What Does Sdi Stand for in Special Education
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Planning & Delivering Specially Designed Instruction (SDI)
Guiding Principles
Belonging/Community - Students learn best when they truly belong as part of a supportive, collaborative learning community
Growth Mindset - All students have the potential to grow and make progress on rigorous goals
Principles of Effective Instruction
- Special Education instruction has clear connections to general education instruction, supporting progress toward the Common Core State Standards, Moral & Performance Character, and Independent Living
- Special Education instruction is grounded in the 5 Dimensions of Teaching and Learning
- Purpose
- Engagement
- Curriculum & Instruction
- Assessment For Learning
- Classroom Culture & Environment
- Special Education instruction is also grounded in the 7 Components of Inclusive and Equitable Classrooms
- Effective Physical Spaces
- Teach Common Expectations
- Teach Social-Emotional Skills
- Restorative Practices
- Rituals, Routines and Recognition
- Engagement Strategies
- Relationships with High Expectations
- Instructional materials, tasks and tools are age-appropriate, challenging and culturally and academically relevant
- In their general education classroom learning community, each child has access to grade-level content, high-cognitive tasks, opportunities for meaning-making, and explicit instruction when needed
- Ongoing, apples-to-apples assessment is key to help the team celebrate progress and write appropriately rigorous goals
Special Education is Collaborative: The expertise of everyone contributes to student success
- Student: Expert on themselves; involved in setting goals and understanding learning targets
- Special Educator: Expert in access strategies; focus on individual student
- General Education Teacher: Expert in content & standards; relationships with each student
- Parent: Expert in student's life history and trajectory; provides input on goals for student learning
Procedural Guidance
Legal Definition of Specially Designed Instruction (OAR 581-015-2000)
"Specially designed instruction" means adapting, as appropriate to the needs of an eligible child, the content, methodology, or delivery of instruction:
- To address the unique needs of the child that result from the child's disability; and
- To ensure access of the child to the general curriculum, so that he or she can meet the educational standards that apply to all children.
Who can legally deliver SDI?
- A Special Educator OR
- A General Education Teacher or Instructional Assistant (IA) if a Special Educator is involved in the planning and progress monitoring of the instruction.
- The case manager should keep records to document ongoing planning and progress monitoring for Specially Designed Instruction for all of the student's goals.
How to make decisions about time for services?
- The student's progress is the most important variable in making decisions about how services are delivered.
- In a traditional pull-out model, service times are relatively easy to measure. When students are receiving specially designed instruction in general education settings, establishing service time is a little less clearly defined.
- If the special educator is involved in planning and progress monitoring, then the general education teacher or IA can deliver specially designed instruction. This does not mean that every minute the student is in a class with that general education teacher counts as minutes of specially designed instruction on the service summary.
- The case manager should carefully consider the difference between when the gen ed teacher or IA will be teaching specialized content or access skills (SDI) and when they will be providing more generalized accommodations or adult support that is not directly providing instruction on IEP goals. The service summary should reflect the anticipated time of SDI, not the time the student will be receiving ongoing accommodations/support in the classroom.
- This means the service times listed in the IEP may actually be less than in a traditional pull-out model. This is not because students are receiving less support. Instead, it is a more accurate reflection of the amount of specific SDI the student requires to be able to access the general education curriculum and make progress toward independence.
- It is okay if some SDI is still delivered in an alternative, special education setting. We are always moving toward the least restrictive environment and great learning opportunities in the general education classroom...AND an IEP team may have very strong reasons for selecting an alternative setting for some students at some times.
If a student is not progressing toward their goals as anticipated, consider these variables:
- Frequency (amount of time)
- Setting (location, peers)
- Intensity (size of group, amount of student talk)
- Materials
- Strategies
- Motivation/Mindset
Structures for Delivering Specially Designed Instruction
Three ways to structure the delivery of specially designed instruction are:
- Co-Planning for inclusive instruction
- Co-Teaching in the general education classroom
- Instruction in an alternative location
Co-Planning
- Learning Specialist and General Education Teacher meet regularly to plan instruction, paying close attention to
- learning targets for the entire class
- engagement strategies for the entire class
- specific goals on the student's IEP
- specialized content and access skills that will help the student reach the IEP goals (SDI)
- Learning Specialist and General Education Teacher meet regularly to review student work and progress, making adjustments to SDI based on student data
- One goal of co-planning is to build capacity in general education teachers to design learning targets, engagement strategies and classroom routines to address the needs of the broad range of students in their class.
- Co-Planning can be a very effective way to plan for the delivery of specially designed instruction. However, the time spent co-planning does not count as SDI minutes on a student's IEP
- SDI minutes = time the student is receiving instruction (which may include targeted practice, formative assessment, feedback, etc.)
