion! I have a guest post today that co-teachers and UDL advocates will want to read and share. It's by Dr. Deborah Taub, a UDL/inclusive ed expert and the Director of Research and Programs at Keystone Assessment. Through some short but powerful vignettes, she shows us what's possible when co-teachers embrace UDL principles [...]

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When the Barriers Aren’t Just Physical (Published 2016)

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The first school we tried was wheelchair-accessible, but there were still barriers. Luckily, the second one found other ways to let my son in.

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Self-assessment for teachers

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Pre-Assess how your administration provides supports for implementing UDL

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Book by Nicole Tucker-Smith on applying UDL to adult learning experiences

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1. Home

2. Catalog

3. All Books & Products

4. Supercharge Your Professional Learning: 40 Concrete Strategies that Improve Adult Learning

Author(s)

Kasia M. Derbiszewska & T. Nicole Tucker-Smith

Date

2020

About the Book

Professional learning initiatives in schools come and go, and the constant cycling through programs can resemble fad diets-hype and hope followed by crash and burnout.

In this timely book, longtime professional learning providers Kasia M. Derbiszewska and T. Nicole Tucker-Smith share concrete strategies that will help you design professional development sessions that are compelling, convincing, and sustainable using the framework of Universal Design for Learning.

Learn to recognize and reduce common barriers to effective PD. In each chapter, the authors clearly address the Purpose, Preparation, Implementation, and Benefits to Learning for each aspect of professional learning, as well as UDL Tidbits that help ensure the health and longevity of the initiative.

If you are ready to take the leap toward creating healthy and sustainable professional learning, jump into the chapter that is most relevant to your needs. Get ready to consider the whole adult learner and apply practical strategies for cultivating and maintaining healthy, vibrant professional development that has a track record of success.

Supercharge Your Professional Learning is available in paperback ($34.99, 126 pages, 8.5x11″, ISBN: 9781930583740) and EPUB format ($34.99, ISBN: 9781930583399).
Table of Contents

Kasia M. Derbiszewska & T. Nicole Tucker-Smith on Supercharge Your Professional Learning

Watch the entire series of short videos to get behind-the-scenes insights from Kasia and Nicole about Supercharge Your Professional Learning.

Supercharge Your Professional Learning Playlist

About the Authors

Kasia M. Derbiszewska is the founder of Learning Key Educational Consulting and Development, an organization dedicated to translating educational research into action-oriented strategies for schools and other organizations. Recognized both nationally and internationally as an expert in Universal Design for Learning (UDL), Kasia collaborates with schools, districts, states, and other organizations to scale education reform. She holds a master's in Mind, Brain, and Education from Harvard University where she researched conceptual change and how to facilitate effective professional development. Prior to this work, Kasia was a high school English teacher.

T. Nicole Tucker-Smith, founder and CEO of Lessoncast, helps schools implement professional learning initiatives focused on inclusive leadership and teaching practices, culturally responsive pedagogy, and equity best practice. She leads the Jumpstart PD Network, a community of educators who access flexible PD options to engage in high-quality professional learning experiences that fit their needs, budget, and capacity. She has served as a teacher, supervisor of parent support services, principal, and systemwide coordinator of professional development and training for Baltimore County Public Schools and as a faculty member for Johns Hopkins University School of Education.

Table of Contents

About the Authors

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Chapter 1: Eliminate Toxins: Removing Resistance to Change

Chapter 2: Balance Your Diet: Digesting Professional Learning Content

Chapter 3: Choose Superfoods: Selecting High-Impact Strategies

Chapter 4: Remember to Stretch: Reflection Expands Possibilities

Chapter 5: Use It or Lose It: Building Habits to Sustain Professional Growth

Chapter 6: Be Mindful: Paying Attention to Design with Intention

Supercharge Your Remote PD

Closing Thoughts and Checklist

References

More from CAST Publishing

In this book, veteran school leaders Novak and Rodriguez provide school leaders and educators with a guidebook for putting the UDL framework into practice.

K. Novak & K. Rodriguez
2016

This collection of case stories edited by Elizabeth Berquist showcases the practical challenges and solutions of implementing UDL in systems, states, and schools across the United States.

E. Berquist, ed.
2017

In this revised and expanded edition of the bestseller UDL Now!, Katie Novak provides practical insights and savvy strategies for helping all learners meet high standards using the Universal Design for Learning framework.

K. Novak
2016

Top of Page

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Supercharge Your Professional Learning: 40 Concrete Strategies that Improve Adult Learning - CAST Professional Publishing

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Kasia M. Derbiszewska and T. Nicole Tucker-Smith share concrete strategies that will help you design professional development sessions that are compelling, convincing, and sustainable using the framework of Universal Design for Learning.

