Professional Resources
Skip to search results Showing Results 501 - 550 of 1242
Description: In January 2020, Virginia legislators passed House Bill 817 requiring the Department of Education (VDOE), in collaboration with the Department of Health and medical professional societies, to develop health and safety guidelines related to the use of digital devices in the classroom. The VDOE convened a Digital Devices in the Classroom Workgroup to develop guidelines. The Digital Devices in the Classroom: Health and Safety Guidelines document addresses digital device use for different age...
Description: CVI stands for Cortical Visual Impairment/Cerebral Visual Impairment. CVI is a brain-based visual impairment caused by damage to the visual pathways or visual processing areas of the brain. Learners struggle with visual attention and visual recognition resulting in a lack of access for understanding the world around them. CVI is known to be the leading cause of visual impairment in children in the United States. With CVI, the eye’s connection to and in the brain doesn’t work...
Description: HLP 5 Highlight Tool 2024.docx - The High Leverage Practices (HLP) Highlight Tools were developed to acquaint educators with the key components of each HLP in order to begin implementation into their instruction and strengthen inclusive practices with students. Each Highlight Tool contains a brief description, video clips, suggested activities and a Plan of Action activity teachers can implement with students to help get them started. As teachers become more acquainted with HLPs, additional...
Description: HLP 9 Highlight Tool 2024.docx - The High Leverage Practices (HLP) Highlight Tools were developed to acquaint educators with the key components of each HLP in order to begin implementation into their instruction and strengthen inclusive practices with students. Each Highlight Tool contains a brief description, video clips, suggested activities and a Plan of Action activity teachers can implement with students to help get them started. As teachers become more acquainted with HLPs, additional...
Description: Teaming for Well-Being - Well-being is an umbrella term including the psychological, cognitive, social and physical health of ALL students. All students, from those who have experienced trauma to students with disabilities and beyond deserve a safe and inclusive learning environment. Social emotional learning is utilized to teach needed skills and build resilience for the students and the school community. Additionally, the education system must always support staff and families and create a...
Description: The Advancing Effective Interactions and Instruction (AEII) initiative is all about helping education leaders make data-driven decisions that support teachers and provide high-quality learning experiences for children in Virginia’s early childhood classrooms.
Description: HLP 8 Highlight Tool 2024.docx - The High Leverage Practices (HLP) Highlight Tools were developed to acquaint educators with the key components of each HLP in order to begin implementation into their instruction and strengthen inclusive practices with students. Each Highlight Tool contains a brief description, video clips, suggested activities and a Plan of Action activity teachers can implement with students to help get them started. As teachers become more acquainted with HLPs, additional...
Description: The National Resource Center for Supported Decision-Making (NRC-SDM) builds on and extends the work of Quality Trust's Jenny Hatch Justice Project by bringing together vast and varied partners to ensure that input is obtained from all relevant stakeholder groups including older adults, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD), family members, advocates, professionals and providers. The NRC-SDM partners bring nationally recognized expertise and leadership on SDM,...
Description: Think Work Stories - This site highlights the employment successes of people with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) who are working in paid jobs in their communities. Through the use of innovative, front-line employment support practices, these individuals are earning money, forming networks, and contributing to their communities. Learn more about these people and the promising practices that led to their success.
Description: HLP 4 Highlight Tool 2024.docx - The High Leverage Practices (HLP) Highlight Tools were developed to acquaint educators with the key components of each HLP in order to begin implementation into their instruction and strengthen inclusive practices with students. Each Highlight Tool contains a brief description, video clips, suggested activities and a Plan of Action activity teachers can implement with students to help get them started. As teachers become more acquainted with HLPs, additional...
Description: HLP 3 Highlight Tool 2024.docx - The High Leverage Practices (HLP) Highlight Tools were developed to acquaint educators with the key components of each HLP in order to begin implementation into their instruction and strengthen inclusive practices with students. Each Highlight Tool contains a brief description, video clips, suggested activities and a Plan of Action activity teachers can implement with students to help get them started. As teachers become more acquainted with HLPs, additional...
