By: Erin Hansen, CESA 4

In this "Guides on the Side" UDL Newsletter, we'll explore three key concepts related to goal development.

First, goals must be clear and understood by the learner to make them meaningful.

Second, Goals must be separated from the means to achieve them

Third, goals set the foundation for the design of the learning experience tied to academic standards and/or functional expectations.

When we are engaged in the UDL Design Process, one of the key steps we take is to set clear, rigorous goals. Creating goals that align to the UDL framework acknowledge learner variability, separates the outcome from the means, and aims to develop expert learners while maintaining high expectations for all.

Let’s take a look at the first concept.

In order for the goal to be clear and understood by the learner, we must first examine and clarify what is the intended purpose of the lesson and the learning experience for the user. You may find that when you examine your goal in this way that you will need to break the broader goal down into more specific goals.

Once you have examined your goal, think about how you will convey the goal or the expectations in a way that is meaningful for the learner.

First, provide scaffolds and supports in order to help clarify meaning. Consider clarifying the vocabulary used, using student friendly language, and providing visual supports.

Next, consider how you will provide access to the goal. Where will you post the goal in the classroom? Will you post it on assessments and other classroom documents and resources? How can you provide audio options? How are you sharing the goal with students in a virtual learning environment?

Also consider how you will help learners make connections to the goal in order to make meaning.

Consider what ways you can purposely reference the goal in order for all learners to understand why it is relevant to their learning and connect to their previous learning.

Effective goals actively involve the learners by making the goal a key component of the classroom conversation.

Let’s take a look at the second concept.

Effective goals separate the learning expectations from the means to achieve it. This allows for flexibility in achieving the goal.

Honoring flexibility in achieving the goal ensures that students aren’t left out or excluded. It also allows all students to be appropriately challenged by offering options for students to achieve the goal.

For example, if our goal is “I can write a paragraph describing the difference in focus between a firsthand and secondhand account.” If the learning objective is not specifically to write, we are prescribing how the student will meet the goal.

A better goal, made accessible for learners who vary, would be to remove the prescribed method by stating,” I can describe the difference in focus between a firsthand and secondhand account.”

If the means for achieving the goal is dictated by the standard and required, then the means should be explicitly taught, with flexible scaffolds of support such as: language used, access to technology, and steps in the process.

Now, we will use the goal as the foundation for designing the learning experience.

This is where we can reference the UDL guidelines to help us design the experience to proactively support learner variability and remove barriers in the methods, materials and assessments used. For example, the guidelines can be used to provide options that address levels of interest, variability in background knowledge and how learners process knowledge.

As you can see, focusing on the goal is an essential part of the UDL design process. When we engage in this process, we accept people as learners with strengths and assets to build upon and understand that personally meaningful learning goals form the basis for learning experiences.

A well developed goal can support all learners in the classroom, so be sure to devote the time and energy needed to effectively engage in this process.

By: Melissa Emler

I've started to hear UDL being brought up in a variety of contexts, and while that is really exciting, I'm getting a little bit concerned that UDL is being oversimplified and summarized as "another word for differentiation."

The biggest difference between UDL and differentiation is that UDL aims to reduce barriers to learning by anticipating the barriers in the design. Barriers to learning are predictable and can be proactively addressed through flexibility. Most often with differentiation, teachers are responding to a student need after an assessment reveals the need. Also, in a differentiation model, teachers may be supporting a single student at a time, retrofitting for particular students, or assigning specific choices to specific learners.

Both UDL and differentiation offer learners options and choices. It is important to consider who is being offered the options and for what reason. With UDL, all options are provided to all learners. Learners are encouraged to reflect on the choices they made and the impact those choices had on their learning experience. This helps them develop expertise as a learner. A UDL experience is designed with options that are in support of the learning goal, the learner makes personally meaningful. In a differentiation model, options are often tied to learner preferences or as an alternative to what everyone else is doing so that a learner can be successful. Sometimes in differentiation models the goal and purpose is altered within the options being made available for some learners. Since UDL always begins with the goals, all options being offered are in service of the goal.

You can't do UDL without some differentiation, but you can do differentiation without UDL. Universal means accessible, usable, and beneficial to all, from the beginning. With learners choosing and reviewing options provided (or even creating their own.) There is a place in our schools for differentiation. There is a necessity for UDL.

When Sheboygan Falls began their UDL implementation, the district leadership team, composed of teachers and administrators, set out to design a set of non-negotiables for their district. The non-negotiables were intended to support the district goal of experiencing a high quality UDL implementation from the classroom to the boardroom.

While the non-negotiables are used as their guiding principles to inform their work,, the district was certainly not feeling the leverage that they had hoped the non-negotiables would help with.

However, their visits to UDL districts in Indiana and Maryland taught them that until they changed the teacher evaluation system and found ways to support and evaluate teachers in UDL, they wouldn't see the needle move.

That sent the district on a journey. When you watch the video, you'll become familiar with a process that was used at Sheboygan falls to revise their indicators and their PPGs (Personal Professional Goals) to improve the UDL implementation in their district.

Please watch the video on the left (if you're on a computer) or above (if you're on your phone).