1. Developing Specially Designed Instruction
NYSED RSE-TASC
SDI Workgroup
May 2013
SDI Workgroup NYS RSE-TASC 4/13

2. SDI Workgroup NYS RSE-TASC 4/13
Today participants will explore the definition of Specially Designed Instruction and be able to apply the concept of Specially Designed Instruction in other contexts.
Objectives
SDI Workgroup NYS RSE-TASC 4/13

3. Specially Designed Instruction NYS Regulation: Section 200.1(vv)
Adapting, as appropriate to the needs of an eligible student, the content, methodology, or delivery of instruction to address the unique needs that result from the student’s disability; and to ensure access of the student to the general curriculum, so that he or she can meet the education standards that apply to all students
Activating Prior Knowledge by reviewing regulatory definition
Adapting, as appropriate to the needs of an eligible student, the content, methodology, or delivery of instruction to address the unique needs that result from the student’s disability; and to ensure access of the student to the general curriculum, so that he or she can meet the education standards that apply to all students
When asked the question, ‘What’s special about special education?”, or ‘What is specially designed instruction?’
The RSE-TASC has developed the common understanding that Specially Designed Instruction is the intentional and purposeful planning aligned to address unique student needs. The way that is done is by adapting content, methodology or the delivery of instruction

4. Specially Designed Instruction Operational Definitions
Adapting: making changes matched to student need or condition
Content: knowledge and skills that comprise curriculum to be mastered
Methodology: actions by the teacher intended to produce or facilitate learning which includes the art and science of instruction (ex: teaching strategies including pacing, promoting active student engagement, positive classroom management – best practice and explicitly taught although not necessarily specially designed instruction)
Delivery of instruction: teaching that results in access to, participation in, and progress in the curriculum for students with disabilities (ex: explicit instruction of learning strategies, task analysis, pre-teaching essential vocabulary, re-teaching specific skills or concepts, etc.)
These are the operational definitions as defined during the previous presentation from the SDI workgroup.

5. Specially Designed Instruction NYS Regulation: Section 200.6 (a) (1)
Students with disabilities shall be provided special education in the least restrictive environment, as defined in section (cc) of this Part. To enable students with disabilities to be educated with nondisabled students to the maximum extent appropriate, specially designed instruction and supplementary services may be provided in the regular class, including, as appropriate, providing related services, resource room programs and special class programs within the general education classroom
To further define SDI, we must also look at the regulatory citation from section which indicates any additional potential supports, services and locations.
SDI Workgroup NYS RSE-TASC 4/13

6. SDI Workgroup NYS RSE-TASC 4/13
Barriers
Environment
Materials
Content
Instruction
How learning is measured
In order to identify how we will adapt content, methodology and instruction, we must first identify the barriers that individual students may have to access & participation in the general education environment or to making progress in general education curriculum.
CSE’s consider all of these barriers when they are creating IEP’s.
We need teachers to consider these barriers when they are developing SDI for their students.
Activity: minutes for a table discussion on barriers
Every person at table chooses a category from the above list.
Using ‘I-time’, Brainstorm a list of examples of the barriers. That might be present in each of the categories (i.e., stairs at the school entrance rather than a ramp, lack of a Braille textbook, lack of a prerequisite skill to do higher-order applications)
As a table group, share your brainstorm ideas with one another.
This is an activity that SESIS can do with the teachers that they work with.
SDI Workgroup NYS RSE-TASC 4/13

