Striving toward Instructional Excellence through the Strategic Instruction Model™ (SIM): Time Sensitive Reflections from a Retired Special Educator

February 12, 2021

Things need to change in the world of special education. Right now.  I can no longer ignore the frustration, confusion, disempowerment and dissatisfaction of so many young special educators who have lost focus and confidence in fulfilling their career mission.  As I listen to special educators today, I am often transported back to my own early years of teaching.  Despite decades of research, professional development, legislative mandates and changes in school leadership approaches, special educators experience the same challenges I faced as a new teacher decades ago.  How can that be? 

It is especially tragic because there is a viable solution.  Teachers have immediate access to the Strategic Instruction Model™ (SIM) that offers a comprehensive system of support.   SIM is not a panacea, but it is a vital component of efforts to improve the learning conditions for students with special needs and for their teachers.  In fact, SIM offers a comprehensive process to improve learning conditions in both general and special education arenas.  Schools need to take greater advantage of this incredible gift.

Many of us who started our special education careers in the 1970s knew that we could provide better opportunities for our students if only we had the tools.  We did not have access to the broad instructional infrastructure that SIM provides today.  Eventually, those of us who were able to weather our induction challenges grew with SIM to become more competent and impactful educators.  We stayed in the field and made a true difference for the students we supported.

All special educators should be empowered through opportunities to discover, understand and implement research-based instructional principles, concepts and strategies in their school settings.  Our children cannot benefit from teachers who are looking to leave the classroom. We need our young educators to stay in the field; we need them to gain instructional competence over incremental intervals of time and experience.  SIM provides significant resources that energize early career teachers.

It is like entering a time machine as I listen to stories of young educators.  During my initial years as a high school special education educator, I struggled to find measures that would adequately address my students’ needs.  My charges started freshmen year with entrenched defeatist mindsets and negative self-perceptions.  My self-contained classroom was viewed as a psychological haven, but not necessarily a mecca to attain academic excellence.   School administrators bent traditional rules to decrease dropout rates and even allowed me to take in a middle school student who was determined to leave school (after two years of no credit in grade 7).  I knew how to care and show respect for each student, but I did not know how to facilitate conditions that would lead to post-secondary success in just four years.  My classroom was a respite from the seemingly overwhelming demands of each school day. I was an advocate, a friend, a champion, and I loved my calling.  However, two nagging and ever present questions permeated my thoughts.  (1) When my students graduated, would they succeed in career and life based on their educational preparations?  (2) What was my impact on their learning?

Preservice preparation programs offer information about types of disabilities, eligibility requirements, assessments used to label children, and instructional methods.  Given the broad expanse of what is covered within the realm of special needs, most of us enter our first teaching positions with surface level knowledge of specialized instruction. There is no blame to be assigned, but that is our reality.  As we are hired, and as we integrate established school beliefs regarding the role of special education, we adapt to practices and professional development that support existing school norms.  We learn the daily routines, experience the challenges of our assigned roles, and grow in realization that we know a lot less than needed about specialized instruction.  It is a precarious time when a significant number of early career teachers leave the field. 

Despite our fervent desire to make a positive impact on student learning, special education teachers have little time to develop advanced practices. Our responsibilities involve daily triage responses to contentious legal actions, IEP meetings, challenging dynamics within general education practices, perceived weak status around our lack of content area expertise, and issues with student performance and motivation.  Frequently, schools have limited age appropriate resources to assist adolescents in bridging the gap between academic expectations and their current levels of functioning.  It is hard to stay afloat, and daily preparations take hours outside of school time.

During that era, I developed materials, piecemealed available programs and flew by the seat of my proverbial pants.  I did not understand how to integrate a system of practices and environmental supports; nor did I know how to measure the impact of such interventions on student success.  As importantly, I did not understand the differences between mainstream versus inclusive practices.  As was the case with most special educators at that time, I “owned” the education of “my” students.  Students could be “mainstreamed” back to content classrooms once they could meet the demands set forth by general education teachers.  Often, my role was to teach subject-matter content rather than skills and strategies for success.  Students needed specific graduation credits in core content areas.  My job was to get them through to graduation by emphasizing course completion rather than mastery.  I taught English, algebra, geometry, US history and geography courses.   There was little room for interventions that would address IEP goals related to literacy, study skills, behavior and self-advocacy.  The same is true in many secondary programs today.

In a fortuitous set of circumstances, I was introduced to the Strategic Instruction Model™ (SIM).  SIM freed me from my perpetual whack-a- mole approach to student support.  Finally and legitimately, I could articulate the conditions that comprised the arena of special education. I could provide evidence and results that supported my claims.  All of the puzzle pieces came together and lead me down a clear a path toward growth and empowerment as an educator.

My thinking and approach to teaching were transformed through SIM.  In the 1980’s, Connecticut received a grant to support SIM professional development in our state.  I was fortunate enough to participate in that opportunity.  I learned the WHAT, HOW and WHY of specialized instruction through integration of SIM learning strategies in my classroom.  The results on all levels were immediate and rewarding.

I taught in a district where the state Learning Disabilities Association (LDA) president and vice president both resided.  Each had children with identified special education needs.  It could have been quite intimidating and challenging to work with these rightful advocates who did create stress for teachers in previous years.  Instead, it became a joyous partnership.

SIM gave me a language through which to describe and support use of the instructional conditions designed for each student.  SIM gave me the instructional methods, resources and assessments for progress monitoring.  I could go into any IEP meeting, even those with lawyers and other advocates, and defend the instructional conditions set forth the in a child’s IEP.  Furthermore, my students were able to control much of the conversations and served to reduce defensive attitudes.

I am but one individual in a narrative that includes innumerable stakeholders.  Dr. Donald Deshler and Dr. Jean Schumaker opened the doors of opportunity for thousands of special educators and students through their research, mentorship, compassion and vision.  Special education gained legitimacy through their contributions and through the SIM network of researchers and practitioners.  Students and teachers became empowered.  General education and special education forged innovative and productive partnerships.  We owe Don and Jean a deep debt of gratitude as they were true pioneers in the field. Countless educators have developed successful and fulfilling careers through their implementation of SIM.  Most importantly, students have gained independence, resilience, and respect for themselves through SIM instruction.

I have never stopped growing in my grasp of this model nor in my appreciation of the research used to develop the approach.  SIM is designed to support all students through a merger of general and special education interventions.  One starts to notice deliberate and important nuances through years of SIM implementation. It confounds me that SIM isn’t integrated in all states and school districts.  The approach…

• corresponds with most district and school-level mission statements that commit to support all students;
• provides research-based methods that integrate high-leverage practices;
• documents student learning progress through formative assessment processes;
• addresses the needs of individual students by matching instructional strategies and routines  to challenges in grade level access;
• integrates motivational conditions that empower adolescents;
• offers a comprehensive intervention system through the Content literacy Continuum;
• provides strong opportunities for professional development in connecting strategic instruction to skill, content and standards mastery;
• aligns specialized instruction with state and federal mandates under IDEA;
• supports the development  of inclusive practices that align the roles of general and special educators, and
• develops stronger family partnerships with school personnel.

A Call to Action

Let’s break from the time worn picture of special education and advance to an instructional model that provides contemporary evidence-based practices.  Let’s not let more time elapse as we passively watch young talent leave our field. Let’s make a lasting and profound difference for the children we serve.  Toward those ends, all teachers should have access to SIM resources.  We would realize stronger programs, less teacher attrition and greater student achievement. We would achieve what we espouse to attain in our school improvement mission and goals.