AEM2 Task 4 Final

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Western Governors University *

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Apr 3, 2024

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1 AEM2 Task 4: Initiative Proposal Lauren Cocke Delmon Moore December 22, 2023

2 AEM2 Task 4: Initiative Proposal A1. Instructional Practices There are many instructional practices that educators use within their instruction all aimed at one specific goal: student success. Success looks different for every student. Educators are to keep at the forefront of their practice that students are different: they have different needs, different cultures, different homes, different learning styles, different interests, and different motivational factors. If educators taught every student the same way, student success would be limited to a small pool of students, and the rest would be left behind. Differentiated instruction (DI) can look different for every student and every classroom. What works for one student might not work for another, and that is the beauty of it. DI is an individualized instruction and student-centered. "Flexibility is a hallmark of differentiation, but no single instructional strategy is required to differentiate effectively" (Tomlinson & Brimijoin, p. 4, 2008). The purpose of differentiation is to provide students with tools that help them to do more than they could without it. For an educator to properly practice DI, they must have a relationship with their students. The teacher must know their student's strengths and weaknesses, things that they like or dislike, and individual learning styles, and be able to have conversations with them about recognizing when help is needed. If there is no relationship there, DI is much harder to integrate within instruction. Differentiation requires an educator to know their students, become familiar with their individual learning needs, take the classroom lesson and goals, and adapt to provide support for student personal success. An educator can differentiate in three core areas: content, process, and product (Western Governors University, 2023). For example, DI might look like allowing a student to choose the topic of their research paper or essay prompt, grouping students based on mixed or same abilities, pairing an English-speaking student with an

3 English learner, flexible seating, or allowing a student to draw their notes rather than write them (Ferlazzo & Hull-Sypnieski, 2018). While there is not one clear definition of differentiated instruction, the "goal of DI is to encourage educators to have a determined and proactive approach to DI that they can share with students to create a learning environment that is supportive and encouraging of unique differences and abilities" (Western Governors University, 2023). Universal design learning (UDL) shares similarities with DI, however, UDL is a different concept of assisting students in reaching success. Nelson (2013) explains, "In the case of UDL, the series of actions include the design of the space in which you teach the lessons you lead. The particular result you are seeking is improved student outcomes, which becomes a continual process" (Nelson, p. 9, 2013). This continual process creates the foundation for students to become lifelong learners. While differentiated instruction provides stepping stones for students to reach success, UDL creates a framework based on how our brains function in how we respond, learn, and create (Nelson, 2013). Nelson (2013) goes on to explain that "UDL pulls together guiding ideas so teachers can create learning opportunities that activate those different learning networks. The UDL framework helps teachers determine which tools, resources, and strategies will activate their students' brain networks" (Nelson, p. 12, 2013). The three overarching principles of UDL are engagement, representation, and action and expression. The guidelines for engagement include providing options for self-regulation, sustaining effort and persistence, and recruiting interest (Nelson, 2013). This might look like providing coping skills to students, developing self-assessment and reflection strategies, creating a culture of resilience and positive affirmation, fostering collaboration and community, and optimizing autonomy, value, and authenticity within the classroom culture (Nelson, 2013). The principle of

