The Problem
Meeting the legal mandate for Specially Designed Instruction requires far more than generic accommodations like "preferential seating" or "extra time." Under NYSED regulations, educators must intentionally adapt the content, methodology, or delivery of instruction to address the unique deficits resulting from a student's disability. In busy general education and Integrated Co-Teaching (ICT) classrooms, co-teachers rarely have enough shared prep time to deconstruct IEP goals, determine explicit modeling strategies, and define clear Teacher A vs. Teacher B roles for every daily lesson.
Meeting the legal mandate for Specially Designed Instruction requires far more than generic accommodations like "preferential seating" or "extra time." Under NYSED regulations, educators must intentionally adapt the content, methodology, or delivery of instruction to address the unique deficits resulting from a student's disability. In busy general education and Integrated Co-Teaching (ICT) classrooms, co-teachers rarely have enough shared prep time to deconstruct IEP goals, determine explicit modeling strategies, and define clear Teacher A vs. Teacher B roles for every daily lesson.
The 30-Second Try
🍎 For Educators & Co-Teaching Teams- Open the Specially Designed Instruction Lesson Planning Partner on the Hub.
- Select your mode: choose whether to paste an existing lesson draft for an SDI review or start fresh from a curriculum topic.
- Provide your instructional setting (General Education, ICT, or Resource Room), grade level, and duration (e.g., 40 minutes).
- Share key student profile details using the MAPS framework (Management, Academic, Physical, and Social/Emotional needs).
- Receive an explicit, step-by-step instructional plan with bolded adaptations and a dedicated "Co-Teacher's Note" linking strategies directly to student needs!
The Workflow in Action
🍎 Educator Workflow- Define Setting & Parity: Designate your delivery model (General Ed, ICT, or Resource Room). For ICT classrooms, the Gem automatically maps out parallel and complementary roles for both General Education (Teacher A) and Special Education (Teacher B) instructors.
- Target the Root Need (MAPS): Move beyond disability labels by addressing specific functional needs, whether that means visual checklists for executive functioning, think-alouds for processing deficits, or sensory/movement breaks.
- Explicit Instruction Framework: Every lesson is organized around research-backed Explicit Instruction ("I Do, We Do, You Do"), embedding direct modeling, guided practice with systematically faded prompts, and purposeful checks for understanding.
- Audit the Rationale: Review the appended Co-Teacher's Note, which details exactly why specific interventions were selected and how they provide meaningful access to general education standards.
The Pedagogical "Why"
New York State Commissioner's Regulations (Section 200.1[vv]) define Specially Designed Instruction as the intentional adaptation of content, methodology, or instructional delivery to ensure students with disabilities can access the general curriculum and meet state standards. SDI is not a separate curriculum or an accidental grouping; it is planned, explicit, and systematic instruction that provides cognitive bridges while maintaining rigorous grade-level expectations.
New York State Commissioner's Regulations (Section 200.1[vv]) define Specially Designed Instruction as the intentional adaptation of content, methodology, or instructional delivery to ensure students with disabilities can access the general curriculum and meet state standards. SDI is not a separate curriculum or an accidental grouping; it is planned, explicit, and systematic instruction that provides cognitive bridges while maintaining rigorous grade-level expectations.
Ready to Explore?
Visit the Professional Learning Hub to test out the tool today! Simply click below and type "Hi" in the chat to get started:
🍎 Specially Designed Instruction Lesson Planning Partner (Educator Vault)
Have an upcoming co-planning meeting or an IEP to accommodate? Generate an SDI-aligned lesson plan today and share the workflow with your co-teacher or grade-level department team!
Visit the Professional Learning Hub to test out the tool today! Simply click below and type "Hi" in the chat to get started:
🍎 Specially Designed Instruction Lesson Planning Partner (Educator Vault)
Have an upcoming co-planning meeting or an IEP to accommodate? Generate an SDI-aligned lesson plan today and share the workflow with your co-teacher or grade-level department team!
