A virtual school based on the principles of Universal Design for Learning

1. OPTIMAL ELEMENTARY
AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL FOUNDED ON UNIVERSAL DESIGN FOR LEARNING
JEANANN NAUMANN – UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON, VICTORIA
JULY 2019

2. Imagine a school designed with the core value of providing the best possible education for each individual
learner, an education for the whole child, an education designed for the uniqueness of every child. Each aspect of
Optimal Elementary is based on the great diversity of learners that will come rather than the needs of a “typical”
student. Open your mind, and let’s imagine this real possibility…

3. STRUCTURE & DESIGN – HOW CAN WE PLAN FOR EQUAL ACCESS TO THE
BUILDING’S STRUCTURE AND FACILITIES?
We begin with considering the needs of our learners. We
want to provide for all types of students including students
with visual impairments, students with sensory needs,
students of varying sizes (including Little People), and
students with physical and/or intellectual disabilities.
Exterior Access: Optimal Elementary will be single story
and will allow for accessibility by all. Ramps and curb cuts
will provide easy access to the building. Safety will be a
priority, so the perimeter will be secure and the entrance
will be monitored.

4. A PLAYGROUND DESIGNED FOR ALL
Buddy Bench - A structured
way to support students
with social skills deficits
looking for a friend at
recess
Activity Path – A visual support
to get children moving
cooperatively and provide
additional structure for those
who don’t initiate well.
Equipment designed for access and
engagement for many types of learners

5. INTERIOR BUILDING FEATURES: flexible seating options within classrooms, cafeteria tables
allowing for more supportive seating options, water fountains of varying heights, hallways with
visuals for behavior expectations and braille support for area labels, natural lighting throughout
building to reduce fluorescent effects, carpet throughout to absorb noise, steps available as
for interactive white board and sinks, planned place for sensory breaks, etc.
natural light
flexible
seating
sensory
break
visuals for
expectations
Wheelchair accessible
table

6. CLASSROOM STRUCTURE
 Students will be grouped by age to allow for meeting holistic, developmental needs of the
child yet allow for the range of diversity within the age group. Classrooms will be large to
allow space for whole group, small group, and individual learning spaces.
 Group age levels rather than grade levels: Fours, Fives, Sixes, Sevens, Eights, Nines, Tens
 Campus will have up to 6 classes per group with a target of 15 students per class and a
maximum limit of 20 students per class.
 Campus capacity will be 42 classrooms with 20 students each = 840 max capacity

7. CAMPUS STAFFING
 7 technology specialists/supporters (one per age group). Technology specialists will be in
classrooms supporting both teachers and students during instruction and instructional planning.
Each technology specialist will also have a specialization area and serve as a campus resource for
supporting specialized needs through technology: ELL, Dyslexia and Dysgraphia, GT, AI and VI,
math interventions, reading interventions, and motor skills interventions (7 specialized areas for the
7 specialists)
 An autism support specialist to help with the provision of specialized supports in general education
classrooms, professional support for teachers, and student support following ABA principles
 A behavior support specialist to work collaboratively with teachers in carrying out FBAs, designing
BIPs, and carrying out behavior supports at the classroom and campus level
 A counselor who will spearhead character education for the campus (to be implemented at the
classroom level), and lead small groups of students with common needs (grief group, divorce
group, friendship group, anxiety group, etc)
 42 paraprofessionals and 42 classroom teachers = 2 adults per classroom at all times. This will
replace the current classic model of pull-out teachers (GT, dyslexia, math and reading intervention,
ESL, etc) and push-in paraprofessionals where special needs are clustered together. Two consistent
adults per room will allow the classroom teacher assistance with management and supervision of
students so that he/she can better meet individualized instructional needs. These two adults will
know the students in depth and have the support of specialists on campus to meet the diverse
needs within the classroom.

8. CAMPUS STAFFING CONTINUED
In addition, at the campus level, the following positions will be included:
 Principal
 Assistant principal
 Two ELL specialist to provide intensive supports for newcomers
 Diagnostician
 Speech pathologist
 Librarian
 Two PE teachers
 Two Art teachers
 Two Music teachers
 Special Education teachers hired at a caseload of 15:1 max
 This campus will not be a site for students whose needs cannot be
met in the gen ed setting.

9. CURRICULUM (the goals of instruction) & INSTRUCTION (how teachers will promote student achievement of the
goals)
Keep the CHALLENGE but Remove the
BARRIERS
HOW? With Universal Design for
Learning!