Co-Teaching
There are 4 common structures of Co-Teaching. Each structure may be appropriate for providing Specially Designed Instruction depending on the specific IEP goals of an individual student and the context of the general education classroom.
Co-Teaching Structure
Definition
Role of General Educator
Role of Special Educator*
Team Teaching
Team teachers share leadership and responsibilities in planning, instruction and assessment for all students
- Collaboratively Plan Instruction for all students
- Deliver Instruction for all students
- Assess Student Progress
- Provide ongoing feedback for all students
- Collaboratively Plan Instruction for all students
- Deliver Instruction for all students
- Assess Student Progress
- Provide ongoing feedback for all students
Parallel Co-Teaching
Co-teachers work with different groups of students
Flexible groups may be:
- large or small
- heterogeneous or homogeneous
- Engaged in similar or different tasks
- Plan and lead one group of students
- Plan and lead another group of students
Complementary Co-Teaching
One teacher delivers content while the other makes it more accessible. For example the complementary co-teacher could model note-taking strategies during a mini-lesson or model active reading strategies during a read-aloud
- Plan and lead instruction
- Plan and model access strategies in a way that is intentional and public (can be for small group of students or for the whole class)
Supportive Co-Teaching
One teacher is in the lead role; the other provides support. Who is in lead and who provides support may change during a lesson
- Plan and lead instruction
- Support individual students through accommodations and teaching access skills.
- Support all students (not just student served by special education)
*Instructional Assistants can partner with a general education teacher to provide many of the same supports described here.
To have effective Co-Teaching, there needs to be clear communication between general educators and special educators about the learning targets for the lesson and the tasks the students will engage in. In an effective Co-Teaching partnership, the Learning Specialist and classroom teacher both know:
- The specific lesson and learning targets for the whole class
- Example: "Compare and contrast the governmental structures of ancient Rome and ancient Greece through a written essay"
- The specific IEP goals/objectives for that student
- Example: "Student will write a three paragraph essay making a clear claim and using supportive evidence from the text using appropriate conventions."
The Learning Specialist or IA delivers specific instruction that helps move the student closer toward reaching their IEP goal within the context of the classroom learning target.
- Example: Work with the student (based on knowledge of the student's progress):
- To formulate the claim
- To find evidence to support the claim in the text
- To organize their ideas into a three paragraph essay
Remember, focus on Gradual Release of Responsibility, helping students become more independent in all parts of their learning.
Instruction in an Alternate Location
- The starting point for all instruction is the general education classroom. Most students will receive SDI in the general ed classroom. However, based on the individual needs of a student, it may be appropriate to provide Specially Designed Instruction in an alternate setting as well.
- Students may receive instruction in sessions outside of the general education setting for
- Pre-teaching/acceleration directly related to content
- Parallel content
- Social-emotional regulation skills
- Speech-language skills
- Social communication skills
- Independent living skills
- Specially Designed Instruction can be delivered in an alternate location by a Special Educator, Instructional Assistant or Gen Ed teacher. If SDI is delivered by an IA or Gen Ed teacher, the Special Educator must be involved in planning the lessons and reviewing data of student progress.
Resources
- Organizing for Specially Designed Instruction - including a hypothetical Learning Specialist's schedule
- Lesson Planning Template for Co-Teaching
- The 5 Dimensions of Teaching and Learning - this is a copyright-protected document from the University of Washington Center for Educational Leadership
- The 7 Components of Inclusive and Equitable Learning Communities - this is a document created by the West Linn-Wilsonville School District
- 8 Tips for Co-Teaching Partnerships - an article from Education Week
- Chart of examples of SDI vs. Accommodation/generalized support
- Communication & Planning form for IA's supporting students in gen ed classes
- Peer Supports/Strategies
- Data collection form for IA's supporting students in gen ed classes
- Prezi about Co-Teaching
- The Effectiveness of the Co-Teaching Model - a research article from Hanover Research
FAQ's
When can a check-in time be SDI and when is it just generalized behavior support?
SDI is specific instruction to move students toward achieving their IEP goals. For example: If the check-in time is for explicit instruction on behavior management skills, then it can be SDI.
When do we remove students from the general education setting to receive SDI?
All students should be in their general ed classes as much as possible. However, we can provide SDI in alternate settings when it is supported by data and team decisions.
Can we provide SDI outside of the school day?
We can offer options before or after school, but we can't require SDI outside of the school day. Students are entitled to a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE). Parents cannot be required to pay for before/after school time if that is where we are providing SDI.
Can we provide instruction on modified curriculum through co-teaching?
Yes - If planning and progress monitoring are led by the special educator (just like any other form of Specially Designed Instruction). Modified content can be delivered through co-teaching, co-planning or in an alternate location.
