# data[].attributes.headline
UDL and the stages...including ENGAGEMENT at every level!

# data[].attributes.subject
UDL and the stages...including ENGAGEMENT at every level!

# data[].attributes.body
Systems 44, Read 180

# data[].attributes.body
Think-write-pair-share etc
Providing scaffolding for the processing to set up for success in the product stage

# data[].attributes.body
I'd love to gain greater insight on how to support our ELs with our SOR work in K-2 classrooms.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Districts across the country are using a multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) framework to create systems of care that ensure students get what they need, academically, behaviorally, socially, and emotionally.

MTSS, an acronym for "multi-tiered system of supports," is an organizational framework used in education settings to ensure that all students' needs are met through increasingly targeted interventions across three levels of support. As educators build intervention plans, they use data to help them make well-informed decisions that will produce the best outcomes for each student.

In this comprehensive guide, we'll take a deeper look at what makes up an MTSS, how it works, and some examples of schools and districts using the framework to support students and educators.
Download Panorama's 2023 State of MTSS Report
Table of Contents:

1. MTSS: A Framework for Every Student

2. The Key Components of MTSS

3. Bringing MTSS to Life: All About Implementation

4. Using MTSS to Support the Whole Child

5. MTSS in Action: What Districts Are Doing

6. Next Steps for Strengthening Your District's MTSS

MTSS: A Framework for Every Student

A multi-tiered system of supports ( MTSS ) provides a guiding, comprehensive framework for educators, school, and district leaders. This framework allows K-12 educators to:

Remove barriers to learning at the systems level.

Use evidence-based practices to ensure all students are learning at grade-level.

Make data-based decisions for targeted and intensive interventions.

An MTSS framework helps unify practices across a district, so students are getting the same access to support no matter what school or classroom they are in. Classroom educators, counselors, and administrators are all working towards a common goal: creating a positive learning environment that serves the needs of all students across all areas of development. By using data as a guide to inform initiatives, they can ensure that their choices are grounded in actual student need, not just educator perception. Looking at data consistently also allows educators to take preventative steps to intervene before larger challenges arise.

Equity is deeply embedded in MTSS. Educational equity means that each student gets what they need to succeed. The MTSS framework allows educators to see each student holistically and ensure access to necessary support. An MTSS that advances equity gives all students access to a great education in the most inclusive environment possible.

Did you know? The MTSS framework has been highlighted as a critical lever of improvement under the Every Student Succeeds Act ( ESSA), which calls for the use of evidence-based interventions and data-driven progress monitoring for students.

MTSS and RTI: What's the difference?

The MTSS framework is closely related to the Response to Intervention ( RTI) model, though not entirely the same.

RTI emerged from the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act ( IDEA) in 2004 as a process for determining the effect of tiered interventions on student academic learning. In an RTI model, educators identify students who may need extra academic or behavioral support. Students are then provided with interventions at increasing levels of intensity, usually through a special education department or program

The MTSS framework incorporates aspects of RTI. A multi-tiered system of supports is a holistic system ultimately designed to remove academic, behavioral, and social-emotional barriers, and to meet the needs of all learners to become college and career ready. Whereas RTI focuses on identifying individual student needs, MTSS focuses on creating systemic conditions of support, ensuring that the educational environment allows students to succeed.

Return to Table of Contents

The Key Components of MTSS

Without a solid framework or guiding plan, it's difficult to implement practices consistently and sustainably. Systems can vary a lot from school to school within a district, or even classroom to classroom. This can lead to inconsistency and can mean that students aren't getting access to the support that they need.

Every district's MTSS is unique depending on individual context, but there are a few essential components that make up an MTSS:

In this section, you'll learn more about these components and how they work together to make up the MTSS framework.

Getting to Know the MTSS Framework

The multi-tiered system of supports framework consists of three tiers of support. Students are given access to the support they need across academics, attendance, behavior, and social-emotional learning. This access is provided using universal screening and progress monitoring data to start a student in the least intensive support environment, and adding or removing that support as needed.

An example of the MTSS pyramid

Traditionally, the MTSS framework is visualized as a three-tiered pyramid, though visual aids may vary from district to district. For example, some school districts, like Portland Public Schools (OR), are shifting towards an "inverted" MTSS pyramid to convey the importance of Tier 1 universal supports.

Example: Portland Public Schools (OR) Inverted MTSS Pyramid of Student Supports

The MTSS framework is not only for students. Many Student Services teams, such as the team at San Bernardino City Unified School District (CA), are applying the tiered supports model for staff as well as students.

Example: San Bernardino City Unified School District (CA) MTSS Pyramid of Student and Staff Supports

Some districts choose to use other visual models entirely. The New Mexico Public Education Department created a graphic composed of different circles encompassed by rings as a model for their multi-layered system of supports (MLSS) framework. This image incorporates the three layers, as well as guiding themes and key drivers.

Example: A model of the MLSS framework from the MLSS Implementation Guide from the New Mexico Public Education Department.

While the supports within each tier may look different from district to district, there are certain commonalities for every MTSS pyramid. Let's take a closer look at what goes on at each tier.

Tier 1

Educators often refer to Tier 1 supports as "universal" because they are provided to every student. Strong Tier 1 practices are essential for strengthening school climate, relationships, and classroom instruction. Examples of Tier 1 supports include:

High-quality core instruction.

Embedding social-emotional learning into curriculum and assessment.

Cultivating a positive and inclusive school climate.

Many school districts create Tier 1 school climate teams or embed Tier 1 supports into school improvement planning.

