Intervention in School and Clinic, Ahead of Print.
Readers with an interest in Universal Design for Learning (UDL) will recognize the fundamental challenge presented in this month’s guest column, “Classroom Menus for Supporting the Academic Success of Diverse Learners.” That is, who is responsible for preparing the UDL environment before students enter a classroom? The authors describe three essential knowledge and skills needed by teachers, instructors, and college professors: (a) acquire UDL philosophy, (b) create a toolkit, and (c) create choice menus. They offer practical resources and tools for educators interested in each component. More importantly, after this baseline was established, they argue that it is necessary to evaluate teachers’ UDL knowledge and skills. Toward this end, they propose three UDL Design Challenges and provide a rubric for evaluating a teacher’s claim that they have designed an UDL intervention for their classroom.