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National Curriculum Standards for Social Studies 

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National Curriculum Standards for Social Studies 

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Standards Main Page
Executive Summary
Preface
Introduction
Thematic Strands

NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR THE SOCIAL STUDIES (NCSS) first published national curriculum standards in 1994. Since then, the social studies standards have been widely and successfully used as a framework for teachers, schools, districts, states, and other nations as a tool for curriculum alignment and development. However, much has changed in the world and in education since these curriculum standards were published. This revision aims to provide a framework for teaching, learning, and assessment in social studies that includes a sharper articulation of curriculum objectives, and reflects greater consistency across the different sections of the document. It incorporates current research and suggestions for improvement from many experienced practitioners. These revised standards reflect a desire to continue and build upon the expectations established in the original standards for effective social studies in the grades from pre-K through 12.

The approach originally taken in these curriculum standards has been well received in the United States and internationally; therefore, while the document has been revised and updated, it retains the same organization around major themes basic to social studies learning. As in the original document, the framework moves beyond any single approach to teaching and learning and promotes much more than the transmission of knowledge alone. These updated standards retain the central emphasis of the original document on supporting students to become active participants in the learning process.

What Is Social Studies and Why Is It Important?
National Council for the Social Studies, the largest professional association for social studies educators in the world, defines social studies as:

...the integrated study of the social sciences and humanities to promote civic competence. Within the school program, social studies provides coordinated, systematic study drawing upon such disciplines as anthropology, archaeology, economics, geography, history, law, philosophy, political science, psychology, religion, and sociology, as well as appropriate content from the humanities, mathematics, and natural sciences. The primary purpose of social studies is to help young people make informed and reasoned decisions for the public good as citizens of a culturally diverse, democratic society in an interdependent world.¹

The aim of social studies is the promotion of civic competence-the knowledge, intellectual processes, and democratic dispositions required of students to be active and engaged participants in public life. Although civic competence is not the only responsibility of social studies nor is it exclusive to the field, it is more central to social studies than to any other subject area in schools. By making civic competence a central aim, NCSS has long recognized the importance of educating students who are committed to the ideas and values of democracy. Civic competence rests on this commitment to democratic values, and requires the abilities to use knowledge about one's community, nation, and world; apply inquiry processes; and employ skills of data collection and analysis, collaboration, decision-making, and problem-solving. Young people who are knowledgeable, skillful, and committed to democracy are necessary to sustaining and improving our democratic way of life, and participating as members of a global community.

The civic mission of social studies demands the inclusion of all students-addressing cultural, linguistic, and learning diversity that includes similarities and differences based on race, ethnicity, language, religion, gender, sexual orientation, exceptional learning needs, and other educationally and personally significant characteristics of learners. Diversity among learners embodies the democratic goal of embracing pluralism to make social studies classrooms laboratories of democracy.

In democratic classrooms and nations, deep understanding of civic issues-such as immigration, economic problems, and foreign policy-involves several disciplines. Social studies marshals the disciplines to this civic task in various forms. These important issues can be taught in one class, often designated "social studies," that integrates two or more disciplines. On the other hand, issues can also be taught in separate discipline-based classes (e.g., history or geography). These standards are intended to be useful regardless of organizational or instructional approach (for example, a problem-solving approach, an approach centered on controversial issues, a discipline-based approach, or some combination of approaches). Specific decisions about curriculum organization are best made at the local level. To this end, the standards provide a framework for effective social studies within various curricular perspectives.

What is the Purpose of the National Curriculum Standards?
The NCSS curriculum standards provide a framework for professional deliberation and planning about what should occur in a social studies program in grades pre-K through 12. The framework provides ten themes that represent a way of organizing knowledge about the human experience in the world. The learning expectations, at early, middle, and high school levels, describe purposes, knowledge, and intellectual processes that students should exhibit in student products (both within and beyond classrooms) as the result of the social studies curriculum. These curriculum standards represent a holistic lens through which to view disciplinary content standards and state standards, as well as other curriculum planning documents. They provide the framework needed to educate students for the challenges of citizenship in a democracy.

The Ten Themes are organizing strands for social studies programs. The ten themes are:

The themes represent strands that should thread through a social studies program, from grades pre-K through 12, as appropriate at each level. While at some grades and for some courses, specific themes will be more dominant than others, all the themes are highly interrelated. To understand culture ( Theme 1), for example, students also need to understand the theme of time, continuity, and change ( Theme 2); the relationships between people, places, and environments ( Theme 3); and the role of civic ideals and practices ( Theme 10). To understand power, authority, and governance ( Theme 6), students need to understand different cultures ( Theme 1); the relationships between people, places, and environments ( Theme 3); and the interconnections among individuals, groups, and institutions ( Theme 5). History is not confined to TIME, CONTINUITY, AND CHANGE ( Theme 2) because historical knowledge contributes to the understanding of all the other themes; similarly, geographic skills and knowledge can be found in more than( Theme 3).

The thematic strands draw from all the social science disciplines and other related disciplines and fields of study to provide a framework for social studies curriculum design and development. The themes provide a basis from which social studies educators can more fully develop their programs by consulting the details of national content standards developed for history, geography, civics, economics, psychology, and other fields, ² as well as content standards developed by their states. Thus, the NCSS social studies curriculum standards serve as the organizing basis for any social studies program in grades pre-K through 12. Content standards for the disciplines, as well as other standards, such as those for instructional technology,3 provide additional detail for curriculum design and development.

The Learning Expectations provide illustrations of what students learn at each level in the social studies curriculum. The language of the Learning Expectations is aimed at teachers and seeks to capture the expectations of over-arching, long-range outcomes. At each level (early years, middle, and high school), the Learning Expectations present key questions for exploration related to each theme.* The Learning Expectations also provide illustrations of the types of purposes, knowledge, and intellectual processes that students should demonstrate in student products. The purposes identify the reasons why it is important to study each theme. Learners build knowledge as they work to integrate new information into existing cognitive constructs, and engage in processes that develop their abilities to think, reason, conduct research and attain understanding as they encounter new concepts, principles, and issues. An appendix highlights Essential Social Studies Skills and Strategies (see pages 163-166) for learners. Students represent what they learn in products that demonstrate their ability to use information accurately, and that reflect the thinking and research skills acquired in the process of learning. Students should learn both to conceive and implement self-directed projects and to participate in group projects. The development of the writing skills of students is an important objective of the products, which also include visual presentations. As a whole, the standards are a framework for education for citizenship in a democracy, and provide students with the democratic dispositions, values, and attitudes needed for civic engagement.

Snapshots of Practice provide educators with images of how the standards might look when enacted in classrooms.** Typically a Snapshot illustrates a particular Theme and one or more Learning Expectations; however, the Snapshot may also touch on other related Themes and Learning Expectations. For example, a lesson focused on the Theme of TIME, CONTINUITY, AND CHANGE in a world history class dealing with early river valley civilizations would certainly engage the theme of PEOPLE, PLACES, AND ENVIRONMENTS as well as that of TIME, CONTINUITY, AND CHANGE. These Snapshots also suggest ways in which Learning Expectations shape practice, emphasize skills and strategies, and provide examples of both ongoing and culminating assessment.

Who Can Use the Social Studies Standards?
The social studies curriculum standards offer educators, parents, and policymakers the essential conceptual framework for curriculum design and development to prepare informed and active citizens. The standards represent the framework for professional deliberation and planning of the social studies curriculum for grades from pre-K through 12. They address overall curriculum development; while specific discipline-based content standards serve as guides for specific content that fits within this framework. Classroom teachers, teacher educators, and state, district, and school administrators can use this document as a starting point for the systematic design and development of an effective social studies curriculum for grades from pre-K through 12.

State governments and departments of education can use the standards to:
Review and evaluate current state curriculum guidelines or frameworks;
Guide standards-based education by clarifying long-range goals and expectations; and
Develop a state curriculum framework that focuses both on short-range content goals and long-range social studies goals.

School districts and schools can use the standards to:
Review and evaluate current social studies curriculum with a view toward long-range goals;
Provide a framework for pre-K-12 curriculum development;

**Almost all of these Snapshots were crafted by the Task Force members, or (in the case of Snapshots reproduced from the earlier standards) by members of the Task Force that developed the standards published in 1994. The basis for the creation of Snapshots has been the personal experiences of members of the Task Forces as teachers, teacher educators, and supervisors. The Snapshots are designed to reflect the various ways in which performance indicators can be used in actual practice.

Provide ideas for instruction and assessment; and
Serve as the basis for professional development experiences.

Individual teachers can use the standards to:
Evaluate current curriculum, instruction, and assessment practices;
Provide learning expectations for units and courses that are consistent with long-range social studies goals within and across grade levels; and
Acquire ideas and examples for alignment of learning expectations, instruction, and assessment.

