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think SRSD (self-regulated strategy development)

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Enjoy these free 'Science of Writing' resources that form the core of Releasing Writers. We ask that copyright be respected, that they not be used for commercial gain, but be used directly with students you teach.
These materials were created by Dr. Leslie Laud. They are registered in her name at the U.S. Copyright Office. TIDE is a derivation of TDC which Dr. Laud created in March, 2012 and was thrilled to see researchers then adapt to TIDE and study extensively. POWER comes from Dr. Carol Sue Englert, adapted to POWRE then POWeR by Dr. Laud.

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Free SRSD Resources for Teachers: Share & Implement | Think SRSD

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Access free SRSD resources created by experts. Ideal for classroom use and sharing with colleagues. Subscribe for instant access and stay updated.

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Specialized Math Intervention to Reach All Learners

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Understanding the Different Types of Scaffolds: How & When to Use Each

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Katie Novak shares the 3 types of scaffolds, how and when to use them, and strategies for teachers and educators looking to enhance student learning

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SDI for Spec Educators Session Two 1.2025

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SDI Instructional Practices Activity 2024

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Inclusion Resources - MS Math - Planning for SDI & IEP Goals

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Macro Planning using the B.A.S.E Model - Think Big Picture - Unit Planning (make a copy of an editable document here)

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From 2004 to 2010, a team of researchers and teachers at FCRR collected ideas and created Student Center Activities for use in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade classrooms. The activities are designed for students to practice, demonstrate, and extend their learning of what has already been taught, sometimes with teacher assistance and sometimes independently. Students can complete the activities in small groups, pairs, or individually.

Accompanying these Student Center Activities is a Teacher Resource Guide that offers important insights on differentiated instruction and how to use the Student Center materials.

Component

Name of the reading component: Phonological Awareness (PA), Phonics (P), Fluency (F), Vocabulary (V), or Comprehension (C). Each component is color coded: PA is purple, P is orange, F is red, V is green, C is blue.

Subcomponent

Name of the reading subcomponent, which is a subskill of the component.

Activity Name

Activity Number

The letters correspond with the reading component (PA, P, F, V, or C). The numbers are listed in ascending order within each component. The activities are sequenced from simple to more complex within each component and subcomponent.

Student Icon

The suggested number of students for the activity. One student icon indicates that students may work independently or with a small group. Two student icons indicate that the activity requires students to work in pairs. Two student icons with a plus sign indicate that the activity requires two or more students.

Objective

States the goal of the activity, which is aligned with the subcomponent.

Materials

Materials are located on the pages that follow the Activity Plan. Most materials are non-consumable to be prepared and used repeatedly (e.g., word cards can be laminated). Some materials are consumable and will need to be duplicated for each student doing the activity. Other materials, such as counters, are commonly found in most classrooms.

Activity Statement

One sentence explanation of the purpose of the activity and what students do to complete the activity.

Activity Steps

The first step describes how to setup the center. The second step begins with: The student, Students, Working in pairs, or Taking turns depending on the number of students needed to complete the activity. The second step also starts the series of steps to complete the activity. The next steps explain what the student does to complete the activity. The last step lists one of three accountability methods: Self-check, Peer evaluation, or Teacher evaluation.

Example

A visual of the activity and key materials.

Extensions and Adaptations

Suggestions that extend or provide an adaptation for additional practice on the skill addressed in the activity. Materials for the extensions and adaptations are included after the pages that align to the Activity Plan.

Users may use the FCRR Student Center Activities resources as long as modifications are not made, the resources will only be used for non-profit educational purposes, and the copyright belong jointly to the Florida Department of Education and the Florida Center for Reading Research. These resources may not be used for any commercial purposes. These resources on our site may be linked to but not reposted, reproduced, modified, or copied to other sites. For questions about the use of these resources, please contact The Florida Center for Reading Research at fcrr@fcrr.org.

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From 2004 to 2010, a team of researchers and teachers at FCRR collected ideas and created Student Center Activities for use in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade classrooms. The activities are designed for students to practice, demonstrate, and extend their learning of what has already been taught, sometimes with teacher assistance and sometimes independently.

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Systematic instruction includes the direct presentation of skills and concepts in a pre-specified sequence taught in a logical, defined order that builds on prior learning. For example:

Skills and concepts begin with simple and move to complex.

Student objectives are clear, concise, and driven by ongoing assessment results.

