Professional Development
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Description: The VCPD Inclusive Practices Task Force has compiled a list of state and national resources in support of inclusive practices for young children birth to age five. The "VCPD Inclusive Practices State and National Resources November 2019" includes awareness and rationale, evaluation of inclusive programs, high quality inclusive practices, and systems level supports. Websites, books, and technical assistance center resources are described. If you cannot locate it through the link below, search for...
Description: From the big picture to the nitty gritty, learn more about CLASS® (Classroom Assessment Scoring System) from their free resources. This section includes: Webinars Videos Info sheets Research Case studies Crosswalks E-books Tutorials
Description: Assistive Technology Internet Modules are designed to provide high-quality information and professional development on assistive technology (AT) for educators, professionals, families, persons with disabilities, and others. Each module guides you through case studies, instructional videos, pre- and post-assessments, a glossary, and much more. ATIM modules are available at no cost.
Description: The Virginia Purple Star Designation is awarded to military-friendly schools that have demonstrated a major commitment to students and families connected to our nation’s military. Schools that earn the award will receive a special Purple Star recognition to display onsite. A school will be honored with the Purple Star Award if it completes all the required activities, plus one optional activity. The Virginia Department of Education’s Military Student Support...
Description: This series of videos features six key elements to engage families in Virginia Tiered Systems of Supports (VTSS). Designed for use by educators and families, the three videos highlight specific strategies for school teams to consider as they build momentum around family-school partnerships and strengthen skills to meaningfully engage families in multi-tiered systems. Produced by Formed Families Forward, family partner to the VTSS project, in conjunction with Atom Stream Communications, LLC.
Description: This module, a DEC-recommended resource, includes information on how to create developmentally appropriate behavior rules for early childhood classrooms so that they link to a given school's behavior expectations. The importance of communication with families about rules and expected behaviors is also stressed (est. completion time: 1.5 hours).
Description: Resources for Instruction Just in Time Mathematics Quick Checks Mathematics Vertical Articulation Tool (MVAT) Mathematics Instructional Plans Co-Teaching Mathematical Instructional Plans Mathematics Word Wall Cards Learning Disabilities in Mathematics Rich Mathematical Tasks Desmos Online Calculator And more
Description: This module describes the components of high-quality mathematics instruction: a standards-based curriculum and evidence-based practices. It also highlights a number of evidence-based practices as well as other classroom practices that teachers can use to teach mathematics (est. completion time: 1.5 hours). Module Objectives • After completing the entire Perspectives & Resources section and reviewing the accompanying activities, you should: Be able to identify the components of...
Description: Beginning in the 2022-2023 school year, students will only use the Desmos Virginia Calculator within TestNav during an online growth assessment or SOL test. Hand-held calculators will only be used by students completing a paper test or by students with disabilities who have an IEP or 504 accommodation that requires the use of a hand-held calculator. For questions regarding other scenarios where a student might use a hand-held calculator, contact your Division Director of Testing....
Description: This online module from the ECTA Center addresses strategies to engage parents in activities to build their competence and confidence in providing learning opportunities for their child. The module is divided into 4 lessons ranging from 10-15 min. each, and includes short video demonstrations, checks a learner's understanding through a variety of interactive formats, and; includes a family capacity-building checklist for self-assessment or planning home visits.
Description: Foundations of Coaching in Early Childhood: Partnering with Parents and Professionals is a video training resource for early childhood coaches, based on the 5 key characteristics of coaching as outlined by Dathan Rush and M'Lisa Shelden. These characteristics can be applied to a number of early childhood settings. The video features an early interventionist and family, as well as other types of coaches and coachees. (This video series was created by the following partners: Hartford...
Description: High-Leverage Practices in Special Education: A Professional Development Guide for School Leaders was developed to assist school leaders in planning and implementing professional development about high-leverage practices to K–12 educators. High-leverage practices are frequently occurring, essential educational practices that all K–12 special educators should know how to do. These practices are evidence based, meaning that they reflect effective methods that when successfully...
