Intervention is when teachers and parents or caregivers work together to create a plan to help a student who’s having trouble with schoolwork. The goal is to figure out exactly what the student is struggling with and give them the support they need to do better in school. It’s a way to catch problems early and make sure the student doesn’t fall behind. 

Peer Tutoring: A student who needs extra help is paired with a classmate who’s really good at that subject, so they can learn from each other and get one-on-one support.

Additional Practice: The teacher gives extra worksheets or activities to help the student get more practice with something they’re struggling to learn (Myer et al., 2014).

https://parentsasteachers.org/

PBIS is a helpful approach used in schools to support good behavior and reduce problem behaviors in the classroom. IT gives teachers practical tools and strategies to create a positive learning environment and handle it in a fair and consistent way.

https://www.pbis.org

Differentiation means adjusting the way we teach to fit the different needs, learning styles, and skill levels of students. This could mean changing what we teach, how we teach it, the materials we use, or how we check for understanding. By doing this, teachers give all students a fair chance to learn and do their best, no matter where they’re starting from or how they learn best.

Using tiered activities helps teachers meet the different needs of students by offering tasks at different levels of difficulty. All students work towards the same learning goal, but the activities are adjusted to give the right amount of support or challenge based on what each student needs. This way, everyone gets a fair chance to learn in a way that works best for them.

https://exceptionalchildren.org/

This means changing the way we teach to match student’s different needs, interests, and abilities. It might involve changing what we teach, how we teach it, or what we expect students to do, depending on how each student learns best.

Resources:

Cast (Universal Design for Learning): Differentiated Instruction 

CAST’s Universal Design for Learning (UDL) helps make teaching more flexible so that all students can learn in ways that work best for them. It gives teachers tools to create lessons that can be adjusted for different learners.  

Accommodations are changes to how a student learns, not what they learn. These adjustments help students take part in class and show what they know without changing their learning goals or expectations. For example, a student might get extra time on a test, have the test read out loud, or sit in a spot in the classroom that helps them focus better. These supports help students succeed while still meeting the same standards as their classmates. 

Modifications change what a student is expected to learn or how they’re graded. This means the learning goals are adjusted to better fit the student’s needs. For example, a student might be given fewer questions to answer, graded on a different scale, or watch a video instead of reading a book. These changes help the student learn at a level that works for them, even if it’s from the rest of the class. 

Website: AEM

AEM provides helpful tools, materials and technology to make sure all students, including those with disabilities, can access and use learning content equally. They offer resources to help schools create materials that work for everyone. 

Using tools like speech-to-text apps, audiobooks, or word processors can help students with disabilities complete their schoolwork, read, write, and communicate more easily. Research shows that these kinds of assistive technology can really improve learning by helping students be more independent and giving them better access to what they need.

Resources:

CAST (Center for Applied Special Technology): Assistive Technology and UDL

Cast shares ideas on how to use assistive technology within the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) approach. This helps make sure the tools are easy to use and work well for different students.

Good adaptations help all students, no matter their ability level, succeed in the same classroom and are an important part of differentiated instruction. When planning these changes, it’s important to think about what you’re teaching and how well students are expected to learn it. (Mastropieri & Scruggs, 2002)

1. Website: https://www.wrightslaw.com/

2. Wrightslaw provides both legal and practical advice on modifying education to address the needs of students, especially regarding Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and 504 Plans, to guarantee that educational rights are upheld.

This law is a great resource for learning more about how to teach students with disabilities. It explains different teaching strategies and best practices to help meet each student’s unique learning needs. By using what IDEA shares, teachers can improve how they support all students and create a classroom where everyone has a chance to grow and succeed. 

Resources:

The IRIS Center has a helpful module that explains how to use peer-assisted learning in the classroom. It’s a great tool that can be part of Specially Designed Instruction (SDI) 

(2002). Effective instruction for special education (3rd ed.). Merrill.

Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004, Pub. L. No. 108-446, 20 U.S.C. §1400 et seq. (2004).

Meyer, A., Rose, D. H., & Gordon, D. (2014). Universal design for learning: Theory and practice. CAST Professional Publishing.