Leading with Access & Equity is a facilitator’s guide to a series of webinar modules that were developed to support schools with disparities amongst specific student populations. The modules include discussion questions posed to guide reflection as you work through the module, a slide deck and a webinar video. Additional resources to support the topic are also provided. Some of the topics included in these modules are:

• Introduction to Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
• Incorporating UDL into your Turnaround Plans
• Identifying Inequities and Elevating Expectations in Education
• Culturally Responsive Design and Implicit Bias
• Funds of knowledge
• Learner Variability and Special Education 
• Working Together: General Education and Special Education Partnerships
• Deconstructing Inequitable Systems to Support All Learners
• Addressing Systems of Oppression

How does it relate to the UDL-SICC?

This tool supports the School Culture and Environment Domain, Element 1 (D1.E1), which focuses on ensuring that all members of the school community are included in and benefit from learning opportunities. The intent of this element is that the school community commits to designing equitable and inclusive learning opportunities and environments.

How might you use it?

Options for using this tool include:

• Review the table of contents to identify the area or areas where your school can improve. Involve your leadership team to decide how the practices mentioned can support your school.
• Review the discussion questions and module highlights and decide which modules you and your school will engage with and when.
• Engage in all modules to determine what, how and when the strategies can be embedded into your school's practices.
• The videos, discussion questions, and resources in this guide can be used to facilitate a one-hour faculty meeting or professional development session, or you can use the guide independently to deepen your learning and reflect on your practice. If you are facilitating these videos at a faculty meeting or professional development session, please be prepared to project the video and pause at the appropriate times to ensure there is an opportunity for discussion. Also, you may choose to provide time for participants to explore provided resources during the meeting, or you may provide the resources as optional extension activities.

Participants will deepen understanding of assessment and explore how to design assessments minimizing barriers and increasing construct relevance.

Outcomes of the module: 

• Deepen understanding of the purpose of formative and summative assessment
• Explore construct relevance and its impact on assessments
• Design  or revise a literacy assessment

To access the interactive learning module, click on the Interactive link above or select this link: Got a Minute? Assessment Digital Module

Through an innovative field experience, special education teacher candidates were paired with both general and special educators serving as cooperating teachers. Teacher candidates and cooperating teachers concurrently took courses focused on implementing UDL. Candidates and cooperating teachers held weekly team meetings to collaborate on the implementation of UDL to support the learning of all students in the inclusive classroom. This experience included co-taught lesson plans, along with an evaluation of the collaborative meetings and co-taught lessons using the Charlotte Danielson Framework for Teaching adopted by the State of Idaho. A phenomenological methodology, triangulated with self-reporting and document analysis, will be used to investigate the perceptions of special education teacher candidates and their general education and special education cooperating teachers during this inclusive field experience.