Intent:
To ensure that all members of the school community are included in and benefit from learning opportunities, the school community commits to design equitable and inclusive learning experiences and environments. Learning experiences and environments have been designed to consider the variability of the whole learner, including dimensions of cultural, social, emotional, cognitive, perceptual, physical, and sensory variability. When a school community views individual and school-wide decisions through a person-centered lens, every member of the learning community is valued.
Indicators:
The school community designs a culture (which includes beliefs, processes, activities, and procedures) that supports inclusion and equity by:
committing to design for the variability of all members, including cultural, social, emotional, cognitive, perceptual, physical, and sensory variability;
using a design process to resolve school culture issues related to inclusion and equity;
actively fostering a sense of belonging for every member of the school community; and
actively fostering meaningful relationships within the school community.
Schools at the beginning level of UDL implementation will:
gather baseline data related to current school culture* and its effect on equity and inclusion.
analyze and articulate how current school culture* affects equity and inclusion.
develop a plan to intentionally design school procedures, activities, and processes that promote equity and inclusion by establishing goals to address the gaps in current practices.
Develop a process to monitor progress toward their goal to close the inclusion and equity gap.
*(including beliefs, processes, activities, and procedures)
Schools at the intermediate level of UDL implementation will:
demonstrate how the school staff is engaged in developing and supporting a school culture* that values and strives for inclusion and equity.
use data related to school procedures, activities, and processes that promote equity and inclusion, to monitor progress toward achieving school culture goals
Iterate on the plan to improve school culture related to inclusion and equity.
Schools at the advanced level of UDL implementation will:
demonstrate how the school community is engaged in school culture practices that value and strive for inclusion and equity.
use data derived from school procedures, activities, processes, and student outcomes to demonstrate how the school community is closing the equity and inclusion gap.
iterate on the plan as needed to improve school culture related to inclusion and equity.
Schools at the highest stages of UDL implementation and innovation will:
present evidence that the majority of the school’s educators are using practices associated with promoting a culture of equity and inclusion throughout the school.
serve as leaders to advance UDL design practices by
mentoring other schools or the UDL community at large.
Developing and sharing innovative UDL design practices that promote equity and inclusion.
Intent: To ensure that the school community sets high expectations for all, learning environments and experiences are intentionally designed so all members become resourceful, knowledgeable, strategic, goal-directed, purposeful, and motivated learners. By designing a learning environment that aligns with the UDL framework and promotes a “learning how to learn” perspective, all members can become self-directed, expert, lifelong learners.
Indicators:
The school community designs a culture (which includes beliefs, processes, activities, and procedures) that supports expert learning by:
setting high expectations for all community members as evidenced by the school’s language, environment, processes, activities, and procedures; and
making expert learning a priority, as evidenced by the school’s language, environments, processes, activities, and procedures.
Schools beginning UDL implementation will:
gather baseline data related to the current school culture* and its effect on all members as they strive to become expert learners.
analyze and articulate how the current school culture* affects expert learning.
set goals and develop a plan to intentionally design school procedures, activities and processes that promote a school-wide learning community focused on developing expert learners.
Develop a process to monitor progress toward their goal to develop expert learners.
Schools at the intermediate level of UDL implementation will:
demonstrate how the school staff is engaged in developing and supporting a school culture (including beliefs, processes, activities and procedures) that values and strives for expert learning.
monitor progress toward achieving school culture goals using data related to school beliefs, procedures, activities and processes that promote expert learning.
Iterate on the plan to improve school culture related to expert learning.
Schools in the advanced level of UDL implementation will:
demonstrate how the school community is engaged in school practices (including beliefs, processes, activities and procedures) that promote expert learning.
demonstrate how the school community is supporting expert learning using data related to school procedures, activities, processes, and student outcomes.
Iterate on the plan to improve school culture related to expert learning.
Schools at the highest stages of implementation and innovation will:
present evidence that a majority of the school’s educators are using practices associated with promoting a culture of expert learning throughout the school.
serve as leaders to advance UDL design practices by
mentoring other schools or the UDL community at large.
Developing and sharing innovative UDL design practices that promote expert learning.
Intent: Strategically planned and regularly monitored communication helps to unify the school community around the commitment to UDL. It serves to forge strong partnerships among members and provides open channels for reflective feedback to ensure effective implementation of UDL. Communication should occur in multiple modalities and across multiple platforms.
