Developing a UDL Micro-Credential for CTE Educators: One District’s Approach
Project Name
Upper Bucks & CAST
Project Description
When Michael Herrera became the executive director of the Upper Bucks County Technical School, a huge part of his vision involved making sure CTE educators and staff had the materials, resources, and knowledge they needed to effectively support all learners.
Since Perkins V recommends Universal Design for Learning (UDL) for State leadership and professional learning (visit UDL in Public Policy), Herrera knew he could use Perkins funds to engage in a year-long UDL professional development program. But, he also wanted a way to ensure educators had the knowledge they needed to implement UDL practices. He wanted CTE educators to walk away with evidence of their learning.
Working collaboratively with CAST and NOCTI (the National leader in CTE credentialing and resources), Herrera leveraged Perkins funds to support the development of a UDL micro-credential.
The micro-credential and accompanying curriculum focus on one aspect of the UDL Guidelines, Checkpoint 8.1: Heighten salience of goals and objectives. The materials and resources are all designed to help CTE educators understand how they can use UDL to help learners sustain their effort and persistence. The materials include tangible strategies and examples specifically for CTE teachers, administrators, and staff.
Over the course of any sustained project or systematic practice, there are many sources of interest and engagement that compete for attention and effort. For some learners, they need support to remember the initial goal or to maintain a consistent vision of the rewards of reaching that goal. For those learners, it is important to build in periodic or persistent “reminders” of both the goal and its value in order for them to sustain effort and concentration in the face of distractors.
CAST UDL Guidelines, Checkpoint 8.1: Heighten salience of goals and objectives
This project helps make UDL skills and knowledge tangible for CTE educators, administrators, and staff. Through the project, Upper Bucks educators learned how to effectively design CTE curricula, including lessons, activities, and assessments, using the UDL framework. Through the collaboration with NOCTI, CAST staff developed an assessment to ensure educators understood and had strategies to apply the knowledge delivered. Moving forward, the NOCTI micro-credential and accompanying course content will support the continued use of UDL in CTE classrooms across the country.
Timeline
2021 – 2023
Funder
Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE) at the U.S. Department of Education
Partners
Upper Bucks County Technical School
NOCTI
Contact
For more information about this project, please contact Amanda Bastoni.