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Description: Chalk It Up to Experience! Tips from Real Co-Teachers of Virginia Report This report was created by demonstration site teams to celebrate the first five years of the Excellence in Co-Teaching Initiative. Teams share practical advice for effective co-teaching and practices they consider critical to establishing a strong collaborative relationship. This document will serve as an instructional resource for co-teaching teams and administrators to inform their co-teaching practices. Real Co-Teachers...
Description: The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Head Start are releasing new documents to encourage collaboration between state educational agencies (SEAs), local educational agencies (LEAs), and Head Start programs to effectively meet the Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requirements. These documents make clear that SEAs, LEAs, and Head Start programs all have responsibilities for...
Description: The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) provides eligible households up to $30/month off internet bills (or $75/month on Tribal lands), as well as a one-time $100 discount off a laptop, tablet, or computer. You can sign up at Get Internet. Nearly 40 percent of United States. households qualify for ACP, but millions of families have yet to claim their benefit. Households are eligible if they make up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level ($55,500 for a family of four), and are also...
Description: The Federal Emergency Management Agency has videos on personal disaster preparedness for people with disabilities. The videos give tips on how to be prepared and suggest some items to bring with you in an emergency based on your particular disability.
Description: By hiring someone with Down syndrome, you start a virtuous chain: the more that people with Down Syndrome are seen at work, the more they’ll be recognized as valuable employees, and the more they’ll be hired.
Description: Joint attention is a critical skill that develops early in life for typically developing children, however, those with ASD may struggle with this skill for many years. VCU-ACE has developed a fact sheet on joint attention to help families and professionals support the development of this skill.
Description: Adapted books are a great way to increase student engagement in books, which leads to better reading comprehension. The resources below provide a great way to get started with adapted books. Check out these Professional Learning Possibilities: Webshop Title: [TechKnowledgy 2023-24] Assistive Technology for Early Learners & Learners with Complex Disabilities Webshop Title: [TechKnowledgy 2021-22] Augmentative and Alternative Communication Instruction for Highly Impacted Students with...
Description: One of the ongoing challenges of helping children with autism thrive is understanding behaviors that can seem baffling.These resources may help to clear up some common misunderstandings. Autism experts explain how repetitive or self-harming behaviors may have medical causes, how sensory processing issues can trigger meltdowns, and what is behind picky eating and other mealtime challenges. And we discuss ways to help kids on the spectrum build communication skills, so they can express their own...
Description: Behind every new program is a wealth of good intentions. But it takes more than that to build and launch high-quality, successful K–12 programs. When district and school leaders implement new programs to support students and staff, it’s critical that they have a clear process to follow to ensure they are executed faithfully and with the highest chances of success. Yet it can take significant resources to identify a new program and adopt it correctly across a school or...
Description: When reviewing curricula for Tier I instruction, it is essential to ensure they do not include instructional practices that are not aligned with the scientific evidence base of how children learn to read. The Curriculum Evaluation Guidelines are designed to highlight any non-aligned practices, or “red flags,” that may be present in the areas of: Word Recognition Language Comprehension Reading Comprehension Writing Assessment
Description: This guide will assist school divisions in analyzing transition data, identifying areas of need, and developing an action plan focused on implementing effective transition practices and interventions. The process in this guide focuses data analysis on Indicators 1, 2, 13, and 14 from the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE).
Description: The RTI Component Module Series are provided by Oregon Response to Instruction & Intervention. These modules provide an overview of a Multi-Tiered System of Supports in Reading (MTSS-R), also sometimes referred to as Response to Intervention (RTI). Each module consists of a short (15-20 min) video describing the general features of each RTI Component, along with additional resources and reflection questions to ask about your school's RTI system. All modules are intended for staff...
Description: More Information & Recordings of the K-12 SOL Institutes in English Language Arts - K-12 SOL Conferences in English Language Arts utilize a train-the-trainer model featuring demonstrations by classroom practitioners, reading specialists, school and division administrators, higher education partners, the Virginia Literacy Partnerships Office (PALS), and the VDOE Office of Student Assessment. Presenters will provide professional development that focuses on continued implementation of engaging...
Description: The UFLI Foundations Toolbox contains all the lesson resources to accompany the lesson plans provided in the UFLI Foundations manual. Every lesson has companion resources that will help you implement the lessons efficiently, effectively, and consistently. Some of the companion lesson resources you will find below include: Lesson slide decks (in PowerPoint and Google Slide formats) Decodable passages Homework sheets Games and activities for additional practice
Description: CHOICE is an innovative professional learning model being developed by Virginia Ed Strategies and partners, and it is funded by a 5-year, $10.8 million EIR grant from the US Department of Education. The goal of CHOICE is to build the sustainable teacher effectiveness capacity of 1600 or more high school mathematics, science, computer science, and career and technical (CTE) teachers statewide through teacher-directed selection of professional learning experiences within a virtual professional...