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4 representation includes providing options for comprehension, language, mathematical expressions, symbols, and perception by highlighting patterns, critical features, or big ideas, clarifying vocabulary, syntax, and structure, using multiple media, and offering alternatives for auditory and visual information (Nelson, 2013). Lastly is the principle of action and expression. Guidelines for this principle include "providing options for executive functions, expression and communication, and physical action by appropriate goal-setting, supporting strategy development, providing variation in tools for construction and composition, and varying the methods for response and navigation" (Nelson, p. 12, 2013). These UDL principles create the foundation for developing an environment that fosters purposeful, motivated, resourceful, strategic, and goal-directed lifelong learners. This is not an exhaustive list of ways to incorporate these guidelines within classrooms, as we've learned that learning is individualized. As educators, we have a set of academic standards that are to be met by our students, which we cannot change. We can change, however, how our students can access the knowledge to master these standards, and that is the overarching purpose of universal design learning. "Multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) is an evidence-based framework that is designed to address students' academic achievement, behavior, and emotional well-being by providing a comprehensive system of differentiated support that addresses the unique needs of individual students" (Western Governors University, 2023). MTSS functions similarly to Response to Intervention (RTI) and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), however, MTSS is an overarching, umbrella practice that uses a "tiered approach to collected data to match academic and social-emotional behavior assessment and instructional resources to each student's needs" (Ehlers, 2018). Called into law by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in 2015, MTSS creates a framework centered around "identifying students who need support,

5 making data-driven decisions, implementing research-based interventions aligned to needs, monitoring student progress, and involving all stakeholders" (Ehlers, 2018). Its tiered approach creates opportunities for differentiated instruction based on student needs. MTSS offers universal support through Tier One, additional support within Tier Two, and intensified support for students in Tier Three. What makes MTSS beneficial for all students is that the tiers foster fluidity so that students can receive appropriate interventions based on their present level of comprehension. For example, a student might only receive tier three support in one concept in math, however once he masters the skill he returns to tier two then one. For another student, she may have to receive tier-three support throughout her entire school career. Both students receive the appropriate level of support needed based on data collection and teacher identification. This example is just a small piece of the universal support system the MTSS offers for school districts. "Implementing MTSS school-wide helps to improve learning outcomes and creates a safe and supportive learning environment for all students" (Western Governors University, 2023). A1a. Application of Instructional Practices There are many ways in which an educator can apply these instructional practices in their classrooms. For each of these, a mindset of fostering a culture of individualized student learners aids in the application of student support and how to approach learning in the classroom. Differentiated instruction in the classroom, as previously stated, requires a relationship and knowledge of the students within that classroom. By first knowing and understanding your students, you can better apply interventions to instruction to better assist them in displaying content knowledge. DI is a philosophy with a set of principles to guide educators in cultivating a proactive approach to instruction that addresses student differences (Tomlinson & Imbeau, p. 13,

6 2010). To begin applying DI in a classroom, educators must pay attention to the student variation and use this as a guide. Tomlinson and Imbeau (2010) state, "Although differentiation is an instructional approach, effective differentiated instruction is inseparable from a positive learning environment, high-quality curriculum, assessment to inform teacher decision making, and flexible classroom management" (p. 13). By knowing student differences, teachers can more easily differentiate in content, process, and product. Teachers can differ in the methods students use to access content such as independent reading, group work, text with images, online research, or small group instruction, rather than having to change the content itself. Teachers can adjust the process of how students come to comprehend the content as well as how student demonstrate their product or understanding of the content (Tomlinson & Imbeau, 2010). DI does not require a new lesson plan for every student, it simply allows teachers flexibility and creativity in their instruction and requirements of students to hear, understand, and demonstrate content skill mastery. Similarly to DI, UDL, and MTSS are intertwined perfectly in the applications within the classroom. MTSS uses principles of UDL for core curriculum alignment with academic standards as UDL helps teachers provide instruction in diverse ways. UDL also integrates academics with school-wide behavioral and social-emotional systems. UDL is designed to reach marginalized students who are typically underserved and create a school system that prepares all students to be expert learners. It requires flexibility and resilience as techniques can be trial and error as teachers try to find ways to help all students grasp the content. Using multiple means of presenting content via differing sources of media, tactile components, and real-world application scenarios are ways that teachers can represent learners of all tiers. Teachers can also provide multiple ways in which students can express what they have learned either through verbal,

