SPED & ELL Strategy Reference Card

IDENTIFYING SPED SUPPORT NEEDS

What You Observe	What It May Signal
Loses track of multi-step directions mid-task	Working memory challenges (ADHD, processing speed)
Strong verbally, struggles to produce written work	Dysgraphia, output difficulties, or language processing
Reads slowly, skips words, loses place	Decoding challenges or dyslexia
Gets math concepts but makes computation errors	Dyscalculia or processing speed impact
Shuts down before tasks that seem hard	Academic trauma, anxiety, or dysregulation pattern
Needs significantly more time to respond	Processing speed â a core IEP accommodation area

Language Rule

Say "a student who has dyslexia" â not "a dyslexic student." Always follow the student's and family's preference.

Break tasks into sequential steps

One step at a time. Post each step in the Lessonspace chat as a numbered list they can reference.

Use explicit instruction: I Do â We Do â You Do

Model â Think Aloud â Practice Together â Release. If they struggle at You Do, return to We Do.

Dual-format directions

State verbally AND share in the chat. Students with processing differences need the written anchor.

Extended wait time â really

After asking a question, wait a full 30 seconds. Silence is the student processing, not ignoring.

Visual anchors

Graphic organizers, sentence frames, and diagrams on the shared Lessonspace whiteboard reduce cognitive load.

Effort-based praise

"I noticed you went back and re-read that â that's exactly the right move."

What You Observe	What It May Signal
Understands verbally, can't produce academic writing	LTEL â strong conversational English, weak academic language production
In US schools 6+ years, still ELL-designated	Long-Term English Learner (LTEL) â needs explicit language instruction
Reads English but can't explain ideas in writing	Gap between receptive and expressive academic language
Switches between languages mid-sentence	Translanguaging â a cognitive resource, not a deficit
Hesitates to speak; short answers only	Low language production confidence â needs scaffolded output tasks
Strong in math, struggles in ELA/writing tasks	Language proficiency gap affecting academic output across subjects

Oral before written â always

Have the student say their full answer aloud before writing anything. Oral rehearsal improves written output significantly.

Sentence frames and paragraph frames

Give the scaffold before the task. "The main idea of this passage is ___ because ___." Remove it gradually as confidence builds.

Teach academic vocabulary explicitly

Content words (photosynthesis) AND academic signal words (however, in contrast, as a result). Don't assume context teaches them.

Honor their full language repertoire

Allow thinking in L1. Use cognates. Never correct translanguaging mid-explanation â it interrupts processing.

Graphic organizers before drafting

Visual structure externalizes thinking before the language challenge. Especially powerful for LTEL writers.

Support Bot prompt for ELL sessions

Copy & paste into Support Bot:

My LTEL student understands content verbally but struggles to write it. Today's skill: [skill]. Give me a sentence frame and 2 language scaffolds.