Pro Tip: Emphasizing a strong Tier 1 through a positive and inclusive school climate also drives equity. Check that your Tier 1 is truly equitable and inclusive by investigating the following questions:

What are the Tier 1 supports being offered? What's missing?

What is the proportion of students requiring additional Tier 2 and Tier 3 supports?

Looking at your data, do you notice disparities in discipline and academic achievement?

Ask your school community: what are they noticing about equity and inclusion at school?

Tier 2

Tier 2 supports are targeted, additional interventions delivered to students who are not responding to Tier 1 supports. Typically, around 15 to 20% of students will receive Tier 2 support, which are often given in small group settings.

Schools often convene Student Support Teams (SST), Student Intervention Teams (SIT), or Child Study Teams (CST) to identify at-risk students who need Tier 2 support and use data from multiple domains to determine appropriate interventions. Many schools establish data "cut points" across academics, behavior, attendance, and social-emotional learning to determine when a student needs to receive Tier 2 interventions.

Tier 3

Tier 3 supports refer to intensive services that 1 to 5% of students receive if they continue to struggle and require even more support. It is also for students who are undergoing more of an acute crisis, such as the death of a parent.

Pro Tip: Ensuring educators have access to a library of strong, evidence-based interventions is crucial for supporting students. Districts and schools that partner with Panorama have access to Playbook, a professional learning library for K-12 educators. Playbook includes 500+ MTSS interventions in SEL, academics, and behavior that support students at every tier and every developmental stage.

Return to beginning of section: The Key Components of MTSS

The Power of Data-Based Decision-Making

Once you have a tiered intervention structure, data plays a crucial role in determining when and how to deploy resources and intervention strategies.

Schools and districts following an MTSS structure use universal screening processes and assessment systems to identify which students need targeted supports. MTSS interventionists then use data across academic performance, behavior, attendance, and social-emotional learning to source the right intervention strategy from a whole-child perspective.

The practice of data-based decision-making and documentation of MTSS interventions can also support the reduction of bias in schools. By interrogating data, educators can uncover disparities in interventions provided based on race, ethnicity, or other student group identifiers that could lead to over-referrals for discipline or special education.

More and more districts are adopting system-wide MTSS data systems like Panorama for Student Success to drive continuous improvement and monitor student outcomes. A central system can support educators and administrators by:

Triangulating student data to better understand root causes of present challenges.

Enabling collaboration around interventions to support student needs.

Monitoring the progress of individual and group intervention plans over time.

Providing year-over-year student data as students move from elementary school to middle school to high school, preventing them from slipping through the cracks during key transitions.

Panorama's data dashboards allow teachers to track student growth and identify areas in need of intervention. (Please note that demo data is pictured.)
According to LaTonya Robinson , Chief of Student Services at Oxford School District (MS), having a whole-child MTSS platform can make a world of difference: "For the first time ever, we've been able to unify our academic and behavior intervention programs, collaborate on intervention plans in one place, and work directly with SEL data to support our children and teachers."

Recommended Resource: 3 Questions Every Data-Driven MTSS Support Team Must Ask Weekly [Download]

Return to beginning of section: The Key Components of MTSS

Track Success With Intervention Planning and Progress Monitoring

Looking at data can help educators identify areas of support for individuals or groups of students. When educators notice a need for more targeted interventions, they will work to create an intervention plan. This is an action plan for getting the student additional support in a certain area, usually at Tier 2 or Tier 3.

Pro Tip: Remember, just because a student may need Tier 2 support in one area does not mean they have moved into "Tier 2." In MTSS, a student may receive interventions in multiple tiers at once; they could have plans for a Tier 2 support in math, a Tier 3 in literacy, and Tier 1 for social-emotional learning.

Educators can look at student data such as grades, attendance records, and feedback survey responses to get a full picture of the student and what may be contributing to the challenge. Educators can consider how the student is performing in academics, attendance, behavior, and social-emotional learning to help them identify the best course of action for the plan. Student intervention plans generally include:

Information about where a student needs support

Proposed intervention strategies for providing that support

A timeline for the intervention

A goal for student progress by the end of the timeline

A method for monitoring progress

Example of an intervention plan template (download here )

Progress monitoring is a critical piece of intervention planning, as it helps ensure that the intervention is being implemented consistently and with fidelity. It also provides the educator with data on how well the intervention is working. If a student isn't progressing, educators can create a new intervention plan instead of spending time and resources on a strategy that isn't helping.

While intervention planning and progress monitoring are often used for individual students, administrators can apply the same principles to interventions for groups of students and for school- and district-wide initiatives. For example, some districts may want to create plans for addressing learning recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and monitor the progress of those interventions over time.

Recommended Resource: Interventions and Progress Monitoring Toolkit

Return to beginning of section: The Key Components of MTSS

Return to Table of Contents

Bringing MTSS to Life: All About Implementation

Implementing a district-wide framework can feel overwhelming. An MTSS is a large and complex system, touching all aspects of school life. But there are certain elements that will set your district up for success:

In this section, we'll take a closer look at how each of these elements contributes to a strong and sustainable MTSS.

A Dedicated MTSS Team

B ecause MTSS is, by definition, a system-wide practice, school district leaders support effective MTSS practices through communicating a unified vision. Support for MTSS must begin at the district level and should include long-term planning, program evaluation, resource allocation to schools, and professional development.

" MTSS work needs to start at the central office in order to be implemented district-wide, and building-level teams need extra support during the first few years ... Ensuring our buildings were supported was one of the best decisions that we made as a team. Any way that districts can figure out how to coach and how to support, they should."

