69传媒

Special Report
Every Student Succeeds Act

ESSA Spotlights Strategy to Reach Diverse Learners

By Christina A. Samuels 鈥 February 23, 2016 6 min read
69传媒 Cindy Chen, left, and Rendy Zhong practice reading in a classroom at Southside Elementary School, in Columbus, Ind. The school is part of a district that practices universal design for learning, an instructional framework that seeks to open up multiple routes to learning. It can touch on everything from teaching and assessment strategies to classroom design and the outline of the school day.
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Copy URL

Sprinkled throughout the newly reauthorized version of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act are references to an instructional strategy that supporters think has enormous potential for reaching learners with diverse needs.

The next thing to do, those proponents say, is getting more educators to understand just what it means.

Called universal design for learning, or UDL for short, the strategy encompasses a wide set of teaching techniques, allowing multiple ways for teachers to present information and for students to engage in lessons and demonstrate what they know.

A universally designed lesson, for example, might include audiovisual components, illustrations, traditional lectures, enlarged print, or glossaries so that students can have easy access to unfamiliar terms. Universal design for learning also encourages students to use a variety of techniques, such as group projects, multimedia presentations, drawings, or music.

Within the Every Student Succeeds Act, the latest update of the ESEA, Congress said that states should adhere to principles of universal design for learning as they develop student assessments. The law also calls for states to create plans for comprehensive literacy instruction and to incorporate universal design for learning principles in those plans.

ESSA also says that federal money can be used for technology that supports the strategy.

Universal design for learning is for any student. But it is seen as particularly important for students with disabilities, English-language learners, and others who might struggle with more traditional methods of teaching and testing. It also makes an appearance in the Higher Education Act of 2008, which defines the term and provides guidelines for how its principles can be incorporated into teacher training.

Wide Application

The recognition of the approach in the new law is spotty, said Nancy Reder, the co-chairwoman of the National UDL Task Force, a coalition of some 50 organizations that are promoting more widespread adoption of universal design for learning methods.

But the group will take it, she said.

鈥淲hat we had hoped for is that UDL would be something that could be mentioned, not just on the assessment portion [of the law], but on things you can do with the money. We didn鈥檛 get that,鈥 she said.

As part of the educational framework called universal design for learning, teacher Courtney Rushton鈥檚 classroom at Southside Elementary School in Columbus, Ind., is filled with milk crates, yoga balls, and other alternatives to traditional chairs. The UDL strategy has found a niche in the Every Student Succeeds Act

But the organization sees the mentions as an acknowledgment of how important it is to embrace strategies to reach all learners, said Reder, who is also the deputy executive director of the National Association of State Directors of Special Education.

Sean J. Smith, a professor of special education at the University of Kansas and an expert in technology and universal design for learning, also supports the attention if it leads to a greater understanding of the practice. Though UDL has been a defined practice since the 1990s, Smith says that many people still don鈥檛 have a deep understanding of the approach and how it can work in their classrooms.

What鈥檚 important for educators to understand, Smith said, is that UDL is not a piece of technology, even though technology can support the practice. Universal design for learning is also not a pre-packaged curriculum, though curriculum developers are embracing new ways of presenting information. Rather, it is an educational process that weaves itself throughout a school, he said.

鈥淭he places who are doing it well, they鈥檙e looking at their textbooks, how to design their classrooms, how to design their day. You could go into a room and think, 鈥楢h, this looks different,鈥 鈥 Smith said.

Drawing on Architecture

Universal design for learning intentionally harks back to the architectural concept of universal design, which proposes that products and the built environment should be accessible to the largest number of people, without the need for adaptation. Universally designed products and architecture include items such as automatic doors that are wide enough to accommodate wheelchairs, lamps that can be operated without switches, or automatic teller machines that provide audio as well as visual cues.

UDL operates under the same philosophy that lessons should be created so that they can reach the most children.

What Is Universal Design for Learning?

Universal design for learning, or UDL, is an instructional framework that supports flexible ways for educators to teach lessons, as well as multiple ways for students to demonstrate what they know. The goal: to reach all learners, including students with disabilities and English-language learners. And it鈥檚 making big inroads in regular education classrooms as well. Some examples:

Lesson Components

  • Instructional videos accompanied by scripts and closed-captioning for students who need those supports.
  • Illustrations, simulations, images, or interactive graphics to support or replace information normally provided by plain text.
  • Outlines and graphic organizers to help students organize key ideas and relationships.
  • Key information presented in a student鈥檚 primary language, such as Spanish or American Sign Language.

What 69传媒 Can Do

  • Develop their own goals for learning, broken down with teacher support into short-term objectives.
  • Complete assignments that are alternatives to traditional essays and tests, such as illustrations, songs, or PowerPoint presentations.
  • Use assistive technology such as spellcheckers, text-to-speech software, or calculators.
  • Take part in self-assessment strategies such as role-playing, video reviews, and peer feedback.

Source: National Center on Universal Design for Learning

Often, teachers may be using elements of universal design for learning without recognizing it, said Michael Hodnicki, the instructional coordinator for secondary language arts for the Cecil County, Md., school district. But central office support is essential to making it a systematic practice, he said.

