By: Cathy Daentl

The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) released its Advancing Equity in Early Childhood Education Position Statement in 2019.The position statement stated: “All children have the right to equitable learning opportunities that enable them to achieve their full potential as engaged learners and valued members of society” (NAEYC, Advancing Equity Position Statement, p.5). The Position Statement goes on with numerous recommendations for actions that can be taken to ensure the statement comes to fruition. Of particular note are the eleven Recommendations for Early Childhood Educators (p. 7).

The Universal Design for Learning Design Process (CAST; Until Learning Has No Limits; 2018) provides the lens through which any educator, including those in early learning, can design learning experiences that support equitable access to the learning environment and content, as well as increases the likelihood of improved outcomes for the learners. The alignment of the eleven Recommendations for Early Childhood Teachers to the UDL Design Framework is strong. When early care and education providers ‘Uphold the unique value and dignity of each child and family’ (1) and ‘Recognize each child’s unique strengths and support the full inclusion of all children— given differences in culture, family structure, language, racial identity, gender, abilities and disabilities, religious beliefs, or economic class’ (2), they are accepting of the variability that lies within the birth to eight-year-olds within their care. The other nine recommendations all speak to establishing clear goals (7), removing barriers (3, 4, 10), and designing for multiple means of engagement, representation, and expression (5, 6, 8, 9, 11).

The strong correlation highlights the importance of intentionally implementing UDL principles in early care and education systems. The UDL learning design process can operationalize practices supporting equitable learning opportunities for all young learners.

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By: Jayne Bischoff

What does UDL look like? For many, CAST’s UDL Guidelines graphic organizer represents what UDL is. Interpreting it becomes the basis for what UDL means. The three areas of brain activation in learning, the design principles (multiple means) for each brain network that are necessary for learners who vary, the 9 Guidelines for design based on known areas for supporting learners who vary, and the access, build, and internalize layers learning experiences need to have to create expert learners.

The graphic organizer of the UDL Guidelines is important, but insufficient to truly understand, and to become fluent, about what makes UDL, UDL. Ask any of our statewide systems of support – the CESA UDL consultants and UDL Demonstration Sites across the state. They’ll say from experience, that UDL mindsets, the way you think about what you do, is just as essential as the UDL Guidelines themselves when it comes to applying UDL thinking for learners who vary.

Here are what we call our UDL bass drum beat…the essential foundation of what UDL means, while leaving open the “riffs” or unique contexts where UDL design principles can be applied.

In Wisconsin, UDL means we:

• recognize natural human variation and know variability changes based on experiences

• accept people as learners with strengths and assets to build upon

• feature the construction of personally meaningful learning goals to form the basis for learning experiences

• understand that flexibility in materials and methods is required to support learner variability

• align the design of learner experiences with UDL Guidelines and the expert learner characteristics, and

• believe UDL implementation operationalizes educational equity

You’re invited to engage with learning, collaborate on design, and be intentional about applying UDL. Our vision of equity, that every learner has what they need, when they need it, can be operationalized with UDL. Join us!