Having a dedicated MTSS team signals that MTSS is a priority in your district, and helps clarify roles and responsibilities when it comes to implementation. Teams can also evaluate the fidelity of implementation and intervention efficacy. Here are some examples of who may be involved in an MTSS team, depending on whether they work at a district or school level:

District-Level Team Members:

A Director of MTSS leads the development of a data-based, district-wide MTSS. Directors are responsible for collaborating closely with building administrators, educators, support staff, families, and students.

An MTSS Coordinator works closely with the Director of MTSS and is responsible for communicating with schools in the district, developing meeting schedules, documenting processes, monitoring progress, and providing professional development resources.

School-Based Team Members:

MTSS teams are made up of individual adults in the school and look at data, develop interventions, and create support plans for students who need them. Ideally, a team should include a school administrator, a teacher from each grade level, and a mental health professional.

School-based teams are led by an MTSS Coach. This person works with individual schools and works with administrators, teachers, and counselors to coordinate tiered interventions. They also work closely with other school MTSS coaches to form a strong network within the district.

Return to beginning of section: Bringing MTSS to Life

A Community of Collaboration

Implementing a system as complex and far-reaching as an MTSS framework requires collaboration and cooperation with every member of the school community. This extends not only to the educators and staff members within your district, but also to students and their families. A system works best when everyone works together. Here are some ways you can invite members of your district community to participate in MTSS implementation:

Provide opportunities for professional development on MTSS topics for educators.

Identify and elevate members of your district community who are passionate about MTSS.

Share resources, new research, and news through school newsletter.

Elevate student, educator, and family voices through feedback surveys.

Engage families and caregivers in all aspects of their children's education.

Provide community members with visibility into your MTSS processes, particularly around data collection, usage, and privacy.

Return to beginning of section: Bringing MTSS to Life

A Cycle of Continuous Improvement

MTSS implementation is ever-evolving. As a school community's needs change, your MTSS will need to evolve to reflect those changes. A commitment to continuous improvement can help an MTSS progress.

One of the best ways to understand what's working (and what isn't) within your district is to conduct surveys with different groups in your community. Gathering feedback from students, families, teachers, and staff will give you insight into what their experiences are like in your district, and ways that you could potentially improve those experiences. Understanding community needs can be especially helpful when planning district and school-wide Tier 1 supports.

If you want a deeper understanding of your district's MTSS, consider using an MTSS self-assessment tool to get feedback from the educators in your district so you can take action to build a better MTSS.

Return to beginning of section: Bringing MTSS to Life

Return to Table of Contents

Using MTSS To Support the Whole Child

Because MTSS is designed to support the whole child, it also strongly aligns with other initiatives and systems. MTSS works together with:

MTSS and PBIS

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports ( PBIS ) and MTSS are different, but they are related and work well together. It may be easiest to think of PBIS as the behavior component of a larger MTSS that encompasses behavior, academics, and social-emotional learning.

Did you know? PBIS was popularized by the 1997 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act ( IDEA). It was initially established to provide behavioral interventions for individual students. PBIS has since shifted to emphasize school-wide practices and expectations that help all students to develop prosocial behavior.

PBIS, like MTSS, uses a tiered model of intervention support. Tier 1 PBIS interventions are used for all students to create positive environments for learning. If individuals or groups of students need more support, more targeted interventions are used at Tiers 2 and 3. These tiers often involve support from counselors and other specialists.

PBIS also relies on collecting and analyzing Big 5 data to inform decisions and guide interventions. Different schools will have different approaches to positive behavioral interventions. Examples of positive behavior interventions include token reward systems and u sing behavior-specific praise to encourage desired behaviors.

Return to beginning of section: Using MTSS to Support the Whole Child

MTSS and SEL

An important priority for many districts is supporting the whole child through social-emotional learning ( SEL ). The MTSS framework encompasses this work with its focus on whole child supports across social-emotional well-being, academics, and behavior.

SEL helps students acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to develop healthy identities, manage emotions, achieve goals, have supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions. The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning ( CASEL ) uses five core competencies as a guide for social-emotional growth:

Self-Awareness

Self-Management

Social Awareness

Relationship Skills

Responsible Decision-Making

Work on the core competencies of SEL also supports work in academics and behavior. SEL activities are often used as interventions within a PBIS or MTSS. SEL works particularly well to support behavior, as it teaches many of the skills required for positive behavioral growth.

Recommended Resource: 15 SEL Intervention Ideas for School and District Teams

Return to beginning of section: Using MTSS to Support the Whole Child
MTSS and Special Education Services
MTSS can help get students the support they need without having to refer them to special education services, and can help identify which students should be assessed for disability and special education services.

While targeted interventions, particularly at Tiers 2 and 3, can align with special education services, MTSS is designed to serve all students, which is inclusive of students receiving special education services. Because MTSS allows students to receive support at multiple tiers at once, a student receiving special education services may be getting Tier 1 interventions in some areas and Tier 2 or 3 in others.

When looking at MTSS data, it's important to understand the impacts your system and practices are having on students receiving special education services to ensure that they are receiving an equitable education.

Return to beginning of section: Using MTSS to Support the Whole Child

Return to Table of Contents

MTSS in Action: What Districts Are Doing

Schools and districts across the country are prioritizing tiered frameworks to ensure that educators are delivering the right interventions to students at the right time. This work includes setting up data systems, mobilizing human resources, and aligning staff around goals and expectations for MTSS.

While each district is at a different stage in this journey, there's a lot to learn from the processes, strategies, and tools being used today to implement MTSS.

Below, take a look at how innovative schools and districts across the country are paving the way forward for MTSS and changing what it means to prepare students for bright futures. Explore how education leaders are serving students' academic, social, and emotional needs within a structured system of supports that works for their school or district.

