Universal Design for Learning

What is UDL?

Dr. Katie Novak explains Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

The UDL Framework

Learn more about UDL on the CAST website

The UDL Guidelines are organized both horizontally and vertically. Vertically, the Guidelines are organized according to the three principles of UDL: engagement, representation, and action and expression. The principles are broken down into Guidelines, and each of these Guidelines have corresponding “checkpoints” that provide more detailed suggestions.

UDL and MTSS

UDL is an essential framework for designing Tier 1 instruction in our Multi-tiered System of Supports (MTSS). Rather than being considered an add-on that we try to do once our instruction is in place, we should be designing instruction from the foundation with UDL at the center.

Watch this video of Dr. Katie Novak explaining this important mindset.

District-supported Tools for UDL

All of the core district-supported technologies have been selected through a UDL lens and each offers different options for engagement in learning, representation of content, and expression of understanding. The tools below are particularly helpful for building universally designed instruction, and all tools are available to all teachers and students in the district.

Canva

This tool enables teachers and students to effortlessly create engaging educational content, including posters and videos, for teaching and assessment. Students can demonstrate understanding through various formats, and teachers can save time using a huge template library.

Learn more at Canva Education

Kami

This tool allows teachers to create interactive assignments using PDFs, Google Slides, images, templates and more. Teachers can record audio and video and students can respond through text, audio, and video while using tools like text-to-speech and translation to better access content.

Learn more at the Kami Academy

Adobe Express

Teachers and students quickly and easily make graphics, images, and videos from thousands of education templates or from scratch, with or without the use of Adobe's Firefly AI tool to build important digital literacies.

Learn more at Adobe Express Education

Nearpod

Nearpod empowers teachers to create interactive lessons with diverse media and response options. These lessons can be teacher-delivered or completed independently by students, aligning with all three UDL principles. Nearpod provides valuable formative assessment data for PLC discussions.

Learn more in Nearpod's Teacher Resources

Read&Write

This Google extension gives teachers and students an extensive easy-to-use toolbar for using text-to-speech and word/picture dictionaries, creating vocabulary lists, translation, simplifying website navigation, and more.

ALL teachers and students can be empowered using this extension.

Learn more at the Read&Write Education Academy

Immersive Reader

This Canvas tool works on any Canvas page or assignment. It allows students to use text-to-speech to listen to content, translate the page into nearly any language, access tools that help students with Dyslexia read online, and more.

This is one of the big reasons we are a Canvas district!

Learn more about using Immersive Reader in Canvas