Teacher educators can use the standards to:
Guide the development of pre-service and in-service teacher education programs and courses;
Provide professional support for the advocacy of social studies;
Introduce pre-service and in-service teachers to the nature and purpose of social studies;
Enable pre-service and in-service teachers to plan instruction consistent with long-range purposes of social studies; and
Assess instructional planning and supervise the teaching of pre-service and in-service teachers.

Parents and community members can use the standards to:
Understand how social studies develops civic competence for the benefit of both the individual and society;
Advocate for social studies teaching and learning in grades from pre-K through 12;
Assess the quality of social studies education in local school districts; and
Assess children's development as social studies learners.

The publications of National Council for the Social Studies, including its journals Social Education and Social Studies and the Young Learner (for grades K-6), as well as books, regularly include lesson plans and other guidelines for implementing the social studies standards. A video library providing snapshots of the social studies standards in actual classrooms and linked to standards themes, which was produced by WGBH Educational Foundation, can be accessed at the Annenberg Media website at https://www.learner.org/resources/series166.html

How Do Content Standards Differ from Curriculum Standards? What is the Relationship Between Them?
Content standards (e.g., standards for civics, history, economics, geography, and psychology) provide a detailed description of content and methodology considered central to a specific discipline by experts, including educators, in that discipline. The NCSS curriculum standards instead provide a set of principles by which content can be selected and organized to build a viable, valid, and defensible social studies curriculum for grades from pre-K through 12. They are not a substitute for content standards, but instead provide the necessary framework for the implementation of content standards. They address issues that are broader and deeper than the identification of content specific to a particular discipline. The ten themes and their elaboration identify the desirable range of social studies programs. The detailed descriptions of purposes, knowledge, processes, and products identify the knowledge, skills, and dispositions that social studies programs should provide students as part of their education for citizenship. The social studies curriculum standards should remind curriculum developers and others of the overarching purposes of social studies programs in grades pre-K through 12: to help young people make informed and reasoned decisions for the public good as citizens of a culturally diverse democratic society in an interdependent world.

Since standards have been developed both in social studies and in many of the individual disciplines that are integral to social studies, one might ask: What is the relationship among these various sets of standards? The answer is that the social studies standards address overall curriculum design and comprehensive student learning expectations, while state standards and the national content standards for individual disciplines (e.g., history, civics and government, geography, economics, and psychology)4 provide a range of specific content through which student learning expectations can be accomplished. For example, the use of the NCSS standards might support a plan to teach about the topic of the U.S. Civil War by drawing on three different themes: Theme 2 TIME, CONTINUITY, AND CHANGE; Theme 3 PEOPLE, PLACES, AND ENVIRONMENTS; and Theme 10 CIVIC IDEALS AND PRACTICES. National history standards and state standards could be used to identify specific content related to the topic of the U.S. Civil War.

The civic mission of social studies requires more than the acquisition of content. Since social studies has as its primary goal the development of a democratic citizenry, the experiences students have in their social studies classrooms should enable learners to engage in civic discourse and problem-solving, and to take informed civic action. The national curriculum standards for social studies present purposes worth caring about, processes worth engaging in, and knowledge worth learning. They provide the essential framework needed to educate young people for the challenges of citizenship.

Notes

1. The definition was officially adopted by National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) in 1992. See National Council for the Social Studies, Expectations of Excellence: Curriculum Standards for Social Studies (Washington, D.C.: NCSS, 1994): 3.

2. For national history standards, see National Center for History in the Schools (NCHS), National Standards for History: Basic Edition (Los Angeles: National Center for History in the Schools, 1996); information is available at the NCHS website at nchs.ucla.edu/standards/. For national geography standards, see Geography Education Standards Project, Geography for Life: National Geography Standards (Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Research and Exploration, 1994); information is available at www.civiced.org/standards. For national standards in economics, see Council for Economic Education (formerly National Council on Economic Education), Voluntary National Content Standards in Economics (New York: National Council on Economic Education, 1997); information is available at www.councilforeconed.org/ea/program.php?pid=19. For psychology, high school psychology content standards are included in the American Psychological Association's national standards for high school psychology curricula. See American Psychological Association, National Standards for High School Psychology Curricula (Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association, 2005); information is available at www.apa.org/education/k12/national-standards.aspx.

3. National Educational Technology Standards have been published by the International Society for Technology in Education, Washington, D.C. These standards and regular updates can be accessed at www.iste.org.

4. See note 2 above.

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National Curriculum Standards for Social Studies: Introduction

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Standards Main Page Executive Summary Preface Introduction

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Every teacher knows that they will usually have a student in class who is difficult to manage and work with. Their behavior is usually hard to control and it can be extra work to get them to pay attention and stop distracting others. If you're studying to become a teacher, your courses will help you learn classroom management techniques that will prepare you for difficult students. Additionally, it's extremely valuable to learn about learning theories and recognize that there are different methods and thoughts about how people learn.

Behaviorism or the behavioral learning theory is a popular concept that focuses on how students learn. Behaviorism focuses on the idea that all behaviors are learned through interaction with the environment. This learning theory states that behaviors are learned from the environment, and says that innate or inherited factors have very little influence on behavior.

A common example of behaviorism is positive reinforcement. A student gets a small treat if they get 100% on their spelling test. In the future, students work hard and study for their test in order to get the reward.

Behaviorism is key for educators because it impacts how students react and behave in the classroom, and suggests that teachers can directly influence how their students behave. It also helps teachers understand that a student's home environment and lifestyle can be impacting their behavior, helping them see it objectively and work to assist with improvement.

Behaviorism started as a reaction against introspective psychology in the 19th century, which relied heavily on first-person accounts. J.B. Watson and B.F. Skinner rejected introspective methods as being subjective and unquantifiable. These psychologists wanted to focus on observable, quantifiable events and behaviors. They said that science should take into account only observable indicators. They helped bring psychology into higher relevance by showing that it could be accurately measured and understood, and it wasn't just based off opinions.

Watson and Skinner believed that if they were given a group of infants, the way they were raised and the environment they put them in would be the ultimate determining factor for how they acted, not their parents or their genetics.

Pavlov's Dogs is a popular behaviorism experiment. A group of dogs would hear a bell ring and then they would be given food. After enough time, when the bell would ring the dogs would salivate, expecting the food before they even saw it. This is exactly what behaviorism argues-that the things we experience and our environment are the drivers of how we act.

The stimulus-response sequence is a key element of understanding behaviorism. A stimulus is given, for example a bell rings, and the response is what happens next, a dog salivates or a pellet of food is given. Behavioral learning theory argues that even complex actions can be broken down into the stimulus-response.

In the classroom, the behavioral learning theory is key in understanding how to motivate and help students. Information is transferred from teachers to learners from a response to the right stimulus. Students are a passive participant in behavioral learning-teachers are giving them the information as an element of stimulus-response. Teachers use behaviorism to show students how they should react and respond to certain stimuli. This needs to be done in a repetitive way, to regularly remind students what behavior a teacher is looking for.

Positive reinforcement is key in the behavioral learning theory. Without positive reinforcement, students will quickly abandon their responses because they don't appear to be working. For example, if students are supposed to get a sticker every time they get an A on a test, and then teachers stop giving that positive reinforcement, less students may get A's on their tests, because the behavior isn't connected to a reward for them.

Repetition and positive reinforcement go hand-in-hand with the behavioral learning theory. Teachers often work to strike the right balance of repeating the situation and having the positive reinforcement come to show students why they should continue that behavior.

Motivation plays an important role in behavioral learning. Positive and negative reinforcement can be motivators for students. For example, a student who receives praise for a good test score is much more likely to learn the answers effectively than a student who receives no praise for a good test score. The student who receives no praise is experiencing negative reinforcement-their brain tells them that though they got a good grade, it didn't really matter, so the material of the test becomes unimportant to them. Conversely students who receive positive reinforcement see a direct correlation to continuing excellence, completely based on that response to a positive stimulus.

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The behavioral learning theory and the social learning theory stem from similar ideas. The social learning theory agrees with the behavioral learning theory about outside influences on behavior. However, the social learning theory goes a step further and suggests that internal psychological processes are also an influence on behavior. Students or individuals may see things being done, but the social learning theory says that internal thoughts impact what behavior response comes out.

Behaviorism doesn't study or feature internal thought processes as an element of actions. Social learning argues that behavior is much more complicated than the simple stimulus and response of behaviorism. It suggests that students learn through observation, and then they consciously decide to imitate behavior. There are underlying emotions like peer pressure and a desire to fit in that impact behavior.

Teachers can implement behavioral learning strategy techniques in their classroom in many ways, including:

Drills. Teachers may practice skills using drill patterns to help students see the repetition and reinforcement that behavioral learning theory uses.