1. MTSS and Special Education: How District Leaders in Mehlville (MO) Partner With Panorama to Support Students at Every Tier

Adam Smith, Executive Director of Student Services at Mehlville School District, and Kimberly Lawson, Director of Special Education in Mehlville through SSD, speak to the importance of a united approach to MTSS and how they are using data to support students and educators in their schools.

"We don't want MTSS to just be used as a system for referral for special education services, and we're working to ensure that we're not over- or under-identifying students that might need that extra support," said Smith. "We want to use our resources to serve all students in a better way, and Panorama is helping us facilitate that work."

2. How Utah's Jordan School District Is Bringing a "Restorative MTSS" to Life With Panorama

Jordan School District (UT) educators Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services, Stacee Worthen, Secondary Counselor Specialist, and Julie Scherzinger, High School Assistant Principal, share how their relationship-first approach to MTSS impacts student well-being.

"Relationships don't support the learning, relationships are the learning," said Hamblin. "That's why we focus on restorative MTSS, social-emotional learning, and why we use a tool like Panorama to determine how to best help kids."

3. How Gadsden ISD Uses Student Voice to Adopt New Mexico's MLSS Framework

" In the past, educators have relied primarily on our professional judgment when it comes to decision-making," said Duggan. "We do our best, but we don't have any results that can tell us definitively whether or not our initiatives are working. With Panorama, we're able to use data from students, teachers, and families to inform and justify the choices we're making in our districts and schools."
Return to beginning of section: MTSS in Action
Return to Table of Contents

Next Steps for Strengthening Your District's MTSS

Figuring out how to best support students is a complex endeavor. We know, because we partner with 2,000 districts to navigate these challenges.

Whether you need support structuring an MTSS framework, consulting on a roll-out plan, or professional development, our team will be your partner and guide. We support thousands of schools and districts with their MTSS through feedback surveys and robust data platforms for attendance, academics, behavior, and SEL.

If you're interested in learning more about how your district can partner with Panorama for MTSS, visit our website or schedule a demo with our team.

Return to Table of Contents

Ready to learn how your district can partner with Panorama?
Schedule a meeting with us!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A comprehensive look at what makes up an MTSS, how it works, and some examples of schools and districts using the framework to support students and educators.

# data[].attributes.headline
Book: Six Steps to Inclusive Preschool Curriculum

# data[].attributes.subject
Book: Six Steps to Inclusive Preschool Curriculum

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Marci J. Hanson, Ph.D., is Professor in the Department of Special Education at San Francisco State University (SFSU). At SFSU, Dr. Hanson is actively engaged in teaching, research, and service related to young children and their families. In addition to these responsibilities, she directs the SFSU joint doctoral program in special education with the University of California, Berkeley, and codirects the early childhood special education graduate program. She is a consultant with the child and adolescent development faculty of the Marian Wright Edelman Institute for the Study of Children, Youth, and Families at SFSU and with San Francisco Head Start.

Audra Classen, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor in the Department of Curriculum, Instruction, and Special Education at the University of Southern Mississippi. Dr. Classen graduated from the special education program at the University of Kansas. Her research interests and expertise lie in supporting young children's emotional literacy development, developing social-emotional curriculum and interventions, and teaching practitioners to utilize assessment techniques. In addition, Dr. Classen is actively engaged in research to develop culturally responsive services for military families and their young children.

Jill Clay, M.A., was a doctoral student in special education at Indiana University prior to her untimely death in December 2014. She was an experienced special education teacher and taught for 12 years at Fairview Elementary School in Bloomington, Indiana. She was interested in children's early literacy and effective preparation of teachers who could address the needs of children who struggle in learning to read.

Debra Drang, Ph.D., is an administrator at a private special education school in Rockville, Maryland. She has over 15 years of experience in special education and has served in a variety of capacities, including teacher, mentor, trainer/coach, and researcher. Dr. Drang has a strong record of applying current, research-based best practices to everyday classroom life. Her areas of interest include inclusion, universal curriculum design, tiered instruction/intervention, classroom management, and progress monitoring.

Amber Friesen, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor in the Early Childhood Special Education program of the Department of Special Education and Communicative Disorders at San Francisco State University. Her research focuses on supporting young children at risk for or diagnosed with disabilities and their families. Dr. Friesen teaches graduate courses in early development, family partnerships, and preschool interventions. Before becoming a faculty member, Dr. Friesen worked as both a teacher and paraprofessional.

Jean Kang, Ph.D., completed her doctoral degree in early childhood unified education at the University of Kansas and has served as a visiting faculty member at the same department. She is currently Assistant Professor in the Birth to Kindergarten Program in the Department of Specialized Education Services at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Her area of interest is promoting school readiness of young children and increasing family involvement in their child's education.

Alina Mihai, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor of Special Education in the School of Education at Indiana University Kokomo. A former teacher of young children with and without disabilities, Dr. Mihai focuses her research and teaching on effective strategies for children with developmental delays and disabilities, particularly teaching practices that promote early literacy development. Her research interests also include investigating how early childhood teachers can be supported in their efforts to effectively enact evidence-based practices in a developmentally appropriate manner and the translation of research findings into best practice in the field of early childhood special education.

Potheini Vaiouli, Ph.D., is Limited Term Lecturer in the College of Education at Purdue University. Dr. Vaiouli holds a doctorate in special education from Indiana University and a master's degree in music therapy from New York University. She has extensive experience working in special education classrooms in a variety of roles (teaching, supervising, and incorporating music-based learning to support students' growth). Her research interests involve working with young children with special needs and their families to promote engagement and learning through music and music therapy interventions.

