Provision of Specially Designed Instruction
All special education students must receive specially designed instruction attached to the IEP goals. The definition of special education is specially designed instruction. (WAC 392-172A-01175)
Special education services means specially designed instruction, at no cost to the parents, to meet the unique needs of a student eligible for special education services, including instruction conducted in the classroom, in the home, in hospitals and institutions, and in other settings; and instruction in physical education. We receive frequent concerns from educators who are not able to provide the required SDi for their students. This occurs in a variety of ways. When districts schedule special education personnel to provide push-in services, staff may not have the time to provide the Specially Designed Instruction (SDI) to all of their students. Some districts have SDI assigned to general education teachers, who generally do not have the time to provide SDI, so instead provide accommodations or modifications of general education instruction on general education goals rather than special education goals. This does not meet the definition of SDI. Some districts have paraeducators provide SDI either in the general education classroom or special education settings without the required supervision to provide SDI (see Tap #6) and the Appendix to Tap #6. In order to qualify for special education, the evaluation team needs to determine the existence of a qualifying disability and state that the student is in need of specially designed instruction (SDI).
What is Specially Designed Instruction?
Use the framework below to determine if you are providing SDI. The green bar separating basic education and special education is wide and represents the fact that some instruction sits on the borderline. There is no absolute bright line. If the instruction you are providing falls on this band, take additional data to ensure that the student is making sufficient progress.
- This conceptual framework shows the continuum of instructional modifications/ accommodations relating to content and methodology, including the point at which instruction becomes “specially designed”. The vertical axis includes the range of content modifications, while the horizontal axis represents modifications in methodology.
- The IEP team determines how the instruction will be delivered, based on the unique needs of the student.
- Individual accommodations are not, by themselves, considered to be specially designed instruction. Accommodations are changes that are environmentally-related, while specially designed instruction involves adapting the content, methodology, or delivery of instruction.
- Students with disabilities may have goals that are not related to the general curriculum but instead are designed to address their very individual needs that are non-academic. They may also have goals that are related to the general curriculum, but at different levels than their non-disabled peers.
- Students with disabilities may need to have the elements of instruction broken down and taught separately or with greater intensity.
- No matter how one adapts the content, methodology, or delivery of instruction, the instruction that is provided should be designed to: (a) meet the student’s unique individual needs that result from the student’s disability (as identified in the student’s current evaluation report); and (b) ensure the student’s access to the general curriculum so that the student can meet the educational standards that apply to all students.
For additional assistance to determine if you are providing SDI go to the OSPI Evaluation and IEP Technical Assistance Module Power Point and review slides 25-30.
If special education qualified students are placed in general education without SDI and are doing well with only accommodations and modifications, the evaluation team needs to re-evaluate the student to determine if the student continues to qualify for special education. If the student does not need specially designed instruction, they are not eligible for special education even if they have the qualifying disability. The team should explore whether the student is in need of accommodations and protection under Section 504.
For additional information regarding inclusion and SDI you can explore the Community Complaint decisions related to SDI.