Question and answer. Teachers can use a question as a stimulus and answer as a response, gradually getting harder with questions to help students.

Guided practice. Teachers can be directly involved in helping students go through problems to give them the reinforcement and behavior demonstration you want them to follow.

Regular review. Reviews are important to behavioral learning theory. Going back over material and giving positive reinforcement will help students retain information much better.

Positive reinforcement. Behaviorist classrooms utilize positive reinforcement regularly. This can be in the form of verbal reinforcement and praise, reward systems, added privileges, and more.

While behaviorism is a great option for many teachers, there are some criticisms of this theory. Behaviorism is best for certain learning outcomes, like foreign languages and math, but aren't as effective for analytical and comprehensive learning.

Other critics of behavioral learning say that the theory doesn't encompass enough of human learning and behavior, and that it's not fully developed. Other theories have come forward that take behaviorism further, implying that there are many additional factors to consider when evaluating behavior.

If you are hoping to one day become a teacher, it's important to get the right degree and credentials to help you be prepared for success. It's also important to understand learning theories to be ready to take on students and the classroom. When you understand more about psychology and how students learn, you're much more likely to be successful as an educator.

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Current teachers and those who are studying to become teachers need to understand how learning theories impact their students. The behavioral learning theory or behaviorism is a learning theory that greatly impacts students and how they act in the classroom. Learn more about the behavioral learning theory and how educators can utilize it to help students succeed.

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ELD Instruction: Integrated and Designated ELD article

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ELD Instruction: Integrated and Designated ELD article

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Teaching and Learning / English Language Development (ELD)

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Constructing Meaning provides teachers with the process and tools for weaving explicit language instruction into content-area teaching. Lesson planning is driven by the content and academic language demands of discipline-specific learning. Based on backward design and a gradual release of responsibility model, the Constructing Meaning process prompts teachers to:

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Direct Instruction Plan Video Reflection 

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Direct Instruction Plan Video Reflection 

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Video of Direct Instruction Lesson Plan- Megan Gansereit 

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Generalization Lesson Plan - Megan Gansereit -2

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Academic Vocabulary, Handwriting, Grammar, and Spelling Lesson Plan 

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Academic Vocabulary, Handwriting, Grammar, and Spelling Lesson Plan 

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Academic Vocabulary, Handwriting, Grammar, and Spelling Mini Lesson Plan - Megan Gansereit -2

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A word map is a strategy to help learners learn new vocabulary word. There are many different variations of how to use this strategy. One way is to use the four-corner vocabulary chart, and with this method students write the definition, use it in a sentence, they draw picture of the word, and write the word in the corner. Other methods to use this strategy is to add antonyms, synonyms, dictionary definitions, part of speech and more. This strategy can be adjusted to meet the needs of all learners. Throughout this strategy students are making personal connections, because they are drawing their own picture, writing their own sentence and the definition in their own words. By doing this, it gives more meaning to learning the vocabulary word, and this would help struggling readers tremendously. Graphic organizers are helpful for all learners because it really helps them organize their thoughts. According to Echevarria, Vogt & Short (2014), "These charts provide more context and "clues" than typical word walls, because they include an illustration, definition, and sentence for each vocabulary word" (p.81). According to Robert Marzano (2009), an educational researcher, he mentions that in order for students to effectively learn vocabulary they need to follow a six-step process. The steps are as followed:

(Marzano, 2009).
The first three steps are in a word map. The following three steps can be done after the word map has been completed.

The image above is an example of a very common word map. In this word map, students write the vocabulary word in the center, they define the word, provide synonyms, use it in a sentence, and draw a picture of it.

In this example above students go into more detail with the word. They find the synonym, antonym, dictionary definition, sentence from the text and other forms of the word.

The image to the left is similar to the other two word maps above. Students write the word, use it in a sentence, write the definition, find a synonym for the word, illustrate it and determine it's part of speech.

Math- For a math lesson, a word map can be easily adapted just like in the photo to the left. In one corner the student can write the word, in another corner the student can write the definition. In the other two corners students can write an example and then some facts to go along with the math vocabulary word. By providing examples it brings meaning to the word, just like a picture does when learning reading vocabulary words.

History- For a history lesson, one way to adapt this strategy is to change the headings slightly. On this graphic organizer it could include: the vocabulary word, time period, definition, and picture. By adding the time period it gives an understanding of when the word was used, and it give more meaning to the word. For example if a student is learning about what a Red Coat is, they could write Revolutionary War (1775-1783) in the time period section.

Science- For a science lesson, the template would not change very much. However, a teacher could ask the student what area of science the word falls under. This might help students categorize what vocabulary words belong where. For example, if the vocabulary word is cumulus, the area of science might be meteorology.

Physical Education- For a physical education lesson, a student could still write the word, draw picture, define the word, and maybe list games they can play relating to the topic. For example, if students are learning about basketball students can list lightning, 3 vs. 3, and others for possible games they could play.

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Reading Notes Chapter 3 EDU 512 - Megan Gansereit 

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Reading Notes Chapter 4 - Megan Gansereit 

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Reading Notes Chapter 7 EDU 512 - Megan Gansereit 

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Reading Notes Chapter 10 - Megan Gansereit 

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English Learners (EL) Academic Language Function Toolkit | Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

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205 Jefferson St.
Jefferson City, MO 65101Map(link is external)

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Formative Assessments for Social Studies 

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Formative Assessments for Social Studies 

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Checking for student understanding during the learning process in the social studies classroom can help inform instruction. Using formative assessment is a way to evaluate student knowledge as they learn. Formative assessment monitors learning; therefore, teachers can use this in-the-moment feedback to guide students.

Formative assessments can range from formal to informal, and teachers can conduct them via technology or without it. There's no one-size-fits-all formative assessment strategy to implement in the classroom, but there are plenty of techniques teachers can try.

What Is Formative Assessment?

The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) defines formative assessment as a process used during instruction to elicit evidence of learning to improve student understanding. Dr. Julie Miles, Senior Vice President, Learning Sciences at HMH, describes the purpose of formative assessment like this: "[The] primary purpose is to inform teachers about how their students are progressing, where gaps exist in students' learning, and how their instruction needs to be adjusted to improve student learning, possibly by slowing down the pace, repeating instruction, or even challenging some students with new and potentially more difficult tasks."

It's a normal part of learning for students to be challenged along the way. Unlike summative assessment, which happens after the end of a course or learning activity, formative assessment allows teachers to evaluate student comprehension on the go and provide support where needed.

8 Formative Assessment Examples for Social Studies

We've provided formative assessment examples for social studies teachers can use in their classrooms to collect the data they need to improve student learning:

1. Exit Tickets

Using exit tickets is an informal way to check for learning across subjects; this formative assessment allows students to reflect on their learning and think critically. One benefit of exit tickets is that teachers have much flexibility when deciding on what to include on exit tickets. Authors of Improving Adolescent Literacy: Strategies at Work Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey believe exit tickets fall into three categories:

Prompts that document learning

Prompts that emphasize the process of learning

Prompts that evaluate the effectiveness of instruction

These categories aren't all-inclusive, but no matter what, completing this process should only take a few minutes.

Teachers can use paper, index cards, or even digital tools to create exit tickets, and students respond to a question related to the lesson taught in class that day on the ticket at the end of a class or lesson. The posed question might also align with a social studies concept covered during the lesson. For example, if teaching Native American history, an exit ticket could ask students what they know about the Native American cultures in their local area or what they learned about that surprised them and why it did.

Afterward, students can hand their tickets to the teacher or digitally submit their responses. Senior assessment specialist Amanda Bratten provides more information on implementing an exit ticket strategy into your instruction.

2. Class Discussions

Teachers can learn about students' understanding of concepts by conducting an informal class discussion. By evaluating classroom discourse, teachers can gain real-time data to help guide their instruction.

Teachers can ask open-end questions to initiate the discussion and allow students to discuss their knowledge and opinions. One egalitarian way to conduct a discussion is using the popsicle stick formative assessment strategy. A teacher writes each student's name on a popsicle stick (or another item) and randomly draws a name-one by one-to give everyone a chance to respond. This method allows for teachers to check for gaps in understanding and, by giving everyone a chance to speak, teaches students that their thoughts are valuable.

3. Venn Diagram

There are plenty of opportunities in social studies to make connections between topics. A Venn diagram is a tool that can help students understand the similarities and differences between two or more ideas. Plus, this graphic organizer can act as a formative assessment by providing teachers insight into how much students comprehend the topics they're studying.

Students can create a Venn diagram on paper or using an online tool. Alternatively, they could use a template. The Venn diagram will likely align with the lesson they're learning to gauge their understanding of the topic or a concept. For example, students might compare different cultures, economic trends, or historical eras-the possibilities are endless.

