Domain deep dive · 1
Domain 1: Curriculum & Instruction Supports
The specially designed instruction a student needs to access and progress in academic content at their enrolled grade level. Boundaries first — built for when you have a student in front of you, rating this one domain.
What this domain covers
The specially designed instruction (SDI) and supports a student needs to access and progress in academic content at their enrolled grade level — how instruction is designed, adapted, and delivered for that student.
The decision boundaries
Each of the four factors is rated 0–3, and the rating climbs as the student needs more of that kind of support: 0 means none is required for FAPE, and 3 means the support is intensive and pervasive enough to structure the student's day. For Curriculum & Instruction, Factor A is measured per core subject, not as a single weekly total.
| Factor | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A — How much instruction | No academic SDI required for FAPE | Targeted SDI for a discrete need; at least one academic goal | Regular SDI, about 1–5 hours per week per core subject, multiple times per week; multiple goals | Daily intensive SDI across subjects; significant curriculum modification; schedule built around it |
| B — Who delivers it | No specialized qualifications required for FAPE | SPED teacher, or para with oversight | SPED teacher with methodology competencies; provider of dyslexia instruction not required to be advanced | Licensed dyslexia therapist or equivalent credentialed provider (see Factor B), or highly specialized methodology expertise |
| C — Group size/ratio | No reduced ratio required for FAPE | Intermittent small-group | Planned small-group for specific blocks; for dyslexia, within program fidelity group size | Near-1:1; for dyslexia, smaller than fidelity group size |
| D — Equipment | No special technology required for FAPE | Text-to-speech or organizers used independently | Adapted digital curriculum with custom settings | Integrated access system required for nearly all reading and writing |
Dyslexia instruction (Factor A)
A student receiving dyslexia instruction falls on Factor A based on what the IEP requires, not on the diagnosis:
- Level 1 — the IEP does not require delivery through an evidence-based program with fidelity.
- Level 2 — the IEP requires delivery through an evidence-based program with fidelity (Texas Education Code §38.003), at 225 or more minutes per week.
- Level 3 — the IEP requires instruction intensified beyond the standard program.
Reading this domain for specific cases
The general age and post-graduation principles are on the what is a domain page. What's specific to Curriculum & Instruction:
- Ages 3–5 (not in kindergarten): curriculum is play-based and early-learning-driven, so concentrate on supports that replace typical early learning or require extensive adaptation.
- Students continuing after meeting graduation requirements: instruction may be functional or vocational; rate by how individualized and essential it is for postsecondary education and training goals.
Differentiating between domains
Two supports are easy to place in Curriculum when they belong elsewhere:
- A support that looks academic but is really about getting through the task — initiating, organizing, sequencing — belongs in Independent Functioning (Domain 4), even when it happens during an academic block.
- A support delivered during instruction that is really about accessing the material itself — an interpreter, an AAC system, communication-partner support — belongs in Communication (Domain 3).
What is a domain covers the full set of boundaries across all five, and how scores become a tier covers how the five domain scores are combined.