How to determine SDI

Specially designed instruction means adapting, as appropriate to the needs of a child, the content, methodology, or delivery of instruction to address the unique needs of the child that results from the child’s disability and to ensure that the child has access to the general education curriculum so that the child can meet the educational standards that apply to all children.

Specially designed instruction is provided to meet the individualized needs of students with disabilities as documented in their IEP. The SDI specific to each student is necessary to address gaps and accelerate academic, behavioral, and functional progress toward grade-level standards. Understanding grade-level expectation is the foundation of appropriate and sound SDI. The team must know the expectations for all learners and then be able to identify the skills that may be missing and how to address teaching those skills to the child. SDI is about deciding what to teach, how and where and by whom to teach it, and how often and to what level of intensity it is taught.

SDI is what a teacher does to deliver information to the student that is different from what other students received. It may be instruction that is additional to what other students received and/or different methods or techniques to present the instruction not used with other students. SDI is based upon the specific skills the student needs to develop in order to improve their academic performance required for their measurable annual goals. Properly selected SDI will allow the student to make progress in the general education curriculum and close the gap in academic performance relative to their peers without disabilities. It is clear that having high expectations for any student has a positive influence on both teacher instructional decisions and increased performance by students.