Adapting Curriculum Materials and Tasks & Providing Intensive Instruction

Teachers who are strategic about leveraging key accommodations and modifications are in a position to help their students access the curriculum in powerful ways that can lead to learning and behavioral success. An effective special educator tailors adaptations to specific student needs, drawing upon information from various data sources, including colleagues and family members, while regularly evaluating the impact of adaptations on student learning outcomes and making adjustments as needed. 

When students with disabilities are not responding to teacher-led instruction within the general education setting with accommodations and modifications, intensifying instruction can be provided by special education teachers (or other specialists). The National Center for Intensive Intervention (NCII) promotes a research-based process called Data-Based Individualization (DBI). DBI outlines a tight path for teachers to use data and evidence-based practices to make informed decisions regarding instruction so that students can make needed improvements in academic and behavioral domains. The DBI process…