May UDL Connections

Each month this periodical will 1) highlight critical UDL practices, 2) make connections to the UDL guidelines and considerations, 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.

Present content and teach skills in multiple ways with options and scaffolding available (including Explicit Instruction).

If we'd say including predictable options in your classroom is important (and we would), then explicitly teaching students about them in crucial. If students do not know how to use the options available to them, or there is stigma around the use of those options, the teacher will not be able to maximize their learning and not develop learner agency.

As we dive into May’s resources, we’re reminded of how important it is to make language accessible and meaningful for all learners. While many UDL guidelines connect with this month's materials, we felt especially drawn to revisit the powerful idea of "17 meaningful exposures" to new vocabulary (Beck, McKeown, & Kucan, 2008). This concept emphasizes the need for repeated, intentional encounters with words across time and contexts—through explicit instruction, reading, writing, and discussion.

Curtis and Logo (1999) study affirms that providing students with 10 new words per week and offering 10–15 varied exposures to each word (through direct instruction, games, reading, and conversation) led to one full year of growth on a reading diagnostic.

So this month, we invite you to reflect on how you clarify vocabulary in your own classroom. How might small, intentional shifts in word exposure help all students build stronger comprehension and create lasting, meaningful connections to words?

First, we want to think about how predictable options within our classroom lead to multiple, accessible exposures of vocabulary.

Predictable Options are defined as: Scaffolds that are available all the time for ALL students.

Do you use and explictly teach the available scaffolds or predictable options within your classroom/learning environment? This template is a good way to make an inventory of all of the ways to you do! Plus, the third column allows you, the instructional designer, to think about ways to scale up your practices! There is a completed example for Writing provided below in the newsletter in the "How Schools Are Ultilizng Predictable Options section.

Predictable Options Template updated with the UDL 3.0 language (pictured below).

Next, linked here is a nice publication, Effective Vocabulary Instruction for Kindergarten to 12th Grade Students Experiencing Learning Disabilities | Council for Learning Disabilities, to support the methods used to teach vocabulary and provide those mulitple exposures.

Finally, "a key understanding of universal design practices is that accessible and inclusive design benefits everyone..."

So to our friends in the field, we wanted to offer this statement about our own key term, universally designed systemic practices. To help with that, we are looking to our federal laws and plans for guidance.

The United State Department of Education published a Dear Colleague Letter on the Provision of Assistive Technology Devices and Services for Children with Disabilities under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (PDF) in January 2024 that states, “In 2015, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) amended the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) and incorporated a renewed commitment to ensuring equal opportunities and introduced Universal Design for Learning in K-12 educational policy. This is echoed in the U.S. Department of Education 2024 National Education Technology Plan (NETP), which states institutions should, “[d]esign and sustain systems that support ongoing learning for new and veteran teachers and administrators, providing them with the time and space needed to design learning opportunities aligned with the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Framework.”

It's our hope that the resources in May's UDL Connections provide some opportunities to do just that, provide you and your organization ways to design learning opportunities aligned with UDL.

Heidi has shared how one school is using Predictable Options to support Vocabulary and Writing.

As you click on the link, take a look at what they are currently doing (center column) and what they hope to add to their instuctional framework (far right/third column).

There are lots of great scaffolds included in this example. Below are some of the different ways teachers are using those or similar scaffolds to give student multiple exposures to vocabulary.

We can all benefit from opportunities to enhance our understanding and implementation of Universal Design for Learning (UDL). This is why I greatly appreciate Elizabeth Stark and Jérémie Rostan's LUDIA Livebinder, which I’ve linked and pictured below. Incorporating this valuable resource into your professional library is an excellent way to provide consistent options for your staff regarding UDL practices.

Whether you are looking to onboard new team members with essential UDL resources or utilize LUDIA as a knowledgeable AI partner in lesson design, the Livebinder

offers a wealth of information and support unlike any other. It can significantly enrich any professional library by facilitating deeper engagement with UDL principles.

LUDIA is an AI-powered partner designed to support educators in implementing Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles. Educators can utilize LUDIA as a predictable option to promote their professional learning by accessing tailored strategies that address diverse learner needs. By engaging with LUDIA, we can explore ways to create inclusive learning environments, remove barriers, and enhance student agency, ensuring that all learners can thrive. LUDIA's role is to facilitate meaningful discussions and provide resources that align with educators' specific challenges and goals.

Don't Miss Out- There's so many great learning experiences coming this summer!

Join Heidi at the CREATE 2025 conference June 5, 2025. Register today!

Also, register now for UDL-CON 2025 at the Captial Hilton in Washington, DC July 22-23!

Cherie will be there presenting along with Loui Lord Nelson and Elizabeth Stark! We would love to see you in our sessoin: Shifting Gears: Conversations for Change.

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 served as a co-chair of the 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 supports 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: @Smith43326

Heidi Orvosh, Ph.D., is an instruction and technology integration specialist/consultant/coach with Northern Buckeye Education Council. She works with schools around the region to build the capacity of local educational agencies to engage in systemic and sustainable improvements for students. Her primary focus is in the area of technology integration and Universal Design for Learning. She has over 20 years of professional expertise in the area of education. Her previous experience includes consultant with State Support Team Region 7, administrator, and teacher at the secondary and post-secondary level. Her doctorate is in Curriculum and Instruction from New Mexico State University.

Email: orvosh@nwoca.org

Website: https://www.nwoca.org
Phone: Cell (575) 202-5856
Facebook: facebook.com/SST6ohio
Twitter: @HeidiOrvosh

Jenny (she/her) is an educational consultant and Regional Data Lead for SST 16. In addition to her membership in the Ohio UDL Collaborative, her work involves supporting leadership teams with the Ohio Improvement Process, assisting with attendance work, and co-leading regional Each Child on Track initiatives. Prior to joining SST, Jenny spent thirteen years as a secondary science teacher. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Earth Science Education and a Master of Education in Cultural Studies in Education.

Email: jenny.lang@sst16.org
Website: https://www.sst16.org/
Location: 21 Birge Drive, Chauncey, OH 45719, USA

Phone: 740-797-0150

Favorite Dinosaur: Parasaurolophus

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