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Formative Assessments for Social Studies

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Choose the formative assessments for social studies that work best for your classroom to improve student learning.

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Using Informal Assessments for English Language Learners

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Informal assessments (also called authentic or alternative) allow teachers to track the ongoing progress of their students regularly and often. While standardized tests measure students at a particular point in the year, ongoing assessments provide continual snapshots of where students are throughout the school year.

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Using Bloom's Revised Taxonomy in Assessment

These levels can be helpful in developing learning outcomes because certain verbs are particularly appropriate at each level and not appropriate at other levels (though some verbs are useful at multiple levels). A student might list presidents or proteins or participles to demonstrate that they remember something they learned, but generating a list does not demonstrate (for example) that the student is capable of evaluating the contribution of multiple presidents to American politics or explaining protein folding or distinguishing between active and passive participles.

Remember

Definition: retrieve, recall, or recognize relevant knowledge from long-term memory (e.g., recall dates of important events in U.S. history, remember the components of a bacterial cell). Appropriate learning outcome verbs for this level include: cite, define, describe, identify, label, list, match, name, outline, quote, recall, report, reproduce, retrieve, show, state, tabulate, and tell.

Understand

Definition: demonstrate comprehension through one or more forms of explanation (e.g., classify a mental illness, compare ritual practices in two different religions). Appropriate learning outcome verbs for this level include: abstract, arrange, articulate, associate, categorize, clarify, classify, compare, compute, conclude, contrast, defend, diagram, differentiate, discuss, distinguish, estimate, exemplify, explain, extend, extrapolate, generalize, give examples of, illustrate, infer, interpolate, interpret, match, outline, paraphrase, predict, rearrange, reorder, rephrase, represent, restate, summarize, transform, and translate.

Apply

Definition: use information or a skill in a new situation (e.g., use Newton's second law to solve a problem for which it is appropriate, carry out a multivariate statistical analysis using a data set not previously encountered). Appropriate learning outcome verbs for this level include: apply, calculate, carry out, classify, complete, compute, demonstrate, dramatize, employ, examine, execute, experiment, generalize, illustrate, implement, infer, interpret, manipulate, modify, operate, organize, outline, predict, solve, transfer, translate, and use.

Analyze

Definition: break material into its constituent parts and determine how the parts relate to one another and/or to an overall structure or purpose (e.g., analyze the relationship between different flora and fauna in an ecological setting; analyze the relationship between different characters in a play; analyze the relationship between different institutions in a society). Appropriate learning outcome verbs for this level include: analyze, arrange, break down, categorize, classify, compare, connect, contrast, deconstruct, detect, diagram, differentiate, discriminate, distinguish, divide, explain, identify, integrate, inventory, order, organize, relate, separate, and structure.

Evaluate

Definition: make judgments based on criteria and standards (e.g., detect inconsistencies or fallacies within a process or product, determine whether a scientist's conclusions follow from observed data, judge which of two methods is the way to solve a given problem, determine the quality of a product based on disciplinary criteria). Appropriate learning outcome verbs for this level include: appraise, apprise, argue, assess, compare, conclude, consider, contrast, convince, criticize, critique, decide, determine, discriminate, evaluate, grade, judge, justify, measure, rank, rate, recommend, review, score, select, standardize, support, test, and validate.

Create

Definitions: put elements together to form a new coherent or functional whole; reorganize elements into a new pattern or structure (design a new set for a theater production, write a thesis, develop an alternative hypothesis based on criteria, invent a product, compose a piece of music, write a play). Appropriate learning outcome verbs for this level include: arrange, assemble, build, collect, combine, compile, compose, constitute, construct, create, design, develop, devise, formulate, generate, hypothesize, integrate, invent, make, manage, modify, organize, perform, plan, prepare, produce, propose, rearrange, reconstruct, reorganize, revise, rewrite, specify, synthesize, and write.

Source: Anderson, Lorin W., and David R. Krathwohl, eds. 2001. A Taxonomy for Learning, Teaching, and Assessing: A Revision of Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives. New York: Addison Wesley Longman, Inc.

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These levels can be helpful in developing learning outcomes because certain verbs are particularly appropriate at each level and not appropriate at other levels (though some verbs are useful at multiple levels).

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Reading Notes Week 2 Chapter 2 EDU 512- Megan Gansereit 

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EDU 512 Reading Notes Week 1- Megan Gansereit

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Universal Design for Learning (UDL): A Teacher's Guide 

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Universal Design for Learning (UDL): A Teacher's Guide 

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Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework developed by CAST, an Understood founding partner. UDL guides the design of learning experiences to proactively meet the needs of all learners. When you use UDL, you assume that barriers to learning are in the design of the environment, not in the student. UDL is based on brain science and evidence-based educational practices. It also leverages the power of digital technology.

Imagine this: Your students are going to write an essay on the stages of butterfly metamorphosis.

Some students have seen butterflies grow through the different stages at a local science museum. These students are excited to share what they know. Other students don't know anything about butterflies and are nervous about writing on this topic. And some students don't like to write - they dread this activity from the moment you say "essay."

In any class, you know there's a wide range of enthusiasm, background, and skills among your students. When you plan with this range in mind, you can approach the lesson in several ways.

You could share a mini-lesson on butterfly metamorphosis and have students use a guided worksheet as they write. Or you could set up stations where students are grouped using flexible grouping around understanding of the topic, language ability, or reading level.

But take a step back. In any lesson or task, you can anticipate this range of variability among your students. There's another approach you can take to plan for this variability in all your lessons: Universal Design for Learning (UDL).

Why use Universal Design for Learning?

The ultimate goal of UDL is for all learners to become "expert learners." Expert learners are purposeful and motivated, resourceful and knowledgeable, and strategic and goal-directed about learning.

UDL is a powerful approach because from the very start of your lesson, it helps you anticipate and plan for all your learners. It can help you make sure that the greatest range of students can access and engage in learning - not just certain students.

You don't need specific tools or technologies to follow UDL's principles either. Instead, your students choose from the tools and resources you already have. They might use them in different ways.

Also, UDL may change how you think about what prevents students from learning. Instead of thinking that something needs to change about the students, UDL looks at the learning environment. The learning environment can include barriers to learning, like the design of the curricular goals, assessments, methods, and materials. In this way, the learning environment itself can be "abled" or "dis-abled."

UDL gives you a framework to follow so you can reduce the barriers to learning. The main way to do this is to prepare a learning environment where students have what they need to flexibly meet learning goals.

What does UDL look like in the classroom?

Universal design can be found just about anywhere you look - both inside and outside your school. Curb cuts change sidewalks so that they're accessible to the greatest range of users, including people who use wheelchairs and those pushing strollers. Closed captions make television accessible to people who are deaf or who have hearing loss, as well as people at the gym or spouses who can't agree whether or not to keep the TV on at night. No two forms of universal design are the same.

Universal Design for Learning looks different in every classroom. But there are commonalities. To start with, there's always a focus on building expert learning for all. Other common elements of a UDL experience include:

All learners knowing the goal

Intentional, flexible options for all students to use

Student access to resources from the start of a lesson

Students building and internalizing their own learning

In a UDL environment, students rarely do the same task in the same way at the same time. The flexible options will differ across developmental ages. But the framework for having clear goals and flexible options is consistent no matter the grade level or content areas.

How can I use the three principles of UDL?

UDL describes human variability based on parts of the brain that manage the "why" (affective network), the "what" (recognition network), and the "how" (strategic network) of learning. Watch as CAST co-founder David Rose explains why UDL emphasizes variability instead of disability.

CAST developed UDL guidelines that are based on three main principles that align with these learning networks. The three UDL principles are engagement, representation, and action and expression.

The chart below includes the three UDL principles adapted from CAST. It also gives you some questions to consider and lists some examples of the principles in action. You can print a one-page version of this chart to have on hand while planning a lesson, activity, or routine for your students.

How can families support this at home?

Families may not be familiar with the concept of students being active participants in setting their learning goals. They may have questions about letting students make their own learning choices.

Explain at back-to-school night or in a class that you'll be using Universal Design for Learning. You can even share a family-friendly article about the UDL approach to teaching.

Assure families that you have high expectations for all students to become expert learners in your classroom. And explain that you'll keep working with the students and their families to build the skills and interest to make that happen.

Additional CAST resources to explore

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Universal Design for Learning (UDL): A teacher's guide

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UDL stands for Universal Design for Learning. When you teach using UDL, your lessons are designed in flexible ways to meet the needs of individual learners. Read more about UDL.

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Understanding Response to Intervention (RTI)

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Understanding Response to Intervention (RTI)

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Response to Intervention (RTI) is a system of supports that schools put in place to provide high-quality education to students with disabilities. It was originally developed as an overall framework for prediction, remediation and prevention of negative outcomes common for students with disabilities. It derives from the foundational components of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), including nondiscriminatory evaluation, appropriate education and procedural due process.