Description: This webinar, Better Together! Keys to Creating Collaborative, Efficient, and Effective Intensive Intervention Team Meetings, shares the important role teams can play in implementation of intensive intervention and identifies strategies to improve meeting efficiency and effectiveness. Presenters, Sarah Benz, Amy Peterson, and Nicole Bucka, will introduce participants to a series of data teaming tools designed to help facilitators and participants before, during, and after their intervention...
Description: Addressing Challenging Behaviors (Part 1, Elementary): Understanding the Acting-Out Cycle - The first in a two-part series, this module discusses challenging behavior in terms of the phases of the acting-out cycle and offers strategies and tips for responding to students in each phase (est. completion time: 2.5 hours). Addressing Challenging Behaviors (Part 2, Elementary): Behavioral Strategies - The second in a two-part series, this module describes strategies that teachers can implement to...
Description: This collection of dyslexia resources was compiled and curated by the University of Florida Literacy Institute team. The goal is to help parents, teachers, and advocates of students with dyslexia expand their knowledge, refine their practice, and understand their rights. The Dyslexia 101 webinar gives an overview of dyslexia and provides an introduction to the "Hub" resources.
Description: Learning to read English is more difficult than in most other alphabetic languages. It sometimes seems there are not reliable rules for linking letters with sounds. Teaching students all of the letter patterns they may find in texts is no simple task. Students struggle processing the sounds in words, so even words with simple spellings are difficult. Words with complex letter patterns place an even greater burden on their memory systems and make accurate reading even harder. As a result,...
Description: Many elementary school teachers have limited resources related to dyslexia and other learning differences. Dyslexia in the Classroom: What Every Teacher Needs to Know was developed to open the door for these educators to a better understanding of dyslexia. This handbook is intended to support all teachers in their passion to help every child reach his or her fullest potential. Use it to raise awareness, share best practices, and be a resource to your school’s administration and staff....
Description: This accessible, online Series provides relatively short introductions to key concepts and skills needed to support students in becoming self-determined and engaging in one’s educational planning. Courses include: Course 1: Your Journey to Self-determination Course 2: Finding Your Voice Course 3: Listening for Understanding Course 4: Managing Emotion and Conflict Course 5: Collaborative Problem Solving Course 6: Educational Planning Meetings
Description: Learning how to advocate for yourself could help you at school, at your job and in your community. Advocating for yourself means knowing what your needs are and speaking up for yourself to get your needs met. It takes practice! To hear tips from other students with disabilities who have learned to advocate for themselves in high school, at work, and at college.
Description: It’s back to school time for many children, families, faculty, and early childhood professionals. Many children - and adults - find the start of the school year to be nerve wracking as we figure out new routines and make new friends amongst many other new experiences. We have just the resources for you from STEMIE and from other partners. Having predictable, comprehensible routines is one of the key ingredients to successful inclusion. The National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations...
Description: A child’s social, emotional, cognitive, and academic development is strengthened when educators and families work together. When a child sees a positive relationship developing between educators and family, the child recognizes that the important people in his or her life are working together and trust each other, and he or she will do the same. This collaboration also provides a strong foundation for communication about children’s learning. To foster family involvement, interactions...
Description: Each of the following National Association of Special Education Teachers' (NASET) professional development courses entitle you to CE Study Hour. Each NASET CE Study Hour is based on the requirements of each course which are rated in hour(s) for reading, comprehension and the completion of an exam at the end of the course. Topics include: Classroom Management Disorders and Disabilities in Special Education IEPs Inclusion/Integrated Co-Teaching New Teacher Courses And many more!
Description: Recorded edWebinar: New Teachers: Surviving the Schedule - New teachers are inundated with demands on their time. This edWebinar provides practical tips for balancing the demands on your time before and after school and during planning. Learn how to organize time for easy communication with paraprofessionals, general educators, co-teachers, administrators, and parents. Learn what time wasters to avoid so that you can focus and prioritize what must be done when. Know when an investment of time...
Description: With school comes tests, and with tests comes anxiety for many students. Clinical psychologist, Dave Anderson, PhD, provides some helpful ways to beat test anxiety!
Description: E-Learning Modules - The VDOE offers free online learning experiences, or modules, that address a variety of topics in Special Education and Student Services. Certificates of completion are available for some learning modules. The VDOE does NOT maintain a copy of participant scores or proof of participation. Special Education Resources - The Federal and State definition of special education and specially designed instruction are: "Special education" means specially...
Description: Edutopia provides helpful tips and strategies for new teachers, their mentors and their administrators.
Description: This extensive planning guide provides tools to successfully understand the college environment for students with learning disabilities, including a student's rights and potential accommodations. Whether it’s in-person or online college, this guide shows you where to find the best resources for achieving your goals.
Description: Everyone wants to be valued and have a sense of belonging in their community. The need for valued belonging is true for students in a school community as well. Although belonging is equally important for all students, students with significant cognitive disabilities are less likely to experience a deep sense of belonging. Developed to directly address the creation of school communities in which each and every student is included in all aspects of everyday school...
