Using the HLP Alignment Tool

Transcript: Using the HLP Alignment Tool

The IRIS Center has a number of resources related to high-leverage practices, more commonly referred to as HLPs. Developed by the Council for Exceptional Children, or CEC, and the CEEDAR Center, HLPs are 22 essential special education techniques that all educators of students with disabilities should master for use across a variety of classroom contexts. And the IRIS Center, in collaboration with CEC and CEEDAR, created this tool to help educators locate IRIS resources that align with each HLP.

Right now we’re on our home page, which you can find at iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu. I’m going to show you how to find and use the HLP alignment tool on our website. So let’s move to the top right corner of our home page, where the very first tab is Resources. When you hover over this tab, you’ll see the extensive list of free resources available to you. For HLPs, we’re going to scroll down and click on High-Leverage Practices. And when you do that, it takes you to our HLP alignment tool.

This tool helps you identify and sort the resources we have available based on various criteria. You’ll notice a color-coded graphic in the center of the page. The top of this graphic displays the four domains used to categorize the HLPs. Beneath the domains are the pillar practices—those most essential for educators to implement. The bottom of the graphic is made up of embedded practices—those required to effectively support pillar practices. Beneath the graphic are four color-coded drop-downs representing each domain. If you’re interested in a specific HLP domain, you can select the domain on the left navigation bar. The HLP tool will then filter that domain and any related pillar and embedded practices.

Moving down the left navigation bar, you can sort the resources by type, whether it’s an IRIS Case Study or Module. Additionally, you can sort them by how strongly, moderately, or loosely they’re aligned with a particular HLP, which we’ll come back to in a little bit. And, last but not least, you can sort them based on the type of content; for example, whether a resource contains specific implementation steps or is informational in nature.

Now let’s take a look at what you might find. Toward the bottom of the page, we have the four color-coded HLP domains. I’m going to choose the blue Instruction in Behavior and Academics domain. When I click on it, pillar practices and embedded practices appear beneath the domain. Next, I’m going to click on Pillar HLP 7: Establish a consistent, organized, and respectful learning environment.

When I click on it, you’ll see the various IRIS resources related to this particular HLP. One of them is Classroom Behavior Management (Part 1): Key Concepts and Foundational Practices, which is a module that is considered strongly aligned because there’s a clear connection between the focus of this resource and HLP 7. This content gives you specific implementation steps and a brief annotation at the top that tells you a little bit about the module and the estimated completion time.

So now you might be wondering, Why would I want to look at a resource that’s only loosely or moderately aligned? Well, we’ve got a couple good examples for you. I’m going to close HLP 7 by clicking on it and open Embedded HLP 8: Provide positive and constructive feedback to guide students’ behavior. If you scroll down the page, you’ll find more resources that address this HLP. One is a case study titled Encouraging Appropriate Behavior, which is moderately aligned with HLP 8. The other is a module titled Behavioral Principles: The Basics of Understanding Student Behavior, which is loosely aligned with HLP 8.

They’re classified this way because they both provide techniques and strategies to address behavior, such as offering timely feedback and behavior-specific praise, but their focus is not on HLP 8. However, both resources would prove helpful in establishing a foundational understanding of behavior, which is necessary when providing constructive feedback to guide student behavior.

This is just a brief overview of the HLP alignment tool. I hope that you’ll explore this tool and everything the IRIS Center has to offer.