Back to Blog

December 5, 2024

The UDL Schoolwide Implementation Criteria

UDL-SIC Resources

Introduction

The Universal Design for Learning Schoolwide Implementation Criteria (UDL-SIC) defines high-quality, schoolwide, UDL implementation. Like UDL, the criteria are data-driven, support continuous improvement, and provide multiple pathways for schools to progress through the stages of implementation. The UDL-SIC is a robust tool for guiding decisions and supporting ongoing schoolwide growth, whether your team is just getting started or has experienced many years of successful UDL implementation.

The criteria were developed using insights from implementation, improvement, and learning science research. It was also informed by ongoing input and feedback from experienced UDL leaders throughout the field of education. While the full certification process is not yet available, the UDL-SIC criteria and related tools are ready to use to support your school’s UDL implementation efforts.

The goal of the UDL-SIC is to:

provide a flexible roadmap for achieving effective, schoolwide UDL implementation, and
provide multiple pathways to UDL school certification

The UDL-SIC Overview

The UDL-SIC is built around four domains; School Culture and Environment, Teaching and Learning, Leadership and Management, and Professional Learning. They provide an organizational structure for thinking about schoolwide UDL implementation.

Each domain is defined by its four elements, which guide implementation and are measured during certification:

Domain One: School Culture and Environment

Icon representing the school culture and environment domain of the SIC

In a school that uses the UDL framework, the community works together to create a school culture that values equity, inclusion, and expert learning for all. The school community commits to design flexible, goal-directed experiences and environments that anticipate the variability of its members and has high expectations for all.

Element 1: The school community designs a culture that supports inclusion and equity.
Element 2: The school community designs a culture that supports expert learning.
Element 3: The school community communicates in ways that reflect a commitment to UDL.
Element 4: The school community designs school spaces to support variability.

Domain Two: Teaching and Learning

Icon representing the teaching and learning domain of the SIC

In a school that uses the UDL framework, educators design learning opportunities that anticipate learner variability so every student can develop learning expertise. The UDL Guidelines are used proactively and iteratively to design curricular goals, assessments, methods, and materials to reduce barriers to learning. Rather than focus solely on classroom learning activities, a UDL school community views all interactions as learning opportunities and designs each with UDL’s inclusive principles in mind.

Element 1: Educators intentionally design learning experiences using evidence-based, high-leverage practices to address learner variability and reduce barriers.
Element 2: Learning goals are clear, flexible, meaningful, and support high expectations for all.
Element 3: Educators incorporate evidence-based, high-leverage, flexible methods and materials that anticipate learner variability and reduce barriers.
Element 4: Educators incorporate flexible assessments that are designed to support learner variability and reduce barriers to learning.

Domain Three – Leadership and Management

Icon representing the Leadership domain of the SIC

In schools that use the UDL framework, leaders actively support and monitor UDL implementation across school settings. Using an iterative, data-driven design process, leaders model UDL practices and ensure that all learning environments and experiences, including school processes, procedures, and resources, are designed to anticipate learner variability by reducing barriers and promoting equity, inclusion, and expert learning for all.

Element 1: School leaders actively lead, support, and monitor UDL implementation across the school community.
Element 2: School leaders collaborate to design a systematic, goal-driven, UDL implementation process.
Element 3: School leaders collaborate to design school processes, procedures, and structures that anticipate learner variability and promote equity, inclusion, and expert learning.
Element 4: School leaders procure school and classroom resources that align with the UDL framework.

Domain Four – Professional Learning

Icon representing the professional learning domain of the SIC

In a school that uses the UDL framework, professional learning opportunities are personalized and job-embedded, and they promote ongoing professional growth. Professional learning is designed and facilitated by UDL professionals to be flexible, data-driven, and goal-directed, and to promote the development of educators’ expertise.

Element 1: UDL professional learning is goal-driven.
Element 2: UDL professional learning is flexible in addressing staff variability.
Element 3: UDL professional learning supports expert learning.
Element 4: UDL professional learning integrates job-embedded support.