RTI is designed to aid in the identification of learning disabilities and other learning and behavior problems and learning disabilities, improve instructional quality, and provide students with academic opportunities. It calls for the implementation of a differentiated curriculum with different instructional methods and tiers of increasingly intensive, scientific, research-based interventions.

"When RTI is implemented on a consistent, ongoing basis, students with disabilities thrive, as do other students [who] have no label but who may hit some bumps in the roads along the way. RTI puts into place a system that is sensitive to the learning needs, growth and progress of all students," says Don Deshler, the Williamson Family Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Special Education who has served as the director of the Center for Research on Learning at the University of Kansas.

The high-quality instruction for which RTI is designed is characterized by cultural and linguistic responsiveness, assessment, and evidence-based intervention. RTI has four components:
1) Universal Screening
Universal screening is used to understand how each student is performing on critical academic tasks in the core curriculum. Teachers provide a universal probe which assesses the student's understanding of essential skills and content. Once complete, a better understanding emerges of which students are succeeding and which are struggling, providing a baseline for educators.
2) Teaching With Evidence-Based Practices & Curriculum
Instructional methods for students engaged with RTI are based on those which have been shown to work with students in the past. If educators use established, evidence-supported methods, they can have reasonable confidence that students should respond to their instruction.
3) Monitoring
Periodically, educators reassess their students, in a manner similar to the initial screening, to see if they are absorbing the content that is being taught to them. This provides a cue to teachers to look more closely at any students that are still having difficulties and make adjustments or minor modifications to their educational plan.
4) Tiered Interventions
If minor adjustments fail to make a difference, educators may need to consider more intensive delivered instruction. RTI creates a tiered framework in which the number of tiers can depend on the specific way in which RTI is being implemented in a given educational system. Typically, though, they can be generalized into three levels:

Tier 1 - Level of instruction found in general education classrooms

Tier 2 - More deliberate, direct and explicit in how students are taught and how feedback is modeled and details provided

Tier 3 - Intensive instruction, including the introduction of a specialist with specific expertise to weigh in on the situation

Depending on your state, RTI may be called different names and different acronyms, but the important and consistent element across all of these programs is the idea of tier-based support. Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) is a specific implementation of RTI that has been designed for all students, not just those with disabilities.

MTSS supports four core beliefs:

1) Every child learns and achieves to high standards.
2) Learning includes both academic and social competencies.
3) Every member of the education community continues to grow, learn and reflect.
4) All leaders at all levels are responsible for every student.

According to KansasMTSS.org, "When implemented fully, an effective MTSS results in a self-correcting feedback loop that uses universal screening assessment data to not only intervene at the student level but also to continuously refine the system by analyzing grade, building and district level data for the purpose of school improvement." ¹

To learn more about RTI and MTSS, visit the resources below:
RTI http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/rti01-overview/ MTSS
If you would like to learn more about how to implement these crucial tools for student success in your classroom, consider a master's degree, graduate certificate or licensure endorsement in a special education discipline from the #1 special education graduate program in the country at the University of Kansas School of Education and Human Sciences. ²

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Understanding Response to Intervention (RTI) and Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS)

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Explore Response to Intervention (RTI) & Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) protocols for providing quality education to students with disabilities.

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I Can Statements are family-friendly guides that can be used to help your family and ensure your students are on track for their grade level. All learning objectives for English Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies are provided, written in family-friendly language. I Can Statements help make grade-level learning targets clear for families and they address the standards students of the same grade level learn in all public schools.

Multi-Grade Level Lists

The skills noted in the multi-grade level lists for science and social studies can be learned and applied to the content areas for their respective grade level groupings. These lists should be used in conjunction with the content standards. These skills can be assigned to the lessons in your personalized curriculum to demonstrate the following intellectual, reasoning, reflection, and research skills.

K-8th Grade: Science & Engineering Practices-Crosscutting Concepts

K-8th Grade: Historical & Social Studies Analysis Skills

I Can Checklists

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I Can Statements - Cabrillo Point Academy

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Listening and Talking Mini Lesson - Megan Gansereit 

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Quizizz | Free Online Quizzes, Lessons, Activities and Homework

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Motivate every student to mastery with easy-to-customize content plus tools for inclusive assessment, instruction, and practice. Engage students with Quizizz today!

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RTI², PBIS, and MTSS

MTSS, Response to Instruction and Intervention (RtI²), and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) are often spoken of synonymously, and for those new to MTSS, it can be difficult to determine what people mean when these terms are used interchangeably. It is important to keep in mind, though, that MTSS is a framework for aligning resources and initiatives; it is a method of organization. As such, MTSS encompasses both RtI² and PBIS, and systematically addresses support for all students.

Since MTSS is a framework that brings together both RtI² and PBIS and aligns their supports to serve the whole child, it also relies on data gathering through universal screening, data-driven decision making, and problem solving teams, and focuses on content standards. MTSS aligns the entire system of initiatives, supports, and resources, and implements continuous improvement processes throughout the system.

In particular, MTSS assists LEAs in:

Promoting LEA participation in the focus to align the entire system of initiatives, supports, and resources

Relying on a problem-solving systems process and method to identify problems, develop interventions, and evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention in a multi-tiered system of service delivery

Transforming the way LEAs provide support and setting higher expectations for all students through intentional integration of instruction and intervention services and supports so that systemic changes are sustainable and based on standards-aligned classroom instruction

Endorsing Universal Design for Learning instructional strategies so that all students have opportunities for learning through differentiated content (i.e., teachers reacting responsively to a learner's needs), processes, and products

Challenging all school staff to change the way in which they have traditionally worked both in and out of the classroom

Supporting high-quality standards and research-based, culturally and linguistically relevant instruction with the belief that every student can learn and excel, including students of poverty, those who are gifted and high achievers, students with disabilities, English learners, and students from all ethnicities evident in the school and LEA cultures

Implementing a collaborative approach to analyze student data and work together in the intervention process

RtI² is an approach that focuses on individual students who are struggling academically and pulls together resources from the LEA, school, and community to promote students' success before they fall behind. It is systematic and data-driven with tiered levels of intervention to benefit every student.

PBIS is an approach that focuses on the emotional and behavioral learning of students, which leads to an increase in engagement and a decrease in problematic behavior over time. It assists the LEA in adopting and organizing evidence-based behavioral interventions that improve social and emotional behavior outcomes for all students.
So, while RtI² focuses on academics and PBIS focuses on social and emotional learning, MTSS encompasses them all. It acts as a way of organizing supports within an LEA so that both the academic side and the social-emotional-learning side are aligned to serve the whole child.
Statewide Initiative

The focus of the Scaling Up MTSS Statewide (SUMS) Initiative is to develop resources for MTSS within an LEA that align the academic, behavioral, and social-emotional supports in an LEA in order to serve the whole child. It involves family and community engagement, administrative leadership, integrated education frameworks, and inclusive policy and practice.

Background

In 2015, Assembly Bill 104, Chapter 13, Statutes of 2015, appropriated $10,000,000 for developing, aligning, and improving systems of academic and behavioral supports (ISABS). The CDE conducted a competitive grant process and awarded the funds to the OCDE for their SUMS proposal, which included the Butte County Office of Education (Butte COE) as a rural partner. In 2016, an additional $20,000,000, appropriated by Senate Bill 828, Chapter 29, Statutes 2016, augmented the original grant award. The Budget Act of 2018 authorized an additional $15,000,000, appropriated by AB 1808, Chapter 32, Statues of 2018 and SB 840, Chapter 29, Statutes of 2018. This phase of the grant focuses on improving school climate statewide.

The purpose of the full $95,000,000 awarded to date is to encourage LEAs to establish and align schoolwide, data-driven systems of academic and behavioral supports to more effectively meet the needs of California's diverse learners in the most inclusive environment. The SUMS initiative enables the OCDE and its partners to develop and disseminate statewide resources and technical assistance for this purpose. Finally, the Budget Act of 2021 appropriated an additional $50,000,000 to the SUMS initiative. The legislation required the OCDE to award $30,000,000 of these funds as subgrants to LEAs. The legislation also required the CDE to conduct a process to select a partner entity to work with the OCDE and the Butte COE to support high quality professional learning for educators.

Additional information about the application process for each phase of the grant funding is available below:

OCDE MTSS SUMS Funding

For the first two funding phases of the SUMS grant, the OCDE subcontracted with the Schoolwide Integrated Framework for Transformation (SWIFT) Technical Assistance Center at the University of Kansas and the Butte COE to partner with the SUMS effort. The Butte COE shares SUMS professional learning resources through an online platform, and engages rural areas of the state to support their unique needs. SWIFT is a technical assistance center that builds school capacity to support all students both academically and behaviorally. The SWIFT staff supports the SUMS grant by providing technical assistance and professional learning opportunities to participating LEAs.