Description: These questions can be used to establish a relationship with families and encourage two-way communication. Edit this survey to fit the needs of your community and classroom. Remember: brevity is best. Only include the questions that you believe will best inform your relationship with your students and families. Bolded & italicized script should especially be edited. The attached Word version can be updated for the current school year.
Description: The Phonics Scope and Sequence Checklist, created by Doreen L. Mazzye, Ph. D, is designed to assist teachers in a more diagnostic approach to phonics instruction. Directions for use accompany the excel file download that teachers can use to record data about the next phonics instructions steps to take with each student.
Description: This is part of a reading video series for individuals with Down syndrome focusing on building auditory memory and the ability to discriminate between sounds.
Description: Innovation Configurations - Recognizing that evidence-based practices (EBPs) account for at least part of the effects of teachers on achievement and the critical role of teacher preparation, the CEEDAR (Collaboration for Effective Educator Development Accountability and Reform) Center professionals, along with their partner Great Teachers and Leaders, offer innovation configurations (ICs) to promote the implementation of evidence-based instructional practices in teacher preparation...
Description: Familiarity with Greek and Latin roots, as well as prefixes and suffixes, can help students understand the meaning of new words.
Description: This is a collection of resources for teaching morphology using a morpheme tree.
Description: Growing Words is an instructional resource for K -5 teachers. Extensive research shows that understanding common prefixes and suffixes, and how they combine with basewords and roots will make students more effective readers, writers and spellers, while also significantly expanding a student’s vocabulary. In this guide, the K –3 component focuses on common prefixes and suffixes and how adding these word parts to base words changes the...
Description: A spelling program at any grade level has many components. Examples of the main components typically introduced in the primary grades are provided in this article.
Description: Multisyllabic words can stymie struggling readers. Students rely on others for help or feel defeated before even trying to decode a long word. Giving students a strategy for figuring out multisyllabic words promotes fluency and independent reading. This article explains how to chunk words according to six syllable types. Students learn clues to determine whether the vowel is long or short. When they have mastered quick and accurate recognition of the syllable types, long words can be decoded in...
Description: Don't make rules/generalizations the emphasis of phonics instruction. Teach only those rules/generalizations with the most utility. Emphasize applying the rules/generalizations rather than verbalizing them. Teach the rules/generalizations at a point when children can best understand and apply them. Never teach rules as absolutes.
Description: Why teach about syllables? Dividing words into parts, or "chunks" helps speed the process of decoding. Knowing the rules for syllable division can students read words more accurately and fluently. Understanding syllables can also help students learn to spell words correctly.
Description: This document is Virginia's new set of comprehensive early learning and development standards for young children, birth to age five. The new standards focus on five Areas of Development: Approaches to Play and Learning; Social and Emotional Development; Communication, Language, and Literacy Development; Health and Physical Development and Cognitive Development. All birth to five programs are expected to implement the new standards by Fall 2021.
Description: This document includes a non-exhaustive list of non-profit legal services and advocacy organizations in Virginia that provide no-cost legal or advocacy services, technical assistance, and/or referrals to the public. Other attorney or non-attorney services, including pro bono services and special education resources may be available in your community. The Virginia Lawyer Referral Service (VLRS), a program of the Virginia State Bar, provides a low-cost attorney referral and consultation service....
Description: A recent study suggests that mindfulness education — lessons on techniques to calm the mind and body — can reduce the negative effects of stress and increase students’ ability to stay engaged, helping them stay on track academically and avoid behavior problems. While small, the study of sixth-graders at a Boston charter school adds to a still-growing body of research about a role for mindfulness in the classroom. In recent years, the topic has excited researchers and...