Cecil County, a district of 16,000 students northeast of Baltimore, was one of four school districts around the country that participated in a Gates Foundation-funded project funded to support UDL.

For Cecil County, that project came around the time that the district was embarking on a curriculum rewrite.

鈥淚t enhanced our philosophy on how we address learning variability,鈥 Hodnicki said. 鈥淚t gave us a mechanism and a set collection of principles and tenets of how teachers need to think about the learners in their classroom, all needing different pathways for learning.鈥

The Cecil County district uses the strategy to give teachers a 鈥減erformance task鈥 framework that offers students several different ways that they can demonstrate that they grasp a particular topic.

鈥淭eachers are excited about those kinds of things because they are different. They鈥檙e not reading 100 essays,鈥 Hodnicki said. 鈥淥ne thing I have heard is that submission of assignments has increased as an result. Some of this is going to be a novelty, but we know that we can鈥檛 assess a kid ... if they鈥檙e not submitting their demonstration of understanding.鈥

Plus, teachers are learning more about their students this way, Hodnicki said. 鈥淭hey get to see where students would prefer to put their energy.鈥

The Bartholomew Consolidated school system in Indiana is another district that participated in the grant to enhance UDL practices. George Van Horn, the director of special education for the 11,500-student system, said an essential element of universal design for learning is understanding what every lesson is supposed to be about.

Take, for example, a lesson on the causes of the Civil War. If a teacher requires a student to write an essay on the topic, then two outcomes are being mixed鈥攄emonstrating knowledge of the Civil War, and demonstrating an ability to write an essay. A student who struggles to write an essay, for example, could still have a deep understanding of the Civil War, but just needs another way to show that.

Thinking Differently

But it鈥檚 not always easy to talk educators out of believing that there are only a few best ways to teach a lesson and or deliver an assignment, Van Horn said.

鈥淲e鈥檙e still having those conversations,鈥 Van Horn said. Teachers still wonder 鈥渋f I don鈥檛 do a test or if I don鈥檛 assign an essay, am I really assessing?鈥

However, the district is not eliminating more traditional forms of teaching, he said. For example, one school has created a rotation where students get large group instruction. 鈥淲e have to keep that built in, because that鈥檚 part of the real world,鈥 he said.

Courtney Rushton, a 1st grade teacher in the Bartholomew district, said that universal design principles extend to the way her classroom is set up. Children can sit at regular desks, a standing desk, or on yoga balls.

鈥淢y high-energy kids may not want to sit all day,鈥 she said.

Once, an administrator visited her classroom when a student was sprawled on Rushton鈥檚 desk. During the lesson she asked the student a question. He nailed it, Rushton said.

鈥淭he key part is letting go and knowing that it鈥檚 okay and they鈥檙e still going to learn,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 have found over the past three years that I鈥檝e been here that the more that I let go and give control to my students, the more success that I see in the classroom.鈥

A version of this article appeared in the February 24, 2016 edition of Education Week as ESSA Spotlights Strategy to Reach Diverse Learners

Events

School & District Management Webinar Crafting Outcomes-Based Contracts That Work for Everyone
Discover the power of outcomes-based contracts and how they can drive student achievement.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School & District Management Webinar
Harnessing AI to Address Chronic Absenteeism in 69传媒
Learn how AI can help your district improve student attendance and boost academic outcomes.
Content provided by 
School & District Management Webinar EdMarketer Quick Hit: What鈥檚 Trending among K-12 Leaders?
What issues are keeping K-12 leaders up at night? Join us for EdMarketer Quick Hit: What鈥檚 Trending among K-12 Leaders?

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide 鈥 elementary, middle, high school and more.
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.

Read Next

Every Student Succeeds Act Opinion 20 Years Ago, NCLB Kinda, Sorta Worked. That's the Problem
NCLB's political success gave rise to a more complicated reality of lax academic standards and public cynicism.
3 min read
Image shows a multi-tailed arrow hitting the bullseye of a target.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty
Every Student Succeeds Act Biden Education Department Approves One Request to Cancel State Tests But Rejects Others
Officials will allow D.C. to cancel tests. They denied similar requests from two other states and approved less extensive waiver requests.
6 min read
Image of students taking a test.
smolaw11/iStock/Getty
Every Student Succeeds Act Republicans Tell Miguel Cardona His Plan for ESSA Waivers Seems to Violate the Law
The Every Student Succeeds Act doesn't permit the education secretary to seek certain data he's asking for, the two GOP lawmakers say.
4 min read
White House press secretary Jen Psaki, left, listens as Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, center, speaks during a press briefing at the White House on March 17, 2021.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki, left, listens as Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, center, speaks during a press briefing at the White House on March 17, 2021.
Andrew Harnik/AP
Every Student Succeeds Act How Will ESSA Hold Up During COVID-19? Pandemic Tests the Law's Resilience
Lawmakers designed ESSA to limit mandates covering issues like how tests are used. Will that affect how well the law survives the pandemic?
6 min read
President Barack Obama, flanked by Senate education committee Chairman Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., left, and the committee's ranking member Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., signs the Every Student Succeeds Act on Dec. 10, 2015.
President Barack Obama signs the Every Student Succeeds Act on Dec. 10, 2015, in Washington.
AP Photo/Evan Vucci