UDL and Common Core Standards

A good question came up last week: is Common Core Standards supportive of universal design for learning?

Well, the Center for Special Special Technology (CAST) came up with recommendations for the Standards to emphasize UDL as a way of encouraging implementation that supports all learners while the Standards were drafted back in 2010. CAST has argued that, without an explicit reminder of the need for those implementing the Standards to take all learners into consideration from the outset via UDL, teachers might create lessons that pose barriers for diverse learners. For example, CAST pointed out that terms like "write" and "draw" in the standards may be taken literally when "compose" and "create" are meant and that the Standards should be clear that "write" includes the possibility of using a variety of composition tools and methods to compose text and express content knowledge. More details of CAST's recommendations and rationales can be found here: http://www.cast.org/library/statements/standards/index.html

Regardless of the results (Common Core Standards did not explicitly use the language of UDL), it is important to note the implications UDL can have for teachers who are the directly involved in implementing the standards and designing inclusive lessons. The purpose of UDL is not so that teachers teach according to a prescribed approach. UDL is a pedagogical framework that guides teachers to think inclusively the following structural aspects of curriculum and lessons from the inception of the process: how do I create goal and objective statements that can be accessible to all learners? What potential barriers to learning should I anticipate, given my knowledge about my students? What do I know about content and pedagogy that I can use to help construct meaningful, engaging, and well-sequenced lessons? What tools and activities allow me as a teacher to assess students on an ongoing basis? What tools and activities allow my students to demonstrate what they learn? What features of my lessons allow my students some degrees of autonomy in learning? How can they be motivated in the entire learning process? etc.