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7 written, or drawing-based action. Allowing students to "show what they know" in an expression that best represents their knowledge is a way for teachers to apply UDL in the classroom. It should be noted that standards are not lowered or raised, as the goal is academic mastery in a specific standard. However, providing flexible ways in which students hear and express information is simply allowing universal support to all students. A teacher's creativity is best served when striving for student engagement as there are many ways in which a teacher can take academic content and bring it to life through stories and characters to hands-on science experiments, engaging students is crucial when implementing UDL. Applying MTSS in a classroom starts at the district level for a school system. Districts should establish benchmark standards, a behavioral support plan, PBIS, universal screening practices, and much more (Western Governors University, 2023). Because MTSS is tiered, there are areas of implantation for classroom instruction, supplemental instruction, and intensive interventions, based on student needs. To apply quality classroom instruction, categorized as Tier I, teachers should "conduct universal screening of academics and behavior three times per year, identify students with discrepancies or who are at or below the recommended percentile, identify student deficits, adapt instruction to meet the needs of students who require additional support, differentiate instruction, provide PBIS, collaborate and communicate with all stakeholders, and analyze data to identify students in need of Tier II/Tier III interventions" (Western Governors University, 2023). There are many more ways to apply MTSS to the classroom, as every classroom is different with a different set of students who carry a different set of needs. A goal of an MTSS classroom collect accurate data and apply that data when providing differentiated instruction and support to foster students' academic, social-emotional, and behavioral success. A2. Student Obstacles and Challenges

8 Our students face challenges internally, academically, and within their environment, and sometimes, as educators, we can be unaware of the struggles our students are facing. What we see externally might not match how they are feeling internally, and this affects their academic, social-emotional, and behavioral success while they are in school. It is imperative, as educators, to develop a working relationship with our students so we can meet them where they are, rather than placing unrealistic expectations and further stress on burdens they are already carrying. Many educators aspire to have a classroom full of students who are gifted and talented, however a lot of times this demographic of students can be underserved due to improper differentiation. Students in a gifted and talented program face obstacles and challenges in the school setting such as being bored or not challenged academically, social and emotional constraints specifically with peers, and even perfectionism and anxiety in their academic performance. If a teacher is not assessing the data regarding student academic proficiency, gifted students may go unnoticed as just simply understanding the material, but they end up not being challenged academically. If a student is consistently making 100s on assignments, of course, that is a great success, but it is also an indicator that they may need a more challenging component of assignments. Being underserved in this way, gifted students face the obstacle of having to "find something else to do" to occupy their time while they wait for peers to catch up. Additionally, gifted students may struggle in their peer relationships, as peers may feel intimidated by their "smarter" peers and tend to isolate the gifted student. On the flip side of that is a tendency of the gifted student to have a harder time relating to their peers' struggles with content. For example, a gifted student may have a hard time contributing to the lunch-table conversation by complaining about how hard the math test was, leading to a gap in social development. Lastly, in my experience, gifted students struggle with perfectionism and anxiety due to the constant expectation that they will

9 make an 'A' on an assignment or test. This obstacle creates uneasiness in gifted students as they aren't being challenged academically, so they may not know how to fail or ask for help as they are used to just gliding by without any rigor. Homeless students face obstacles and challenges such as barriers to resources, parental support and involvement in their education, and social and behavioral challenges. The most common and noticeable challenge homeless students face is their access to resources needed such as school supplies, lunch money, or electricity for computer chargers. This lack of resources provides a barrier to their learning as they may not have everything they need or that is required of them for the school day. Additionally, homeless students are children of homeless parents. Typically homeless parents may not be able to come to school for parent/teacher conferences, assist with school homework or projects, or even have the social and emotional capacity to hear about their student's day for their worries are consuming them. This may lead to a third obstacle homeless students may face, which is struggles in their social and behavioral environment. Depending on student age and awareness, they may feel embarrassed that their clothes aren't name-brand, they have to ride the bus to and from school, or they have to ask for additional supplies from their teacher. This embarrassment may lead to them isolating themselves or acting out behaviors that distract their peers and make their peers want to be friends with them. Maybe they take on the role of class clown to distract others from the fact that they are homeless, and it's an easy way for peers to want to be around them. While it may seem minor, this creates a barrier to learning and an obstacle for homeless students to have to face. Students from migrant families also face obstacles when it comes to their academic and social development. These students face challenges in barriers to language, cultural differences, and sometimes family support. If an English learner (EL) student enrolls in an English-speaking

