Big Ideas in Special Education: Specially Designed Instruction, High-Leverage Practices, Explicit Instruction, and Intensive Instruction

It is understandable that misuse of the terms "specially designed instruction" (SDI), "high-leverage practices" (HLPs), "explicit instruction" (EI), and "intensive instruction"(II) has bred confusion among professionals, and this confusion may lead to miscommunication and misunderstandings in the field. Practitioners need support in making sense of this terminology, understanding where the terms overlap and diverge, and how to meaningfully put all four into practice in their classrooms. To address possible confusion, this article describes and illustrates SDI, HLPs, EI, and II. A table showing High Leverage Practices is provided, Table 2 provides "Classroom Application of Scaffolding, a High-Leverage Practice (HLP), for Teaching Word Problems," Table 3 contains "Principles and Elements of Effective Explicit Instruction," and Table 4 offers "Resources for the Delivery of Specially Designed Instruction."