Changing Mindsets, Changing Classrooms: Building SDI Confidence in General Educators

This session showcases a university-school partnership in Virginia that developed a graduate course to strengthen general education teachers’ self-efficacy in delivering specially designed instruction (SDI). Learn how this collaboration enhanced inclusive practices, fostered effective co-teaching, and empowered educators to better support students with disabilities through targeted, research-based professional learning.Participants will be able to: 1. Identify key instructional shifts general education teachers made after completing the SDI course, including how they planned and delivered specially designed instruction in inclusive classrooms. 2. Learn how course content translated into practice, such as aligning IEP goals with core instruction, adapting materials, and using data to make instructional decisions for students with disabilities. 3. Explain how course structure, content, and university-school collaboration contributed to increased teacher self-efficacy in delivering SDI. 4. Understand how targeted coursework, real-world application, and ongoing coaching fostered confidence and competence in implementing inclusive instructional strategies. 5. Apply elements of the SDI course model to create or adapt professional development initiatives in their own settings. 6. Replicate the course’s most effective components—such as case-based learning, collaborative planning exercises, and embedded reflection tools—to build instructional capacity in their districts or schools.