Universal design for learning : teacher and administrator perspectives in elementary education

Abstract

CHAPTER-INTRODUCTION Problem Statement How are America's public elementary school students fairing in our schools today? Are all students, regardless of ability or disability, receiving a rigorous education as expressed by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA, 2004)? According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), which is charged with assessing what America's students know and are able to do, the answer is no, as only 40% of fourth graders performed at or above the proficient level in mathematics and 36% of fourth graders performed at or above the proficient level in reading on the 2015 Nation's Report Card (NAEP, 2015 reading; NAEP, 2015 mathematics). What does this mean? Hernandez (2011) found that of those children not reading proficiently in the third grade, one in six do not graduate on time from high school. Worse yet, for children at the lowest levels of reading, 23% drop out of school or fail to finish on time (Hernandez, 2011). As evidenced above, there is a cause for concern regarding student achievement. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) might be one approach to show improved outcomes for all students. UDL consists of three major principles. The three principles form the framework of UDL and provide multiple means of engagement, expression, and representation with curriculum, assessments, and materials and have been shown to meet the needs of all learners