Description: HLP 6 Highlight Tool 2024.docx - The High Leverage Practices (HLP) Highlight Tools were developed to acquaint educators with the key components of each HLP in order to begin implementation into their instruction and strengthen inclusive practices with students. Each Highlight Tool contains a brief description, video clips, suggested activities and a Plan of Action activity teachers can implement with students to help get them started. As teachers become more acquainted with HLPs, additional...
Description: This is a compilation of articles about the importance of self-care as well as helpful strategies for parents, family members and caregivers.
Description: This webpage includes the recorded webinars that are posted within 24 to 48 hours after the session concludes. Presenters ofth provide additional resources that may include handouts, and links. The resources are listed in reverse order, with the most recent session listed first. (Please note: You must register to view the recording.)
Description: The SETT Framework and Evaluating Assistive Technology Remotely by Aleksandra Hollingshead, Ed.D.; Joy Zabala, Ed.D.; Janice Carson, Ed.D. - Educational teams evaluate assistive technology (AT) needs at least annually for each student with an Individualized Education Plan (IEP). One of the most common methods of AT needs evaluation is the SETT Framework (Zabala, 2005). This blog provides a description of the AT evaluation strategies with practical strategies and considerations for distance...
Description: Developed by Dr. Catherine Crowley, this self study course for speech-language pathologists was developed after identifying gaps between current clinical approaches to disability evaluations and evidence-based practice as well as the federal law. The course focuses on clinician skill-building of evidence-based approaches to elicit and analyze language samples through videos of children/students using the School-age Language Assessment Measures (SLAM), both in person and via telepractice. To...
Description: This is a compilation of resources that focus on well-being and offer a myriad of tips and tools for taking care of yourself.
Description: Welcome to the online trauma learning modules for Virginia Tiered Systems of Supports, VTSS. They believe that becoming a Trauma-Sensitive School is a journey. These tools will help to develop the systems to gain knowledge, to build practices, and to have the skills to support a Trauma-Sensitive School. Within the learning modules, you will interact with content that is focused on developing a Trauma-Sensitive School. Supplemental activities, resources, and an action planner are included to...
Description: Why Build Resilience? A focus on compassion resilience will guide all staff back to the core set of values and the drive for a sense of purpose that drew them to work in schools in the first place. It will do so by supporting the development of a strong set of skills to manage expectations, set professional and personal boundaries, build effective collegial relationships, and practice real-time and ongoing self-care. A focus on relational trust between teachers, students, families, colleagues,...
Description: Resilience is required in all aspects of life from understanding yourself and your goals, building personal relationships with friends and families to finding common ground with people you disagree with. This resilience toolkit provides reflections, exercises, videos, and materials you can use to develop the ability to bounce back in the face of stressful situations and inevitable setbacks.
Description: The mission of the American Institute of Stress is to improve the mental and physical health of the community and the world by setting the standard of excellence of stress management in education, research, clinical care, home life and the workplace. We educate and credential health care professionals and offer products and educational tools for everyone. They are a clearinghouse that gathers evidence based stress solutions.
Description: The ProQOL is the most commonly used measure of the negative and positive affects of helping others who experience suffering and trauma. The ProQOL has sub-scales for compassion satisfaction, burnout and compassion fatigue. The measure has been in use since 1995. There have been several revisions. The ProQOL measure may be freely copied as long as (a) author is credited, (b) no changes are made other than those authorized below, and (c) it is not sold. You may substitute the...
Description: Take 5 is a great mindfulness and relaxation exercise to use with kids, adults, and anyone in between. I teach it in education, healthcare, and corporate settings and people love it. Try it out! Cory Muscara is the founder of the Long Island Center for Mindfulness. He serves as faculty at Columbia Teachers College and the University of Pennsylvania, where he teaches mindfulness and positive psychology, and in 2012 spent six months in silence living as a monk in Asia.
