Planning and Designing Instruction and Interventions
Domain 3: Planning and Designing Instruction and Interventions
This domain tests how to turn assessment information into an IEP and instructional plan that is ambitious, measurable, and usable by the adults who deliver it. Planning is not a paperwork exercise; it is the design of conditions under which a student can participate, learn, and generalize.
Core rules and concepts
- Present levels should describe functional performance in observable terms, including communication, behavior, sensory/motor access, and participation in routines.
- Goals must be measurable, skill-based, and tied to the general curriculum or to priority life routines. 'Will improve communication' is not measurable; 'will request a break using a switch in 4 of 5 opportunities across three settings' is.
- Specially designed instruction describes what the teacher does differently, not just where the student sits.
- Supplementary aids and services, AT, related services, and peer supports are planned proactively.
- UDL and multi-tiered supports reduce barriers before a student fails.
- Person-centered planning and transition planning begin early and reflect student and family priorities.
- LRE requires justification for removal, not justification for inclusion.
Worked example
A student with physical disabilities and a significant cognitive disability is to join a science lab on states of matter. The team writes a goal to identify solids and liquids using adapted materials with 80% accuracy across three sessions. SDI includes a task analysis, wait time, and a communication device with science vocabulary. Supports include a height-adjustable table, peer lab partner, pre-teaching, and a paraeducator trained in prompt fading. The reasoning: the goal targets real content, the supports remove access barriers, and the plan specifies who does what.
Traps that cost marks
- Writing goals that describe attendance or compliance rather than learning.
- Listing accommodations without linking them to a demonstrated barrier.
- Planning only for the special education classroom and ignoring generalization.
- Excluding families or the student from priority setting.
- Choosing a more restrictive placement before testing supports in the general setting.