Dr. Horn is Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education at the University of Kansas. Dr. Horn focuses on the development of effective instructional approaches for infants and young children with developmental delays and disabilities. Her research examines how these effective strategies can be implemented within the context of ongoing routines and activities in inclusive environments. Dr. Horn is the editor of the journal Young Exceptional Children.

Dr. Susan Palmer is a research professor at the University of Kansas, in the Beach Center on Disability and the Kansas University Center on Developmental Disabilities at the Life Span Institute at KU, and a courtesy professor in the Department of Special Education. Her work involves grant-related school-based research, but she also supports graduate student research within these and dissertations. Dr. Palmer has contributed to writing over 70 published articles, presented information nationwide, and co-authored book chapters and several volumes related to self-determination and inclusion of students with disabilities in the general education curriculum.

Dr. Gretchen Butera is a professor of special education in the School of Education, Indiana University Bloomington. Dr. Butera's research focus includes effective practices for early intervention and preschool children with disabilities and their families and effective teacher education in special education. She was the principal investigator for SPEDFIST, a federally funded personnel preparation grant that focuses on the preparation of highly-qualified special educators at the graduate level.

Joan Lieber, Ph.D., is Professor of Special Education in the College of Education at the University of Maryland. Her research interests include inclusion and teachers' beliefs and practices. She has 8 years of public school teaching experience. Dr. Lieber co-directs an early childhood special education model demonstration project that includes young children with disabilities in community-based programs.

Samuel L. Odom, Ph.D., is the former Director of the Frank Porter Graham (FPG) Child Development Institute where he remains as a Senior Research Scientist. Prior to his work at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Dr. Odom served in faculty positions at Indiana University and Peabody College/Vanderbilt University. Dr. Odom received a master's degree in special education in 1976 and an educational specialist degree in educational psychology from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville in 1979. He earned his doctorate in 1982 in education and human development from the University of Washington.

Throughout his career, Dr. Odom has held positions as a preschool teacher, student teaching supervisor, program coordinator, teacher educator, and researcher. Dr. Odom's research interests include interventions and teaching approaches that promote social competence of young children, effective intervention approaches for children with autism, and early childhood curricula that promote children's school success. He is the author or co-author of over 175 journal articles and book chapters and has edited 10 books on early childhood intervention and developmental disabilities. His current research is addressing treatment efficacy for children and youth with ASD in elementary and high school grades. Also, he is the Co-Director of the National Clearinghouse on Autism Evidence and Practice at FPG. Dr. Odom is an associate editor for Exceptional Children and is on the editorial board of Journal of Early Intervention, Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disabilities, and Early Childhood Research Quarterly. He received the Special Education Outstanding Research Award from the American Educational Research Association Special Education Special Interest Group in 1999, the Merle Karnes Contribution to the Field Award from the Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) in 2001, and the Outstanding Special Education Research Award from CEC in 2007. In 2013, he received the Arnold Lucius Gesell Prize awarded for career achievement in research on social inclusion and child development from the Theordor Hellbrugge Foundation in Munich, Germany. In 2016, he received an honorary doctoral degree from Stockholm University. He is currently a visiting professor at Stockholm University and San Diego State University.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Six Steps to Inclusive Preschool Curriculum: A UDL-Based Framework for Children's School Success

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Amazon.com: Six Steps to Inclusive Preschool Curriculum: A UDL-Based Framework for Children's School Success: 9781598577549: Horn Ph.D., Eva M., Palmer Ph.D., Susan B., Butera Ph.D., Gretchen D., Lieber Ph.D., Joan A., Diamond Ph.D., Karen, Hanson Ph.D., Marci, Odom Ph.D., Samuel L., Classen Ph.D., Audra I., Clay, Jill, Drang Ph.D., Debra, Friesen Ph.D., Amber M., Kang Ph.D., Jean, Mihai Ph.D., Alina, Vaiouli Ph.D., Potheini: Books

# data[].attributes.headline
UDL to Enhance Engagement for Early Learners

# data[].attributes.subject
UDL to Enhance Engagement for Early Learners

# data[].attributes.headline
Applying UDL in Early Learning Classrooms

# data[].attributes.subject
Applying UDL in Early Learning Classrooms

# data[].attributes.headline
Designing Environments for Early Learners

# data[].attributes.subject
Designing Environments for Early Learners

# data[].attributes.headline
IDOE Special Populations Quick Start Guide

# data[].attributes.subject
IDOE Special Populations Quick Start Guide

# data[].attributes.headline
Student Support IDOE Technical Assistance Request Form

# data[].attributes.subject
Student Support IDOE Technical Assistance Request Form

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Please click the link to complete this form.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

Check out the Universally Designed or Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a concept or philosophy for designing and delivering products and services that are usable by people with the widest possible range of functional capabilities, which include products and services that are: (1) directly accessible, without requiring assist; and (2) interoperable with assistive technologies. UDL Info Sheet for more insight into the what and why of UDL.

Virtual UDL Classroom

UDL Lesson Plan Creator

Create a universally designed lesson plan from scratch with the UDL Lesson Plan Creator. It is designed to walk you through each step of the way. Two versions are available: one in which the form is broken down into multiple page sections and a second in which has been created as a one page form.

Take a quick look at the lesson plan creator in the video below. Multiple Page Form (opens new window)

One Page Form (opens new window)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A state-wide technical assistance network that connects Indiana's local education agencies (LEAs) to Accessible Materials, Assistive Technology, Professional Development & Technical Support through the Indiana Departments of Education and Administration.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework developed by CAST which gives all students equal opportunities to succeed. This collection contains resources to learn more about UDL and discover strategies to implement it in your classroom.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
PD Playbook - Universal Design for Learning (June 2022)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework developed by CAST which gives all students equal opportunities to succeed. This collection contains resources to learn more about UDL and discover strategies to implement it in your classroom.