Description: This is a free, online, on-demand system consisting of three primary components. Through this system, learners will understand the prevalence and impact of toxic stress on youth and those who care for them. Additionally, participants will understand how to infuse the values of safety, trustworthiness, choice, collaboration, and empowerment into various aspects of their existing equitable multi-level system of support. This infusion is what we call the trauma-informed lens.
Description: According to Regulations Governing Special Education Programs for Children with Disabilities in Virginia, Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) means that to the maximum extent appropriate, children with disabilities, including children in public or private institutions or other care facilities, are educated with children who are not disabled, and that special classes, separate schooling or other removal of children with disabilities from the regular educational environment occurs only when...
Description: Bus drivers and transportation staff work directly with students with autism and are responsible for their and others' safety during the routes. Drivers and assistants are the first faces students see in the morning and the last ones in the afternoon. They are critical liaisons between home and school and often have more interaction with parents than other school staff. Beyond simply driving, transportation staff are in charge of managing behavior, implementing accommodations, and collaborating...
Description: The Inclusion of Children with Disabilities: Training Guide is designed to strengthen the inclusion of young children with disabilities and their families in programs serving infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. The guide features four modules, each containing a facilitator’s guide, training scripts, handouts, and videos. The modules are: Including Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities Building Relationships with Families Collaboration and Teaming Preschool Inclusion Series The training...
Description: What you do and say matters! Explore and practice everyday strategies to develop Positive Goal-Oriented Relationships with a family. These relationships are key to our work with children and families, including the journey toward school readiness. Simulation 1 allows you to practice building bonds with families, beginning with an intake visit. Simulation 2 explores the process of developing and implementing goals with families. Simulation 3 explores using strengths-based attitudes to partner...
Description: Talks on Tuesdays are free, live webinars held from noon to 1pm EST on the first Tuesday of each month. These webinars focus on important topics that are relevant for EI practitioners and are chosen based on feedback from practitioners about what they need to know more about!
Description: Training and Workshops through PEATC - PEATC workshops are made possible through Federal funding from the US Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs and private donations. Our Federal grants designate PEATC as the Statewide Parent Training and Information Center and Region B1 RSA-Parent Training and Information Center. In order for PEATC to comply with our grant funding, we must ensure that at least 10 parents are registered to participate in each workshop so our program...
Description: The VA EI eLearning Center is designed to provide practitioners with high quality, interactive professional development on early intervention topics. Each module is available as a free resource and results in a certificate of completion. We invite you to explore the site to find modules that meet your certification or ongoing professional development needs. Virginia Early Intervention Certification Courses and Ongoing Professional Development Courses are available.
Description: The 2016 Mathematics Standards of Learning identify academic content for essential components of the mathematics curriculum at different grade levels for Virginia’s public schools. Standards are identified for kindergarten through grade eight and for a core set of high school courses. Throughout a student’s mathematics schooling from kindergarten through grade eight, specific content strands are included. These content strands are Number and Number Sense; Computation and...
Description: Dyslexia Awareness Training Module - Effective July 1, 2017, every person seeking initial licensure or renewal of a license shall complete awareness training, provided by the Virginia Department of Education, on the indicators of dyslexia, as that term is defined by the board pursuant to regulations, and the evidence-based interventions and accommodations for dyslexia. To meet the requirements, the Virginia Department of Education has developed a free online Dyslexia Awareness Training Module....
Description: The Virginia Department of Education is the administrative agency for the commonwealth’s public schools. VDOE works in partnership with Virginia’s 132 school divisions to support and improve teaching and learning, set high expectations for all students, and promote student safety, wellbeing, and health.
Description: Conducting Appropriate FBAs - Part 1 The concepts discussed in this session are designed to augment the capabilities of personnel who do Function Based Assessments for children who display a wide variety of challenging behaviors. This training specifically focus on providing attendees: a) a theoretical background of applied behavior analysis, b) the knowledge to operationally define, record, and display behavior for appropriate data analyses, and c) the background knowledge of key concepts that...
Description: David Camarillo: Why helmets don't prevent concussions -- and what might - What is a concussion? Probably not what you think it is. In this talk from the cutting edge of research, bioengineer (and former football player) David Camarillo shows what really happens during a concussion — and why standard sports helmets don't prevent it. Here's what the future of concussion prevention looks like. Dr. David Camarillo, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor of Bioengineering and (by courtesy) Mechanical...