Cross Cutting Concepts

These foundational UDL design concepts are intentionally woven into the domains and elements.
Educators are asked to design for:

Equitable, inclusive, and accessible environments. The design process focuses on creating equitable, inclusive, and accessible environments and experiences for all.
Learner variability. Anticipating the learner variability, educators consider the whole learner, including their social, emotional, cognitive, perceptual, physical, sensory, and cultural strengths and needs when designing learning experiences and environments.
Reducing barriers in the environment. By recognizing that barriers reside in the design of the environment or experience, not in the learner, barriers can be intentionally reduced using the UDL Guidelines and an iterative design process.
Expert learning. Educational experiences are goal-directed and designed to keep expectations high for all learners. Expertise includes becoming resourceful, knowledgeable, strategic, goal-directed, purposeful, and motivated as learners (Ertmer & Newby, 1996; Meyer, Rose, & Gordon, 2014).
Data-driven, iterative processes. Learning design is an intentional, iterative process focused on continuous improvement at all levels, using rich and varied data to inform subsequent design.

Multiple Ways to Explore the UDL-SIC

Explore the big picture by reviewing the UDL-SIC Guide. This guide provides an overview of the criteria and offers suggestions about how to use the tools that support UDL implementation.
Navigate through the Criteria Overview
Examine the details of each of the domains and elements by opening the UDL-SIC Full Criteria.
Dive right in with the UDL-SIC Self-Assessment. Use the Self-Assessment to reflect on where your school is in terms of UDL implementation. If you choose this option, we recommend you review the whole self-assessment document before you jump into assessing your school.

General Research and Reference for the UDL Schoolwide Implementation Criteria (UDL-SIC)

Bandura A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. New York, NY: WH Freeman.

Basham, J. D., Stahl, S., Hall, T., & Carter Jr, R. A. (2017). Establishing a student-centered environment to support all learners. In C. M. Curran, & A. J. Petersen (Eds.), Handbook of research on classroom diversity and inclusive education practice (pp. 155–182). IGI Global.
https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-2520-2.ch007

Basham, J., Blackorby, J., & Marino, M. (2020). Opportunity in Crisis: The Role of Universal Design for Learning in Educational Redesign. Learning Disabilities: A Contemporary Journal, 18(1), 71–91.
https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1264277

Fixsen, D., Blase, K., Metz, A., & Van Dyke, M. (2013). Statewide Implementation of Evidence-Based Programs. Exceptional Children, 79(3), 213–230. doi:10.1177/001440291307900206(2015). Implementation Science. International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences, 695–702. doi:10.1016/b978-0-08-097086-8.10548-3

Fixsen, D., Naoom, S., Friedman, R., & Wallace, F. (2005). Implementation Research: A Synthesis of the Literature. In National Implementation Research Network (pp. 1–101). University of South Florida, Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute.
https://nirn.fpg.unc.edu/resources/implementation-research-synthesis-literature

Fullan, M. (2007). The new meaning of educational change (4th. ed.). New York: Teachers College Press.

Kortering, L. J., McClannon, T. W., & Braziel, P. M. (2008). Universal Design for Learning. Remedial and Special Education, 29(6), 352–363. doi:10.1177/0741932507314020

Lewis, C. (2015). What is improvement science? Do we need it in education? Educational Researcher, 44, 54–61.
https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X15570388

Lynch, D., & Smith, R. (2016). Readiness for School Reform. International Journal of Innovation, Creativity and Change, 2 (3), 1-12.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/303211026_Readiness_for_School_Reform

Meyer, A., Rose, D. H., & Gordon, D. T. (2014). Universal Design for Learning: Theory and practice. CAST Professional Publishing.

Rao, K., Ok, M. W., & Bryant, B. R. (2014). A review of research on universal design educational models. Remedial and Special Education, 35(3), 153-166.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0741932513518980