Confronting the Known Unknown: How the Concept of Opportunity to Learn Can Advance Tier 1 Instruction

In this chapter, I argue that the establishment of Tier 1 quality standards and the conceptual expansion of OTL are interconnected, mutually beneficial activities important for truly accessible instruction. To this end, I focus on my conceptual synthesis of OTL (Kurz, Handbook of accessible achievement tests for all students: Bridging the gaps between research, practice, and policy. NewYork, NY: Springer, 2011) due to its (a) operational definition, (b) application in general and special education, and (c) measurement via an online teacher log. I begin by reviewing what is known about high-quality Tier 1 instruction and OTL, continue by synthesizing both literature bases to identify potential sources of evidence for high-quality Tier 1, elaborate by highlighting possible measurement options via a case example, and conclude by setting a research and development agenda for Tier 1 OTL.