SPD208 Special Education: Important Terms by Grace Luedke

What is Intervention?

glluedke — 2025-05-21 13:37:31 UTC

A specific, planned strategy used to address a student's academic or behavioral needs, providing additional support or instruction to help them progress

Who does intervention apply to?

glluedke — 2025-05-21 13:44:45 UTC

Students with specific needs that can be targeted by one-on-one or by small group. Students that struggle in specific areas like math or reading can attend intervention to receive a more focused instruction.

What does Intervention look like?

glluedke — 2025-05-21 13:52:59 UTC

Intervention can be done in many different ways. Students have varying needs so it doesn't always look the same. Some examples of interventions are: Small groups to target students with learning needs in specific areas, having a brief exercise at the start of class to help engage focus, or something as small as offering them options on how they go about doing work.

Helpful Resource: Wellpoint Care Network

glluedke — 2025-05-21 13:54:55 UTC

This article offers 101 effective classroom interventions for classroom management. There are a lot of options for intervention, and this read is highly informative.

What is differentiation?

glluedke — 2025-05-28 13:26:49 UTC

A tailored curriculum or instruction, designed to meet the specific needs of individual students, focusing on making changes to HOW they learn to target needs.

Who does differentiation apply to?

glluedke — 2025-05-28 13:36:45 UTC

Students from all over the learning spectrum can benefit from differentiation, from gifted and talented students, to English language learners, to students with learning disabilities. Students that require a slightly different method to learning are supported here.

What does differentiation look like?

glluedke — 2025-05-28 13:42:31 UTC

Differentiation in the classroom should be structured to support a varying amount of students on a varying spectrum. Some examples of differentiation strategies are: allowing students to chose how they receive their assignments, paper, computer, activity, etc., incorporating flexible seating when appropriate, and having content structured to individual students to support their abilities and ensure they are grasping all they can.

Helpful Resource: Renaissance

glluedke — 2025-05-28 13:45:48 UTC

In this brief article, some key points about differentiation are discussed, like what it is and how it can be used. A list of strategies, and what their role is offer helpful insight.

What are Accommodations?

glluedke — 2025-05-28 13:47:55 UTC

A change usually made in the learning environment to assist the student in general education participation, to ensure they have the necessary tools for success. The goal for accommodations are to assist children in closing gaps without changing the content they are learning.

Who do accommodations apply to?

glluedke — 2025-05-28 13:50:49 UTC

Accommodations could apply to just about any student with a disability. Whether is be physical, intellectual, or learning, students can benefit greatly from accommodations.

What do accommodations look like?

glluedke — 2025-05-28 13:58:10 UTC

Accommodations are used daily by most educators, some in a students IEP, others, just helpful changes for certain students who responded better to something different. Some examples of accommodations are: Having a reader with a student to read aloud questions and answers for testing days, placing students in a small group or one-on-one in the classroom to target more specific areas, or allowing a student time to take a break and regain focus.

Helpful resource: Education Advanced

glluedke — 2025-05-28 13:59:38 UTC

A great overview of what accommodations are and who they apply to are included in this article as wells as some great examples for accommodations.

What are Adaptations?

glluedke — 2025-05-28 14:04:08 UTC

Any change in instruction to allow all students equal access to the same curriculum. They can include accommodations and modifications to provide a supportive learning environment.

Who do adaptations apply to?

glluedke — 2025-05-28 14:08:35 UTC

Adaptations apply more directly to the educators providing the space for students to learn in. It is up to the teacher to ensure students are receiving their modifications or accommodations, and giving them a supportive and equal space to learn.

What do adaptations look like?

glluedke — 2025-05-28 14:11:24 UTC

Knowing that adaptations can also be accommodations or modifications, here are some examples of adaptations teachers can make to provide for their students: Having a schedule to go over with the students weekly including group time and independent time, providing headphones so students that need to use text-to-speech have them ready, or simply teaching students what group work is and how to work together.

Helpful resource: IRIS

glluedke — 2025-05-29 15:43:57 UTC

A helpful tool that explains a teachers role in classroom adaptations, and a detailed list of strategies that can be used in the classroom.

What are Modifications?

glluedke — 2025-05-29 16:31:57 UTC

A change made to the students learning environment or curriculum to support their individual needs in the general education classroom. The goal for modifications are to assist children in closing gaps by altering the curriculum, or personal goals for the student.

Who do Modifications Apply to?

glluedke — 2025-05-29 16:41:58 UTC

Modifications are used with students, often as a last option after other things have been tried. Students with IEP plans and 504 plans are often the ones that are given modifications to give them a more meetable standard in the classroom.

What do Modifications look like?

glluedke — 2025-05-29 16:44:33 UTC

Modifications can be just about anything the changes what or how a student is learning. For example, some students might need to continue working on one topic while others move on to the next, having tests with a different set of questions and answers, or even being graded on a different scale to help support success.

Helpful Resource: Understood

glluedke — 2025-05-29 16:45:43 UTC

This website is easy to read, and provides helpful information about modifications. It gives an overview of some common modifications used in the classroom.

What is Specially Designed Instruction (SDI)?

glluedke — 2025-06-02 01:41:55 UTC

A form of instruction structured for students with disabilities to meet unique learning needs. The SDI specifics vary, making changes to all forms of the student's education. This information is included in the student's IEP.

Who do SDI plans apply to?

glluedke — 2025-06-02 01:44:41 UTC

Students that do not benefit from general education are typically given an SDI plan in their IEP. Students with learning disabilities that require changes in their curriculum, instruction, or environment.

What does SDI look like?

glluedke — 2025-06-02 01:50:56 UTC

A change made in the students general education program can be included in the details of the SDI on the student's IEP. Some examples are: delivering a specialized reading program for student that needs gaps filled in that area, teaching different learning strategies to students who aren't currently understanding, and providing students who are blind with braille.

Helpful Resource: United Federation of Teachers

glluedke — 2025-06-02 01:53:47 UTC

This resource includes a research focused overview of what SDI is and looks like in all sorts of cases.