August UDL Connections

Each month this periodical will 1) highlight critical UDL practices, 2) make connections to the UDL guidelines and checkpoints, 3) connect you with great tools and resources, 4) share some ways schools are putting this practice into action and 5) offer additional approaches to utilize this highlighted practice.

3.3.a Present content and teach skills in multiple ways with options and scaffolding available.

6.4 Enhance capacity for monitoring progress

• Use of assessment checklists, scoring rubrics, and multiple examples of annotated student work/performance examples

1. The Worked Solution Strategy (WSS):

Scaffolding Algebraic Reasoning is a great practice guide highlighting the importance of using worked solutions to engage students in higher levels of cognition and reasoning. Please look at the image below (Fig. 2) for an example.

Why it works: Reducing the cognitive load of computation to allow for higher-level thinking and reasoning.

Pros: Access to participation and engagement in high-level, grade-level thinking and reasoning for all students.

Cons: It may take a bit more prep time to prepare these worked solutions before the lesson.

Big Idea: Enhancing the student's capacity to monitor progress builds expert learners

The image below showcases an example of what this might look like and comes from the above source (Ricommini & Morano, 2019).

2. Use Mentor Text as strong examples for literacy. The Providing Writing Models resources from the Learning Variability Project and Digital Promise contain examples of Mentor Texts, including student examples.

3. The use of Text Sets, Anchor Charts, and examples as scaffolds. The Lending Library through OCALI offers curriculum kits with text sets that can be accessed for free! You just need to create an account.

The classroom examples here reference scaffolds used to support the writing of an Argumentative Essay where students answered the prompt: "Who's to blame for the loss of life on the Titanic?" Students read a text set about the Titanic that was used to build background knowledge (Amplify Unit 6F: The Titanic Collection). During the close reading of each text, the teacher and students were very intentional through the use of color coding to find evidence that supported each argument before making their own decision of who was to blame for the loss of life.

The teacher used Titanic Essay Prompt examples with different verb options to scaffold word choice, which was particularly helpful to her English Learner population, along with an Essay Writing Scaffold that helped to organize ideas and include key names, etc.

The pictures below show the lesson's I can statement, the anchor charts used, and a color coding activity modeled during the class.

One of the most recurring comments about any professional learning I've ever done is this:

"Would like more examples."

~or something similar...

It's true. Participants always want examples.

One easy way is to base your professional learning sessions on a practice profile, like the one in each newsletter. If the practice profile is done well, it should include what ideal and unacceptable or harmful practices look like. Additionally, videos or resources of examples can be linked directly into the profile!

Ohio is busy creating a host of implementation tools for UDL. This includes learning modules to support the "what" of UDL and also implementation tools to help with the "how."

As a member of the UDL Collaborative, I have the privilege to be a part of those conversations and tool creation.

In the spirit of making connections (this periodical's new name) and sharing scaffolds, I was asked to share a resource created by the implementation work group to support teams in using our Ohio 5-step process in a way that connects to our Ohio Collaborative Practice Profile.

The following graphic attempts to merge the two into a UDL Design Cycle that can be used at any level of the system (building, school, classroom, and student).

1. In Ohio, we start with Step 1: Identify Critical Needs informed by comprehensive needs assessments, state or school priorities, standards, etc. The need informs the goal, and we know, based on the Practice Profile, that our goals need to be clear.

2. We then use Step 2: Research and Select Evidence-Based Strategies to support the identified need. If we look at the UDL Practice Profile and UDL framework, we have an evidence-based approach to guide us, and we remember to include multiple means, flexible methods and materials in our design.

3. Once we have that knowledge, we can then move to Step 3: Plan for implementation. Our Practice Profile tells us this should be intentional planning for variability to remove/reduce barriers.

4. Step 4: Implement and Monitor is the implementation and monitoring of the plan, which we describe in our practice profile as a timely and flexible assessment.

5. Step 5: Examine, Reflect, and Adjust is our opportunity to reflect on our overall UDL design and determine effectiveness. In this step, we move closer to becoming expert learners and expert practitioners.

As the cycle continues, we adjust and revise based on data and evidence for continuous improvement and expert learning.

It's as simple as that!

Hopefully, this scaffold (image above) will make connections for you in your practice.

If you'd like to know more about mentor text as strong examples, you can listen to Podcast about Mentor Text here: https://archive.nwp.org/cs/public/print/resource/4090

Paul Ricommini will be back in Ohio this fall!

I've shared his work in a couple of periodicals and wanted to extend this opportunity to all of you!

Language Support and Fluency in the Math Classroom, K-12

Learn more about Paul and his work at https://www.retrievalpractice.org/.

Learn more about the Ohio Improvement Process from OLAC and their New Personnel Guide to OIP, which includes this quick video created by Michele Moore, SST5 Director.

Finally, check out the G-Tech Summit for great examples of multiple means.

Cherie Smith began working at State Support Team Region 6 in July 2015. She has a Master of Education in Educational Leadership and the Inclusive Classroom. Most of her experience has been in special education as a supervisor and an Intervention Specialist at the secondary level. She has taught students wtih disabiliteis in both Florida and Ohio.

Cherie is currently a co-chair of Universal Design for Learning Implementation and Research Network's Implementation Special Interest Group and is a member of the Ohio UDL Collaborative.

As an SST6 Consultant, she supports districts in the Ohio Implementation Process as a Regional Data Lead. She leads Universal Design for Learning and is part of the Special Education team supporting districts with IDEA Internal Monitoring, Postsecondary Transition, PBIS, and College and Career Readiness.

Email: csmith@sst6.org
Website: https://www.sst6.org/UniversalDesignforLearning.aspx
Location: 1045 Dearbaugh Avenue, Wapakoneta, OH, USA
Phone: 419-739-0170
Facebook: facebook.com/SST6ohio
Twitter: @SST6