Students are provided with appropriate practice opportunities which directly reflect explicit instruction.

Explicit instruction includes instructional routines that consist of teacher modeling, guided practice, supported application, and independent practice. For example:

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Systematic instruction includes the direct presentation of skills and concepts in a pre-specified sequence taught in a logical, defined order that builds on prior learning. For example: Skills and concepts begin with simple and move to complex. Student objectives are clear, concise, and driven by ongoing assessment results.

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SDI for Spec Educators Session One 10.2024

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Viewing the CRA Model Differently to Increase Math Fact Understanding

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Using the CRA Framework in Elementary Math

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Math tool kits and other teaching strategies allow seamless implementation of the Concrete Representational Abstract framework.

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SLANT: A Starter Strategy for Class Participation is designed to enable students to participate in class in appropriate and productive ways. Students learn how to use appropriate posture, follow speakers, activate their thinking, and contribute information.

This product is available through Edge Enterprises, Inc.

Please note that professional development, coaching, and infrastructure support are essential components to effective implementation of SIM instructional tools and interventions. It is highly recommended that you work with a SIM professional developer. See the SIM Event list for sessions or email simpd@ku.edu to learn more.

Author(s): Edwin S. Ellis

Publication Info: Edge Enterprises, 1991
Resources: An accessible version of the documents on this site will be made available upon request. Please contact the KU CRL Professional Development Research Institute, at simpd@ku.edu to request the document be made available in an accessible format.

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SLANT: A Starter Strategy for Class Participation is designed to enable students to participate in class in appropriate and productive ways. Students learn how to use appropriate posture, follow speakers, activate their thinking, and contribute information. This product is available through Edge Enterprises, Inc.

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John may be enrolled in 7th grade science, but how is he going to succeed when he can only read at the second grade level? By using the "Teaming Techniques," educators and other adults can support students like John, both academically and socially within the general education curriculum.

For educators working with other educators, one of the first steps is to develop a collaborative relationship. Thus, using the Collaborative Problem Solving program, special education and general education teachers can communicate with one another, solve problems, make decisions, and create plans to help students like John succeed in inclusive classrooms.

Family members and educators can also team together to support students by using the Progress Program. In this approach, students carry a modified report card between home and school. At school, teachers check the card and note rules broken, rules obeyed, and academic progress. At home, parents review the card, praise improved performance, and provide home privileges based on the report card.

Finally, personal problems that may not even relate to school may affect students like John. "My brother was arrested, and he was helping me study for my tests." "My dad won't let me try out for football." "My family needs money, and I can't find a job." Problems like these can interfere with learning. Surface Counseling is a simple procedure educators and other adults can use when students approach them with such problems.

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John may be enrolled in 7th grade science, but how is he going to succeed when he can only read at the second grade level? By using the "Teaming Techniques," educators and other adults can support students like John, both academically and socially within the general education curriculum.

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Strategic Instruction Model (SIM)

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Listen to the interview with Melanie Meehan (transcript):
Sponsored by Pear Deck and Spinndle

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If we want our students to learn as much as they can, ideally they should be presented with learning tasks that are right at their level, or slightly above, so they have to reach a little bit, but they can get there. Making this happen as a teacher-what we refer to as differentiating instruction-is really challenging, because within any group of students you'll find a huge range of abilities, background knowledge, and interests. To do differentiation well, you need lots and lots of tools. A few we've offered here are playlists, self-paced learning, and Universal Design for Learning.

Today we have one more called backward chaining. It's an approach that allows a student who struggles with a task to skip some of the early steps in order to experience the later ones. The strategy was shared with us by Melanie Meehan, a Connecticut-based elementary writing and social studies coordinator who has written three books about teaching writing and contributes to the phenomenal collaborative blog Two Writing Teachers.

Melanie Meehan

Although Meehan uses backward chaining to help students with writing, it's a strategy that can be used in many, many subject areas, so even if you don't teach writing, stick around, because you will likely find some ideas here for how you can use it in your own classroom.

What is Backward Chaining?

Backward chaining is a specific kind of scaffolding that has the student begin a task closer to the end, rather than starting it from the beginning. Where the starting point is depends on the student's particular needs. "There's no telling where the gum in the straw might be for somebody getting stuck doing something," Meehan explains. So finding it will require assessment and experimentation.