Description: Please scroll down on the website link to see Part 1 and Part 2 webinar. These recorded webinars are viewed through Blackboard Collaborate and a link is provided to use Blackboard Collaborate Launcher. Powerpoints and handouts are available. Transition services assist a toddler with a disability and his or her family to experience a smooth and effective transition from the early intervention program under Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to early childhood...
Description: The Clerc Center, a federally funded national deaf education center, ensures that the diverse population of deaf and hard of hearing students (birth through age 21) in the nation are educated and empowered and have the linguistic competence to maximize their potential as productive and contributing members of society. This is accomplished through early access to and acquisition of language, excellence in teaching, family involvement, research, identification and implementation of best practices,...
Description: These online training modules, created by Barbara Didona, MEd. (funded by the Allen C. Crocker Family Fellowship at the Institute for Community Inclusion at UMass Boston, and by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver Center at the University of Massachusetts Medical School) were created specifically for paraprofessionals. The free, research-based modules are full of practical tips and strategies. The modules can also be shared by parent centers with the professionals and paraprofessionals for whom they...
Description: Led by Jim Knight and backed by over twenty years of research and experience working with over 100,000 coaches from all around the world, the Instructional Coaching Group’s coaching experts work to help educators develop the skills and tools they need to make an unmistakably positive impact in student’s lives.
Description: This series of webshops showcases the products created by real co-teachers of Virginia, select teams of middle and high school co-teachers participating in the Virginia Department of Education’s Excellence in Co-Teaching Initiative. These co-teachers established demonstration sites and opened their doors to visitors wishing to observe quality co-teaching; they also developed co-taught lesson plans and videos to share through these webshops. In their videos, teachers model not only...
Description: By reviewing research and identifying case examples of teachers who do an excellent job engaging families, Flamboyan Foundation has developed a rubric that can provide educators with a clear vision for family engagement, help teachers plan more effectively, assist with the development of effective teacher professional development, and serve as a tool for teachers to self-assess and reflect on their practice.
Description: For those facing physical, mental, emotional, or social challenges, rehabilitation counselors offer hope and empowerment. For individuals and their families, these counselors serve as a source of personal support and guidance thus enhancing their quality of life. Ranked 6th in the nation by U.S. News and World Report and accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), GW's Rehabilitation Counseling program prepares you to become a skillful...
Description: The VCU-ACE How To Series demonstrates evidence-based practices for students with ASD. These short videos are approximately five minutes and are intended to provide a quick look at implementing a particular strategy. The How To videos provide a short description of the topic with real life video examples of how to implement the evidence-based practice in the classroom with students with ASD. More How To videos will continue to be added so please check back often! (Videos on Prompting,...
Description: This webcast will provide results of a study on the career planning experiences and overall college experiences of students on the Autism Spectrum. Structured interviews were conducted with college students with ASD attending community colleges and/or state universities in Virginia. Seven emerging themes based on students’ knowledge of, and participation in, career related services and supports will be described.
Description: Bullying in the United States was once a silent epidemic which was endured by millions of children on a daily basis. The attitude “kids will be kids” was just part of normal childhood development. Today, bullying in schools is being recognized as a national health problem and safety issue for all students including students with disabilities. The prevalence of bullying in schools is roughly one in three students and can occur twice as often for students with special needs. Dr....
Description: Within the text of the Diagnostic Criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorder in the DSM-5, the word “social” appears TEN times; indicating that social skills are, inherently, a significant area of need for students with ASD. Learning to navigate social situations not only helps them understand their world, but also impacts a student’s ability to gain benefit from academics. Our students, more often than not, find themselves alone during recess and lunch times, verbally...
Description: The VCU-ACE Statewide Goal Committee on Transition recognized that there are distinct domains that comprise this complex concept. Appropriately named, “The Three T’s of Transition”, these areas are as follows: Transition from grade-to-grade, level-to-level, teacher-to-teacher, transition to and from out-of division placement, and the transition that takes place when students leave from secondary education and embark into adulthood. This webcast will...