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Looking at Student Work Through a UDL Lens

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Looking at Student Work Through a UDL Lens

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Protocol for examining evidence of expert learning

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Looking at Student Work Through a UDL Lens

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Top 10 Tips for Developing Learning Goals

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Top 10 Tips for Developing Learning Goals

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Helping Students Self Monitor Progress

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A format that provides students with personalized feedback and works to keep them from focusing solely on their grade.

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Strategies for Students Performing Below Grade Level

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Strategies for Students Performing Below Grade Level

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                                                                                                                                  Universal Design for Learning and Lesson Planning

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                                                                                                                                  Universal Design for Learning and Lesson Planning

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National Center on Universal Design for Learning

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Resources by Principles, Guidelines, and Checkpoints

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Resources by Principles, Guidelines, and Checkpoints

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(download as a PDF)

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Copyright © Understood for All, Inc.

Understood is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) charitable organization (tax identification number 83-2365235). Donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law. Understood does not provide medical or other professional advice. The health and medical related resources on this website are provided solely for informational and educational purposes and are not a substitute for a professional diagnosis or for medical or professional advice.

Use of this website is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Copyright © 2014-2023 Understood For All Inc.

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Explore topics about ADHD, dyslexia, and learning disabilities. Learn about focus, hyperactivity, executive function skills, and trouble with reading, writing, and math.

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UDL Resources to give you practical guidelines on Universal Design for Learning and to help you implement UDL in your school and/or classroom.

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The UDL Guidelines are a tool used in the implementation of Universal Design for Learning, a framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn. Learn more about the Universal Design for Learning framework from CAST. The UDL Guidelines can be used by educators, curriculum developers, researchers, parents, and anyone else who wants to implement the UDL framework in a learning environment. These guidelines offer a set of concrete suggestions that can be applied to any discipline or domain to ensure that all learners can access and participate in meaningful, challenging learning opportunities.

UDL Rising to Equity

Because the UDL Guidelines are meant to be informed by feedback from the field as well as new research, they have been updated several times in the past. We are in the process of updating the Guidelines once again in our UDL Rising to Equity initiative.

This update will focus specifically on addressing systemic barriers that result in inequitable learning opportunities and outcomes. CAST aims to develop a transparent, inclusive, and community-driven process. If you are interested in collaborating and staying updated on our progress, we invite you to complete a brief survey. Do you use social media? Join the conversation happening now in the #UDLrising hashtag.
Meet the UDL Rising to Equity Advisory Board Meet the UDL Rising to Equity Stakeholder Council

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The UDL Guidelines are a tool used in the implementation of Universal Design for Learning, a framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn. Learn more about the Universal Design for Learning framework from CAST.

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Here you will find a collection of UDL resources for teachers, coaches and instructional leaders.

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Dr. Baked Potato: How can we scaffold complexity?

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Shelley Moore: Transforming Inclusive Education

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Robert J. Marzano, PhD, is the co-founder and Chief Academic Officer of Marzano Research in Colorado. A leading researcher in education, he is a speaker, trainer, and author of more than 40 books and 300 articles on topics such as instruction, assessment, writing and implementing standards, cognition, effective leadership, and school intervention. His books include The Art and Science of Teaching and Effective Supervision. His practical translations of the most current research and theory into classroom strategies are internationally known and widely practiced by both teachers and administrators.

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Robert J. Marzano, PhD, is the co-founder and Chief Academic Officer of Marzano Research in Colorado. A leading researcher in education, he is a speaker, trainer, and author of more than 40 books and...

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Message to our Loyal Users of CAST UDL Lesson Builder, UDL Book Builder, UDL Exchange, and UDL Studio

On January 15, 2024, we will retire this website, along with a few others. We know it has many devoted followers who will be sad to see it go. We're sad, too.

Making these creative tools and offering them free-of-charge to educators, parents, and learners at no charge the past decade-plus has been our joy, we also know that usage is way down, funding for the tools ran out years ago, and their underlying technologies are no longer contemporary.

To ensure a smooth transition, we're providing a three-month sunset period so you have sufficient time to download any stored materials you may have on the sites and to find alternative tools. After January 15, we will also close all user accounts.

Thank you again for your understanding and be sure to visit www.cast.org to learn more about the exciting innovations we are pursuing today and tomorrow! Questions: questions@cast.org

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Message to our Loyal Users of CAST UDL Lesson Builder, UDL Book Builder, UDL Exchange, and UDL Studio On January 15, 2024, we will retire this website, along with a few others. We know it has many devoted followers who will be sad to see it go. We're sad, too.