10. Using the 3 Guiding Principles of UDL to Overcome Barriers:
The Learning
Brain
Recognition Network –
understanding information Strategic Network –
planning actions, executing
skills
Affective Network –
finding value and
meaning
Teacher Action: Provide
multiple means of
presenting information
using multiple media
and accessibility
features
Teacher Action: Provide
multiple options for student
responses and pathways for
expression
Teacher Action: Provide choices
to fuel interests and allow
students to work from their
strengths and interests.

11. HOW WILL
TEACHERS
IMPLEMENT
UNIVERSAL
DESIGN FOR
LEARNING?
• Optimal Elementary is a public school operating under the
curriculum adopted by the state. Teachers will teach the
state standards while planning for student diversity in the
process.
• Teachers will evaluate each state standard and separate
the goal from the method of attainment.
• Teachers will select flexible materials and tools that will
allow students multiple pathways to reach the goal.
• Teachers will plan for multiple ways for students to
engage and express their learning.
• Teachers will individualize performance levels within each
student’s zone of proximal development and scaffold
supports built on individual needs.

12. OVERCOMING BARRIERS & DISCOVERING SOLUTIONS
Standard Materials and
Assignments
Possible Barriers Possible UDL Solutions
Instructional tool: textbooks print disabilities
vision impairments
below level reader
English language learner
attention deficit
electronic text with text to speech
support or full read-aloud, font size
adjustability, embedded vocabulary
support, links to images and
background information, multimedia
glossary, prompts for engagement
Assignment: essay writing executive functioning deficits
handwriting weakness
spelling deficit
English language learner
Structured process in steps (such as
eTrekker with prompts and template),
access to keyboarding or speech to
text, electronic spelling supports,
sentence stems and word banks
Math Lecture weak auditory learner
working memory weakness
attention deficit
inefficient note-taker
Add visual modeling using
manipulatives with projector, create
anchor chart on Smartboard to later
print for student notebooks, increase
student engagement by students
sending partner responses during
instruction via ipads

13. CURRICULUM SUPPORTS FOR UDL
CAST’s National Center on Accessing the General Curriculum
NCAC Teacher Practice Group
Textbook adoptions based on UDL principles (Universal Learning Editions)
Wiggleworks early literacy program
DAISY consortium for digital books
WebCT (courseware delivery)
Thinking Reader (electronic books – Tom Snyder)
UDL Book Builder (create, share, publish, and read digital books)
UDL Lesson Builder (models and tools to adapt lessons)
UDL Exchange (share and network UDL lessons)
UDL Editions (classic texts with online interface)
CAST Curriculum Self-Check (support for goals, methods, materials, and
assessment)
Don Johnston, Inc. products (such as Snap&Read, Co:Writer)

14. TECHNOLOGY – THE TOOLS TO MAKE UNIVERSAL
DESIGN A REALITY
• Each teacher will have an interactive white board connected to a teacher computer
and a projection device.
• Each student will have a laptop and headphones.
• The campus will have Universal Learning Editions textbooks.
• Ongoing staff development will be provided and technology specialists will be in
classrooms to support teachers and students.
• Teachers will be scheduled one half day per week to work on lesson planning with
the support of the specialists. Paraprofessionals and specials teachers will supervise
students during this time.

15. ASSESSMENT: HOW WILL WE MEASURE AND REPORT STUDENT LEARNING?
Assessment Purpose: How we will meet the purpose:
Planning for Instruction • Universal Screenings at beginning,
middle, and end of the year
• Follow up after universal screenings
with diagnostic assessments to
individual learning strengths and
needs
Monitoring Progress • Curriculum-based measures which are
universally designed with embedded
supports
• Performance assessments
• Portfolio assessments
Reporting Student Learning All of the above methods can contribute
toward the reporting of student learning.
Teachers and students will conference about
student progress and an objective-based
report card will be filled out marking student
level of progress toward stated objectives: not
meeting, meeting, or exceeding expected
progress

16. REFERENCES CONSULTED
Meyer, Anne, Rose, David H., & Gordon, David. (2014). Universal Design for Learning:
Theory and Practice. Retrieved from http://udltheorypractice.cast.org/home?1
Popham, W. James. (2017) Classroom Assessment: What Teachers Need to Know (8th
ed.)
Boston, MA: Pearson.
Rose, David H. & Meyer, Anne. (2002) Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age.
Alexandria, VA:
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development