Specifically Designed Instruction

Specially Designed Instruction

The IDEA regulations define special education as “specially designed instruction, at no cost to parents, to meet the unique needs of a child with a disability.” [34 C.F.R. § 300.39(a)(1)] The regulation continues: “[s]pecially designed instruction means adapting, as appropriate to the needs of the eligible child . . . the content, methodology, or delivery of instruction.” Special education also means “the adjustment of the environmental factors, modification of the course of study and adaptation of teaching methods, materials and techniques to provide educationally for those children who are gifted or disabled to such an extent that they need specially designed instruction in order to receive educational benefit.” [A.R.S. § 15-761(31)]

Specially designed instruction, which by definition has to be different from the instruction provided to children without disabilities, does not equate with simply providing accommodations and academic support (assisting students with assignments). Specially designed instruction is a specialized type of instruction that cannot be accomplished by a child’s mere attendance in a special education resource classroom. The United States Department of Education/Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) “recognizes that classrooms across the country are changing as the field of special education responds to innovative practices and increasingly flexible methods of teaching. [However], [w]hile the needs of many learners can be met using such methods [best teaching practices or services that are part of a school’s regular education program], they do not replace the need of a child with a disability for unique, individualized instruction that responds to his or her disability and enables the child to meet the educational standards within the jurisdiction of the public agency that apply to all children.” [Letter to Chambers, 59 IDELR 170 (OSEP 2012)]

Specifically Designed Instruction (SDI):  for specifically designed instruction we need to individually document how each area of services is being taught by the teacher to the student, different than general education – what strategies, steps, techniques used to teach the specific goal the student is work on

Do not copy and paste from student to student 

Guide Steps:  means “adapting, as appropriate, to the needs of a student, the content, methodology, or delivery of instruction to address the unique needs that result from the student’s disability and to ensure access to the general curriculum as identified in the academic standards adopted by the state board of education.”

These examples are directly from the ESS Monitoring Guide Steps:

• Social interaction instruction in pragmatics in the general education classroom on turn-taking with peers 

• Instruction on utilization of using manipulatives for math calculation (operations) 

• Instruction in self-regulation strategies 

• Articulation, voice, or fluency therapy 

• Time management skills on the worksite 

• Expressive/receptive language therapy 

In contrast these examples are OUT of compliance:

• SLD resource 

• Modeling 

• Explicit, small group instruction in math 

• Repetitive, small group instruction in writing 

• Direct instruction in reading strategies 

• Multiple teaching methods in math calculation 

• Inclusion 

• Preschool 

• Multiple instructional methods in written expression 

• Speech/Language Therapy 

• Multiple teaching strategies to identify the main idea 

• Manipulatives, extended time, in a small group setting

Reading

• Reading comprehension instruction may include individual reading time, and small group instruction as well as Multi-sensory instruction, graphic organizers, small group activities, reading instruction at the student's level along with reading strategies such as decoding, close reading, re-reading, modeling the thought process through "think aloud" talk and pre-teaching relevant vocabulary and background knowledge as well as vocabulary practice to help access grade level reading.

• The student will be cued while reading a grade leveled passage with repetition or when doing a cold read during the week on a familiar passage, using a timer and given immediate and specific feedback.

• The student needs small group instruction to develop his ability to decode words. This requires repetition, drills, and the use of multisensory instructions, auditory, oral, and kinesthetic cues such as finger tapping.

Written Expression

• Written expression instruction may include; small group instruction, small group activities to learn strategies for organization, conventions and sentence fluency which may include graphic organizers as well as writer's checklists, sentence starters, showing student an example of the desired outcome (samples, rubric, non-examples) before they complete the task, strategies using multi-sensory programs and modeling the thought process through "think aloud" talk.

Math

• Math problem solving instruction may include; small group instruction, identifying strategies to increase skill acquisition, guided practice, graphic organizers, multi-sensory approaches, manipulatives (i.e., base ten blocks, unifix cubes, rulers, calculators, abacus, number line, counters, money, cubes, pattern blocks), verbal, physical, visual, auditory cueing, repeat instructions and check for understanding, modeling the thought process through "think aloud" talk, in addition to being embedded in higher level skills.

• Math calculation instruction may include; guided practice, graphic organizers, manipulatives and repetition in addition to being embedded in higher level skills. Other strategies may include; base ten blocks, unifix cubes, rulers, calculators, number line, counters, cubes, pattern blocks, student white boards, development of memory of skills, such as use of rhythm, movement, touch and pictures, teaching student chants or mnemonic devices to ease memorization of key facts or procedures and modeling the thought process through "think aloud" talk.

Communication/Speech

• Social communication skills will be targeted using a variety of methods such as reviewing videos, role play, social situation review, literacy activities, and group discussion. Models, verbal cues, and visual cues will be used to scaffold skill development.

• Social skills will be reviewed and practiced real-time in the general education setting. SLP will provide structured support for STUDENT to practice social communication skills with his peers. Models, verbal cues, and visual cues may be used to scaffold skill development.

• A literacy based approach may be used to build language skills. Text comprehension strategies will be taught and practiced.  Skills and strategies will be modeled. Verbal and visual cues will be used to scaffold skill development.