# data[].attributes.headline
How UDL Supports Equity and Promotes Autonomy in the Classroom

# data[].attributes.subject
How UDL Supports Equity and Promotes Autonomy in the Classroom

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Listen to the interview with Katie Novak and Mirko Chardin:
Sponsored by Hapara and Kiddom

This post contains Amazon Affiliate links. When you make a purchase through these links,
Cult of Pedagogy gets a small percentage of the sale at no extra cost to you.

As a teacher, I loved the annual PTO teacher appreciation breakfast: tablecloths featuring pencils, hearts, and shiny red apples, bouquets of pink mini carnations, and a coffee and tea cart fit for a barista. And the buffet! Like mead halls of yore, long banquet tables were lined with fruit salad, homemade quiches, scrambled eggs, miso soup, and gallo pinto. Bagels, croissants, chapattis, and churros sat atop a bread table. Little folded cards identified casseroles that were gluten-free or vegan. Options for everyone! I wanted to sample every single one.

A school down the street didn't have it so good. Their breakfast served a single option-a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich on a biscuit. No substitutions.

Now, I personally love a good ol' brekkie sammy, but it certainly won't meet everyone's needs. Some staff members may be vegetarian, lactose-intolerant, or gluten-free. Some may be watching their waistlines. And some will just think that the sandwich is G.R.O.S.S. We all can predict the outcome. Many will leave hungry, frustrated, and needless to say- un appreciated.

The bacon/egg/cheese saga represents the one-size-fits-all scenarios we often see in our classrooms: Every student is expected to read the same book at the same pace, listen to the same lectures, and complete the same math problems using the same materials. These inflexible solutions expect compliance and favor students who don't face significant barriers to traditional learning. Many of the "tried and true" techniques and curriculum in classrooms perpetuate privilege rather than focusing on learning, autonomy, and empowerment.

When we design the same learning pathways for all learners, we might tell ourselves we are being fair, but in fact, single pathways are exclusionary. Beverly Daniel Tatum, author of the critically acclaimed book, Why Are All The Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? And Other Conversations About Race, challenges us to focus on impact over intentions. It may not be our intent to exclude our learners, but the reality is that many students do not have opportunities to learn at high levels or to access curriculum and instruction that is accessible, engaging, culturally sustaining, and linguistically appropriate.

Luckily, there is a framework that rejects these one-size-fits-all solutions and empowers educators to proactively design learning experiences so all students can increase their brainpower and accelerate and own their learning. The framework is Universal Design for Learning (UDL).

UDL is a framework for designing learning experiences so students have options for how they learn, what materials they use, and how they demonstrate their learning. When implemented with a lens of equity, the framework has the potential to eliminate opportunity gaps that exclude many learners, especially those who have been historically marginalized. If we want all students to have equal opportunities to learn, we have to be incredibly purposeful, proactive, and flexible. UDL creates a learning environment that is the least restrictive and most culturally responsive, trauma-informed environment for all students.

CORE BELIEFS OF UDL

This work begins with asset-based beliefs about students and the power of design to eliminate barriers. A UDL Practitioner believes:

Variability is the rule, not the exception. Students may need to learn in different ways, using different materials, and share what they have learned in different ways to reach the same goals.

All students can work toward the same firm goals and grade-level standards when provided with adequate challenge and support.

All students will become expert learners if barriers are removed and they are given opportunities to self-differentiate.

Belief 1: Variability

Variability is the unique mix of skills, interests, needs, and preferences each and every learner brings to the classroom. Variability goes beyond differences between students and explores differences within students, based on context. Because of variability, what students need is ever-changing and evolving. So providing options for students to reflect on the barriers they are facing and choose pathways that best meet their needs is critical to build self-awareness and expert learning.

In traditional instruction, many educators attempt to define how students learn with one-dimensional labels. For example, many educators will ask me, "What does UDL look like for English language learners/black and brown students/students with disabilities?" My answer is always the same, "The students in those groups are not the same and they don't need one-size-fits-all solutions."

Let's connect back to the breakfast buffet. Imagine you are labeled as a member of the "vegan group." As a result, every day you and the other vegans have plates set aside for you with sliced tomatoes and plain oatmeal. Here's the thing-not all vegans like or eat the same thing. You will want choices too and you will likely make different decisions depending on the day, your mood, and how your tummy feels. Intrapersonal variability matters just as much as interpersonal variability. And if none of the foods work for you, you will definitely need an opportunity to share what you need.

Belief 2: Firm Goals, Flexible Means

Every student can learn at high levels. When creating a universally designed learning experience, educators should ask themselves: "At the end of this lesson, unit, or professional development series, what do my learners have to know or what do they need to be able to do?" Once you identify the firm goal, ask yourself, "Based on the variability in my class, what barriers may prevent learners from working toward that goal and how can I eliminate those barriers through design?"

For example, if the firm goal is "Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence," you may predict that some students will struggle with organization. Worry not! You can create a buffet with flexible means to support learners. If you proactively provide a graphic organizer, an annotated exemplar with notes about organization, a resource that includes words, phrases, and clauses to help clarify the relationships among claim(s) and reasons, and the opportunity to sign up for small group instruction on organization, you can empower students to choose what they need to organize their writing.

