Episode 49: Planning For Success: Specially Designed Instruction

Transcript

Arthur: "Welcome to the Inclusion Think Tank where we talk about inclusive education, why it works, and how to make it happen.

A note from the host: as this and several future episodes were pre-recorded, you will hear references to New Jersey Coalition for Inclusive Education, also known as NJCIE, which has since undergone a name change to All In for Inclusive Education. Please note that, although it has a new name, All In for Inclusive Education is still doing its usual awesome things.

On today’s episode, I welcome my guest Sara Jutcovich. Sara is an Inclusion Facilitator with ALL IN, She is currently a doctoral student studying Educational Leadership with a specialization in Special Education. During our conversation today, we discussed Specially Designed Instruction, often referred to as SDI, why is it important, and how can educators plan or incorporate SDI into their classroom setting.

Arthur: I would like to welcome everyone back to another episode of the Inclusion Think Tank podcast brought to you by New Jersey Coalition for Inclusive Education. I am your host, Arthur Aston, and I am joined today by my guest, Sara Jutcovich. So thank you, Sara, for joining me today. I'm excited for our conversation.

Sara: Same here. Thanks for having me, Arthur.

Arthur: Yes. So to begin our conversation, can you share a little bit about yourself, who you are, some things you enjoy doing in your free time? I always say if you have any free time and also share a little bit about what you do as an inclusion facilitator with NJCIE.

Sara: Sure. So a little bit about myself. I was a teacher in New York City for ten years.

My background is in inclusive education. In elementary education. I also have a masters in literacy as well. And the reason I went into all of that is when I was a young student, I would say second or third grade I was diagnosed with a learning disability as well and just have really been passionate about inclusive education. I've had a range of educational experiences in segregated settings and inclusive settings, and they were night and day.

So my my focus has really been all around inclusive education. I went to undergrad for that and I was really specific in the kind of program I was looking for. And ever since then I've been passionate about that and really working to help, give more opportunities for students to have inclusive educational experiences.

And like you said, in my spare time, if I have any, I do have two little kids, two daughters, ages two and four. So we're very busy here. And when I'm not working, keeping up with them and just running around, but they're the best.

I'm trying to think what else?

Sara: Oh, my day-to-day as an inclusion facilitator, what's so great about this job is that there's no two days that are the same. I really get to do so many wonderful things.

Being an inclusion facilitator. Some days I'm in schools working with our implementation teams for our grant work, other days I'm doing coaching for some of our for-fee schools.

It really is as a range or we're presenting and speaking at conferences, working with colleagues, collaborating right now, a colleague of mine we're doing some redesign on some of our packages around teaching and differentiation.

So we're always doing different things and it's what keeps this job so interesting, great and special, but it's been fun I've been here for it's my second year, going into my third. So this has been a really great time it at NJCIE.

Arthur: I love asking that question first, I love asking the question of how you became interested in inclusive education just to hear everyone's story because we all got here somehow with finding our passion and finding our love of what we do.

And then also the inclusion facilitator, asking what to do. And everyone says the same thing, like it's so different every day. It's just keeps it interesting. That's the fun part.

Sara: It keeps it interesting, and it also gives us such a range of understanding of education as a whole.

We're seeing different things happening. And even some schools within the same district. Different things, different mindsets, different different areas of need, different areas of strength.

So it's really incredible to see and see such dedicated teachers really across the board, but also different things happening and how we can support.

Arthur: Yes. Yeah. So as you're well aware, this podcast is all about inclusive education.

So how would you define inclusive education? What does inclusive education mean to you?

Sara: I have a few thoughts on it. I think it means all children and all kids, right? Not some kids, all kids. And that's something we come across a lot in our work as well can learn and be successful in a general education environment.

We know the research is really clear on that. We know the legislation is clear on that. But really that belief, that true deep belief that all students can be successful and should be placed there so that they have the best outcomes for their future. I mean, that's really, I think, like the bottom line.

I think it also, though, is a really a commitment about how kind of we view society and our outlook on things and how we believe truly that all students deserve to have that sense of belonging, that sense of true membership in their community.

And I think, sometimes we hear one of those misconceptions like, oh, that sounds so nice on paper, but like, that's not going to work in reality.

Sara: But it can work in reality and it does work in reality when it's set up properly, right? When we have the supports in place for our students and also the supports in place for our teachers so that they feel supported as well in this process.

Sara: So it's there's a lot of factors and a lot of kind of players at play, but it is possible and we do see this as successful when all of the supports are put in place. And again, when teachers, administrators, and families have that understanding that this is really a right for all children, not just a select few and a handful of students, but really for all.