During the first two funding phases, the OCDE provided subgrants to LEAs to engage them in a process to assess their strengths, coordinate supports to their Local Control and Accountability Plans (LCAP) and align their MTSS efforts with the eight state priorities. The OCDE distributed the grant funding into three separate cohorts with up to $6,000,000 awarded in each round of applications.

For the third funding phase, the OCDE and the Butte COE partnered with the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Center for the Transformation of Schools to expand the state's MTSS framework. Through this collaborative effort, they developed evidence-based tools and training for educators and school systems. Their work expands restorative justice, bullying prevention and positive behavior interventions and minimize the use of emergency interventions. Their joint effort also established a pilot program to help LEAs to promote positive school climates by improving student-teacher relationships, increasing student engagement, and promoting alternative discipline practices.

The Budget Act of 2021 appropriated $50,000,000 to the OCDE for the SUMS project. The OCDE will award $30,000,000 as subgrants to LEAs. Additionally, $12,500,000 was awarded to the CDE will also selected Placer County Office of Education as the partner entity to expand the state's capacity to support LEAs' implementation of social-emotional learning, trauma-informed practices, and culturally relevant, affirming, and sustaining practices. To learn more about the SUMS Partner Entity Request for Applications, visit the CDE's SUMS Partner Entity Request for Application web page.

Visit the OCDE's MTSS SUMS web page for more information about SUMS.

OCDE MTSS Phase Three Subgrants: Request for Applications

The CDE, in partnership with the OCDE and the Butte COE, is pleased to announce that the Phase Three California MTSS grant opportunity is now open. This grant will provide an opportunity for school sites, LEAs, and county offices of education to build capacity toward full implementation of the California MTSS framework to improve outcomes for all learners. This grant is open to public schools and LEAs, public charter schools or county offices of education and county run schools in California.

Review the criteria for the application on the attached flyer and on the OCDE Phase Three web page . For questions, please email the OCDE Leadership team at camtss@ocde.us.

Application Deadline: October 15, 2022

Preliminary Award Announcement: November 15, 2022

Appeal Deadline: November 18, 2022

Final Award Announcement: December 1, 2022

Grant Period: March 1, 2023 through June 30, 2026

ISABS/SUMS Legislative Reports

ISABS Grant Annual Reports are required pursuant to AB 104 (Chapter 13, Statutes of 2015) and amended by SB 828 (Chapter 29, Statutes of 2016), beginning in the 2015-16 fiscal year and continuing until all grants funds are expended. Included in these reports are: an overview of the ISABS grant reporting requirements; a summary of the ISABS annual reports; and a copy of the annual reports, in their original form as submitted to the State Superintendent of Public Instruction by the OCDE. The ISABS Grant Annual Reports provide details regarding how the OCDE used the grant funds. The OCDE's fiscal reporting for each year includes an expenditure narrative, a budget narrative, and a budget detail report. The ISABS Annual Reports also include a description of how OCDE met the legislative requirements of the grant. These reports are available through the following links:

Frequently Asked Questions for the SUMS Grant and Other Resources

Frequently Asked Questions
This CDE document provides answers to questions regarding the 2015-16 Request for Applications.

For additional information on the SUMS grant, contact Julia Agostinelli by phone at 916-322-9503 or by e-mail at jagostinelli@cde.ca.gov. The OCDE also has a Questions and Inquiries web page .

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A framework that aligns Response to Instruction and Intervention with the California State standards and the systems necessary to ensure academic, behavior, and social success.

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Colorin Colorado Article: Strategies for ELL Success: A Guide for Educators 

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Colorin Colorado Article: Strategies for ELL Success: A Guide for Educators 

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Learn how educators can support the success of their English language learners (ELLs). They will be useful for a wide range of audiences, including new and veteran teachers of ELLs, paraprofessionals, tutors, and administrators at the school and district level.
Photo by Allison Shelley for EDUimages

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Strategies for ELL Success: A Guide for Educators

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Learn how educators can support the success of their English language learners (ELLs). They will be useful for a wide range of audiences, including new and veteran teachers of ELLs, paraprofessionals, tutors, and administrators at the school and district level. Photo by Allison Shelley for EDUimages

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Colorin Colorado Article: Lesson Planning for ELLs

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Colorin Colorado Article: Lesson Planning for ELLs

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Colorin Colorado Article: Speaking and Listening Skills for ELLs 

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Colorin Colorado Article: Speaking and Listening Skills for ELLs 

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MTSS: What is a Multi-Tiered System of Supports? 

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MTSS: What is a Multi-Tiered System of Supports? 

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Almost two decades ago, through a reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, emerged the idea that students may need different degrees of support to achieve the same academic outcomes.

When Congress last reauthorized the law, it included an amendment called " response to intervention," also known as RTI. The initial purpose was to help school personnel develop better strategies to identify students with learning disabilities.

In addition to testing a student on an IQ test or an achievement test, to see if they had learning disabilities, RTI encouraged educators to try to teach that child in a more intensive way and monitor their response to that, according to Doug Fuchs, the Nicholas Hobbs Chair of Special Education and Human Development at Vanderbilt University. And if the response was strong, that was an argument that the student should not be identified for an individualized education program, or IEP.

Eventually, educators adapted the principles of RTI to general education, putting into place different tiers of support for all students, and what is now known as a multi-tiered system of supports, or MTSS, developed.

MTSS essentially offers students who have learning, social, emotional, or behavioral difficulties in general classrooms personalized instruction or support that matches the level of help they need to stay on pace with their peers. If they don't make sufficient progress, MTSS models require districts to intensify personalized support. Each tier in the framework is supposed to represent a level of intensity of instructional or other support. MTSS is often used in districts as an approach to offer students mental health support, experts said.

What is MTSS?

Multi-tiered systems of supports, known as MTSS, are a framework meant to support students in achieving their best possible academic and social-emotional outcomes. MTSS models include tiers of instructional and other kinds of support, so that all students can make progress by getting the kind of education that meets their needs.

In theory, each student's needs should be addressed by one of the MTSS tiers. If the tiered system proves inadequate, MTSS should help educators identify which students might need special education services.

"MTSS ... is really thinking about, how do we organize our resources-the academic support and the behavioral, social, emotional, and counseling supports-in a school system to make sure that students are getting what they need?" said Rebecca Zumeta Edmonds, managing researcher at the American Institutes of Research, and director of the National Center on Intensive Intervention, a federally funded center focused on helping students who have the most severe and persistent academic and behavioral support needs.

What are the tiers of MTSS?

Generally, MTSS has three tiers.

Tier 1 is core instruction, which all students receive. Most MTSS models say that 80 percent of students should have their instructional needs met through Tier 1, according to Fuchs. Tier 1 should also include social-emotional learning components, according to MTSS4Success, a nonprofit center that supports districts implementing the framework.

At Tier 2, schools should provide small group instruction for students struggling to learn at Tier 1. Tier 2 can include behavioral or mental health supports, if necessary. Of the 20 percent of students who need Tier 2 interventions, 15 percent should have their educational needs met at Tier 2, Fuchs said.

For the five percent of students who don't respond to Tier 2, schools can offer Tier 3, or intensive intervention, individualized based on each student's needs. There is no specific program, but Tier 3 should be based on evaluating why a student is struggling and meeting their academic and social-emotional needs, according to MTSS4Success.

How widespread is MTSS?

MTSS is used on some level in virtually every U.S. state and territory, according to Zumeta Edmonds. Thousands of districts use MTSS, according to Panorama Education, an organization that supports districts implementing the framework, but there is no national data to track district-level use.

Most state education agencies offer their schools some level of guidance on using MTSS. Districts then choose to implement MTSS to varying degrees, Zumeta Edmonds said. Schools may also use an MTSS approach to students' mental health and behavior without applying to academics, she said.

At least one state-South Carolina-mandates the use of MTSS in elementary schools, according to Mitch Yell, a professor of special education at the University of South Carolina. Whether mandating that districts implement MTSS leads to better educational outcomes is still unknown, he said.

Sometimes, a school or district may choose to implement MTSS for a specific content area, such as reading. Others will attempt to do a more comprehensive implementation that involves literacy, mathematics, behavior, and social-emotional supports.

Most commonly, districts will implement the MTSS framework for meeting students' social-emotional needs, she said.

How does MTSS relate to special education?

MTSS began as RTI, which was meant as a special education reform, Fuchs said.

It was intended to replace the older model of comparing students' IQ to their test scores and labeling students at the low end of the spectrum as having learning disabilities, according to Yell.

