I Tried This Differentiated RACE Writing Strategy Lesson With My SPED Students — Here’s the Data and Student Growth

 

As a Bilingual Special Education teacher, I used this lesson with students who struggle with reading comprehension and written expression, and what unfolded in my classroom was a testament to the power of structured, scaffolded intervention. My name is Maria, and I currently teach in an inner city public school in Washington, DC. My classroom is a unique space where we bridge the gap between academic standards and workforce readiness, specifically for students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) who have significant cognitive disabilities.

Classroom Context: Meeting the Need in DC

In the heart of Washington DC, my students are preparing for a world that demands high levels of digital and functional literacy. However, the path to a workforce certificate is often blocked by a fundamental hurdle: the ability to construct a logical, evidence-based written response. My students are a vibrant group, but they face a "double mountain." Many are English Learners (ELLs) navigating a new language, while simultaneously managing cognitive disabilities that impact memory, processing speed, and executive function.

For the past several years in my classroom, no matter what school I am teaching at, we always follow a strict "First Five" to "Individual Work" agenda. I have learned that the goal is always consistency. But even with a routine, the instructional challenge remains: how do you take a reading and writing task like analyzing a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and make it accessible to a student who is still mastering sentence structure?

The Instructional Challenge: Moving Beyond the "Blank Page"

The biggest barrier for my Level 1 and Level 2 learners is "blank page syndrome." When asked to explain a quote, the cognitive load of organizing thoughts, recalling evidence, and applying grammar rules often leads to total shutdown. I needed a way to implement differentiated reading instruction that didn’t just lower the bar, but provided a ladder to reach it.

I created the MLK Quotes & RACE Writing Strategy lesson because it targets the Constructed Response—a critical writing skill for my students to prepare them for the workforce. The RACE strategy (Restate, Answer, Cite, Explain) is a gold standard, but for my SPED reading intervention, I needed the version that was already broken down into bite-sized, visual steps.

The Lesson Approach: Scaffolding with RACE

We began our English Language Arts segment by integrating the PLUSS framework. During the Whole Group Instruction (I Do), I didn’t just show the RACE acronym; we modeled the "metacognitive process." I spoke my thoughts aloud: "I’m looking at this quote about justice. First, I need to flip the question to start my answer. That’s the 'R'—I’m restating."

The lesson’s approach is brilliantly tiered. For my Level 1 students, we used the version with heavy sentence starters and "fill-in-the-blank" evidence. For Level 2 and 3, we moved toward more independent drafting. We utilized the "Do Now" to front-load vocabulary like injustice, content, and character, ensuring the language wasn't a barrier to the logic.

Student Response: Data and "Aha" Moments

The student response was where the reading progress data truly began to shift. We track "Successful Evidence Citations" as a key metric in our academy. Prior to this lesson, only 20% of my students could independently link a quote to an explanation.

Two moments specifically surprised me:

First, a Level 2 student who typically avoids writing at all costs was working on the quote: "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." Usually, he would write a single word like "Sad." But because the RACE graphic organizer broke the task into four distinct boxes, he felt a sense of "productive struggle" rather than defeat. He looked at the "C" (Cite) box and realized he just had to copy the quote he had already underlined. That small win gave him the momentum to finish the "E" (Explain). When he finished a four-sentence paragraph, his face lit up. That is a data point you can’t always capture on a spreadsheet, but his work sample showed a 100% increase in structural accuracy.

Second, during Partner Work (We Do), I watched a student with a significant processing delay select the correct "Restate" sentence starter. The visual alignment of the lesson allowed her to participate in the "Social" aspect of the PLUSS framework. She wasn't just a bystander; she was a contributor.

Teacher Reflection: The Power of Refinement

This is one of the lessons I refined after years of classroom use. Early in my career, I tried to teach writing as a fluid, creative process. I eventually realized that for my students, writing is an engineering task. They need the blueprints. By using this differentiated reading instruction, I’m not just teaching them about Dr. King; I’m teaching them a repeatable system they can use when they have to explain an error message on a computer or a discrepancy in a paycheck in their future jobs.

The reading progress data showed that by the end of the week, 65% of the class could successfully complete at least three parts of the RACE acronym independently. For a population with significant cognitive disabilities, that 45% growth in independence is monumental.

Looking Ahead: What I’d Refine

Next time, I plan to infuse more "Digital Literacy" into this specific lesson. I’d like to have my students use speech-to-text software to "write" their RACE responses. Many of them have the intellectual capacity to explain the quote but are hindered by the fine motor task of typing or writing. Integrating that adaptive software would allow us to see even more of their brilliance.

If you are looking for a way to bridge the gap between high-level themes like civil rights and the functional reality of a SPED/ELL classroom, I highly recommend looking into the MLK Quotes RACE Writing Strategy. It’s a "soft" resource that yields hard results, providing the structure our students need to finally find their voice on the page. It’s warm, it’s accessible, and most importantly, it works.

