{"href":"http://player.captivate.fm/services/oembed?url=http%3A%2F%2Fplayer.captivate.fm%2Fepisode%2F8bc21047-2693-47aa-8fc9-6d7c01659a1f","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Captivate.FM","provider_url":"https://www.captivate.fm","width":600,"height":200,"type":"rich","html":"","title":"Using Evaluation Data to Plan Specially Designed Instruction","description":"You\u2019ve probably heard me say, \u201cData drives instruction.\u201d Here\u2019s a new one for you. \u201cEvaluation data plans specially designed instruction.\u201d It doesn\u2019t roll off the tongue as easily, and it means the same thing. It\u2019s just far more specific and really, really important. There are way too many IEPs out there that aren\u2019t specially designed to a child\u2019s unique needs \u2013 that don\u2019t take a child\u2019s profile into account \u2013 that don\u2019t consider a child\u2019s specific strengths and weaknesses. That\u2019s a problem. The heart of the IEP is the specially designed instruction. It\u2019s supposed to be uniquely tailored to meet the needs of the child, but far too often, a school district will say, \u201cWe use [this program] for dyslexia\u201d or \u201cOur students in the self-contained room use [this program] for math\u201d or \u201cOur visually impaired students get O&M twice a week.\u201d That. Is. Not. SDI. We\u2019re supposed to take information from evaluations and progress monitoring and then use it to specially design instruction for students. We\u2019re supposed to look at a student\u2019s strengths and teach to them, capitalize on them. We\u2019re supposed to look at a student\u2019s weaknesses and address them. \r\n\n \r\n\nWe rely on data in our every day lives all the time. We look at the gauges in our cars, health and exercise information on our phones, and the temperature on our thermostats. We use that data to make plans. If we\u2019re hot, we look at the thermostat and turn down the heat, remembering that 74 degrees is too hot. We work harder when our heart rates aren\u2019t elevated. We walk a little further when we haven\u2019t hit the 4-mile mark. If we want to improve on something, we use the data and make a plan. If I want my resting heart rate to be lower, I decide to eat better, to exercise, to meditate, and to get acupuncture. \r\n\n \r\n\nWe have to use that kind of data to plan instruction for students on IEPs. We need to look at what the evaluation tells us to make a plan. Evaluations tell us so much about a child\u2019s profile. An incomprehensive list of things we may evaluate includes visual, verbal, motor, cognitive, sensory, communication, vision, and hearing skills and strength / needs and weaknesses. \r\n\nWe should take what we know about the child\u2019s specific profile and make a plan for learning that capitalizes on the child\u2019s strengths and addresses the child\u2019s needs. If a child is really visual, we should ensure that there are lots of visual supports in his learning. If a child\u2019s auditory processing is impaired, her specially designed instruction should not necessitate a lot of auditory processing. If a child needs sensory regulation to condition herself to learning, those strategies should be added to supplementary aids and services. \r\n\nParents and sometimes even teachers or other IEP team members often know very little about specific programs that other school staff want to use. In order to ensure that programming and instruction are specially designed to meet the child\u2019s unique needs, IEP team members should ask questions, such as, \u201cHow does this capitalize on my child\u2019s strengths\u201d and \u201cHow does this address the [i.e. auditory processing] need?\u201d I\u2019m going to load a Freebie on Friday with a list of questions that may guide these discussions. \r\n\nOf course, after the SDI is planned and instituted, teams should continue to take data to evaluate how well it\u2019s working. Similarly, we do this in other places. If I start eating oatmeal and meditating, I\u2019ll check my resting heart rate to see if those two changes brought it down. This is why progress monitoring is important. And yes, I\u2019ll say it again, \u201cData drives instruction!\u201d \r\n\nAnd \u2013 before I leave you to listen \u2013 we\u2019re celebrating 1000 downloads on our little podcast this week! Would you help me celebrate by rating it and commenting? It would mean the world to me!","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300,"thumbnail_url":"https://artwork.captivate.fm/da0270ab-c7a7-4b37-ae24-0db839649369/8652091-1599164556720-78131d67c4efc.jpg"}