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10 school, there is a large period where they may not understand anything anyone is saying. Despite the academic toll this takes on an EL student, I can also imagine the emotional struggle these students face being surrounded by people whom they cannot communicate with yet. Additionally, there are cultural differences between students from migrant families and students from the United States. It takes time for EL students to adapt to the cultural norms of their new school, however they should not have to give up who they are and where they come from. They simply have to learn a new language and a new culture while being surrounded by people who don't truly understand. The third challenge EL students may face is the lack of family support in their academic progression. Depending on the home, some families may not speak any English, therefore they can not help their students with their English homework. This leads to the EL student either refusing to do the work or having to wait until they can ask for help from either an EL teacher or someone from school who knows the content more clearly. A2a. Instructional Practices Supporting Student Groups Each instructional practice can be used to support a variety of students, especially those who face obstacles or challenges in the school setting. "Differentiated instruction is a method used to ensure the student's learning needs are met, universal design learning is a set of principles that makes the environment and the curriculum accessible for all students regardless of disability or learning need, and multitiered systems of supports is a leveled approach to helping students achieve behavioral, emotional and academic goals" (Western Governors University, 2023). Because every student comes to school with a unique background and a specific set of learning needs, educators must utilize instructional practices to support all students. To support the challenges gifted students may face, educators may use differentiated instruction by allowing students to choose a topic of their interest for research papers or projects.

11 Gifted students can be placed in small groups paired with students of differing skill levels to encourage them to support their peers, or in a group with other gifted students and allowed to take the project a little further by using mixed media or taking the assignment from a differing perspective. For example, the groups are paired together in an English class to create a project discussing the perspective of Beowulf, the protagonist in the poem Beowulf. The group of gifted students may be challenged to discuss the perspective of Grendel, an antagonist in the poem. They may also use mixed media of their choice in presenting this assignment. The teacher can also use mixed media in instruction in the form of videos, books, guest speakers, and hands-on assignments. This differentiation allows students multiple opportunities to grasp the concepts being taught. Universal design can be implemented in supporting gifted students by the educator using personal facts and interests about the students to engage them in content as well as different options and expectations to engage and motivate them. Self-directed learning can also be used allowing them to determine realistic goals for themselves. Lastly, MTSS supports gifted students by providing an individualized program to support them at each tier level. These students can be provided more challenging content, accelerated core instruction, and extracurricular learning, or allowed to enroll in honors, AP, or dual enrollment courses to challenge them academically and keep them engaged. If a gifted teacher is available, these students can be pulled into small group instruction to have tier 3 intensive intervention that accelerates and dives deeper into the course content. Homeless students are another group of students who face challenges and should be supported through instructional practices. To differentiate instruction, homeless students should be provided any learning resource that they do not have access to, whether it is school supplies, textbooks, or simply allowed to leave their laptop at school so that it can be charged for the