Planning & Delivering Specially Designed Instruction (SDI)
Guiding Principles
Belonging/Community - Students learn best when they truly belong as part of a supportive, collaborative learning community
Growth Mindset - All students have the potential to grow and make progress on rigorous goals
Principles of Effective Instruction
- Special Education instruction has clear connections to general education instruction, supporting progress toward the Common Core State Standards, Moral & Performance Character, and Independent Living
- Special Education instruction is grounded in the 5 Dimensions of Teaching and Learning
- Purpose
- Engagement
- Curriculum & Instruction
- Assessment For Learning
- Classroom Culture & Environment
- Special Education instruction is also grounded in the 7 Components of Inclusive and Equitable Classrooms
- Effective Physical Spaces
- Teach Common Expectations
- Teach Social-Emotional Skills
- Restorative Practices
- Rituals, Routines and Recognition
- Engagement Strategies
- Relationships with High Expectations
- Instructional materials, tasks and tools are age-appropriate, challenging and culturally and academically relevant
- In their general education classroom learning community, each child has access to grade-level content, high-cognitive tasks, opportunities for meaning-making, and explicit instruction when needed
- Ongoing, apples-to-apples assessment is key to help the team celebrate progress and write appropriately rigorous goals
Special Education is Collaborative: The expertise of everyone contributes to student success
- Student: Expert on themselves; involved in setting goals and understanding learning targets
- Special Educator: Expert in access strategies; focus on individual student
- General Education Teacher: Expert in content & standards; relationships with each student
- Parent: Expert in student's life history and trajectory; provides input on goals for student learning
Procedural Guidance
Legal Definition of Specially Designed Instruction (OAR 581-015-2000)
"Specially designed instruction" means adapting, as appropriate to the needs of an eligible child, the content, methodology, or delivery of instruction:
- To address the unique needs of the child that result from the child's disability; and
- To ensure access of the child to the general curriculum, so that he or she can meet the educational standards that apply to all children.
Who can legally deliver SDI?
- A Special Educator OR
- A General Education Teacher or Instructional Assistant (IA) if a Special Educator is involved in the planning and progress monitoring of the instruction.
- The case manager should keep records to document ongoing planning and progress monitoring for Specially Designed Instruction for all of the student's goals.
How to make decisions about time for services?
- The student's progress is the most important variable in making decisions about how services are delivered.
- In a traditional pull-out model, service times are relatively easy to measure. When students are receiving specially designed instruction in general education settings, establishing service time is a little less clearly defined.
- If the special educator is involved in planning and progress monitoring, then the general education teacher or IA can deliver specially designed instruction. This does not mean that every minute the student is in a class with that general education teacher counts as minutes of specially designed instruction on the service summary.
- The case manager should carefully consider the difference between when the gen ed teacher or IA will be teaching specialized content or access skills (SDI) and when they will be providing more generalized accommodations or adult support that is not directly providing instruction on IEP goals. The service summary should reflect the anticipated time of SDI, not the time the student will be receiving ongoing accommodations/support in the classroom.
- This means the service times listed in the IEP may actually be less than in a traditional pull-out model. This is not because students are receiving less support. Instead, it is a more accurate reflection of the amount of specific SDI the student requires to be able to access the general education curriculum and make progress toward independence.
- It is okay if some SDI is still delivered in an alternative, special education setting. We are always moving toward the least restrictive environment and great learning opportunities in the general education classroom...AND an IEP team may have very strong reasons for selecting an alternative setting for some students at some times.
If a student is not progressing toward their goals as anticipated, consider these variables:
- Frequency (amount of time)
- Setting (location, peers)
- Intensity (size of group, amount of student talk)
- Materials
- Strategies
- Motivation/Mindset
Structures for Delivering Specially Designed Instruction
Three ways to structure the delivery of specially designed instruction are:
- Co-Planning for inclusive instruction
- Co-Teaching in the general education classroom
- Instruction in an alternative location
Co-Planning
- Learning Specialist and General Education Teacher meet regularly to plan instruction, paying close attention to
- learning targets for the entire class
- engagement strategies for the entire class
- specific goals on the student's IEP
- specialized content and access skills that will help the student reach the IEP goals (SDI)
- Learning Specialist and General Education Teacher meet regularly to review student work and progress, making adjustments to SDI based on student data
- One goal of co-planning is to build capacity in general education teachers to design learning targets, engagement strategies and classroom routines to address the needs of the broad range of students in their class.
- Co-Planning can be a very effective way to plan for the delivery of specially designed instruction. However, the time spent co-planning does not count as SDI minutes on a student's IEP
- SDI minutes = time the student is receiving instruction (which may include targeted practice, formative assessment, feedback, etc.)