Indicators:
The school community intentionally designs communications that:
have a specific purpose/goal in mind,
anticipates variability within the school community,
ensures content is accessible, and
includes content that builds an understanding of UDL throughout the school community, shares evidence of UDL implementation outcomes, and promotes expert learning throughout the school community.
Schools in the beginning stages of UDL implementation will:
gather baseline data reflecting current communication strategies and the degree to which they anticipate variability and promote equity, inclusion and expert learning for all.
analyze and articulate how current communication practices anticipate variability and promote equity, inclusion and expert learning for all.
Set goals and develop a plan to intentionally design a communication strategy/plan that anticipate variability and promote equity, inclusion and expert learning for all.
Develop a process to monitor the effect of their communication and message strategies.
Schools in the intermediate stages of UDL implementation will:
demonstrate that at least half of educators frequently share messages with the school community that anticipate variability and promote equity, inclusion and expert learning for all.
Monitor the effectiveness of communication practices to anticipate variability and promote equity, inclusion and expert learning for all.
Iterate on the plan to improve effectiveness of communication regarding UDL implementation.
Schools in the advanced stages of UDL implementation will:
demonstrate that a majority of educators consistently share messages with the school community that anticipate variability and promote equity, inclusion and expert learning for all.
Demonstrate the effectiveness of communication practices to anticipate variability and promote equity, inclusion and expert learning for all.
Iterate, on the plan to improve effectiveness of communication regarding UDL implementation.
Schools at the highest stages of implementation will:
demonstrate that a majority of the school community consistently use communication practices that anticipate variability and promote equity, inclusion and expert learning for all.
serve as leaders to advance UDL communication practices by
mentoring other schools or the UDL community at large.
Developing and sharing innovative UDL communication practices.
Intent: School spaces are intentionally designed to respond to anticipated learning variability of the school community (including cognitive, physical, perceptual, sensory, social, emotional and cultural variability). Community, classroom, and digital spaces are designed, adopted, or adapted to be accessible, flexible, goal oriented and welcoming. Design can include either reducing barriers to existing design constraints where possible or proactively designing newly renovated/adopted physical and digital spaces with the principles of UDL.
Indicators:
With a focus on access, expert learning, inclusion, and equity, the school community intentionally designs school spaces (including appropriate district curriculum, technology, and/or physical spaces) that:
improve accessibility and ease of use;
address the social, emotional and cultural needs of the school community; and
promote expert learning.
Schools in the beginning stages of UDL implementation will:
gather baseline data that reflect the current design of the physical and digital space and its impacts on teaching and learning, including a focus on access, expert learning, inclusion and equity.
analyze and articulate how the current design of the physical and digital space impacts teaching and learning, including a focus on access, expert learning, inclusion and equity.
set goals and develop a plan* to intentionally design common, classroom, and digital spaces to improve teaching and learning, including a focus on access, expert learning, inclusion and equity.
Develop a process to monitor the effectiveness of the design of common, classroom, and digital spaces to improve teaching and learning, including a focus on access, expert learning, inclusion and equity.
*include appropriate district curriculum, technology, and/or space design leaders or team members as needed.
Schools in the intermediate stages of UDL implementation will:
demonstrate that at least half of all educators design physical and digital spaces in anticipation of learner variability with a focus on access, expert learning, inclusion, and equity.
use data to monitor the impact physical and digital space designs have on teaching and learning, including access, expert learning, inclusion, and equity.
Iterate on the plan* to design the physical and digital spaces in anticipation of learner variability with a focus on access, expert learning, inclusion, and equity.
*include appropriate district curriculum, technology, and/or space design leaders or team members as needed.
Schools in the advanced stages of UDL implementation wil
demonstrate that a significant majority of educators design physical and digital spaces in anticipation of learner variability with a focus on access, expert learning, inclusion and equity.
use data to demonstrate the impact the physical and digital space designs have on teaching and learning, including access, expert learning, inclusion, and equity.
Iterate on the plan* to design the physical and digital spaces in anticipation of learner variability with a focus on access, expert learning, inclusion, and equity.
*include appropriate district curriculum, technology, and/or space design leaders or team members as needed.
Schools in the highest stages of UDL implementation will:
demonstrate that a significant majority of educators design the physical and digital spaces in anticipation of learner variability with a focus on access, expert learning, inclusion and equity.
use data to demonstrate the significant impact that designing the physical and digital space has on teaching and learning, including access, expert learning, inclusion, and equity.
serve as leaders to advance UDL space design practices:
mentor other schools or the UDL community at large.
Develop and share innovative UDL space design practices.
In Practice