UDL School Implementation &

Certification Criteria

The UDL School Implementation and Certification Criteria (UDL-SICC) provides educators with a framework to design school experiences and environments that support equity, inclusion, and expert learning. Using the UDL-SICC, school teams develop a common understanding of the critical attributes necessary for effective school-wide UDL implementation. Then, use the criteria to plan for and monitor improved systemic and holistic UDL implementation. Whether a team is just getting started or has many years of success implementing UDL, the UDL-SICC is a robust tool for guiding decisions and supporting ongoing school-wide growth.

The UDL-SICC has two main goals:

1. To provide a roadmap for school communities working toward school-level UDL implementation.

2. To recognize the progress and accomplishments of school communities who are implementing UDL with fidelity.*

*While the criteria for implementation and certification is fully articulated in the UDL-SICC, the process for applying for and receiving certification is still under construction.

Four Ways To Explore the UDL-SICC

• To see the big picture, open the UDL-SICC Guide. It provides a summary of the criteria and describes how to use UDL-SICC related tools to support successful school implementation.

• For an overview of the domains and elements, click on the Criteria Overview link on this page.

• To examine the details of specific domains and elements, open the UDL-SICC Full Criteria.

• To explore a specific domain, click on a domain image above.

UDL-SICC Cross-Cutting Concepts

These foundational UDL design concepts are intentionally woven into the domains and elements. Educators are asked to design for:

• Equitable, inclusive, and accessible environments: The design process focuses on creating equitable, inclusive, and accessible environments and experiences for all.

• Learner variability: Anticipating the learner variability, educators consider the whole learner, including their social, emotional, cognitive, perceptual, physical, sensory, and cultural strengths and needs when designing learning experiences and environments.

• Reducing barriers in the environment: By recognizing that barriers reside in the design of the environment or experience, not in the learner, barriers can be intentionally reduced using the UDL Guidelines and an iterative design process.

• Expert learning: Educational experiences are goal directed and designed to keep expectations high for all learners. Expertise includes becoming resourceful, knowledgeable, strategic, goal-directed, purposeful, and motivated as learners (Ertmer & Newby, 1996; Meyer, Rose, & Gordon, 2014).

• Data-driven, iterative processes: Learning design is an intentional, iterative process focused on continuous improvement at all levels, using rich and varied data to inform subsequent design.

UDL-SICC Guide (PDF)

This guide helps school teams use the UDL-SICC to improve school-wide UDL implementation or seek UDL school certification. The guide provides:

• An overview of the School Implementation and Certification Criteria.

• Information, tools, and resources related to using the UDL-SICC to improve school-wide UDL implementation.

• Information, tools, and resources related to using the UDL-SICC to apply for UDL School Certification.

Download a PDF version of the UDL-SICC Guide

Implementation and Certification Levels

The certification levels described below, provide an overview of the continuum of practices leading to UDL school implementation and certification.

These levels include:

Level 1 Beginning:

The UDL Leadership team determines the extent to which they currently meet the element requirements. Using data from multiple sources, they set goals and develop a plan to move toward greater alignment. The UDL Leadership team determines what data they will use to monitor progress toward meeting the school certification elements. At this level, the UDL Leadership team and a few early adopters are implementing UDL practices.

Level 2 Intermediate:

The school community adopts and uses the UDL framework to guide development of the systematic implementation of UDL practices across the four domains; school culture and environment, teaching and learning, leadership and management and professional learning. The UDL Leadership team continues to collect data from multiple sources, analyzes the data to monitor progress and revises UDL implementation goals in all domains. At this level, a simple majority of educators in the school are implementing UDL practices.

Level 3 Advanced:

The school community uses the UDL framework to guide improvement of UDL implementation practices in the four domains; school culture and environment, teaching and learning, leadership and management and professional learning. The UDL leadership team monitors UDL implementation and student data in all domains and adjusts plans based on their findings. At this level, a clear majority of educators in the school and some school community members are implementing UDL practices.

Level 4 Innovative Model Schools:

The UDL Leadership team shares their UDL implementation story (lessons learned, strategies and successes, including data that shows significant change in target outcomes) with the broader education community. They mentor other schools that are implementing UDL and help advance the UDL community by designing and implementing innovative UDL practices. At this level, nearly all educators in the school and most school community members are implementing UDL practices.