How can blending high-leverage practices (HLPs) and evidence-based practices (EBPs) affect instruction for students with disabilities?

• A. It significantly enhances learning outcomes by using research-backed strategies tailored to student needs
• B. It has no impact
• C. It increases instructional time without benefit
• D. It replaces all instructional content

Answer: (A)

Blending high-leverage practices with evidence-based practices brings together teaching methods that reliably impact student learning with methods that research has shown to work for students with disabilities. High-leverage practices are those broad, everyday teaching moves that consistently support learning across contexts—things like explicit instruction, modeling, guided practice with feedback, progress monitoring, collaborative planning, and positive supports. Evidence-based practices are specific instructional strategies and interventions that have been demonstrated to be effective for particular skills or populations through rigorous evidence.

When you combine them, you pick EBPs that match a student’s needs and apply them using HLPs with fidelity and intentional planning. This means you’re not just using a single strategy in isolation; you’re implementing proven methods in a way that fits the classroom, repeatedly modeling, guiding, and adjusting based on data. The result is instruction that is both grounded in solid research and delivered through routines and supports that teachers can consistently enact, which tends to lead to stronger and more scalable gains for students with disabilities.

Context helps here too: progress monitoring informed by data lets you see how students respond to the blended approach and adjust intensity or supports as needed, and collaboration with families and specialists helps ensure strategies are aligned across settings. This integrated approach is not about simply adding time or replacing content; it’s about using proven methods in a structured, responsive way that tailors instruction to individual needs and improves learning outcomes.