Top 10 IEP AI Prompts I Use as a Special Education Case Manager (and Why I’ll Never Go Back)

 

It's Monday today, and an ongoing snow storm has shutdown all commutes and has the potential to be the biggest winter storm in years for the Washington DC area. A total of around 6-12 inches of snow is forecast for our reagion. Here I am bundled up in the couch, just finished our school's virtual meeting and I'm about to write an IEP.

I have all the data—evaluation reports, progress monitoring, teacher input, service logs, observations, parent notes. Everything I need is right in front of me. And yet, I’m staring at a blank screen.

Not because I don’t know my student. Not because I don’t care. But because writing a 37-page IEP—one that is thoughtful, compliant, data-driven, and readable—takes an incredible amount of mental energy.

On average, it used to take me about four hours to write a single IEP from start to finish. Four hours of deep focus, cross-referencing, checking alignment, and rewriting sentences so they were accurate, legally sound, and parent-friendly. Multiply that by a full caseload, and suddenly evenings, weekends, and “just one more section” became the norm.

What I didn’t struggle with was knowing what to say. What I struggled with was how to say it clearly, consistently, and efficiently.

That’s where AI entered my workflow—and changed everything.

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How I Use AI as a Special Education Professional (Not a Shortcut)

Let me be very clear: I do not use AI to think for me. I still analyze the data. I still make instructional decisions. I still ensure IDEA compliance and alignment across the IEP.

What AI does for me is help me organize my thinking, overcome writer’s block, and turn dense data into clear, professional language. Instead of starting with a blank page, I start with a draft that I can refine, personalize, and review carefully.

Used responsibly, AI has helped me cut my IEP writing time almost in half—without sacrificing quality or integrity.

And I know most special education teachers and case managers can relate with me. What I am sharing with you below are the exact prompts I use when I’m writing IEPs. They’re practical, flexible, and designed for real case managers doing real work.

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The Top 10 AI Prompts I Use When Writing IEPs

1. Writing Present Levels (PLAAFP)

When I’m surrounded by data and don’t know where to begin, this is always my first step.

Prompt:

“Using the data below, write a clear, parent-friendly Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance that describes [the student]’s strengths, needs, and how the disability impacts progress in the general education curriculum.”

This helps me transform raw numbers and notes into a narrative that tells the student’s story in a way families and team members can actually understand.

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2. Highlighting Student Strengths

I believe deeply in strength-based IEPs, but articulating strengths clearly takes intention.

Prompt:

“Based on the information provided, write a strength-based summary highlighting [the student]’s academic, social-emotional, behavioral, and functional strengths.”

This ensures strengths are meaningful, individualized, and not copied from last year’s document.

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3. Identifying Educational Needs

Needs must be rooted in data—not assumptions.

Prompt:

“Analyze the data below and identify [the student]’s primary educational needs that should be addressed through specially designed instruction.”

This helps me clearly link assessment data to instructional planning.

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4. Writing Measurable Annual Goals

Goals are where everything comes together—and where precision matters most.

Prompt:

“Using the present levels and identified needs, write measurable annual IEP goals that include condition, skill, criteria, and method of measurement.”

I always review and adjust, but this structure saves me time and mental fatigue.

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5. Creating Short-Term Objectives or Benchmarks

For students who require objectives, this is a huge time-saver.

Prompt:

“Break the annual goal below into three to four developmentally appropriate short-term objectives or benchmarks.”

It helps ensure progression is logical and measurable.

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6. Writing Specially Designed Instruction (SDI)

This section often becomes vague if we’re not careful.

Prompt:

“Based on [the student]’s needs, write examples of specially designed instruction that support access to the general education curriculum.”

This helps me articulate how instruction is adapted—not just that it is.

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7. Selecting Accommodations and Modifications

Accommodations should be intentional and justified.

Prompt:

“Using [the student]’s needs, recommend appropriate classroom and testing accommodations and explain the purpose of each.”

This keeps accommodations aligned with actual barriers to access.

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8. Progress Monitoring Language

Clear progress monitoring protects students and teams.

Prompt:

“Write a progress monitoring statement that explains how progress toward the annual goal will be measured and reported to parents.”

This ensures transparency and consistency.

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9. Summarizing Parent Concerns

Parent voice matters, and wording matters.

Prompt:

“Summarize the parent concerns provided below in respectful, neutral, and collaborative language suitable for an IEP document.”

This helps preserve trust while accurately documenting concerns.

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10. Creating an IEP Summary

Before meetings or final review, I always want the big picture.

Prompt:

“Create a concise IEP summary highlighting [the student]’s strengths, needs, goals, and services.”

This AI Supported IEP Writing Toolkit for SPED Teachers of All Levels has been a very helpful resource for me. You can customize and modify these AI prompts based on your needs as a case manager or how you want your information to be presented. For example, fill in your student's name in [the student]'s. This is invaluable for team discussions and case management clarity. 

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What This Has Changed for Me

Using AI hasn’t made me less professional—it’s made me more sustainable.

I spend less time fighting the blank page and more time thinking critically about instruction, progress, and student outcomes. I walk into meetings more prepared. I leave work with more energy. And I write IEPs that are clearer, more cohesive, and more student-centered.