For example, if you are teaching a child how to brush their teeth, and that child doesn't quite have the fine motor skills to put the toothpaste on the brush, you'd do that step for them and have them start with the brushing itself. Eventually, as they build confidence with brushing, you'd have them move backward and add on the skill of toothpaste application.

While this strategy is frequently used in situations like the above- teaching life skills to young children or students with disabilities-it can be applied to any educational task where a student needs extra scaffolding or support.

"It's another way to give kids access," Meehan says.

The reasons a student may need a strategy like backward chaining can vary. It may be that their current skill or ability level would hold them up at an early stage of the task, or it might be that executive functioning is slowing them down. "So many of the kids that you might be envisioning at this point are kids who don't always see things to completion," Meehan explains. "To give kids a sense of completing a task is kind of a big deal."

Examples of Backward Chaining

Writing: If a student struggles to come up with an idea for a narrative piece, supply them with an idea (even give them three pictures of a basic sequence of events) and have them write the story of those pictures. Later, they may be ready to try again with their own idea.

Research: If a student needs to create a presentation or write a paper based on research, and they don't yet have the skills to find resources or take notes, you could supply them with pre-selected resources and pre-written notes on the topic, then just have them write the summary of the research. In the future, they can work on the research or notes part of the process until they get to the point of being able to do the whole thing from beginning to end.

Math: For complex problems, have the first few steps done and have the student take over from there until they are ready to work backwards with fewer steps done for them.

Cooking: Many people may be familiar with meal kit services like HelloFresh or Blue Apron, which supply pre-measured ingredients for specific menus and tell you exactly how to cook them, which puts you a few steps into the process of making the meal.

Tips for Using Backward Chaining in Your Classroom

Start with a task analysis. If you know you have an assignment coming up that some students typically struggle with, think through all the steps involved from start to finish. Doing this will give you options for different entry points for students.

Include the student in the process. Meehan recommends that teachers be transparent with students about the options available and let them choose where to start. For the research example above, she'll tell them, "If you feel like you're ready to have a text set that you can research yourself and take notes on yourself, I have those. If you feel like you need the notes, I'll give you the notes so that you can get straight to writing. And if you're like, no, I want to do the whole thing myself, I want to decide on my topic and find my resources and get myself set up, you can do that. It's kind of like where in the process do you feel like you're ready to start?"

Gradually move the starting point back. Backward chaining is not a permanent solution; the idea is that the student will eventually be able to move back to where they can do the whole task from the beginning. "Scaffolds by definition should be temporary and there should be a plan to take them away," Meehan says. "So I am intentionally and purposefully doing work for kids, but with the idea that they are going to build their confidence, they are going to build their competence, they're going to build their curiosity around the whole process, and they're going to become more willing to go backward in the process to an earlier step."

LEARN MORE

You can find more from Meehan on her website, melaniemeehan.com. She goes more in-depth about the backward chaining strategy and lots of others in her 2019 book, Every Child Can Write ( Amazon | Bookshop.org).

Come back for more.
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How to Use Backward Chaining to Differentiate Instruction

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Starting a student a few steps ahead can help them experience a sense of completion that might otherwise be out of reach.

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How to Use Total Physical Response (TPR) in the Classroom - TeachHUB

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As an educator, how do you teach vocabulary and language? Do some students struggle? Learn more about how to use Total Physical Response in the classroom.

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Patricia, a 24-year veteran teacher with secondary co-teaching experience in English 9 and Earth Science, poses the following question:

"How do we, my co-teacher and I, deliver a standards-based curriculum in a manner that is accessible and effective for ALL our students including those with disabilities?"

While expectations for student performance have increased over the years, so too has our knowledge of effective instructional practices for use with students in general and special education. For students with disabilities, these instructional strategies are governed by the student's special education teacher through the student's Individualized Education Program (IEP). Riccomini, Morano, and Hughes (2017) describe Specially Designed Instruction (SDI) as instruction designed to support a student's ability to access the general education curriculum while meeting the goals and objectives as outlined in the student's IEP. The reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) 2006 and current IDEA regulations 2012 identify SDI as

adapting, as appropriate to the needs of an eligible child under this part, the content, methodology, or delivery of instruction (i) to address the unique needs of the child that result from the child's disability; and (ii) to ensure access of the child to the general curriculum, so that the child can meet the educational standards within the jurisdiction of the public agency that apply to all children. (34 C.F.R. §300.39 [b] [3])

According to IDEA, SDI will differ depending upon the needs of individual students with disabilities and may involve any one or all of the components identified in Table 1 (content, methodology, and delivery of instruction).

