Many students belong to one or more special populations meaning that their needs are as unique as they are—and are contextual. Every student, whether identified as a member of a special population or not, will need support and enrichment at some point or another. All students, including members of special populations, are supported within the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Differentiation frameworks.
You will not see parts of our curriculum, including differentiation, labeled as being for a specific group of students.
- We know English learners will need language support, as will students with an identified speech and language disorder, as will some other students–and not every language support will be needed by every student identified as a language learner.
- We know students who receive special education services will need support to access the curriculum, as will students who are not identified with a disability–and not every support will be needed by every student.
- We know gifted and talented students will need additional challenges, as will students who are not formally identified as gifted–and some gifted students will not need an extra challenge every day or with every bit of content.
Teachers are given a menu of options to mix and match depending on student need and are encouraged to apply them whenever necessary for any student at any time.
Table of Contents
English Learners
All students are on different trajectories of language learning, and InsightMath supports all students to use and build on their current language skills. All learners, including English learners, bring valuable language, culture, and experience that enrich math and language learning for everyone. InsightMath ensures all students can meaningfully access math by embedding language support into instruction.
Language UDL
The curriculum recognizes that language development is integral to mathematical learning and takes an asset-based approach. Universally designed strategies that benefit language learners include:
- Students are encouraged to use their own language to describe mathematical concepts before formal vocabulary is introduced
- Lessons develop both general and mathematics-specific vocabulary through intentional scaffolding
- Instruction incorporates opportunities to engage in rich mathematical discourse, which supports both language and content learning
- Visual-first instruction with interactive models that develop conceptual understanding beyond words
- Multiple ways for students to show their understanding, including discussion and written responses, but also manipulatives, interactives, annotations and drawings
- Collaborative tools like the Collaborative Language Tool Cards to support rich peer discussions
- Intentional trajectory of word problems to support students to have meaningful access to math in context.
- Language Objectives to help teachers know how to focus the embedded language learning
We encourage teachers to use the suggestions from the Math Language Routines* as universal language supports to guide discussion:
- Revoice student ideas to model mathematical language use by restating a statement as a question in order to clarify, apply appropriate language, and involve more students.
- Press for details in students’ explanations by requesting for students to challenge an idea, elaborate on an idea, or give an example.
- Show central concepts multi-modally by utilizing different types of sensory inputs: acting out scenarios or inviting students to do so, showing videos or images, using gesture, and talking about the context of what is happening.
- Practice phrases or words through choral response.
- Think aloud by talking through thinking about a mathematical concept while solving a related problem or doing a task. Model detailing steps, describing and justifying reasoning, and questioning strategies.
* Zwiers, J., Dieckmann, J., Rutherford-Quach, S., Daro, V., Skarin, R., Weiss, S., & Malamut, J. (2017). Principles for the Design of Mathematics Curricula: Promoting Language and Content Development. Retrieved from Stanford University, UL/SCALE website: http://ell.stanford.edu/content/mathematics-resources-additional-resources
Language Differentiation
In addition to including universal intentionality around language, InsightMath also includes differentiation that can benefit language learners, including:
- Additional, balanced language support, focusing on receptive (input), expressive (output) and collaborative skills that support the teacher to anticipate and address students’ language needs. Supports can assist students in understanding the language used in the lesson, in developing and using their own language to express their mathematical ideas, in increasing their general or mathematical vocabulary, or learning, interpreting, and using the structure of the English language.
- Sentence frames included with every lesson that are:
- Designed to address the objective(s) of the lesson
- Scaffolded from more support to less support so that students can choose the level of challenge they are ready for and select the sentence frame appropriate for them in that context.
- Receptive language support with every lesson to help teachers attend to words that may not be considered as traditional vocabulary but impact students’ ability to access tasks and activities
Students Who Receive Special Education Services
At InsightMath, our mission is to equip all students with the skills and confidence to thrive in math. We empower learners to take ownership of their thinking and see themselves as capable, curious mathematicians. Students are encouraged to explain ideas, engage in math talk, and grow as strong communicators. With the right tools and opportunities, every student can succeed. InsightMath provides multiple access points and built-in depth to support varied learning needs. Differentiation tools address content, language, and participation challenges so students can engage in grade-level math with meaningful support.
Universal Design for Learning
Lessons are designed using Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles—ensuring all students can engage, persist, and succeed in their own way. Many of the aspects of the program design described in our UDL article will allow for students who receive special education services to thrive. Some highlights include:
- Building conceptual understanding before introducing symbols
- Visual models support understanding and allow students to move between concrete, representational, and abstract forms, strengthening both content and language skills
- The structure of resources are consistent and simple with minimal distractions to facilitate familiarity and ease of use
- Opportunities for student choice in tools, models, and strategies
- Various response types including verbal discussion, physical models, interactive manipulatives, drawings on platform or off, math expressed through the expression builder or drawing tool, written responses by types or using speech-to-text
- Explicitly identified Student Strengths help students understand the many strengths they both bring already to mathematics learning and doing, and also the strengths they are developing as they move through the program
- Emphasize connections across content (e.g., big ideas)
- Design with Access & Opportunity in mind and highlight for teachers
- Low floor, high ceiling activities in lessons that allow students access into activities
- Suggestions within every designated formative assessment opportunity to support students who are struggling with that content
- A platform with built-in accessibility tools which is designed with varying students’ needs in mind
- Variety of opportunities for practice through lesson activities, ST Math games, Playbook pages, spiraled practices pages, and table games
Differentiation
In addition to our universal designs for access, additional supports in the differentiation section can be used to support students who receive special education services.
- Allow students to participate in the new learning of on-grade-level content while supporting the learning they have missed.
- Written to address barriers in access, language, and content
- Supporting Access - assist students in participating in the activities taking place within the lesson by removing or minimizing barriers to equitable participation in the activity or lesson for specific students.
- Supporting Language - assist students in understanding the language used in the lesson, in developing and using their own language to express their mathematical ideas, in increasing their general or mathematical vocabulary, or learning, interpreting, and using the structure of the English language.
- Supporting Content - ensuring students’ cognitive load is available for the new mathematics learning, regardless of foundational skills.
Gifted and Talented Students
InsightMath takes a comprehensive approach to supporting gifted and talented students by embedding opportunities for deeper learning throughout the curriculum rather than treating extensions exclusively as separate or additional activities. The program's focus on conceptual understanding, multiple representations, and student choice naturally creates pathways for advanced students to extend their learning while maintaining engagement with the core mathematical content.
UDL
Lessons are designed using Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles—ensuring all students can engage, persist, and succeed in their own way. Many of the aspects of the program design described in our UDL article will allow for gifted and talented students to thrive. Some highlights include:
- Low Floor, High Ceiling lessons that incorporate tasks that have room for deeper exploration, allowing gifted students to push their thinking further
- The program encourages students to move between concrete, pictorial, and abstract representations, supporting deeper conceptual understanding
- Students have opportunities for student choice in tools, models, and strategies which allows advanced learners to select more sophisticated approaches
- The focus on student discourse promotes rich mathematical discourse by comparing and contrasting ideas, analyzing student work, and evaluating reasoning
- Formative assessment opportunities help teachers recognize when students are ready for more advanced work
Differentiation
The curriculum also includes specific extensions as one of the four types of differentiation, offering optional challenges that push students to think more deeply about the math in the lesson. When using extensions, it is important to ensure that these students are not simply assigned the extensions on top of other work. Instead, the extension should replace repetition of previously- or quickly-mastered material. Extensions are not about more work, but about deeper work.