Planning, Managing, and Delivering Instruction
From IEP to instruction
Present levels (PLAAFP) drive measurable annual goals, which drive specially designed instruction. Goals need a condition, observable behavior, and criterion-for example, "Given a graphic organizer, the student will write a paragraph with a topic sentence and three supporting details in 4 of 5 trials." Accommodations change how a student accesses content; modifications change what is expected. Universal Design for Learning builds engagement, representation, and action/expression options into the design rather than retrofitting them later.
Delivery and management
Know explicit instruction (model, guided practice, independent practice), task analysis, prompting with fading, and reinforcement. Behavior support should follow a functional behavioral assessment; a BIP without an FBA is a common trap. PBIS organizes prevention in tiers. Co-teaching models include one teach/one assist, station teaching, parallel teaching, alternative teaching, and team teaching. Paraprofessionals support, not replace, teacher-delivered instruction.
Traps
Questions reward measurable goals over vague ones ("will improve reading"), accommodations over lowered expectations, and data-driven adjustments over "try harder." Another trap assumes a student must be pulled out to receive specialized instruction.
Rule of thumb
If you cannot count it, observe it, or describe the setting, the goal is not measurable. Write the measurement before choosing the activity.