Table 1. Components of SDI

Content

Note that this does not imply a modification in the standard. On the other hand, it could imply the addition of curriculum such as Braille instruction for a student with visual impairments (Friend, 2018).

The order in which math multiplication facts are taught to a SWD so as to complement and build upon skills the student already has. Jake, a third grade student with a specific learning disability in math, understands the concept of 5 and is able to skip count without error by 5s up to 100. Therefore, the concept of multiples and the study of multiplication facts is introduced with the 5s instead of the 2s, 3s, or 4s.

Methodology

Modifications made to the type of instruction used. In some cases, varied and unique instructional approaches that are not generally employed with same age or grade peers (Friend, 2018).

Angela, a student with a disability who struggles with reading comprehension, receives instruction in the Strategic Instruction Model (SIM), The Fundamentals of Paraphrasing and Summarizing. Learning this strategy systematically and sequentially enables Angela to acquire the skills needed to identify a topic sentence, main idea, and supporting details.

Delivery of instruction

Delivery can refer to the location of the instruction, group size, and any other condition employed to maximize a student's learning outcomes (Friend, 2018).

One-on-one instruction via a structured, sequential, multi-sensory approach to teach decoding (e.g., Orton-Gillingham, Wilson Reading System).

The Council for Exceptional Children and the Collaboration for Effective Educator Development, Accountability, and Reform (CEEDAR) Center identify 22 fundamental, research-based teaching practices referred to as high-leverage practices, or HLPs (see Table 2), that should be evident in any K-12 classroom (McLeskey, J., Barringer, M. D., Billingsly, B., Brownell, M., Jackson, D., Kennedy, M.,... & Ziegler, D., 2017). These practices aid student learning across tiers of support and educational settings. The HLPs address four interrelated components of special education: collaboration; assessment; social, emotional, and/or behavioral practices; and instruction. For several practices, links to additional resources are provided.

Table 2. High-Leverage Practices, CEC & CEEDAR Center (2017)

Note. Reprinted with permission from Big Ideas in Special Education Specially Designed Instruction, High-Leverage Practices, Explicit Instruction, and Intensive Instruction, by Riccomini, P. J., Morano, S, and Hughes, C. A. Retrieved from TEACHING Exceptional Children, Vol. 50. No. 1, pp. 23. Copyright 2017 by The Author(s).

HLPs are a starting point for the selection, design, and implementation of SDI in light of a student's special learning needs (Riccomini et al., 2017). Explicit and intensive instruction are two HLPs under Instruction, and are hallmarks of SDI (McLeskey et al., 2017; Riccomini et al., 2017) (See Figure 1). More discussion and examples of explicit and intensive instruction are provided below.

Figure 1. Specially Designed Instruction and High-Leverage Practices

Explicit instruction is clear and outcome-driven. It is systematic and sequential, thereby reducing cognitive confusion, allowing students to focus their energy on one concept at a time. Teachers engage students by offering varied opportunities to respond, providing positive and targeted feedback, and preparing thoughtfully planned practice (McLeskey et al., 2017; Riccomini et al., 2017).

In the example below, a special education teacher working with a group of second grade students employs the principles of explicit instruction to introduce the vowel-consonant-e syllable type. Having already taught her students the concept of the short vowel closed syllable, the teacher uses colored-coded alphabet cards to teach the new syllable type. She states the rule directly, explaining that the "e" remains silent but signals a long vowel sound. The teacher employs finger spelling to demonstrate the reading of several words using an 'I do' approach as her students watch and listen. Next, she provides an opportunity for her students to practice the new concept as she works in tandem with them (we do) to read several carefully selected words. The teacher balances confirming and corrective feedback throughout the process. Finally, she encourages her students to independently practice decoding vowel-consonant-e words from a third list (you do). Once students have demonstrated mastery of reading one-syllable words comprised of vowel-consonant-e syllables, the teacher moves her students to the next level of mastery. Figure 2 below illustrates the color-coded alphabet cards used by the teacher to explicitly teach the vowel-consonant-e syllable.

Figure 2. Color-coded alphabet cards employed by the teacher.

