D.A.R.E. Choice Board (Student Agency): AUSTRALIA for Special Education ELL/ML
When you first step into a classroom designed for students with significant cognitive disabilities, there is a distinct learning curve. You might find yourself looking at grade-level standards and then at your students’ Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), wondering how to bridge the gap between the two. As a mentor, the best advice I can give you is this: stop looking for a way to "water down" the content. Instead, look for ways to open the door wider.
In our recent sessions, we took our students on a journey to the other side of the world—Australia. We explored the Sydney Opera House, the Great Barrier Reef, Uluru, the Twelve Apostles, Bondi Beach, and the Blue Mountains. These aren’t just names on a map; they are vivid, high-interest anchors that allow our students to engage with the world.
The Power of Managed Agency
For our learners, "choice" is a powerful tool, but it has to be structured. If you give a student with an IEP or a student who is learning English a blank piece of paper and a broad prompt, the cognitive load of deciding how to start can be paralyzing. They spend all their energy on the "what" and have nothing left for the "how."
This is why I use the
I watched a student who often struggles with task initiation look at the visual of the Great Barrier Reef. Because he could choose the "Recommend" path—designing a travel advertisement—he had an immediate purpose. He wasn't just "writing for teacher"; he was a creator with a mission. That shift in perspective is where the real engagement begins.
Scaffolding the Language
Even when the interest is high, the actual act of writing a constructed response remains a significant hurdle for Grade 6–12 students in special education. To support them, I always integrate
These charts act as a "mental map" for the students. They provide the sentence frames and visual cues that remove the mechanical barriers of writing. If a student chooses to "Explain" their experience at Uluru through a diary entry, the anchor chart provides the opening phrase. This allows the student to focus their cognitive energy on the content and their own metacognitive process, rather than getting stuck on the first word of the sentence.
Observation as Assessment
One of the most important habits you can develop as a new teacher is the art of observation. When students are working through their choice boards, I am moving through the room with a data collection page and an accommodations checklist.
I’m not just looking for a "correct" answer. I’m looking at the process. Is the student using the vibrant visuals to support their understanding? Are they leaning into their strengths? For instance, a student might choose the "Answer" task to practice generating titles for the Sydney Opera House—a critical skill in identifying main ideas. Another might "Do" a story about the Blue Mountains. Both are valid pathways to demonstrating understanding.
Because these resources are low-prep and neurodiversity-aligned, you aren't tied to your desk or a teacher's manual. You are free to facilitate, to prompt, and to witness those small "aha" moments that define our work.
Success Through Multiple Pathways
Our goal is to ensure that every student, regardless of their level, has access to the same high-interest curriculum. Whether you are using these boards in literacy centers, for project-based learning, or as an assessment tool, the focus remains on the student’s voice.
By providing simplified text alongside complex imagery, we honor the student’s chronological age while meeting their developmental needs. We use the 4-point rubric not just to grade, but to show the student exactly what they are achieving. It creates a culture of transparency and confidence.
As you start to implement these structures, you’ll see that your students are capable of much more than a standardized test might suggest. They just need the right map to get there.
As you watch your students choose their own pathway through the sceneries of Australia today, take a moment to reflect:
When we move away from a "single right way" to respond, how does the resulting variety in student work change the way you plan for their individual IEP goals?
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