Co-Teaching
There are 4 common structures of Co-Teaching. Each structure may be appropriate for providing Specially Designed Instruction depending on the specific IEP goals of an individual student and the context of the general education classroom.
Co-Teaching Structure
Definition
Role of General Educator
Role of Special Educator*
Team Teaching
Team teachers share leadership and responsibilities in planning, instruction and assessment for all students
- Collaboratively Plan Instruction for all students
- Deliver Instruction for all students
- Assess Student Progress
- Provide ongoing feedback for all students
- Collaboratively Plan Instruction for all students
- Deliver Instruction for all students
- Assess Student Progress
- Provide ongoing feedback for all students
Parallel Co-Teaching
Co-teachers work with different groups of students
Flexible groups may be:
- large or small
- heterogeneous or homogeneous
- Engaged in similar or different tasks
- Plan and lead one group of students
- Plan and lead another group of students
Complementary Co-Teaching
One teacher delivers content while the other makes it more accessible. For example the complementary co-teacher could model note-taking strategies during a mini-lesson or model active reading strategies during a read-aloud
- Plan and lead instruction
- Plan and model access strategies in a way that is intentional and public (can be for small group of students or for the whole class)
Supportive Co-Teaching
One teacher is in the lead role; the other provides support. Who is in lead and who provides support may change during a lesson
- Plan and lead instruction
- Support individual students through accommodations and teaching access skills.
- Support all students (not just student served by special education)
*Instructional Assistants can partner with a general education teacher to provide many of the same supports described here.
To have effective Co-Teaching, there needs to be clear communication between general educators and special educators about the learning targets for the lesson and the tasks the students will engage in. In an effective Co-Teaching partnership, the Learning Specialist and classroom teacher both know:
- The specific lesson and learning targets for the whole class
- Example: "Compare and contrast the governmental structures of ancient Rome and ancient Greece through a written essay"
- The specific IEP goals/objectives for that student
- Example: "Student will write a three paragraph essay making a clear claim and using supportive evidence from the text using appropriate conventions."
The Learning Specialist or IA delivers specific instruction that helps move the student closer toward reaching their IEP goal within the context of the classroom learning target.
- Example: Work with the student (based on knowledge of the student's progress):
- To formulate the claim
- To find evidence to support the claim in the text
- To organize their ideas into a three paragraph essay
Remember, focus on Gradual Release of Responsibility, helping students become more independent in all parts of their learning.
Instruction in an Alternate Location
- The starting point for all instruction is the general education classroom. Most students will receive SDI in the general ed classroom. However, based on the individual needs of a student, it may be appropriate to provide Specially Designed Instruction in an alternate setting as well.
- Students may receive instruction in sessions outside of the general education setting for
- Pre-teaching/acceleration directly related to content
- Parallel content
- Social-emotional regulation skills
- Speech-language skills
- Social communication skills
- Independent living skills
- Specially Designed Instruction can be delivered in an alternate location by a Special Educator, Instructional Assistant or Gen Ed teacher. If SDI is delivered by an IA or Gen Ed teacher, the Special Educator must be involved in planning the lessons and reviewing data of student progress.
Resources
- Organizing for Specially Designed Instruction - including a hypothetical Learning Specialist's schedule
- Lesson Planning Template for Co-Teaching
- The 5 Dimensions of Teaching and Learning - this is a copyright-protected document from the University of Washington Center for Educational Leadership
- The 7 Components of Inclusive and Equitable Learning Communities - this is a document created by the West Linn-Wilsonville School District
- 8 Tips for Co-Teaching Partnerships - an article from Education Week
- Chart of examples of SDI vs. Accommodation/generalized support
- Communication & Planning form for IA's supporting students in gen ed classes
- Peer Supports/Strategies
- Data collection form for IA's supporting students in gen ed classes
- Prezi about Co-Teaching
- The Effectiveness of the Co-Teaching Model - a research article from Hanover Research
FAQ's
When can a check-in time be SDI and when is it just generalized behavior support?
SDI is specific instruction to move students toward achieving their IEP goals. For example: If the check-in time is for explicit instruction on behavior management skills, then it can be SDI.
When do we remove students from the general education setting to receive SDI?
All students should be in their general ed classes as much as possible. However, we can provide SDI in alternate settings when it is supported by data and team decisions.
Can we provide SDI outside of the school day?
We can offer options before or after school, but we can't require SDI outside of the school day. Students are entitled to a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE). Parents cannot be required to pay for before/after school time if that is where we are providing SDI.
Can we provide instruction on modified curriculum through co-teaching?
Yes - If planning and progress monitoring are led by the special educator (just like any other form of Specially Designed Instruction). Modified content can be delivered through co-teaching, co-planning or in an alternate location.
What Does Sdi Stand for in Special Education
Source: https://www.wlwv.k12.or.us/Page/14271