Quick answer: High-leverage practices (HLPs) are 22 essential teaching practices for special education, identified by the Council for Exceptional Children and the CEEDAR Center, that have strong evidence of improving outcomes for students with disabilities. They were first grouped into four domains: collaboration, assessment, social, emotional and behavioral practices, and instruction. Updated guidance now organizes them around collaboration, data-driven planning, instruction in behavior and academics, and intensifying intervention.
In this guide
New special education teachers often feel they must master hundreds of strategies at once. High-leverage practices narrow the list to a core set that research says matters most, practices that are used frequently, apply across subjects and grades, and make a measurable difference.
Why High-Leverage Practices Matter
- Focus: a shared core for teacher preparation and coaching.
- Evidence: practices supported by research for students with disabilities.
- Transfer: they work in general and special education settings.
- Common language: teams, coaches and administrators can name what they see.
Key point: High-leverage practices are the “few that matter most” in special education teaching: collaborate, use data, teach behavior and academics explicitly, and intensify when needed.
All 22 High-Leverage Practices
| Original domain | HLP | Practice |
|---|---|---|
| Collaboration | 1 | Collaborate with professionals to increase student success |
| 2 | Organize and facilitate effective meetings with professionals and families | |
| 3 | Collaborate with families to support student learning and secure services | |
| Assessment | 4 | Use multiple sources of information to understand strengths and needs |
| 5 | Interpret and communicate assessment information to plan programs | |
| 6 | Use student assessment data to evaluate and adjust instruction | |
| Social, emotional, behavioral | 7 | Establish a consistent, organized and respectful learning environment |
| 8 | Provide positive and constructive feedback to guide behavior | |
| 9 | Teach social behaviors | |
| 10 | Conduct functional behavioral assessments to develop behavior support plans | |
| Instruction | 11 | Identify and prioritize long- and short-term learning goals |
| 12 | Systematically design instruction toward specific goals | |
| 13 | Adapt curriculum tasks and materials | |
| 14 | Teach cognitive and metacognitive strategies | |
| 15 | Provide scaffolded supports | |
| 16 | Use explicit instruction | |
| 17 | Use flexible grouping | |
| 18 | Use strategies to promote active student engagement | |
| 19 | Use assistive and instructional technologies | |
| 20 | Provide intensive instruction | |
| 21 | Teach students to maintain and generalize new learning | |
| 22 | Provide positive and constructive feedback to guide learning |
List from the CEEDAR Center and CEC.
The Updated Organization
The IRIS Center now presents the HLPs in four domains: collaboration, data-driven planning, instruction in behavior and academics, and intensify and intervene as needed, with six pillar practices and sixteen embedded practices (IRIS Center).
How the updated domains connect
The 6 High-Leverage Practices to Start With
| Practice | What it looks like tomorrow | Learn more |
|---|---|---|
| Explicit instruction (16) | I do, we do, you do with clear steps | Explicit instruction guide |
| Scaffolded supports (15) | Cue cards and models, faded over time | Scaffolding guide |
| Active engagement (18) | Response cards, partner talk, whiteboards | Every student responds every few minutes |
| Feedback (8 and 22) | Specific, immediate, mostly positive | Aim for four positives to one correction |
| Flexible grouping (17) | Groups change with exit ticket data | Differentiated instruction |
| Data to adjust (6) | Weekly progress checks guide changes | IEP progress monitoring |
Self-Check: Where Are You Now?
- I state the learning goal at the start of every lesson.
- Students respond actively at least every few minutes.
- I model new skills step by step before practice.
- I give more positive than corrective feedback.
- My groups change based on recent data.
- I review progress data at least every two weeks.
- I contact each family with good news regularly.
Real-Life Example
Case story
A first-year resource teacher chose two HLPs for her first quarter: active engagement and feedback. She introduced whiteboards and choral responses and tracked her praise-to-correction ratio with tally marks. Engagement rose visibly within weeks, and behavior incidents in her small groups dropped. In the second quarter she added explicit strategy instruction for writing.
Teacher’s note: Pick two high-leverage practices per quarter. Mastering a few deeply beats sampling all 22.
High-Leverage Practices FAQ
What are high-leverage practices?
A set of 22 essential, evidence-supported practices for teaching students with disabilities.
Who developed the HLPs?
The Council for Exceptional Children and the CEEDAR Center.
Are HLPs only for special educators?
No. Many apply to all teachers in inclusive classrooms.
How are HLPs different from evidence-based practices?
HLPs are broad teaching practices used daily; evidence-based practices are often specific interventions or programs.
Which HLP should I learn first?
Explicit instruction, active engagement and feedback are strong starting points.
In short: High-leverage practices give special educators a focused core. Start with two, practice deeply, and use data to grow. This article is part of our Teaching Strategies That Work series.
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Sources
- CEEDAR Center and CEC. High-Leverage Practices in Special Education list
- IRIS Center. High-Leverage Practices
- Council for Exceptional Children. High-Leverage Practices
- McLeskey et al. High-Leverage Practices for Inclusive Classrooms (3rd edition), Routledge
This article is educational and does not replace professional advice.