Description: CASEL (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning) CARES is an initiative that connects the SEL community with experts to address how SEL can be most helpful in response to today’s circumstances. The first opportunity in this series features Dr. Marc Brackett, CASEL board member and director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. Key Takeaways: Give yourself and others the permission to feel all emotions. Accept all feelings and use them wisely. Strive to become an...
Description: What is SEL for Educators? Social-emotional learning (SEL) shares some similarities with terms such as emotional intelligence, resilience, well-being and self-care. However, the specific components of SEL for adults in school settings are unique. Educator SEL is: The competencies that adults need in order to manage stress and create a safe and supportive classroom environment The skills and mindsets that adults need to effectively embody, teach, model and coach SEL for students The overall...
Description: Strengthen Adult SEL Competencies and Capacity - In order to create conditions for students to engage in SEL, adults need to feel empowered, supported, and valued. This calls on districts to foster a supportive staff community that promotes adults’ own SEL. This focus area helps districts strengthen staff expertise and skills to lead SEL initiatives, as well as cultivate adults’ social, emotional and cultural competencies. Key Activities include: Central Office Expertise,...
Description: Practice Brief: Building a Culture of Staff Wellness Through Multi-Tiered System of Supports - The purpose of this brief is to provide recommendations to district and school leadership teams on how the components of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) can be used to prioritize staff health and wellbeing.
Description: Calm - Free Tools for Resilient Classrooms: 30 Days of Mindfulness in the Classroom- Bring mindfulness to your classrooms with ease. From breathing exercises to meditations to relaxation activities, each day is a new mindful exploration complete with a lesson plan. Self Care Guide for Teachers- At the heart of a mindful classroom is a healthy and happy teacher. When you’re thriving you naturally have more energy, creativity, and empathy to offer your students. It’s a...
Description: Wellness is about modifying areas of your life that will lead to healthier physical, emotional, and spiritual outcomes. Developing and practicing these changes looks and feels different for everyone. Finding wellness is about discovering what is best for you. To fully understand the significance of wellness, let’s break down the Wellness Wheel — an interconnected wheel that shows 7 different areas that impact your well being. Neglecting areas of the wheel will affect your wellness,...
Description: Addressing educator stress, compassion fatigue and secondary trauma has never been more important. Educators are faced with unique pandemic-related issues (how will students receive food, students lacking WiFi access, living in unsafe homes, etc.) that only add to an already challenging career. In order for us to be there for our students, we all must first take care of ourselves and our staff. This community conversation with Erin Scherder, LPES, NCSP, begins by asking us to take a holistic...
Description: Structured Literacy prepares students to decode words in an explicit and systematic manner. This approach not only helps students with dyslexia, but there is substantial evidence that it is effective for all readers. Get the basics on the six elements of Structured Literacy and how each element is taught.
Description: IDA infographics help make complex information easy to digest, remember, and share and are made for a wide audience–those new to dyslexia and related literacy/learning issues as well as the experts. Please share our infographics as well as our Fact Sheets to raise awareness about dyslexia and to help support the policy and practice changes needed to bring effective instruction (particularly in reading) to every child with dyslexia in every classroom across the nation.
Description: Sound walls support students with learning those tricky high-frequency words. They also support students in retaining and learning to read unfamiliar words on their own. A sound wall does the work of matching our articulation of speech sounds/phonemes to the letters/graphemes that represent those sounds. Learn more about why you should make the switch from word walls to sound walls.
Description: We want our readers to have automatic high frequency word recognition. Cognitive scientists have proven that we do not do this by storing words as visual images. Learn how phoneme/grapheme mapping can make your high frequency word instruction more valuable.
Description: As a cognitive psychologist, Dr. Kilpatrick explains that with the right knowledge and tools, teachers can change lives since word-level reading is phonological in nature, and most reading problems are preventable.
Description: The purpose of this presentation is to build your knowledge of orthographic mapping. Once you understand the importance, you will see the role it plays for students who have reading difficulties.