Belief 3: Expert Learning

In his book, Learning to Choose, Choosing to Learn, author Mike Anderson discusses the concept of incorporating student choice into every lesson. Many educators are afraid of handing over the reins to their students, believing they won't make the best choices. The truth is they are right to be afraid; students may make poor choices about their learning, particularly when they are first given this power.

For example, a student may choose to work in a group with his friends in which he becomes distracted instead of working alongside the teacher, where he would have been more successful. But the evaluation of that choice is where the real teaching moment comes into play. Through Anderson's "choose, do, review" method, teachers transition their roles to the facilitator and can provide feedback that guides students to understand and self-evaluate their choices, determine what works for them and what doesn't, and give them opportunities to make better choices in the future and provide feedback about learning design.

If students don't have these opportunities to "choose, do, review" their way to expert learning, they will become what Zaretta Hammond has coined as "dependent learners." Dependent learners are overly reliant on the teacher to carry the load of cognitive tasks and are unsure of how to tackle new tasks because they aren't given opportunities to learn how to be expert learners.

UDL IN ACTION

Imagine this scene in a 6th-grade health classroom: Students are sitting quietly at their desks. The learning target written on the board notes that students will identify ways to reduce their risk of spreading or contracting communicable disease. The agenda outlines classroom activities: (1) watch a CDC video and (2) write an essay on how to reduce the risk of spreading and contracting COVID-19. The lesson is aligned to grade-level standards and features a high quality resource, so what is the problem? The learning experience will not meet the needs of all students because it is one-size-fits-all, so let's give it the UDL treatment. For a lesson to truly be "universally designed," it must meet the following criteria:

Provide Multiple Means of Engagement

Learners differ in the ways they can be engaged or motivated to learn. Because there is not one means of engagement that will be optimal for all learners; providing options to build interest and commitment is essential. At the beginning of the class, the teacher projects a list of communicable diseases including the common cold, strep throat, COVID-19, and Influenza A (the flu). Each disease is paired with a visual. Some learners take out their phones to look at their throats and ask their friends, "Does my throat look like that?" The teacher asks if anyone wants to add a communicable, or spreadable, disease to the list. One student offers, "mono," so she writes it down.

For the next 10 minutes, students have the option to work independently, with a partner, or in a small group with the teacher to list as many symptoms as they can for at least one of the diseases. Students have the option to write words or draw images to represent symptoms on a provided graphic organizer. As they work, they are encouraged to use their devices for research and to find a place conducive to their learning. Two students work at a standing desk while others grab clip boards and gather on the floor with their devices.

Provide Multiple Means of Representation

The second principle of UDL reminds educators to provide multiple means of representation to build knowledge and comprehension in all learners. Not all learners comprehend information in the same way, have the same background information or funds of knowledge, or have access to the same language. When teachers present information, they often use a single representation. This is often done in a lecture, by playing a video, assigning text, or teaching vocabulary, etc. Because there is significant variability in students, they differ in the information they need to learn.

In the health lesson, after students complete the activator, there is a mini-lesson unpacking target vocabulary: risk, communicable disease, and community spread. One student's father is a nurse, so the teacher arranges for a short Zoom call where Dad talks about the importance of washing hands and wearing masks. The closed caption feature is used and students are encouraged to ask questions.

After a short discussion, the teacher provides options for students to learn more about how to prevent the spread of communicable disease: watch the CDC video in English or Spanish, read an article on Newsela, review pamphlets from the nurse's office, or explore a combination of these resources. They are provided with essential questions to support their learning. As students work, the teacher checks in with each of them, asks questions, and provides feedback.

Provide Multiple Means of Action and Expression

It is devastating when students aren't able to express their understanding because of inflexible assessments. Traditionally, students have been asked to share their understanding using only a single pathway, like a multiple-choice test, essay prompt, and/or project without any flexible scaffolds or supports. When teachers provide students with multiple options that are authentic and personalized, learners are able to practice executive functioning skills as they analyze the task and choose the best option to demonstrate that they met the intended outcome.

After learning about how to reduce their risk of spreading or contracting communicable disease, students are provided with numerous options to share what they have learned. They can write a response, record a video or podcast, create a pamphlet or infographic, or suggest an alternative. The teacher provides a word bank with the target vocabulary, a single-point rubric, and a checklist so students can self-assess their work before submitting it. One student asks if he can write and produce a rap as long as it meets the rubric. "Absolutely," the teacher replies. "I can't wait to hear it."

ARE UDL AND DIFFERENTIATION THE SAME?

You may be reading this and thinking, "This sounds a lot like differentiated instruction." The frameworks are similar, and complementary, but they are not the same.

Carol Tomlinson leads the field of differentiated instruction, As Tomlinson shares in her book The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of All Learners, teachers in a differentiated classroom begin with their current curriculum and engaging instruction and then adapt the content, process, product, and environment to ensure that students receive the targeted intervention, support, and enrichment they need. This responsiveness is incredibly important, but may not set students up to reflect on their learning and make choices for themselves.

In the breakfast buffet analogy, you don't want to be a part of the "vegan group" where decisions are made for you. Even with the buffet, hosts need to be responsive and reflective, noting when some people aren't eating and figuring out how the buffet could be designed differently the next time. When differentiation is combined with the practices and principles of UDL, students have opportunities to reflect, make choices, and build ownership of their learning; they also benefit from more explicit support when necessary.

Unlike differentiation alone, UDL empowers students to self-differentiate their learning and build autonomy and independence; this sends a powerful message. In her book Antiracism and Universal Design for Learning, Andratesha Fritzgerald notes that this kind of design honors our students, that when we provide them with choice and voice, we communicate these things:

You are more important than the systems we serve.

