The Cipher - Appropriate Instruction

Appropriate instruction involves providing evidence-based practices to ensure students are receiving effective instruction and intervention supports. There are many reasons why a student may struggle, including but not limited to a disability. Special education is for children with disabilities. Children with low performance cause by by another such as a lack of appropriate instruction, are not eligibility for special education. Identifying other potential factors or causes for achievement represents a major component of an evaluation.

Appropriate instruction has been a component of special education since it's inception. Special education is not a 'remedial program' or 'initiative' for all students with low performance. State and federal law require that, to be eligible for special education, a child must have a disability that requires special education. If something other than a disability causes a child’s low performance, the child’s low performance is not addressed with special education services or resources. It is to be addressed with other means.

The 'Why' of Appropriate Instruction

Appropriate [i.e. effective] instruction is the foundation for all evaluations as it puts a student’s growth in context.
Even if identified with a disability, most students spend more time in Tier I / Core Instruction than in any other level of instruction & support.
Attempting to treat systemic problems as individual student learning problems rapidly overwhelm a school’s capacity to manage intervention and does not produce the desired results.
Improving core instruction in the classroom, as a first step, is necessary to prevent misdiagnosis of individual students and is effort well spent to improve learning for all students.
By addressing the over qualification of students, this will allow special education to focus on the primary role for which it was founded: to meet the unique needs of students whose disabilities are adversely affecting their ability to learn.
When only 40% of student are proficient, it is difficult to differentiate between an individual student that a school may suspect of having a disability and the 60% of grade level peers who are also not proficient.
An indicator of effective instruction and intervention is when student who receive them experience success while the percentage of students requiring intervention decreases over time.
An indicator of a disability and need for special education is when a student fails to progress or grow over time despite receiving appropriate instruction.

Jump To A Section

A1 - Selection & Implementation of Instruction, Intervention, & Support

A2 - Continuous Data-Based Decision Making

A3 - Participation