IEPs will always require expertise, judgment, and heart.
AI doesn’t replace that.

It simply gives me my time—and my focus—back.

And in special education, that matters more than ever.

What Happens When You Teach Main Idea to Struggling Readers the Right Way

 

I used this lesson with students who struggle with reading comprehension and written expression, and for the first time in a long while, I saw the "fog" lift from their eyes. My name is Maria, and I am a Bilingual SPED teacher in Washington, DC. My classroom is a unique hub where we prepare students with significant cognitive disabilities for the workforce. 

Classroom Context: The "Main Idea" Wall

In my classroom, we are always working toward independence. But when it comes to reading, many of my students hit a wall when asked, "What is this about?" My students, mostly at Level 1 and Level 2 in English proficiency, often possess incredible work ethic but struggle with the executive functioning required to filter out "noise" from "news" in a text.

The problem I see year after year is the "Main Idea" wall. For a student with a significant cognitive disability, a paragraph isn't a cohesive thought—it’s a daunting forest of individual words. If they can’t find the path through the forest, they can’t tell you what the forest is called.

The Problem: The Common Mistake We All Make

Before I found a more scaffolded approach, I was guilty of the most common mistake teachers make when teaching main idea: we assume "identifying" is a simple skill. We give a student a passage and say, "Find the main idea," as if it’s a hidden object in a picture.

This fails our SPED and ELL students for two reasons. First, for an ELL student, the vocabulary load is often so heavy that they spend all their "brain power" just decoding words, leaving nothing left for synthesis. Second, for students with cognitive disabilities, the concept of "importance" is abstract. Without a concrete system to weigh information, every detail feels equally important. They might fixate on a single word they recognize—like "dog"—and decide the whole text is about dogs, even if the text is actually about veterinary medicine.

The Adjustment: A Scaffolded Approach

To change the outcome, I turned to the Main Idea & Supporting Details Lesson specifically designed for SPED and ELL. We followed our standard "Agenda" to keep the anxiety low and the predictability high: First Five, Do Now, Standards, I Do, We Do, You Do.

Using the PLUSS framework, I started with the metacognitive process. During the "I Do" phase, I didn't just point to the answer. I used a "Thinking Map" approach. I told them, "The main idea is the 'umbrella' and the details are the 'rain' it protects us from." We used visual aids where the main idea was a literal house and the details were the pillars holding it up.

For my Level 1 students, the adjustment was the use of color-coded text. The lesson provides scaffolds where the main idea and details are visually distinguished. This removes the "visual noise" and allows them to focus on the relationship between the sentences.

The Result: What Actually Happened

When we moved into the Practice (We Do) and Partner Work phases, the classroom shifted from a place of frustration to one of productive struggle.

Moment 1: The "Title" Surprise I had one student, a Level 1 learner with limited verbal output, who usually just copies words from the board. Using the scaffolded graphic organizer from the lesson, he had to choose between three possible main ideas. Instead of guessing, he looked at the supporting detail boxes he had colored in yellow. He pointed to the word "Tools" in three different detail boxes and then pointed to the main idea option that contained the word "Tools." He wasn't just guessing; he was using evidence-based logic. He saw the pattern.

Moment 2: The Peer Teaching Moment During Partner Work, I watched a Level 3 student explain to a Level 2 peer why a specific sentence was a "detail" and not the "big idea." She said, "This sentence only talks about the hammer. The big idea has to talk about the whole toolbox." To hear a student with a cognitive disability use a metaphor to explain a linguistic hierarchy was a breakthrough. It proved that when we give them the right visual architecture, they can handle complex thought.

Teacher Reflection: Refined Through the Years

This Main Idea and Supporting Details is one of the lessons I refined after years of classroom use. I used to think that "scaffolding" meant making the text shorter. I was wrong. Scaffolding means making the thinking process visible. For our students at RTEC, the "Main Idea" isn't just a test standard; it's a life skill. When they get to a job site and read a safety manual, they need to know the main idea is "Stay Safe," not "Wear Blue."

This approach changes the outcome because it respects the student's intelligence while supporting their processing needs. We moved from 30% accuracy on main idea prompts to nearly 75% within a single unit, simply by changing how we presented the information.

What I’d Refine Next Time

If I were to teach this tomorrow, I would integrate even more assistive technology. I’d love to have the students use a digital "sorting" tool on their laptops where they can physically drag sentences into the "Umbrella" or the "Pillars." For students with fine motor challenges or those who find writing a barrier, a digital drag-and-drop version of this lesson would allow their comprehension to shine without the fatigue of handwriting.

A Final Thought

For any teacher feeling the weight of students who "just don't get" the main idea, I can't recommend this approach enough. The Main Idea & Supporting Details Lesson is more than just a worksheet; it’s a roadmap. It’s a way to tell your students, "I know you have big thoughts, and I’m going to give you the tools to show me."

It’s warm, it’s structured, and it’s the reason my students are walking into their digital literacy certifications with more confidence today than they had yesterday. We aren't just teaching them to read; we are teaching them to navigate the world.