Teachers use intensive instruction to match the severity of student need and close gaps between student performance and expected outcomes. Teachers target a small number of clearly articulated, high priority skills and concepts critical for academic success. Instruction may be intensified in a number of ways including reducing group size such that students with similar needs are grouped together. Groups may meet more often or for longer periods of time during the school day. Students then have more opportunities to learn and practice skills with immediate, corrective feedback. Instruction may also be intensified by providing more detailed explanations, modeling, and learning opportunities with visuals, manipulatives, and/or think-alouds; breaking instruction or tasks into smaller steps; and offering increased initial support that is gradually faded over time. IEP teams base decisions related to the frequency and intensity of the instruction delivered on a student's performance data. Intensive instruction is considered a Tier 3 level intervention, and is delivered by special educators (McLeskey et al., 2017). For ideas on intensifying instructional delivery during guided reading follow this link.

In the example above, the teacher would monitor students' progress via formative assessments to guide her daily instruction and to ensure that each student reaches the established instructional targets. If a student's progress stalls, the IEP team would revisit the intervention and make adjustments.

The statements in Table 3 are intended to guide special educators in identifying and planning SDI and to determine if students with disabilities are receiving appropriate instruction (Friend, 2018).

Table 3. Checklist for Identifying SDI

1. Teachers use a student's present level of performance to target instruction.

2. The instruction allows students to learn in spite of their disability.

3. Instruction is data-driven from planning to assessment.

4. Instruction is evidence- and research-based.

5. Instruction is systematic in its planning, delivery, and evaluation.

6. The instruction differs from an accommodation in that a teacher directly delivers the lesson.

7. The student needs the selected approach while other students do not.

8. The instruction supports the student in reaching the standard without modifying or reducing the standard (unless the IEP team determines standard modification is required based upon significant student need).

9. Instruction addresses a wide variety of domains including academic, behavior, social skills, communication skills, and vocational skills.

10. Generalization and maintenance are explicitly taught.

Note. Reprinted with verbal permission from Effective and sustainable co-teaching: Going beyond the basics, by Friend, M. Retrieved from handout. 2018, May.

Educators like Patricia and her co-teacher, should consider the 22 HLPs as outlined by McLeskey et at. (2017) when designing SDI for individual students. The IEP team determines if intensive intervention is necessary, and if so, identifies appropriate interventions and accommodations through consideration of a student's strengths, specific learning needs, and the extent of academic gaps. The team then specifies the frequency and intensity of the instruction to be delivered and decides what evidence will be used to demonstrate proficiency. The process of planning and delivering SDI to address the unique needs of students with disabilities enables IEP teams to close academic gaps and move students forward.
References
Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975, Pub. L. 94-143, 89 Stat. 773, codified at 20 U.S.C. § 1400

Friend, M. (2018, May). Effective and sustainable co-teaching: Going beyond the basics. Paper presented at the Virginia Department of Education's Training and Technical Assistance Center (T/TAC) at Old Dominion University's Conference for Co-teaching teams. Portsmouth, VA.

Individuals With Disabilities Education Act, 20 U.S.C. §§ 1400 et seq. (2006 & Supp. V. 2011)

Individuals With Disabilities Education Act regulations, 34 C.F.R. § 300 (2012)

McLeskey, J., Barringer, M. D., Billingsly, B., Brownell, M., Jackson, D., Kennedy, M.,... & Ziegler, D. (2017). High-leverage practices in special education. Arlington, VA: Council for Exceptional Children & CEEDAR Center.

Riccomini, P. J., Morano, S., & Hughes, C. A. (2017). TEACHING Exceptional Children, 50(1), 20-27.

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High Leverage Practices and Specially Designed Instruction: Powerful Means to Address Students' Learning Needs and Ensure Positive Academic Outcomes

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Patricia, a 24-year veteran teacher with secondary co-teaching experience in English 9 and Earth Science, poses the following question: "How do we, my co-teacher and I, deliver a standards-based curriculum in a manner that is accessible and effective for ALL our students including those with disabilities?"

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Here you will find all the resources you need to improve executive function and academic skills. Find tools to improve organization, time management, study skills, writing and more! Technology tips and tricks to improve executive function skills as well as games and activities.

