Designing and Delivering Instruction
This domain tests the instructional decisions that follow from an IEP: what to teach, how to scaffold it, what to adapt, and how to prove it worked.
Universal design and explicit instruction
Universal design for learning addresses three networks: engagement (why), representation (what), and action and expression (how). Explicit instruction follows a predictable cycle: state the objective, model with a think-aloud, guide practice with frequent checks for understanding, then release to independent practice with cumulative review.
Adapting without lowering the bar
- Accommodations change access, not expectations: extended time, text-to-speech, preferential seating, chunked directions, graphic organizers.
- Modifications change the content or performance standard: shortened assignments, reduced grade-level text, alternate assessment.
- Specially designed instruction is the individualized teaching named in the IEP, not merely a location or a support aide.
Scaffolding and assistive technology
Use a prompt hierarchy (verbal, gestural, model, physical) and fade prompts deliberately to avoid dependency. Task analysis breaks a complex skill into teachable steps. Assistive technology ranges from pencil grips and highlighted text to speech-to-text and communication devices; select it with the SETT framework (student, environment, tasks, tools) and evaluate the fit.
Worked example
A third grader with dyslexia reads 22 words correct per minute with many decoding errors. The plan: 20 minutes daily of explicit phonics with decodable text, repeated reading for fluency, and a paired mnemonic for spelling, with weekly CBM probes. Audio versions of grade-level science text are an accommodation so content access continues. The reasoning separates skill remediation from access support; both are needed.
Traps
Calling a modification an accommodation; matching instruction to 'learning styles'; stacking prompts until the student never responds independently; assuming assistive technology means a computer.