Quality Indicators for Delivering Specially Designed Instruction

Overview

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 2004) has the following two indicators that need to be met for a student to qualify for special education services:

• The student must qualify in one or more of the thirteen disability categories.
• The student requires access to Specially Designed Instruction (SDI).

The Quality Indicators for Delivering SDI tool provides guidance for general education teachers, special education teachers, and special education paraeducators to determine what supports are in place, what is being developed, and what is not in place.

Using the SDI Tool

This SDI tool will allow campus administration to monitor what quality indicators are in place, need to be developed, or are not in place. One suggestion is for general education teachers, special education teachers, and paraeducators to complete the individual checklists and share them during Professional Learning Community (PLC) sessions to address areas that need developing or are not in place.

Quality indicators describe the roles general educators can fill across the continuum of support.  Common themes focus on collaboration and shared responsibility that will cause silos in which general and special educators commonly work to dissolve as they support students who work to master grade-level instruction. Responsibilities for use of common planning, use of best instructional practices, high-yield collaborative roles for adults, and effective delivery of SDI within the least restrictive environment are identified in a format designed to promote professional growth and student achievement.   

Quality indicators describe the roles that special education teachers will support across the continuum with the goal of collaboration with the general education teacher who is the expert ensuring that IEPs are aligned with grade-level standards. Responsibilities for collaborative planning, use of best instructional practices, high-yield collaborative roles for adults, and ensuring that accommodations, modifications, and SDI are delivered in the general education classroom or specialized classroom.

Quality indicators describe the role of the special education paraeducator as working under the direct supervision of the special education teacher to provide instructional support in the delivery of accommodations, modifications, and SDI in the general education classroom or specialized setting.

Levels of Quality Indicators and the Special Education Continuum

The models of support described in the quality indicators checklist refer to the following levels of support.

Advance Support

The special education teacher will develop materials, tests and assignments prior to the individual student receiving instruction. This could manifest itself as a shortened assignment or test or a less complex reading passage. The special education teacher will complete these SDI supports ahead of time and provide them to the general education teacher prior to class beginning.

In-Class Support

There are four different models of in-class support available to the individual special education students in the general education classroom.

Collaborative Teaching/Co-Teaching

The general education teacher and special education teacher are in the classroom providing support for special education students throughout the class period.

Support Facilitation-Peer

This is where classroom peers are providing support to students with disabilities in the classroom.

Support Facilitation-Special Education Teacher

During a portion of the general education instruction, the special education teacher provides direct instructional support during a portion of the instructional class period.

Support Facilitation-Special Education Paraeducator

During general education instruction, the special education paraeducator provides instructional support under the direct supervision of the special education teacher.

Specialized Support

There are three different models of specialized support available to individual special education students in a specialized setting.

General Educator

The general educator can provide indirect support for ensuring the special education student is receiving their IEP goals based on grade level standards and expectations by meeting regularly with the special education teacher.

Special Education Teacher

The special education teacher is implementing the IEPs in a smaller setting to meet the unique instructional needs of the special education student.

Special Education Paraeducator

The special education paraeducator is providing instructional support to the student with a disability under the direct supervision of the special education teacher.