Specially Designed Literacy Instruction for Students with Significant Disabilities is designed to provide educators foundational knowledge and skills to expand language, communication, and comprehensive literacy skills for early emergent readers and writers; and support IEP teams in developing their inter-professional collaboration knowledge and skills in order to diagnose, design, and deliver high quality specially designed language, communication and text comprehension literacy instruction.

Participants will use the Iowa Literacy Observation Tool (ILOT) to understand classroom conditions and instruction related to supporting students with significant disabilities in comprehensive literacy. The ILOT is a universal screener of the current environmental climate and instructional context of classrooms to ensure students with significant disabilities receive specially designed comprehensive literacy instruction within the universal tier. The ILOT is intended for use within all classroom service delivery models (special education and general education). ILOT data will be analyzed and used to create a professional development and coaching action plan to improve specially designed instruction with a focus on universal tier language, communication, and comprehensive literacy. Premised on the ILOT data, the action plan will include professional development modules, instructional activities, and resources to improve classroom conditions and instruction to ensure students with significant disabilities receive comprehensive literacy instruction within the universal tier. 

Participants will also utilize Iowa''s SDI Language, Communication and Literacy Instructional Planning Tool, composed of student assessment tools and resources aligned to professional development modules, to diagnose, design and deliver literacy instruction for students with significant disabilities. Data collection and analysis will guide teams in instructional decision-making and consideration on when and how to intensify instruction. Participants will utilize a case study approach to apply learning.

For maximum results, team attendance is recommended: special education teacher, instructional coach, SLP, AEA primary contact, and administrator. You are also welcome to sign up independently, as we recognize teams may have difficulty attending all 10 days. Team members are welcome to sign up as participant only even if they won''t be able to attend all the days. 

This course will meet face-to-face, with 3 coaching sessions via zoom. Participants are also encouraged to seek additional coaching through their district-based coaching structures.

NOTE:  All participants, including those registering as "Participant Only," should plan to complete all of the work required (attendance, participation and assignments) to receive the full benefit of the training and a certificate of completion.