Now that MTSS applies to general education, it can help teachers better identify which students struggle with persistent learning or behavioral challenges. The teams devoted to developing Individualized Education Programs for special education students can use data collected through MTSS evaluations as part of that process, and develop IEPs based on the data collected through MTSS evaluations, according to Zumeta Edmonds.

"Special education can and should be part of the MTSS system and very often that most intensive level of supports can be, or in some cases should be, special education," she said.

Tessie Bailey, principal consultant for the American Institutes for Research and director of the federally funded PROGRESS Center, which conducts research and advocates for students with disabilities, previously told Education Week that MTSS can help students with learning disabilities be identified earlier.

"The intent is to prevent poor learning outcomes, which means we identify kids earlier so they have supports," Bailey said.

MTSS has contributed to the early identification of learning disabilities and helped keep the numbers of students with learning disabilities in check, even as the numbers of students in special education have increased, Bailey said.

What's the difference between an IEP and MTSS?

An individualized education program, or IEP, is a program developed in collaboration with the district and a student's family for every student with disabilities. Only students with disabilities who need special education services can get IEPs, whereas MTSS is a general framework for all students.

However, an MTSS framework can help educators determine which students may need IEPs for learning disabilities or behavioral issues, Zumeta Edmonds said.

A good MTSS framework can also reduce the number of students being referred to special education, according to Yell.

"If you really have a good system, and it's working, you should have fewer nonresponders that wind up getting referred to special education, because their needs are being addressed in these earlier tiers of instruction," he said.

What are the challenges of MTSS?

The biggest challenge of MTSS is its implementation, according to Fuchs, Zumeta Edmonds, and Yell. Schools often don't have the resources and time to allow for the personalized instruction that tiers 2 and 3 require, Fuchs said. It is also not sustainable to maintain MTSS in schools facing staffing shortages, he said.

"If schools had the resources to build strong tier 2 and tier 3 supports, then in principle, that would be a real contribution and most likely helpful modification of our general education system," Fuchs said.

"But as much as I support MTSS in principle, as I have watched it play out in thousands of schools across the country, it fails more often than it succeeds."

That's because MTSS frameworks require districts to be well-versed in evidence-based instruction for each tier, collect data, collaborate across tiers, and invest resources and time into each tier of support and instruction, Fuchs said.

Some other challenges include training educators to be well-versed in the tiers of MTSS, allowing educators to change their curriculum to make sure it's tailored to be evidence based, and knowing how to collect and use student achievement data and make decisions based on it.

"If it's implemented properly, it helps every student in the school," Yell said.

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MTSS: What Is a Multi-Tiered System of Supports?

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MTSS, or multi-tiered system of supports, is a widely used framework meant to offer students personalized education that meets their needs.

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Welcome to the Purdue Online Writing Lab

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Five Tools and Resources for Special Education (For students with Special Needs) 

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Five Tools and Resources for Special Education (For students with Special Needs) 

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The Graduate School of Education and Human Development

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As educators, it has become increasingly important to meet the needs of every learner. But practically speaking, what does that look like? Understanding how to create a supportive classroom and utilizing special education teaching methods are key to developing an environment that breeds success. Here are five tools and resources for special education teachers and administrators:

1: Differentiated Instruction

Differentiated instruction in special education is essential to ensuring student success. It's a teaching method that steers all students toward the same learning objectives while giving them the freedom to determine how they get there. Recognizing that not all students learn the same way means teachers can organize students into groups based on how they prefer to learn. When deployed correctly, it can bring struggling students up to speed, allow gifted students to learn at a pace that suits them, and integrate a student's individual accommodations. Despite perceptions that differentiation adds to teachers' workload, differentiation doesn't have to require a lot of extra planning.

2: Assistive Technology

Assistive technology refers to devices or services that help students with disabilities learn, communicate, or function more effectively. Thanks to advances in technology, these are a great complement to special education teaching methods. They can encompass voice-to-text tools, graphic organizers, screen readers, personal amplification devices, communication boards, pencil grips, and much more to support the needs of all learners. When it comes to assistive technology in special education, the options can be limitless!

3: Positive Behavior Supports

Positive behavior support (PBS), also known as Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS), can lead to social emotional competence, academic success, and a healthy school climate for all students, enhancing their overall performance and long-term outcomes. PBS is a key behavioral intervention in special education as it teaches students new skills and alternative responses to less desirable behavior. An evidence-based framework, PBS focuses on creating positive, consistent, and safe learning environments that promote students' academic and social growth while preventing challenging behaviors rather than punishing them.

Co-teaching involves two or more certified professionals working together to share instructional responsibility for a single group of students. With six strategies to choose from, it is geared toward enhancing individualized instruction in the general education setting while providing additional support for students with special needs. This model prioritizes collaboration between co-teachers to ensure students with diverse learning needs are able to increase their understanding of the subject matter at hand. It can be especially effective for special education students, because it provides opportunities for instruction tailored to their specific needs.

5: Universal Design for Learning

Another area in which special education administrators and educators can make a difference is by applying universal design for learning (UDL) concepts to the school environment. Rooted from the idea that all architecture must be designed to accommodate diverse individual needs, UDL says that we should anticipate diversity in the classroom. This means considering how students process information, how students engage within the learning environment, and how students convey their learned knowledge. This also means considering cultural barriers, language barriers, and physical, emotional, and mental abilities and how they may impact a student's approach to learning. When the focus is on ensuring students reach the same goal while providing flexibility in how they reach that goal, it inherently becomes an inclusive classroom conducive to learning and growth.

All of these tools and resources can work together to provide optimal support for students and educators alike. The methodology and research behind these different approaches can also be examined further in a special education graduate degree program - along with ways to measure the efficacy of such approaches to ensure that students are achieving academically and behaviorally.

If you're interested in furthering your understanding and capabilities within the field of special education, a special education masters or doctoral program could be the right next step for you. At the George Washington University's Graduate School of Education and Human Development (GSEHD), the curriculum prioritizes disability studies, diversity, and inclusion in special education to create classroom environments that meet the needs of every learner. You can also choose from one of four graduate certificate programs. To learn more about our programs, request information from a GSEHD admissions coach to learn more today.

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Five Tools and Resources for Special Education Teachers and Administrators | The Graduate School of Education and Human Development | The George Washington University

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By utilizing these 5 special education teaching methods and resources, you can help create a supportive and inclusive classroom to reach all learners.

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Supporting Inclusive Practices (For students with Special Needs) 

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Supporting Inclusive Practices (For students with Special Needs) 

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Seeds of Partnership (For students with Special Needs) 

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Seeds of Partnership (For students with Special Needs) 

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Seeds of Partnership provides assistance on behalf of the California Department of Education, Special Education Division to support the direction, initiatives and activities that are a part of the State Performance Plan (SPP) related to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Indicators. We aim to create or provide avenues and tools to increase improvement of partnerships and provide professional learning resources that will assist LEAs seeking to improve their family engagement practices and educational outcomes. Seeds of Partnership assists Special Education Division Consultants, LEAs, SELPAs, administrators, staff and families involved in educational programs that serve children with disabilities. We invite you to explore the pages of this site to learn more about family engagement and related professional development resources. We encourage you to share how you have used the tools as an individual or as a team using our share your ideas comment form.

This project is funded by the California Department of Education (CDE), Special Education Division (SED) and is under the auspices of the Sacramento County Office of Education.

A collection of enrichment resources for students, families, and school districts.

Created through the statewide reopening schools task force.

Learn what family engagement is and why it is critical.

Science to Policy and Practice - Reduce Sources of Stress, Strengthen Core Life Skills, Support Responsive Relationships

(2.4MB PDF)
The Toolkit translates research into practice, with a special focus on issues of equity.

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Seeds of Partnership provides assistance on behalf of the California Department of Education, Special Education Division to support the direction, initiatives and activities that are a part of the State Performance Plan (SPP) related to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Indicators.

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10 Things Students with Disabilities Need to Know 

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10 Things Students with Disabilities Need to Know 

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The Common Core: 10 Things Students with Disabilities Need to Know

The following content originally appeared in The Special EDge newsletter, Volume 27, Number 2; Winter-Spring 2014

Who the Common Core Is For

The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are for all students in kindergarten through twelfth grade in public education, which includes students with disabilities.

What the California Common Core State Standards Are and Why We Have Them

The CCSS are the guidelines that all teachers and schools will follow to make sure you are taught what you need to know in each grade. All students who attend public schools are supposed to be taught their grade-level standards. Learning the standards will help you prepare for college, jobs, and life.

Where You Can See the Standards

You can find all of the CCSS at Common Core State Standards Initiative . At this website, you can select your grade level to see what you should be learning. This site also has many resources to help you learn about and understand the standards.