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This module examines the importance of effective study skills strategies and includes information on why some students struggle with those skills and why it's critical for teachers to explicitly teach such strategies (est. completion time: 1 hour). When you have completed the module, be sure to visit part two:

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Study Skills Strategies (Part 1): Foundations for Effectively Teaching Study Skills

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This module examines the importance of effective study skills strategies and includes information on why some students struggle with those skills and why it's critical for teachers to explicitly teach such strategies (est. completion time: 1 hour). When you have completed the module, be sure to visit part two:

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Academic Survival Skills Checklist handout

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Working Memory Strategies

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Prioritizing: A Critical Executive Function

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Lessons that teach students how to prioritize and persevere help develop executive function skills related to achieving long-term goals.

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Strategies for Planning and Prioritizing

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Encouraging students to set goals for themselves-the first phase of self-regulated learning-helps them develop a growth mindset.

"Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible." -Tony Robbins

Many students may not necessarily have the tools to set academic goals and lack strategies to enact change and work toward those goals. Teachers can provide structure to help students set academic goals that are realistic and appropriate as well as achievable. It is important to note that goal setting is not just an activity for the beginning of the school year, but an ongoing process.

It personalizes the learning process based on their needs.

It creates intention and motivation that empowers students.

It establishes accountability to shift responsibility to students.

It provides a foundation for students to advocate for their needs.

Setting academic goals is the first phase of self-regulated learning. Irrespective of the model proposed by leading researchers such as Barry Zimmerman, self-regulated learning always begins with a goal-planning phase. Goal setting is an essential component for growth and development in our students for several reasons:

Goal setting can be done at any age-as long as it is age appropriate. Teaching the skill of goal setting coupled with reflecting and revising goals can give students the self-regulated learning tools for a growth mindset toward academic development.

With students as young as kindergarten, more scaffolding is needed. At the beginning of each day, students can select an emoji or picture that represents some action from a predetermined list of possible options. If teaching virtually, students can do this at the beginning of the session. If teaching in person, students can perhaps tape their goal to their desk or table area or perhaps a chart displayed in the classroom. The class can spend a few moments discussing goals and what actions they can do to achieve those goals. Teachers can invite other students to make suggestions for their peers. At the end of the day, allow students to rate themselves with stars and to think about how they could do things differently for the next day.

Upper Elementary and Middle School

For students who are slightly older and able to write, an excellent way to develop the habit of creating, planning, and reflecting on goals can be done through the use of short-term daily goals using sticky notes. At the beginning of the day, students take a few minutes to imagine some task, behavior, or skill they want to focus their intentions on for that specific day. Let the students keep the notes somewhere visible, so they can refer back to the goal throughout the day. Include class conversations with either a partner, a small group, or the whole class at the beginning and end of the day. Focus on the achievement of the goal, but suggest growth mindset strategies to focus on the wins as well as necessary changes for further improvement.

What do you think about the choices in goals for the week? (Were they realistic and appropriate? Were they the most needed for growth at this time?)

How did you progress toward your goals? (Did you have clear, actionable steps?)

What were some of the wins for the week?

What are some ways you can continue to improve on your development of these goals?

Once students have more advanced writing skills, it may be useful for them to keep a chart or table of their goals in a logbook. Students record in the morning, not only the goals but an action plan, and then reflect on strategies for improvement at the end of the day. At the end of each week, allow students time to reflect on their goals for the next week with structured prompts such as the following:

While a logbook is functional, it can be a more motivating experience to allow students to engage in creativity and personalization. Allow them to have fun with the process and create a goal journey map. They identify a goal, which is the end of the map. They also identify different benchmarks or steps to complete along the path or journey toward that goal. Students then have a visual representation of the progress of their journey.

High School

For high school students, l use a reflection sheet after each unit or chapter to create a regular habit of revisiting goals. Ask students the following questions:

What are some areas that you can improve upon? What are some areas that need more attention or focus? What could you do differently?

What specific and concrete actions can you do?

How can you advocate for yourself? In other words, how can your teacher, your peers, or others guide you toward your goal?

What were the wins for this chapter or unit? In other words, what things did you do well or what areas did you improve?

I always begin new units with an independent work day or two. During this time, the students are working on their reading skills, while I conference with their classmates independently.

Goal setting can help with classroom management and academic performance. It allows students to become more aware of expectations and concrete methods to achieve an outcome. It scaffolds the process, making it more manageable. With goal setting that is reflective and iterative, students establish a growth mindset as they engage in monitoring of their progress and reflecting on it as outlined by Zimmerman and Dale Schunk.

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Encouraging students to set goals for themselves-the first phase of self-regulated learning-helps them develop a growth mindset.