You are more important than my personal preferences.

You are more important than the way the content is packaged.

I am willing to learn about you to help you reach your life goals.

You are important and I will honor you with instruction that holds you accountable and empowers you to take ownership of your own learning.

Proactively designing curriculum and instruction through the lens of UDL, and supplementing that design with differentiated instruction, is a pathway to equity-one that will have an incredible impact on learners.

As Mirko Chardin and I shared in Equity by Design: Delivering on the Power and Promise of UDL, "Educators hold incredible power: power to design learning experiences, power to set expectations for students, power to elevate and celebrate student voices, power to inspire and motivate students, the power to create consequences, and the power to allow for choice and personalization. We have to understand that all of us carry that power and privilege and we must use it as a tool to confront and dismantle inequities so all students have equal opportunities to learn."

Universal design is one path toward dismantling those inequities. Start your UDL journey now.

Learn More

As a next step, here is a buffet of high-quality resources to learn more about UDL and educational equity. Just like the Teacher Appreciation Breakfasts that I loved so much, check out your options, and choose what's best for you. And if you're like me and you want to try a little bit of everything, treat yourself!

Read It

Read this blog, written by Mirko Chardin and I, that shares that the time for equity (and UDL!) is now.

Read Chapter 1 in UDL Theory and Practice: Re-Envisioning Education through UDL (free with free login). The book is a universally designed text book, so you can read, have it read to you, or watch videos that explore concepts more deeply.

View a PDF copy of the UDL Flowchart, which is a tool to think about UDL lesson design. If you'd like to read a blog that introduces the flow chart, you can access it here.

View the UDL Progression Rubric to determine what UDL looks like at each phase of implementation.

Use the UDL Implementation Rubric to consider where your current practices are within UDL. There are no right or wrong answers. This is simply an opportunity to reflect on your current implementation. Choose the descriptor that best meets your practice and consider how you can continue to grow in UDL to create more equitable, personalized learning experiences for your students.

Read "Equity in Our Schools: A Pretty Little Lie" an article co-written with Andratesha Fritzgerald, the author of Antiracism and Universal Design for Learning.

Listen to It

Listen to this podcast on Cult of Pedagogy, Ten Ways Educators Can Take Action in Pursuit of Equity, featuring Pedro Noguera, Distinguished Professor of Education at the Graduate School of Education and Information Studies at UCLA.

Listen to this podcast from Paula Martin Johnson, where she shares concrete strategies for how educators can create a climate and curriculum that reflects students' racial and economic backgrounds, languages, religions, funds of knowledge and family structures.

Watch It

Come back for more.
Join our mailing list and get weekly tips, tools, and inspiration that will make your teaching more effective and fun. You'll get access to our members-only library of free downloads, including 20 Ways to Cut Your Grading Time in Half, the e-booklet that has helped thousands of teachers save time on grading. Over 50,000 teachers have already joined-come on in.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This framework rejects one-size-fits-all teaching and offers options for how to engage, what materials to use, and how to demonstrate learning.

# data[].attributes.headline
Microsoft Immersive Reader - free with Microsoft 365 or Microsoft Online tools to make reading more accessible (change spacing, font, and line focus, add pictures and translation, read aloud, etc.)

# data[].attributes.subject
Microsoft Immersive Reader - free with Microsoft 365 or Microsoft Online tools to make reading more accessible (change spacing, font, and line focus, add pictures and translation, read aloud, etc.)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How to use the Immersive Reader - making reading more accessible

# data[].attributes.headline
cK12.org - free online textbooks, flexbooks, practice, videos, and simulations...all with accessibility features, great visuals, read aloud options and translation

# data[].attributes.subject
cK12.org - free online textbooks, flexbooks, practice, videos, and simulations...all with accessibility features, great visuals, read aloud options and translation

# data[].attributes.headline
ML/ELL - Name Charts to keep WIDA Can Do statements handy (Grade 4-5)

# data[].attributes.subject
ML/ELL - Name Charts to keep WIDA Can Do statements handy (Grade 4-5)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Can Do Descriptors Student Name Charts, Grades 4-5

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
For questions regarding user accounts,
assessments, instructional resources,
professional learning and research

# data[].attributes.headline
ML/ELL - Name Charts to keep WIDA Can Do statements handy (Grade 2-3)

# data[].attributes.subject
ML/ELL - Name Charts to keep WIDA Can Do statements handy (Grade 2-3)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Can Do Descriptors Student Name Charts, Grades 2-3

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Can Do Descriptors Student Name Charts, Grades 2-3

# data[].attributes.headline
ML/ELL - Name Charts to keep WIDA Can Do statements handy (Grade 1)

# data[].attributes.subject
ML/ELL - Name Charts to keep WIDA Can Do statements handy (Grade 1)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Can Do Descriptors Student Name Charts, Grade 1

# data[].attributes.headline
ML/ELL - Name Charts to keep WIDA Can Do statements handy (Kindergarten)

# data[].attributes.subject
ML/ELL - Name Charts to keep WIDA Can Do statements handy (Kindergarten)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Can Do Descriptors Student Name Charts, Kindergarten

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Can Do Descriptors Student Name Charts, Kindergarten

# data[].attributes.headline
Visuals associated with academic and classroom vocabulary

# data[].attributes.subject
Visuals associated with academic and classroom vocabulary

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

Reenvisioning the UDL Guidelines

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

This update will focus specifically on addressing systemic barriers that result in inequitable learning opportunities and outcomes. CAST aims to develop a transparent, inclusive, and community-driven process. If you are interested in collaborating and staying updated on our progress, we invite you to complete a brief survey.

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