Legislative Activities > NCLB

New: Sept. 5, 2007: Comments submitted to House Committee on Education and Labor
regarding the Staff Discussion Draft for ESEA Reauthorition are available here.

Recommended Legislative Language
for NCLB Reauthorization

Universal Design for Learning

In order to incorporate the principles of universal design for learning into the No Child Left Behind Act, the undersigned organizations recommend the legislative language provided below. We are organizations representing teachers, school boards and state and local administrators, as well as parents and advocates representing children with disabilities.

Universal design for learning is not a program or a product line, it is a research-based framework for designing curricula—including goals, teaching methods, instructional materials, and assessments—that enables all individuals to gain knowledge, skills, and enthusiasm for learning. Universal design for learning provides curricular flexibility (in activities, in the ways information is presented, in the ways students respond or demonstrate knowledge, and in the ways students are engaged) to reduce barriers, provide appropriate supports and challenges, and maintain high achievement standards for all students, including those with disabilities and limited English proficiency. The use of technology is an important component of universal design for learning, which is consistent with other efforts to provide America’s students with a 21st century education. For more information on universal design for learning see www.udl4allstudents.com.

TITLE I Part A — Improving Basic Programs Operated by Local Educational Agencies

Add a new Section 1111(b)(1) (D)(i)(IV) as follows, in bold:

(b) ACADEMIC STANDARDS, ACADEMIC ASSESSMENTS, AND ACCOUNTABILITY-

(1) CHALLENGING ACADEMIC STANDARDS-

(D) CHALLENGING ACADEMIC STANDARDS- Standards under this paragraph shall include —

(i) challenging academic content standards in academic subjects that —

(I) specify what children are expected to know and be able to do;

(II) contain coherent and rigorous content;

(III) encourage the teaching of advanced skills; and

(IV) may incorporate the principles of universal design for learning; and
Add a new Section 1111 (b)(3)(C)(iv) as follows and renumber remaining subparagraphs:

(C) REQUIREMENTS- Such assessments shall—

(iv) to the extent feasible, be universally designed assessments that are designed from the outset to enable all students, including those with disabilities, to demonstrate their knowledge, skills, and abilities in accordance with intended learning standards and instructional goals. Based on the principles of universal design for learning, such assessments:

(I) minimize the effect of construct-irrelevant factors—such as physical, sensory, learning, or cognitive disabilities, or language barriers—that may interfere with the accuracy of the assessment; and

(II) provide appropriate supports for students to demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities according to the intended learning standards.

Add a new Section 1111(c)(15), as follows:

3. OTHER PROVISIONS TO SUPPORT TEACHING AND LEARNING- Each State plan shall contain assurances that—

(15) the State educational agency to the extent that it is involved in selecting and recommending textbooks and other instructional materials will encourage the purchase of textbooks and materials that are consistent with the principles of universal design for learning.

Amend Section 1111(h)(5), as follows, with major changes in bold:

(5) REPORTS TO CONGRESS- The Secretary shall transmit to the Committee on Education and Labor of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate—

(A). an annual report that provides national and State-level data on the information collected under paragraph (4); and
(B). a comprehensive plan developed in consultation with the experts in the field and stakeholders to address the implementation of universal design for learning. The plan must be sufficiently detailed to provide substantial guidance for activities that include research, model demonstrations, technical assistance and dissemination, technology innovations, personnel preparation, staff development and other means to develop and apply universal design for learning to standards, curriculum, teaching methods, instructional materials and assessments. The plan shall include proposed funding levels and timelines for implementing the various research, development and dissemination activities and other components of the plan.

Add a new Section 1112(c)(1)(P), as follows:

(c) ASSURANCES-

1. IN GENERAL- Each local educational agency plan shall provide assurances that the local educational agency will —

(P) Encourage the use of curriculum, teaching methods, instructional materials and assessments that are consistent with the principles of universal design for learning.

TITLE II Part A-Preparing, Training, and Recruiting High Quality Teachers and Principals

Add a new Section 2112(b)(13) as follows:

(13) A description of how the State educational agency will use funds under this part to provide training in the use of teaching methods consistent with the principles of universal design for learning

Amend Section 2122(c)(2) as follows, in bold:

(c) NEEDS ASSESSMENT-

(2) REQUIREMENTS- Such needs assessment shall be conducted with the involvement of general and special education teachers, including teachers participating in programs under part A of title I, and shall take into account the activities that need to be conducted in order to give teachers the means, including subject matter knowledge and teaching skills consistent with the principles of universal design for learning, and to give principals the instructional leadership skills to help teachers, to provide students with the opportunity to meet challenging State and local student academic achievement standards.

TITLE II Part D- Enhanced Educational Technology

Add a new Section 2402(a)(9), as follows:

(9) To permit the purchase and implementation of universally designed technology, including staff development and technical support; to ensure that all students, including those with disabilities, will have an opportunity to benefit from the integration of technology into the general education curriculum; to provide frequent experiences in the use of universally designed technologies that may be applied to large scale assessments and to measure the impact of universally designed technologies on the learning and achievement of all learners.

TITLE VI PART A- Improving Academic Achievement

Amend Section 6111 (1) as follows, in bold:

The Secretary shall make grants to States to enable the States —

1. to pay the costs of the development of the additional State assessments and standards required by section 1111(b) and universally designed assessments under section 1111 (b)(3)(C)(iv), which may include the costs of working in voluntary partnerships with other States, at the sole discretion of each such State; and

Title IX Part A- Definitions

Add new Sections 9101 (44), (45) and (46) as follows:

44. UNIVERSAL DESIGN-- The term universal design, as defined in section 3 of the Assistive Technology Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 3002), means a concept or philosophy for designing and delivering products and services that are usable by people with the widest range of possible functional capabilities, which include products and services that are directly usable (without requiring assistive technologies) and products and services that are made usable with assistive technologies.

45. UNIVERSAL DESIGN FOR LEARNING-- The term universal design for learning extends the concept of universal design to the field of education. It is a research-based framework for designing curriculum—including goals, methods, materials, and assessments—that enables all individuals to gain knowledge, skills, and enthusiasm for learning. Universal design for learning provides curricular flexibility (in activities, in the ways information is presented, in the ways students respond or demonstrate knowledge, and in the ways students are engaged) to reduce barriers, provide appropriate supports and challenges, and maintain high achievement standards for all students, including those with disabilities.

46. UNIVERSALLY DESIGNED TECHNOLOGY-- the term universally designed technology means hardware and software that--

(A) include the features necessary for use by all learners or supports integration with the necessary assistive hardware and software technologies to ensure that they are accessible and optimized for all learners; and

(B) provide flexibility in the ways that information is presented, in the ways that students respond or demonstrate knowledge, and in the ways in which students are engaged in order to provide appropriate support and challenge and enhance the performance for a typically diverse spectrum of learners.