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Developing Executive Function With Priority Lists

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Check out this fantastic example of engaging students through Total Physical Response! Michael Crisantos, a first-grade special education teacher in Round Lake Area School District, created an…

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Round Lake School District co-teachers Kyle Monestero and Terry Beake decided to boost the math language component of note-taking. For this lesson on substitution, they asked their middle school…

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DBI & Specially Designed Instruction | IEP Design| Progress Center

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This webinar shares how educators can use data-based individualization to design & deliver specially designed instruction for students with disabilities

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Introduction and definition of each HLP

Brief review of the research

Several brief videos of general education and special education teachers implementing the practice

What the videos are:

A resource to augment training/professional learning

A demonstration of HLP practice across degrees of intensity

A portrayal of teachers' implementation of an HLP

A demonstration of practices that can be used with all students, not only those with disabilities

What the videos are not:

A complete resource for training/professional learning

A demonstration of each tier across various settings

A depiction of all features of quality instruction/student engagement

Promoting the use of practices that would replace the need for intense, data-driven decisions and interventions provided by special educators or other specialists

This content was produced under U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, Award No. H325A170003 & S283B120021-12A . David Guardino serves as the project officer. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the positions or policies of the U.S. Department of Education. No official endorsement by the U.S. Department of Education of any project, commodity, service, or enterprise mentioned in this website is intended or should be inferred.

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This video introduces and defines high-leverage practice (HLP) 16 and demonstrates four key components of this HLP through video exemplars from in-service practitioners. The four key components highlighted in this video are the importance of using a logical sequence with lessons, providing clear models and explanations of content, providing multiple opportunities to respond and give appropriate feedback, and providing a range of examples and nonexamples to highlight the content being taught.

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How To Cultivate Executive Functioning Skills For Students

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Navigating Evidence-Based Practice Resource Websites Online Module | NCII

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How do you know if an intervention, program, or practice is likely to be effective with a particular subgroup of students? What resources are there to help school, district, and State leaders identify and select evidence-based practices (EBPs)? EBPs play an increasingly prominent role in Federal education policy. In both State Systemic Improvement Plans (SSIPs) and provisions in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), States are being asked to implement practices and programs that have evidence of effectiveness.

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As an initiative of the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences (IES), the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) was created in 2002 to be a central and trusted source of scientific evidence for what works in education.

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Evidence-based practices refer to practices “that are supported by multiple, high-quality studies that utilize research designs from which causality can be inferred and that demonstrate meaningful effects on student outcomes (Cook & Cook, 2011). These practices have been researched through both exp…

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Evidence-Based Practices Resources

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High-Leverage Practices in Special Education

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What are high-leverage practices (HLP)? The Council for Exceptional Children and the CEEDAR Center published a book in 2017 that is all about high-leverage practices. They describe HLP as ““a set of practices that are fundamental to support K–12 student learning, and that can be taught, learned, and implemented by those entering the profession” (Windschitl,…

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Teams are a vital part of an effective multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) across both academics and behavior as well as special education. Making connections across the various teams used in MTSS and special education can be challenging. This resource from NCII and the PBIS Center, provides information about how DBI can support IEP implementation and provides a table with key considerations for teams working across the MTSS system.

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How Can We Ensure IEP Teams Provide the Most Intensive Supports?

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Teams are a vital part of an effective multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) across both academics and behavior as well as special education. Making connections across the various teams used in MTSS and special education can be challenging.

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These research summaries covering instructional strategies and interventions offer information that includes level of effectiveness as well as the age groups for which a given strategy or intervention is designed. Links to the original reports are also provided for those who might wish to explore further.

The IRIS Center Peabody College Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN 37203 [email protected]. The IRIS Center is funded through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) Grant #H325E220001. The contents of this Website do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. Project Officer, Sarah Allen.

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

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These research summaries covering instructional strategies and interventions offer information that includes level of effectiveness as well as the age groups for which a given strategy or intervention is designed. Links to the original reports are also provided for those who might wish to explore further.

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HLPs Resource and Example Padlet

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SDI (Specially Designed Instruction) Resources for Co-Teachers

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SDI (Specially Designed Instruction) Resources for Co-Teachers - A few resources for identifying SDI and incorporating SDI into the co-taught classroom. (From Marilyn Friend’s presentation materials, Virginia’s Co-Teaching Summer Institute, July 2017.)

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Copy of Table of Potential Writing Interventions

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Copy of Table of Potential Math Interventions