SDI
Also: Specially Designed Instruction
Specially Designed Instruction: the adapted content, methodology, or delivery of instruction a student with an IEP needs to make progress.
Specially Designed Instruction (SDI) is the core of what makes special education special. IDEA defines it as adapting — as appropriate to the needs of an eligible child — the content, methodology, or delivery of instruction to address the unique needs of the child that result from the child's disability, and to ensure access to the general curriculum.
SDI is not a place; it is a service. It can be delivered in a general education classroom (push-in), a resource room (pull-out), or a self-contained setting. What matters is that the instruction is different from what non-disabled peers receive, and that it is tied to the goals in the IEP.
Teachers document SDI through a weekly service schedule (how many minutes per week in which setting) and through session-level data that shows the SDI was actually delivered. Missed sessions are a compliance risk; most districts expect either makeup minutes or written documentation.
Related terms
- IEPA legally binding written plan for a student with a disability that spells out the specialized instruction and services the school will provide.
- LREIDEA's requirement that students with disabilities be educated with non-disabled peers to the maximum extent appropriate.
- Service MinutesThe specific number of minutes per week (or other interval) of special education and related services an IEP commits the district to deliver.
- Related ServicesSupport services — like speech therapy, OT, PT, and counseling — that help a student benefit from special education.
Managing SDI day-to-day?
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