Description: Justin George is a young man with AS and ADHD. He also has anxiety. This webcast will be delivered by Justin. In his own words, he will discuss how strategies, people and placements helped him move from middle school, high school and now to college. Strategies on how he moved forward, became more self-determined, and has used his interests and love of amateur radio and weather reporting to continue to become more successful as he progresses through his transitions in life will be discussed.
Description: VCU-ACE has been providing embedded technical assistance in 12 school divisions to assist them in improving their programming for students with ASD. In this project, the Technical Assistance division of VCU-ACE used the Autism Program Environment Rating Scale (APERS) as a measure of program quality and a standard for classrooms to model. In this webcast, we present the APERS pre- and post-test data to demonstrate the change that occurred in classrooms as a result of its use. In addition, we will...
Description: This graduate certificate is ideal for educators, interventionists, psychologists, pathologists, behavior analysts, or family members who want to enhance their preparation for working with children and adults affected with autism spectrum disorders.
Description: The Customized Employment 101 webinar will assist special education teachers, transition coordinators and employment specialists of middle and high students in considering person-directed employment beyond the confines of traditional job development. The outcome of customized employment planning is paid, community-based employment for students with complex lives. (VCU Center on Transition Innovations)
Description: The Process of Discovery surrounds a person-centered approach to gathering information about the prospective worker to guide the development of customized employment and work experience. Discovery answers the question "who is this student?", "what contributions can he/she make? and "where and when are they at their best?" This process uses portfolios, visual resumes, interviews and observations to uncover the unique contributions, skills and interests that each person can bring to the job. (VCU...
Description: Building effective communication skills is a critical component of the education of all students with ASD. It requires a systematic plan that ensures communication instruction is individualized to fit the short term and long term needs of the student. This involves individualized communication instruction, team collaboration, a system of communication that allows for effective and efficient communication, and implementation of evidence-based strategies and supports.
Description: All children are able to learn, just not in the same way. Autism is an information-processing difference that affects: communication, social interaction, sensory response, and learning and thinking. In part 1, we discussed academic strategies for the classroom. This presentation will address strategies for the unstructured time within the school day, environmental supports, social supports, and communication supports. Dr. Webb will also discuss strategies for managing behavioral challenges.
Description: In order to implement any strategy to help students on the autism spectrum, we first need to understand the reasons behind some of their challenging behaviors and understand the feelings those behaviors provoke in their caretakers. This session helps caregivers manage their own emotions so they can help manage those of their children or clients.
Description: All of us can have meltdowns when we lose control and seem immune to reasoning. Having consistent rules and consequences for such behavior is important, yet there are times when such traditional discipline seems ineffective. When consistent discipline is not enough, we need to understand why these difficult moments continue. This presentation is designed to (1) learn ways to de-escalate a meltdown in the moment, (2) understand 7 common triggers to repeat problems and (3) create effective...
Description: Our goal in education must be to create a rich educational setting for all children. Special Education was originally designed as a "resource" to educational programs, not as a separate placement. Research indicates that removing children from their typical peers, undermines their capacity to learn the skills that will enable them to belong. Statistics from the CDC show a dramatic rise in Autism; therefore we must prepare our inclusive classrooms to create the educational setting to address the...
Description: In this webcast, Tori illustrates her struggles, triumphs, and tools used to survive each day. This allows for an opportunity to walk a mile in her shoes as she journeys through life from childhood to adulthood. Tori's message will leave you curious, motivated, and with a heightened awareness of ASD. Just when you think you know all about ASD, Tori's story may surprise you! (VCU Autism Center for Excellence- ACE)
Description: AAIDD, (formerly AAMR -- American Association on Mental Retardation), is the oldest and largest interdisciplinary organization of professionals and others concerned about intellectual and developmental disabilities. We're tireless promoters of progressive policies, sound research, effective practices and universal human rights for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Description: Center on Transition Innovation (CTI) is a leader in providing resources and innovative models to support students with disabilities in their transition to adulthood. We help keep transition stakeholders updated on evidence-based practices that will assist students to reach their goals after high school. CTI's work is funded through the Virginia Department of Education. Since 2013, our team of experts has provided transition resources, professional development, and information for educators,...