How the Standards Are Important in Your Individualized Education Program (IEP)

Knowing what you are supposed to be learning in each grade can make it easier for you to ask questions about how you are meeting your goals, where your learning will happen, and what kind of extra help you might need.

How IEP Goals Should Be Based on the Standards

Your IEP has goals that focus on your special learning needs. Each of the academic goals should be based on a Common Core grade-level standard.

You also may have goals in your IEP that are not academic goals. These might be goals that address how you deal with and express your feelings. Nonacademic goals are an important part of your IEP. They support your ability to learn in school. But only academic goals-such those for English and math-need to align to a CCSS.

How to Advocate for Yourself in a Class Where a Teacher Has Not Seen Your IEP

It is always OK-and sometimes very important-to tell your teachers that you have a disability. You also want to tell your teachers that your IEP lists the accommodations, modifications, or assistive technology you need in order to be successful in their classes. If you are afraid or embarrassed to talk to a teacher about this, speak to one of the members of your IEP team or a family member. Ask for help in talking with the teacher to explain the supports you need.

What Questions to Ask at Your IEP Meeting

Am I learning and performing at grade level?

If not, what is the plan for me to catch up?

What are my behavior goals that will help me with my learning?

What strategies, special teaching, or technology will I have to make sure I am able to learn?

Who should I go to for help?

What will I need to do to get a high school diploma?

More Helpful Resources

Last Reviewed: Tuesday, February 04, 2020

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10 Things Students with Disabilities Need to Know

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The following content originally appeared in The Special EDge newsletter, Volume 27, Number 2; Winter-Spring 2014 The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are for all students in kindergarten through twelfth grade in public education, which includes students with disabilities.

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Accelerated Reader (For Students with Special Needs) 

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Accelerated Reader (For Students with Special Needs) 

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The Research-Based Design Product Certification serves as a rigorous, reliable signal for district and school administrators, educators, and families looking for evidence of research-based education technology products that are based in research about learning.

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Accelerated Reader helps you guide students while engaging quizzes and activities help hone students' reading skills and encourage growth.

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Articulated Station (For Students with Special Needs) 

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Articulated Station (For Students with Special Needs) 

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Articulation Station

Help teach your child how to pronounce the sounds in the English language with 6 fantastic and engaging activities. Articulation practice has never been so much fun!

For iPad, iPhone and iPod touch

Articulation Station was created by a certified Speech-Language Pathologist for parents, SLPs and other educators to help work with children and adults with speech sound delays.

It is a comprehensive articulation program offering practice at the word, sentence and story levels in 22 sounds in the English language.

Data Collection

Group Sessions

Custom Word Lists

Custom Images

Data Backup

Try Articulation Station
for FREE!

When you first download Articulation Station you will receive the entire P sound program to try for free. Additional sound programs can be purchased as needed from the Articulation Station Store within the app.

Each sound program in Articulation Station is priced based upon the amount of content each one offers.

Save 14% when you purchase ALL SOUND PROGRAMS at once by upgrading to pro.

"Love love LOVE Articulation Station, I use it every day. My therapy kids never get fed up. It is far and away the best app of its kind!" - Nancy, SLP

Over 1200 beautiful, easy to identify images!

In addition to the professional, clean design of the app, each activity in Articulation Station has real photographs isolated on a white background that are clear and easy to identify.

Articulation Station also features:

Scoring & comprehensive data tracking

Voice recording for auditory feedback

Save audio recordings to track progress

Sorting by syllables at the word level

Group sessions (up to 6 students at a time!)

Customize word lists

Student profiles (name, age, progress notes)

Add your own custom images (available when
all sounds have been purchased)

Quick tips on teaching each sound

In-depth video tutorials

Data backup feature

Six Engaging Activities for Articulation Practice

Flashcards

Over 1200 flashcards in all sounds

Beautiful, real life images

60 target words for each sound, except R, L, S which have blends and additional sounds

Matching

Medium level gameplay

Practice and score as you play

Fun and familiar

Comprehension Questions

Comprehension Questions

3 questions for each story

Work on reading comprehension

Target language skills

Custom Images

Add Custom Images

Create your own flashcards!

Add your own unique sentences

Tailor therapy to your child's needs

S, L and R sound programs

In addition to the 60 target words in the initial, medial and final sound positions, the L, R and S sound programs contain blends along with additional sounds including all the vocalic r sounds in the R sound program.

S sound program

Initial, Medial, Final

Blends (st, sk, sp, sw, sl, sm, sn)

R sound program

Initial (pre-vocalic r, air, ar, ear, ire, or, er)

Medial (air, ar, ear, ire, or, er, rl)

Final (air, ar, ear, ire, or, er, rl)

Blends (br, dr, fr, gr, kr, tr, pr)

L sound program

Initial, Medial, Final

Blends (bl, fl, gl, kl, pl, sl)

What people are saying...

"I can't rate Articulation Station highly enough! My only wish is that I had found it sooner as it is doing wonders for my daughter, both her speech therapist and her teachers have commented on how well her speech is doing!" -Lisa

"As a parent and SLP, I'm interested in purchasing apps that are engaging and useful. That's why I use Articulation Station for my daughter's daily speech practice."
- Renena, SLP

"My daughter LOVES Articulation Station and out of all the games on our iPad she chooses your app every day! "
- Marie

"Being a mother of a son with articulation struggles, I am constantly looking for ways we can help and reinforce his therapy at home. Articulation Station makes it easy! I love that I can find everything I need in one place, thank you Little Bee Speech!" - Alee

"I love the beautiful real pictures, the ability to choose multiple sounds at a time, the pleasant voice model, and the different activities to keep students motivated - matching, rotating sentences, stories, and more!" - Meryl

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Help teach your child how to pronounce the sounds in the English language with 6 fantastic and engaging activities. Articulation practice has never been so much fun! For iPad, iPhone and iPod touch Articulation Station was created by a certified Speech-Language Pathologist for parents, SLPs and other educators to help work with children and adults with speech sound delays.

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Be GLAD | K-12 Training for teachers and admins

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We have empowered over 15,000 educators to support over 350,000 students worldwide!

Be GLAD educators are among the most dedicated and invested educators across the nation, and here's why: Be GLAD is a flexible core model that fits easily with any other PD or curriculum in your district. Start your journey with Be GLAD and start implementing our easy-to-use strategies that support all students in the classroom.

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Be GLAD | K-12 Training for teachers and admins

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Be GLAD | K-12 Training for teachers and admins

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California Collaborative for Educational Excellence 

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California Collaborative for Educational Excellence 

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California Collaborative for Educational Excellence transforms public education, so every student is inspired and prepared to thrive as their best self in the world through a focus on...

CCEE Initiatives

California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE) aligns its initiatives with three purpose drivers to more effectively achieve its core mission

CCEE, under its Continuous Improvement driver, is devoted to advancing and refining educational practices to achieve superior outcomes. The organization works diligently to enhance professional development and strengthen the capabilities of Local Educational Agencies (LEAs). By participating, you join a collective pursuit of educational excellence, contributing to the ongoing improvement and success of learning environments and methodologies.

CCEE, through its Student Success driver, is committed to unlocking every student's potential by implementing comprehensive initiatives. These initiatives aim to address educational inequities, enhance learning outcomes, and promote inclusivity. CCEE invites superintendents to collaborate, with the goal of achieving transformative impacts within their districts, ensuring that all students have the opportunity to succeed.

Student-Centered Approaches

CCEE prioritizes the well-being of all students, their families, schools, and communities by promoting socially just and inclusive practices. These drivers aim to better reflect CCEE's commitment to education and its stakeholders.

CCEE champions a student-first philosophy through its Student-Centered Approaches, leading the way in transformative change. Initiatives such as Open Door, Leadership Institute, and Community Engagement are central to this effort. CCEE extends an invitation to superintendents to collaborate, aiming to raise the standard of education in California by fostering inclusivity, compassion, and innovation in learning environments.

Fillmore Unified School District, a key participant in the CCEE Intensive Assistance Model, focuses on curriculum alignment and proven instructional strategies to boost educational outcomes. Learn more about their transformative efforts and insights from district leaders in the podcast "Rising from the Margins," Season One, Episode Five. Listen Now

We're helping educators and administrators achieve goals identified in Local Control and Accountability Plans.

CCEE Priorities For 2024-25

As the Executive Director of the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE), I am excited to share our strategic priorities for the 2024-2025 school year. Our focus will be on four critical areas Learn More

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California Collaborative for Educational Excellence transforms public education, so every student is inspired and prepared to thrive as their best self in the world through a focus on... California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE) aligns its initiatives with three purpose drivers to more effectively achieve its core mission CCEE, under its Continuous Improvement driver, is devoted to advancing and refining educational practices to achieve superior outcomes.