And I think once we we wrap our head around that piece the rest kind of falls into play because then we can make it work. But it's really that mindset of that all students deserve this and not just a handful.

Arthur: Yes. Yeah, that is I think that's the true definition of inclusion. Like to include everyone and realizing that that looks different for different students, their inclusion level, it looks different, but it can be and it is possible. It can be done.

Having the full support of everyone involved and making it happen is the key to being successful with it. So thank you for that great explanation.

Arthur: In June, we held our summer inclusion conference and you were one of the presenters and your presentation was on specially designed instruction.

So can you share with us what the specially designed instruction, also known as SDI? Can you share with us what that is?

Sara: Absolutely. And it's it's actually one of my favorite talk topics to really talk about and discuss. We've been seeing more and more schools and districts asking for support around this. So that's one of the reasons why I picked this for the presentation topic.

So especially design instruction is what makes special education, special. And so one of the activities that I start with for really all of my presentations around this is I show IDEA section 300.39 in case you want to look it up and it really has the definition laid out.

So it says specially designed instruction is a means of adapting as appropriate the content, methodology, and delivery of instruction.

And I actually have the teachers and staff members go through and underline important parts of the definition. And when we kind of tease it out, right, we're adapting content, methodology and delivery to address unique needs. And something important that it says in IDEA is that it actually doesn't say to give some access, right? But it actually says to ensure access.

Sara: So it's really that promise of providing access for students. And then it goes on to say it's to meet the educational standards. It's not just to, again, give access to the standards or, have students just kind of hear it right. Kind of that superficial level. But really to meet the educational standards, which is which is the goal.

And that's really our job as special education teachers to be providing specially designed instruction. And, sometimes in the day-to-day of either teaching or whatever position you're in having kids keep up with the content and all of those things, that piece can sometimes get lost, especially design instruction piece. So that's really what the presentation was about.

Sara: It was how to plan, how to think through specially designed instruction, and also, where to start, where do I start when I'm trying to plan, specially designed instruction.

I'm looking at a student's IEP or multiple students IEPs and thinking, okay, what strategies do I need to put in place? What systems do I need to have to really make sure that I'm getting at the heart of specialty design instruction?

Because it's, again, what the teacher is doing for the students. So sometimes we'll hear, Oh, well, I gave them a graphic organizer. That's the specialty design instruction, right? Or I gave them extended time. But that's that's not really the instruction the teacher is providing. That's a tool or an accommodation that the student is using, which is also important, but that's not specially designed instruction.

So specially designed instruction would be a really targeted reading comprehension strategy if that was an IEP goal that the student was working on or if they have a reading disability that targeted instruction which we know would benefit other students. That's called incidental benefit, right, for the students. But it is something that is designed specifically for that student in mind based on their IEP and their educational needs.

Arthur: I love, they say words are important. When you said to ensure like that’s a really big like one big emphasis like that means something that really does something versus a more general use of a word.

Sara: Absolutely. And many times, the several times I've done this with groups of teachers, they've picked out that word, and meeting educational standards. So they're kind of focused on those those verbs. Right. And that power that is coming to this, that this is the goal. It is really our job to provide this. And it's what's going to help move our students.

Arthur: Yeah, Yeah. When you said that, I was like, wow. that's a really bold that they said that.

That really, hit me like okay like so that really Yeah, it really means something.

Sara: Anne Benninghoff who I've used a lot of her research in her work and in our, SDI trainings and something she says which I love and I always kind of end my presentations with this is, this should be an empowering thing for special education teachers, like the idea that we are providing this specially designed instruction that another teacher is not able to do it like we are able to do this, that this should really be a level of empowerment for us.

Sometimes we talk with special ed teachers and they feel like they're not what sure what they should be doing in the classroom or they feel kind of like an assistant or an aide, or they feel, you know, it's not their place to stop in the, you know, with the general education teachers doing or add their insight.

And again, I think once we can reframe it as like, this is our job, this is our core responsibility to be providing specially designed instruction to students with IEPs, it can really shift how we're planning, how we're thinking about instruction and make a lot of impact.

Arthur: And again, another good word, empowering.

Sara: We all need to be empowered.

Arthur: So why is it important to implement SDI and how can educators plan or incorporate SDI into their classroom setting?

Sara: That’s a that's a great question. And I spend a lot of time really talking about the implementation, right? Because we can like research the best strategies. And I always share lists of strategies and, you know, best practices for different things to do, specially design instruction are there is no list.

So it's kind of we have to kind of put together these best practices through research. We want to keep it really evidence-based and research-based. But once we have that understanding, right? Multi-sensory learning or using a think-aloud, that could be an example, especially design instruction. But then how do I implement it, right?

