Adopted November 2022 – Education Commission
California State PTA believes all students should have an equal opportunity to learn and succeed. As every student learns differently, schools must create flexible, barrier-free learning environments if all students are to become successful, lifelong learners.
California State PTA supports Universal Design for Learning (UDL) as a framework that enables equitable access and participation in education for all students, including those with disabilities, by offering flexibility and eliminating unnecessary hurdles in the learning process. UDL benefits all students by using a variety of flexible teaching methods to remove barriers to learning and adjust for individual needs. Giving everyone options can reduce the potential stigma for those who receive formal accommodations for a disability. UDL is driven not only by the findings from neuroscience and educational research but by a vision for equity.
Families should be a part of the process by informing them about UDL and how they can play an active role in the design and implementation in the classroom. Additionally, families can encourage school districts to adopt an approach to teaching and learning that values diversity and promotes improved learning outcomes for all students such as UDL as it provides a framework for designing and implementing curriculum that works for all children.
The three main principles of UDL are:
- Engagement – Looking for ways to motivate students.
- Representation – Providing information in more than one format.
- Action and Expression – Giving learners more than one way to interact with the material.
California State PTA supports UDL guidelines as a set of concrete suggestions that educators can apply in the classroom that all learners can access and participate in meaningful, challenging learning opportunities.
California State PTA further believes that classroom environments and learning should:
- Offer multiple ways to engage students by letting them make choices and reducing
- Help students stay focused and motivated by stressing the value and importance of goals and objectives.
- Provide options for self-regulation by teaching personal coping skills and strategies, and helping students develop self-assessment and reflection
- Make information accessible by allowing students to adjust how it is presented and offering alternatives for hearing and seeing
- Simplify language and symbols by explaining difficult words, grammar, and supporting understanding of text and mathematical
- Help students understand content by providing background information, pointing out important patterns, and guiding how they process and visualize information.
- Provide options for physical actions by allowing various methods for responding and giving access to helpful tools and
- Encourage expression and communication by offering multiple media options for creating and sharing
- Support planning and organization by helping students set goals and manage information and resources
