UDL for Paraprofessionals

Supporting Universal Design for Learning -- and scaffolding when the lesson isn't designed that way

For paraprofessionals and the teachers who supervise them

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| The frameUniversal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework for designing instruction so that all students can access it without needing individual modifications after the fact. When a classroom is designed with UDL principles, a para's job changes -- not less work, but different work. This brief explains what UDL is, what it looks like in practice, and what the para does in both well-designed UDL classrooms and classrooms where UDL is aspirational rather than implemented. |

What UDL is -- and what it is not

UDL (Universal Design for Learning) is a framework developed by CAST based on neuroscience and learning research. The central argument is that there is no such thing as a typical learner -- the range of how students learn is the norm, not the exception -- and that lessons designed for a mythical average student will fail many actual students. The solution is to build multiple options into the lesson design from the start.

UDL is not a disability accommodation framework. It is not about giving some students extra time while others work independently. It is not the same as differentiated instruction, though they overlap. UDL is about designing the learning environment so that most accommodations are already built in.

The three UDL principles

Multiple means of engagement

Engagement addresses the 'why' of learning -- motivation, interest, and persistence. UDL classrooms offer students choices in how they engage: choosing topics, choosing work partners, having options for how challenging the task is, and having opportunities to self-regulate.

Para moves within engagement:

Offer the student a choice between two equivalent tasks when the teacher has designed flexibility into the lesson

Help the student set a personal goal for the work period

Use a visual timer or first-then board to make task demands predictable

Notice and name when the student persists through difficulty ('You kept going even when that was hard')

Multiple means of representation

Representation addresses the 'what' of learning -- how information is presented. UDL classrooms provide information in more than one format: text and audio, visual diagrams alongside written explanations, video alongside print.

Para moves within representation:

Read text aloud if the student processes auditory input more easily than print

Point to a visual vocabulary word wall or graphic organizer while content is being presented

Pre-teach key vocabulary before the lesson begins

Use a physical manipulative or model alongside an abstract representation

Multiple means of action and expression

Action and expression addresses the 'how' of learning -- how students demonstrate what they know. UDL classrooms provide multiple ways to respond: typing or dictating instead of handwriting, drawing or building instead of writing, speaking instead of writing a test.

Para moves within action and expression:

Offer the student a graphic organizer or sentence frame before asking for a written response

Allow oral response when the student's communication system supports it

Support use of assistive technology (AAC, text-to-speech, word prediction) without drawing attention to it

Help the student use a checklist or rubric to self-monitor their own work

When the lesson is not UDL-designed

Many classrooms are UDL-informed in aspiration but not fully UDL-designed in practice. The teacher may have little control over the curriculum, the class may move faster than individual scaffolding allows, or the lesson may rely on a single text or a single mode of response. In these situations, the para provides individual scaffolding at the moment of need.

What this looks like in practice

Quietly reduce the amount of text by covering part of the page or providing a simplified version that was prepared in advance

Provide a sentence stem verbally ('The main idea is \_\_\_') when the student is stuck on how to start a written response

Pre-teach vocabulary the night before or earlier in the day so that the lesson content has a better chance of being accessible

Use a quiet, minimally intrusive physical prompt (pointing to where the student should be looking) rather than verbal redirection that draws peer attention

Check in with the teacher before the lesson about any known access challenges so you can have materials ready

The line between scaffolding and doing

A common UDL confusion for paras: 'If I provide all these scaffolds, am I doing the work for the student?' The test is whether the scaffold supports the student's access to the content or replaces the student's engagement with it. Providing a graphic organizer that helps the student organize their own ideas = scaffolding. Filling in the graphic organizer while the student watches = doing it for them.

Assistive technology and UDL

Assistive technology (AT) is a natural partner to UDL. Text-to-speech software, word prediction, AAC devices, and digital graphic organizers are AT tools that support multiple means of action and expression. The para's role with AT:

Know how to set up and troubleshoot the student's AT before the lesson begins

Prompt the student to use their AT rather than waiting for the para to provide what the AT can provide

Fade reliance on the para by ensuring the AT is accessible and the student is building AT skills

Report AT glitches to the teacher promptly -- a malfunctioning device means the student's primary access tool is unavailable

Scenario

The read-aloud moment

A fifth-grade science class is reading a dense textbook chapter. The teacher reads the first two paragraphs aloud, then asks students to read the rest silently and answer five questions. Jaylen, a student with dyslexia, sits with a para. The para quietly activates text-to-speech on Jaylen's school tablet so he can follow along with the class reading at his own pace. She also pre-placed a vocabulary card on his desk covering four key terms from the chapter. When Jaylen gets to the questions, she points to the relevant paragraph for each one rather than answering the questions herself. Jaylen completes four of five questions independently. This is UDL scaffolding: access is provided, but the cognitive work stays with Jaylen.

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| Try this | Watch out for |

| Know the UDL materials the teacher has prepared and have them ready before the lesson starts | Providing so much support during the lesson that the student never has to grapple with the content at all |

| Scaffold access -- not answers -- by using tools that help the student engage with the content | Ignoring available scaffolds (graphic organizers, visual supports) because it takes time to set them up |

| Prompt students to use their own AT rather than substituting your voice for their device | Assuming UDL means 'easier' -- it means 'accessible,' which is different |

| Talk with the teacher about what UDL options are built into the lesson so you can support them consistently | Setting up AT at the moment the lesson starts instead of before class begins |

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| Bottom lineUDL is not about lowering expectations. It is about removing the barriers that prevent capable students from showing what they know. The para's job in a UDL classroom is to be the bridge between the lesson's built-in flexibility and the individual student's access. |

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