That's kind of that next step. And we always want to leave teachers with the action. We want it to be actionable for them because if we just give content and we don't make it applicable, we're not going to we're not going to use it right, like anyone. So this thought of how do we then take what we know about specialty design instruction, best practices, and really put it into action?

Sara: So something that I've started doing and I did this when I was teaching, I kind of started like the old school way, right? Paper, pencil. I kind of created an IEP tracker of all of my students When I was in New York City. We had a lot of students in our much larger numbers than in New Jersey. So I was recording 13 students with IEPs, their IEP goals across subject areas, and that's how I would plan, right?

I would bring what I knew they were working on and I would think of strategies that I needed for small group group instruction into my plans. And over time, then when I went into middle school and I had even more classes that I was going between really thinking about, okay, what's working for these students? Maybe in one setting in math that I could share with their ELA teacher or vice versa?

And that idea of a tracker and that's something in bending uses as well, but it's been really helpful. And the teachers I've been coaching with this year around, specially designed instruction, we have the student names, their IEP goals and then any SDi notes that we take. So students teachers might try. Wow, this worked really, really well. I want to remember this for the next lesson, or I want to share this with the Gen-ed teacher.

So whether in science, maybe this is something that is implemented as well.

So I think it's kind of twofold. It's the planning aspect of really what are we targeting in their IEP? What goals are we working on?

And then also how are we sharing this information? Right? That was a document that I shared with all my Gen-ed teachers.

Sara: We were very much on the same page, but this could be shared with related service providers. It could be shared with the other special ed teachers that are working with the students in other settings. And I think having a plan for what we're addressing is really important and one of my teachers that I worked on, this was kind of a yearlong project that we worked on.

They do kids grades K through five, so they had a lot of students, a lot of grade levels, a lot of Gen Z teachers they worked with. And she said she's like, this is really making me more effective because I am targeting and zoning into what the students need and I am providing specialty design instruction. And I can show right, I can show in my lesson where I am doing this.

And it really just started with some organization and kind of taking a step back because once you have all your students, you can also see, oh, these three kids have a similar goal, right? I can maybe have some targeted instruction for them here or these two kids have very different goals. How am I going to make sure I'm addressing these goals, in the context of the classroom?

Sara: But that planning piece is is huge. And it's really where I see a lot of teachers getting excited about like, oh, I can I can do this right? It may take some weeks, but it's not more work. I never want to get more work. It's they're already planning. So now we're just focusing the planning a little more.

Arthur: Yeah. Yeah. Focusing on the specially designed instruction like you said.

Sara: And I always show this video because I think it's. we can follow two questions, right? So Anne Benninghoff asks two questions; what IEP goals that I work on? and what did I do that was special?

So I actually have teachers put that on top of their lesson plans, right?

Because we can we could use two questions. We can do that. And if you can't answer those two questions, you’re not doing specially designed instruction. Yeah. And so I did a case study in the presentation and I said, I pretended I was a kindergarten teacher. I did a little acting and I said, you know, I gave students, this one student with an IEP a prompt to get started, and I made eye contact and I gave her praise and I said, Is that special?

It is targeted to her IEP goal if she's working on school readiness and following directions. But that's not special. Right? And kindergarten Teacher would be doing prompts in verbal praise. So we really had to tease out what would make it special versus just good gen ed practices. Right. And teachers. But they were into that, but sometimes it's kind of on the fence, but they were really being thoughtful. And what would count as specialty design instruction?

Arthur: Yeah, I was going to say it provides a it does it makes you think on an on another level extra. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Because it's like, okay. Like yeah, like I see what I'm doing there, but it could be a step up.

So this next question, it's something that I recently thought about as a way to hopefully provide like start a small resource guide for our listeners and that is what book or article inclusive education related would you recommend for everyone to read or you know, can be a movie, a video or anything?

Sara: I have so many and that's the thing also that's very special about NJCIE, I feel like, is that we're always really encouraged to continue learning. And that's something that's, that's really important to me because things are coming out every day, right?

Every day, something new. And it's important for us to really stay on top of that.

But if I had to pick a few, I might have to give you a few.

Specially Designed Instruction book by Anne Benninghoff. I know I've referenced her a few times. I think it's a really nice practical guide for teachers. I've encouraged a few schools to maybe think about that for a PLC or a book club study because it really does talk about especially design instruction. But then it also goes into that implementation stage.

And I think that's I think that's huge and I think that's what's missing a lot of times when teachers understand SDI but then they're like, okay, but that seems very disconnected to what I'm doing now. So I would say that book is really excellent. There's also a book that's on my list. I started it. I haven't finished all of it yet, but it's it's been really interesting.