Description: To support member districts in implementing best practices for trauma-informed instruction, Hanover has developed this toolkit on trauma-informed instructional practices that can be implemented at the elementary and secondary levels. Specifically, this toolkit provides guidance and evidence-based practices that building-wide teams can use to develop a plan for working with teachers on trauma-informed instruction for the upcoming school year.
Description: Teacher Induction: Providing Comprehensive Training for New Special Educators This module emphasizes the importance of administrative support for beginning special education teachers. It also demonstrates how teacher support can increase the teacher's effectiveness in the classroom (est. completion time: 1 hour) What are some typical challenges faced by new special education teachers? Page 1: Experiences of New Special Education Teachers The first few years of a new teacher’s time in the...
Description: This practice guide, developed in conjunction with an expert panel, distills contemporary early childhood and preschool education research into seven easily comprehensible and practical recommendations. The guidance will help to prepare young children to benefit from the learning opportunities they will encounter in school.
Description: 6 Tips for a First-Year Special Education Teacher - It's not uncommon for special education teachers to feel extra anxious facing their first year of teaching, as they have additional, unique responsibilities to complete in order to have a successful year. To keep you afloat, here are some tasks you should tackle first. Review All IEP Due Dates Make Positive Contact with Parents Review and Organize Your Students' IEPs Create a Game Plan for IEP Meetings Lean on Your Mentor Find Your Work-Life...
Description: Easterseals UCP provides meaningful and exceptional services so that children, adults and families living with disabilities, behavioral health challenges and autism can live, learn, work and play in their communities. Easterseals UCP’s Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities (I/DD) services provide home and community-based supports that help children and adults be engaged and contributing members of their family and community. Our Behavioral Health programs are evidenced-based and...
Description: This form includes the task, the description and the team member responsible for the AAC trial implementation.
Description: Prompt Hierarchy - This is a visual with descriptions of different levels of prompting that focus on increasing motivation and allowing wait time. Revisiting the Adapted AAC Prompt Hierarchy: Seven Years Later - A prompt hierarchy that focuses on creating motivation for AAC users and scaffolding the level of prompting they need to be successful.
Description: First responders and other emergency personnel are starting to use this helpful tool to communicate with individuals who are not responding to verbal instructions or questions. These may be individuals who are non-verbal, on the autism spectrum, or simply feeling overwhelmed or confused. By pointing to pictures on the ECB, emergency personnel can focus their need for information with the individuals level of understanding, ideally securing even a yes or no response allowing them to provide...
Description: Emergency Communication Boards (Chileda Institute) Paramedic & Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Symbol Board (Widget Health) Emergency Chat Google App Developing Positive Interactions for People with Developmental Disabilities and First Responders, Police, and the Justice System: A Guide for People with Developmental Disabilities and Their Loved Ones (Updated November 2020) (The Arc of Northern Virginia)
Description: This data collection tool is a written summary of a particular lesson or activity.
Description: This data collection tool is in the form of a checklist and helps a team determine if a device is being used for a variety of communicative functions.
Description: This data collection tool helps teams collect information on whether a response is independent or if the user needed a prompt or a model to elicit the response.
Description: This Wheel of Apps for Complex Communication Support Needs (AAC) has been given a refresh and update. This 'wheel' of Apps provides a categorised guide to iPad Apps for individuals with complex communication support needs, who may need to use Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). We appreciate that identifying AAC Apps from the many available can be a difficult and challenging task, so we hope that in creating and sharing this resource, it will help you with that process. (10/2023)
Description: AAC Evaluation Genie assists teams in identifying skill areas that relate specifically to the language representation methods commonly found on augmentative communication systems. It helps to build a framework for selecting an appropriate augmentative communication device for ongoing evaluation and/or device trial.
Description: Check with your local T/TAC to determine if these resources are available for check out - Regional TTAC Contact Information
Description: This Youth Engagement Rubric to identify the ways your students are engaged, address the challenges associated with getting students involved, and the positive outcome of their involvement.
Description: The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) is announcing a Fall 2022 cohort of the Journey into Teaching Academy. This is a yearlong professional development initiative for teachers completing their second year of teaching at the end of the 2021-2022 school year (SY) and entering their third year of teaching during the 2022-2023 SY as a provisionally licensed special education teacher. The Journey into Teaching Academy has been designed as a program to provide teacher support beyond mentorship...
Description: Main Report: This 163-page report fills a profound gap in our knowledge of school-age students who are deaf-blind and have significant cognitive disabilities. Brief #1 provides details about this group of students, recommendations for identification, and implications for instruction.
Description: There are no prerequisites to introducing augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) to children and young people with disabilities. This article from Avaz Inc. shares many of the common myths and misconceptions around prerequisites for AAC and explains the facts that busts this myth. This article is a must read for all practitioners who work with children and students who use AAC! Posted December 4, 2020