12 following day. If there is a lack of food, these students should be allowed food in their classrooms to eat when they are hungry. Due to a potential lack of resources for homeless students, alternate means of content demonstration should be provided. For example, rather than a teacher requiring an elaborate project that includes a poster board and extra materials, students should be allowed to demonstrate knowledge through a model, drawing a picture, giving an oral explanation, or a writing assignment. UDL can be applied by creating an environment where all students feel loved, supported, and welcomed. Teachers taking the time to get to know their students on a more personal level might provide homeless students with the support that they need. Teachers use diverse images that represent all economic statuses or use real-world examples and applications to engage students. Additionally, teachers should create a classroom routine that is standard for every day. Homeless students face a lot of unexpected changes in living, so if the classroom routine is a constant, it can create a space for them to feel safe because they know exactly what to expect. Using MTSS as an instructional practice can be beneficial in supporting homeless students by using data measurements to assess for barriers or gaps in content knowledge and placing them with the appropriate interventions. Tier three, or one-on-one instruction could be beneficial for these students to provide them a safe place to ask questions, express concerns, and develop a trusting relationship with a teacher who supports them. The school district should also provide families with resources to assist in providing necessities. English learners (ELs) benefit from differentiated instruction by interventions in co-teaching, collaborating with all stakeholders to ensure adequate support and resources are provided, shortening assignments, providing word banks on vocabulary-based assignments, allowing the use of a dictionary, and peer learning such as pairing an EL with an English speaking peer. Teachers implement UDL by using examples and specifics from various cultures, including the

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13 culture specific to the migrant family to model inclusivity and acceptance. Additionally, teachers can use labels within their classroom to label common items to help the EL in learning common English words used in the classroom. MTSS can be used to support EL students by measuring student needs and providing interventions as necessary through data collection and collaborating with all stakeholders including families and community members. Tier 2 and 3 for an EL might include enrollment in an EL program with individualized support to assist in their transition. It is also helpful for school districts to supply migrant families with community resources to support them. A2b. Faculty Expectations "One of the most important tasks of a building principal is creating a school environment of inclusion, where diversity is celebrated and differences are seen as opportunities" (Western Governors University, 2023). As the building principal, I want my faculty to first know that implementing instructional practices is not meant to be another thing on their plate. When implemented correctly, it should be the plate that everything else rests on. I do not expect them to create a brand new lesson plan for every student, but I do expect them to love and support their students as best as they can. The overarching expectation is to create an environment where every student feels known and celebrated. To incorporate differentiated instruction, I expect my faculty to offer varied instructional strategies and activities for their students. I want to see them using technology, hands-on activities, guest speakers, or any other creative way to vary their instruction to allow all students the opportunity to grasp the content. The expectation for incorporating UDL in the classroom is to encourage every teacher to have a specific classroom routine. While it may seem small, classroom routines allow students to feel more secure in knowing what exactly is expected of

14 them, decreasing any anxiety they may have regarding what is going to happen. Lastly, the expectation for incorporating MTSS in the classroom is for faculty to create an assessment routine that allows them to proactively identify student needs and apply the appropriate support. The goal of instructional practices is, again, not to add to the educator's workload. The goal is to create an environment that is conducive to inspiring lifelong learners. These expectations are specific but also allow room for teachers to personalize them to their routines. It is my job, as principal, to support them in any way that I can, and make myself available for conversations surrounding these expectations. It is a collaborative effort, from top to bottom, to create a school culture that is respectful, inclusive, and representative of all students who attend. When that is achieved, lifelong learners are inspired.

15 References Ehlers, L. (2018). MTSS vs. RTI vs. PBIS - What's the difference? Renaissance. https://www.renaissance.com/2018/11/18/blog-mtss-vs-rti-vs-pbis-whats-the-difference/ Ferlazzo, L., & Hull-Sypnieski, K. (2018). Differentiating Instruction: It's Not as Hard as You Think [Video]. Education Week. https://youtu.be/h7-D3gi2lL8 Nelson, L. L. (2013). Design and deliver: Planning and teaching using universal design for learning. Brookes Publishing. Tomlinson, C. & Brimijoin, K. (2008). The Differentiated School: Making Revolutionary Changes in Teaching and Learning. ASCD. Tomlinson, C. A., & Imbeau, M. B. (2010). Leading and Managing a Differentiated Classroom. ASCD. Western Governors University. (2023). Leading Inclusive Schools D018. Acrobatiq. https://lrps.wgu.edu/provision/352739573

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