Collaborative Proposal: Universal Design of Inquiry-Based Middle and High School Science Curriculum

联邦立法在普通课程和评估系统中提高了对残疾学生的期望。 科学教育面临着越来越多的责任，提高科学成就的更多样化的人口，同时越来越重视学习，整合高阶思维技能与内容知识。 主动科学学习要求学生发展和运用一系列复杂的技能，包括阅读、观察、收集和分析信息、得出结论和陈述研究结果。 通用学习设计（Universal Design for Learning，UDL）的原则提供了表达的灵活性，并支持多种表达方式和参与方式来满足这一需求。 应用特殊技术中心（CAST）率先开发了技术，以区分教学，主要是识字，为学生提供各种能力和残疾。 密歇根大学和教育发展中心正在分别为初中和高中开发和测试综合科学课程。 他们将共同的专业知识结合在一起，为初中和高中教学材料的通用设计科学材料创建知识库;建立一个开源的UDL探究科学系统（ISS），使科学课程能够转换为包含UDL功能的数字支持版本;并使用ISS从测试的教学材料中产生四个化学和生物单元的UDL范例，并评估这些范例对中学和有无学习障碍的高中生。 这些材料支持制定国家教材无障碍标准。

Federal Legislation has raised the expectations for students with disabilities within the general curriculum and assessment systems. Science education faces increased accountability for raising science achievement for a much more diverse population, while increasing the emphasis on learning that integrates higher-order thinking skills with content knowledge. Active science learning requires students to develop and use a number of complex skills including reading, observing, collecting and analyzing information, drawing conclusions and presenting findings. The principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) provide the flexibility of representation and the support of multiple means of expression and engagement to address this need. The Center for Applied Special Technologies (CAST) has pioneered the development of technology to differentiate instruction, mainly in literacy, for students with a wide range of abilities and disabilities. The University of Michigan and Education Development Centers are developing and testing comprehensive science curricula for the middle school and high school, respectively. They bring their joint expertise together to create heuristics for universally designed science materials for middle and high school instructional materials; to build an open source UDL Inquiry Science System (ISS) that enables science curricula to be transformed into digitally supported versions that incorporate UDL features; and to use the ISS to produce four UDL exemplars of chemistry and biology units from tested instructional materials and to evaluate the benefits of these exemplars for middle and high school students with and without learning disabilities. These materials support the development of the National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standards (NIMAS).