7. Specially Designed Instruction
Adapting the content, methodology, or delivery of instruction may include, but is not limited to the following:
accommodations
modifications
specialized equipment and assistive technology
strategy instruction
supplementary aids and services
Specially designed instruction may encompasses a variety of provisions for students with disabilities in order to meet their individual needs and overcome the barriers.
Accommodations: changes in the environment or the way we deliver instruction (i.e., a lock with a key rather than a combination)
Accommodation= a change that helps a student overcome or work around the disability (change in format, response).
Removing barriers, not content. The curriculum is not modified unless it is for Alternate Assessment students ONLY.
Accommodations are something that teachers provide to support access to the general curriculum. Accommodations do not change what is being taught, change the strategies used to teach the content or differentiated instruction that is responsive to a variety of learning styles. Because of their basic nature and ease of implementation, an individual does not have to have specialized training to provide accommodation. Moreover, many accommodations are common-sense approaches for responding to the learning needs of students with or without disabilities.
Examples: strategy instruction, specialized/adaptive equipment, assistive technology, device/service
Modifications : changes made to the curricular content or skills (i.e., being required to write sentences while nondisabled peers are writing paragraphs)
Modification= changes in what is being taught or expected from the students (change in content, expectations)
Modified content means the knowledge and skills being taught to the student with a disability are different from what is being taught to typically developing same-ages peers. For example, a student with an IEP may be working on increasing the number of words that he can spell correctly while typically developing peers are being taught to write short stories with complete paragraphs. ALL students are working toward the same standard concerning writing, but the student with the IEP is learning a skill and working toward a standards indicator that is different than his peers. Modified content can also be seen in situations where the student with a disability is receiving instruction in daily living skills that are not components of the general education curriculum for typically developing peers, but rather are reflected in the students' IEP goals and objectives (self-management skills for behavior control are not part of the general curriculum).
Modified delivery means that the way in which instruction is delivered is different than what is provided to typically developing peers. Examples include providing intensive instruction individually or in small groups outside of the general education classroom or providing more frequent instructional opportunities than are provided to general education peers.
Specialized Equipment & Assistive Technology: a piece of equipment or technology that allows a student with disabilities to access the general education curriculum (i.e., slant board for writing, Dragon software)
Strategy Instruction: teaching the student a strategy that they can use to overcome barriers to the curriculum. (i.e., mnemonics)
Supplementary Aids and Services

8. SDI Workgroup NYS RSE-TASC 4/13
Think about what barriers each of these animals may face to climbing the tree. How can we help them overcome these barriers?
How can we adapt the content, methodology and delivery of instruction to help them access the top of the tree?
Remind them to think about accommodations, modifications, specialized equipment, adaptive equipment, and strategy instruction.
Table discussion. Take three volunteers to share their thoughts.
SDI Workgroup NYS RSE-TASC 4/13

9. Student Barrier Identification form SDI Workgroup NYS RSE-TASC 4/13
All participants have a blank copy of this Student barrier Identification Form in their materials.
Trainers: Specially Designed instruction is intentionally and purposefully planning instruction aligned to meet student needs. In order to effectively do this, teachers must first identify any existing barriers to access, participation and progress in general education. Once those have been identified, potential solutions including accommodations, modifications, specialized equipment, assistive technology, strategy instruction and/or other supports services, or locations is necessary. This form may assist teachers ingathering that information and then using it in future lesson planning to better meet students’ unique needs.
We are going to walk you through how you could use this with a group of teachers by conducting a ‘Think Aloud’ using Lyle the Monkey (from the previous picture) as an example. This the beginning step in planning specially designed instruction,
Student Barrier Identification form
SDI Workgroup NYS RSE-TASC 4/13

10. SDI Workgroup NYS RSE-TASC 4/13
Think about what barriers each of these animals may face to climbing the tree. How can we help them overcome these barriers?
How can we adapt the content, methodology and delivery of instruction to help them access the top of the tree?
Remind them to think about accommodations, modifications, specialized equipment, adaptive equipment, and strategy instruction and other potential supports, services or location.
Table discussion. Take three volunteers to share their thoughts.
SDI Workgroup NYS RSE-TASC 4/13

11. SDI Workgroup NYS RSE-TASC 4/13
Choose an animal
Think about what barriers the animal may face to climbing the tree.
How can we help him overcome these barriers?
How can we adapt the content, methodology and delivery of instruction to help him access the top of the tree?
Have a discussion at your table about your findings.
Activity: (10-12 minutes)
Remind participants to think about accommodations, modifications, specialized equipment, assistive technology and strategy instruction and other potential supports, services or location.
SDI Workgroup NYS RSE-TASC 4/13

12. SDI Workgroup NYS RSE-TASC 3/13
Lesson Planning
Look at the sample lesson planning templates provided in your materials.
At your tables discuss the templates and the potential to use these with groups of teachers to assist in the design of specially designed instruction
Now that the student barriers and potential solutions have been identified, lesson planning can begin.
You have 2 sample lesson planning templates that can be used
SDI Workgroup NYS RSE-TASC 3/13

13. SDI Workgroup NYS RSE-TASC 4/13
Ticket out the door
What is special about specially designed instruction?
How are you going to apply what you learned today to your work?
Participants will answer the following two questions on index cards:
What is special about specially designed instruction?
How are you going to apply what you learned today to your work?
SDI Workgroup NYS RSE-TASC 4/13