It's called Equitable inclusive IEPs for students with complex support needs. That's another really great one. I think, too, sometimes we get into this work on SDI and I hear from teachers like the IEPs aren't helpful to us, right? They're written in such a deficit way or they're written in a way that really just lists all the negative things.

That's really not how we should be writing IEPs, but really from a strength-based approach and really thinking about like this is supposed to be a roadmap to us supporting the student and also highlighting the things that the students are thriving in and really capable of doing. So I really like that book too, because I think it could change how we're seeing IEPs being written.

Sara: And that I think also can change our mindset about inclusion for some schools and districts and also give teachers more support in, okay, if I'm using this IEP to plan, I need to have things that I'm going to be doing. And if it's only deficit-based, that's that's not really helpful as a tool.

So those two books and then you know, we love our Shelley Moore videos, but there's one of my favorite ones that I that I always tell schools to listen to because I think it's so important and really around the mindset of inclusion is the IEPs.

But p e a s like the food.

She says like nowhere on the seed packet. Talking about gardening does it say how the cucumber should become a snap pea. Right. And that is again like we are not, our students are not broken, we are not fixing them, we are giving them the support they need.

And that is such a I feel like everybody can take something away from that. Yes. Admin teachers. CST So that's another that's a, that's one of my favorite ones that she does.

Arthur: Yeah. Thank you. I recently thought about that. And just with all of these episodes where episode 45 I think around there. So I'm just thinking there are a lot of resources that all of our guests have, you know, read and watched and, you know, written themselves.

I thought that that would be a good question to, you know, start sharing some of our knowledge. And like you said, we always like to continue learning. And, it's always great to share what our favorite or favorite things are about inclusive education.

Sara: I think I think that's a great a great place for people to come and find resources and different things.

Arthur: So my last question for you today is, do you have any advice about inclusion that you can offer to those in school leadership positions or just for educators in general?

Sara: Oh, that's a good one. Yes. And this is something I think about a lot in my role. I'm also I just enrolled in a doctoral program as well around educational leadership.

So this is like the topic of all of our conversations in class, too. So I'm I'm pulling information from grad school and also from being in in schools and in district and I think a lot of it really comes down to having a strong leader that really sets the tone about like, what is the culture at our school?

I think we can tell when the culture is like we really do include all students and it's something we believe in versus we're going to just include a few, but it's not something that we put emphasis on or something that we truly believe in.

Sara: I think a clear vision helps staff and teachers and families really know the direction, and I think it sets the tone for really all conversations around learning and curriculum and design.

So I think really just having a leader with a clear vision is really important. I think working on mindset with staff, especially resistant staff, right, because we need to really understand where they're coming from and understand their perspective. If we're going to really change minds, right, if we're going to really make this a shift. And we know that in New Jersey, we have a lot of work to do around this.

So I would say, you know, having a leader that is that is clear and also provides opportunities for their staff to, you know, talk about their feeling, receive the proper training, be able to ask questions. And really for us to be able to get to the bottom and work collaboratively with them around what is their goal for their school.

And we do a lot of writing a vision statement. And I think that's really important because once it's there on paper, right, it's something we can use and reflect on.

That's kind of how we for all of our grant schools where we're looking at creating a vision plan tied to their action plan, and that makes it like, okay, these are the steps we're taking. This is what we believe in as a school. Everyone kind of signs off on it, which is, which is nice.

Sara: I think, again, when the leader is clear on their vision and their mission for inclusive education, it helps the staff to know the direction that we're going.

Arthur: you started your doctoral program and that's how it,

Sara: it’s like my spare time, right? In my spare time that we mentioned,

Arthur: Right? Yeah. Yeah, that's great. But it's been great having this conversation with you and, to share this information about the specially designed instruction and just to, get all of this information and to share it with our listeners, It's been a great conversation with you today.

So thank you for taking the time to, you know, to do this and really I appreciate it. T

Sara: Thank you so much. Arthur, It was a pleasure talking with you again. This is one of my favorite topics. So any time you want to discuss SDI, you know where to find me, right? So I'm going to wrap this up and then but don't leave yet.

Arthur: So, Sara, thank you so much for joining us for this conversation today and enjoy the rest of your day.

Sara: Thank you. Is my pleasure. Thanks, Arthur.

Arthur: Oh, you're welcome.

Arthur: We thank you for listening to this episode of the Inclusion Think Tank podcast. This podcast is brought to you by All In for Inclusive Education. Be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube. Stay tuned for new episodes of the podcast premiering every two weeks.

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