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What is Specially Designed Instruction?
by BethAnne Klaver
In the September 2024 edition of the Link Lines Administrator’s Corner, Planning for Progress: Specially Designed Instruction, inclusive school leaders were encouraged to monitor Specially Designed Instruction (SDI) by using Beninghof’s (2022) Guiding Questions:
- Is it special? Something different from the typical general education practices of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) or Differentiated Instruction (DI)?
- Does it address the child’s unique needs?
- Is it related to an Individualized Education Program (IEP) goal? Are we collecting data for progress monitoring?
- Is it instruction rather than a tool or accommodation?
- Is it intentional? Designed to bring about progress?
- Is it growing a skill that will be transferable or generalizable?
- Is it building independence? (pp. 20-21)
These guiding questions can help administrators engage in conversations with special education teachers about instructional planning designed to meet the unique needs of students with disabilities. SDI should always be focused on closing specific skill gaps so that students can make progress towards grade level standards.
Teachers who can answer these questions are in a much better position to engage in the High-Leverage Practices (HLPs) for Students with Disabilities defined by the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) and the Collaboration for Effective Educators Development Accountability and Reform (CEEDAR) Center (Aceves & Kennedy, 2024). The HLPs have recently been reorganized with a focus on four critical domains (i.e., collaboration, data-driven planning, instruction in behavior and academics, intensify and intervene as needed) and six supporting pillars of practice (see Table 1).
Table 1
High-Leverage Pillars of Practice
Inclusive school leaders can use the SDI Guiding Questions (Beninghof, 2022, pp. 20-21) and the HLP Pillars of Practice (Aceves & Kennedy, 2024) to help special education teachers develop their own professional goals. Administrators should provide ongoing professional development opportunities focused on the HLP Pillars of Practice to increase the capacity of those providing special education services.
When special education teachers have a solid understanding of the elements of SDI and the HLP Pillars of Practice, administrators should observe them engaging in a cycle of data-driven planning that results in closed skills gaps and growth towards grade level expectations. This cycle represents the application of the scientific method to teaching and learning (see Figure 1).
Figure 1
Cycle of Data-Driven Planning
The cycle of data-driven planning depicted in Figure 1 can be used to drive the development of yearly IEP goals and to report progress to parents throughout the school year. The same approach can be used to engage in micro cycles every week to guide day-to-day instructional decisions. The Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA, 2024) requires that progress be reported to parents as often as students without disabilities receive reports (e.g., 4.5 weeks, 9 weeks, quarter, semester). Students with disabilities cannot wait for weeks to pass before special education teachers collect data focused on the effectiveness of SDI.
The IDEA reporting mandate is not the same as the need for daily instructional decision-making based on real time student response to instruction. Administrators need to help special education teachers make decisions about adjusting instruction without abandoning efforts too quickly. The Data-Based Individualization (DBI) process offered by the National Center on Intensive Intervention (NCII) can be used to help teachers adjust the strength, dosage, alignment, attention to transfer, comprehensiveness, behavioral or academic support, and individualization of implemented interventions (NCII, 2017).
Inclusive school leaders can help special education teachers take SDI to the next level by using Beninghof’s (2022) more detailed SDI Success Checklist containing thirty specific aspects of SDI (see Table 2). This checklist can be used as a reflective survey tool for special education teachers to help them identify their own professional learning needs and improve their practices for students with disabilities. Administrators can also assess their own grasp of all aspects of SDI to partner with teachers to improve services and outcomes for students with disabilities.
Table 2
SDI Success Checklist (Beninghof, 2022, pp. 158-159)
| 1=Strongly Disagree 2=Partly Disagree 3=Neutral/Unknown 4=Partly Agree 5=Strongly Agree | |||
| Special Education Teachers & Related Professionals… | |||
| 1. have a clear understanding of SDI. | 16. adapt methodology and delivery in ways that are clearly special. | ||
| 2. have adequate resources to provide SDI. | 17. can articulate which IEP goals are being addressed in a given lesson. | ||
| 3. have adequate time to provide SDI. | 18. use evidence-based instructional practices to the extent possible. | ||
| 4. have a capacity-driven mindset about students with disabilities. | 19. incorporate multiple learning modalities to increase effectiveness of instruction for students with disabilities. | ||
| 5. have an “our students” vs. “my students” mindset. | 20. use methods designed to boost student participation in lessons. | ||
| 6. have a structure for collaborating with other specialists. | 21. instruct students on necessary executive function strategies to increase access and success. | ||
| 7. develop relationships with parents/guardians to support SDI practices. | 22. collect and analyze formative and summative data. | ||
| 8. understand role in directing and supervising paraeducators in implementing SDI. | 23. provide students with specific and timely feedback. | ||
| 9. direct and supervise paraeducators as needed for implementation of SDI. | 24. share relevant data with team members. | ||
| 10. understand role of collaborator with any general educators who teach students with IEPs. | 25. ascertain sufficient progress on IEP goals. | ||
| 11. communicate accommodations, modifications, and SDI practices to general education colleagues in a clear and timely manner. | 26. respond to a lack of progress by making informed changes. | ||
| 12. engage in courageous conversations with colleagues in order to meet the needs of students with disabilities. | 27. stay abreast of research in special education related topics. | ||
| 13. develop relationships with students that foster efficient learning. | 28. have a wealth of instructional strategies to use with students. | ||
| 14. embed universal design for learning practices when planning for group instruction to reduce the need for SDI. | 29. actively seek out new resources to use for SDI. | ||
| 15. adapt content as necessary, while still maintaining high expectations. | 30. willingly accept feedback on SDI practices and take steps to improve. | ||
Administrators should openly acknowledge the complex responsibilities of special education teachers and provide structures and supports that make it possible for them to provide high quality SDI for students with disabilities. As detailed by this comprehensive list, time and resources must be dedicated to developing teachers’ knowledge and skills across the HLP domains and pillars of practice.
Inclusive school leaders in Virginia can reach out to their regional Training & Technical Assistance Centers (TTACs) for support focused on SDI and a broad range of topics related to supporting students with disabilities.
References
Aceves, T. C. & Kennedy, M. J. (Eds.). (2024). High-leverage practices for students with disabilities (2nd ed.). Council for Exceptional Children and CEEDAR Center.
Beninghof, A. M. (2022). Specially designed instruction: Increasing success for students with disabilities. Routledge.
Individuals with Disabilities Act, 20 U.S.C. § 1400 et seq. (2004). https://sites.ed.gov/idea/statute-chapter-33
National Center on Intensive Intervention. (2017). Taxonomy of intervention intensity. American Institutes for Research. https://intensiveintervention.org/sites/default/files/Taxonomy-Overview-Handout508.pdf