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Description: National PTA compiled the following resources to give parents important information about state assessments. Every state is different, so to find specific information about the test in your state, see your state’s Family Guide to the Annual State Test. Grade-Level Family Guides: Published in spring 2020, these guides are designed to help families better support learning at home. They detail what students are expected to know and be able to do at every grade level in reading and math.
Description: This Rubric - HLP 1 is a tool that can be used during teacher observations to provide meaningful feedback to teachers about areas of strength and growth as they implement specific HLPs (High Leverage Practices). Instructional coaches, administrators, and collaborative learning teams can use the rubrics for ongoing professional development and teacher support. Each HLP rubric identifies essential components of each HLP and the teacher behaviors that facilitate HLP implementation....
Description: This Rubric - HLP 17 is a tool that can be used during teacher observations to provide meaningful feedback to teachers about areas of strength and growth as they implement specific HLPs (High Leverage Practices). Instructional coaches, administrators, and collaborative learning teams can use the rubrics for ongoing professional development and teacher support. Each HLP rubric identifies essential components of each HLP and the teacher behaviors that facilitate HLP...
Description: This Rubric - HLP 18 is a tool that can be used during teacher observations to provide meaningful feedback to teachers about areas of strength and growth as they implement specific HLPs (High Leverage Practices). Instructional coaches, administrators, and collaborative learning teams can use the rubrics for ongoing professional development and teacher support. Each HLP rubric identifies essential components of each HLP and the teacher behaviors that facilitate HLP...
Description: This Rubric - HLP 16 is a tool that can be used during teacher observations to provide meaningful feedback to teachers about areas of strength and growth as they implement specific HLPs (High Leverage Practices). Instructional coaches, administrators, and collaborative learning teams can use the rubrics for ongoing professional development and teacher support. Each HLP rubric identifies essential components of each HLP and the teacher behaviors that facilitate HLP implementation....
Description: This Rubric - HLP 7 is a tool that can be used during teacher observations to provide meaningful feedback to teachers about areas of strength and growth as they implement specific HLPs (High Leverage Practices). Instructional coaches, administrators, and collaborative learning teams can use the rubrics for ongoing professional development and teacher support. Each HLP rubric identifies essential components of each HLP and the teacher behaviors that facilitate HLP implementation....
Description: This Rubric - HLP 8 is a tool that can be used during teacher observations to provide meaningful feedback to teachers about areas of strength and growth as they implement specific HLPs (High Leverage Practices). Instructional coaches, administrators, and collaborative learning teams can use the rubrics for ongoing professional development and teacher support. Each HLP rubric identifies essential components of each HLP and the teacher behaviors that facilitate HLP implementation....
Description: The Mathematics Standards of Learning identify essential academic content at each grade level for sequential learning. The content of the mathematics standards supports the following five goals for students: becoming mathematical problem solvers, communicating mathematically, reasoning mathematically, making mathematical connections and using mathematical representations to model and interpret practical situations. Note: The 2023 Mathematics Standards of Learning were approved by the...
Description: All we can say is WOW!! You HAVE TO WATCH Megan Bomgaars, a Denver youth with Down Syndrome whose forceful message of "DON'T LIMIT ME!" is a rallying cry for EVERYONE! Megan is a force of nature. She made the State Cheerleading finals at the Denver Coliseum, as part of the Evergreen High School Cheerleading Squad. She was a Guest Model at Global Down Syndrome Foundation's 2010 Be Beautiful, Be Yourself Jet Set Fashion Show in Denver. She traveled to Washington, DC to accept the 2008 National...
Description: Virginia Higher Education Accessibility Partners, or VHEAP, a member-driven organization was established in 2018 to promote collaboration and partnership between accessibility-focused professionals throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia. Looking at accessibility from a holistic perspective, events and resources supported and offered by VHEAP are broad, encouraging collaborative solutions. Our focus is on offering shared opportunities for those who are tasked with improving access to...
Description: The Color Coded Eye Gaze frame (adapted by Erickson, 2000) is intended for students with multiple significant physical and hearing impairments, including those with unknown cognitive skills. The eye gaze frame is often used by students that are unable to hold a pencil or unable to physically manipulate a standard or an enlarged keyboard. For students who have such challenges, using their eyes can be the easiest. Students need to have some degree of vision, but it does not need to be completely...
Description: The Center for Literacy & Disability Studies at UNC-Chapel Hill has developed a variety of “alternative pencils” for students with the most significant disabilities, including deaf-blindness. All the alternative “pencils” have been designed for students who are unable to hold a traditional pencil or physically manipulate a keyboard. Instead, the alternative pencils tap into students’ other developing abilities. For example, the alphabet eye gaze frame may be...
Description: Beginning in the 2021-2022 school year, the portfolio-based Virginia Alternate Assessment Program (VAAP) will be replaced with a new multiple-choice assessment in the content areas of reading, mathematics, and science that will be administered to students in an online or paper format. The new VAAP will be based on academic content standards derived from the Standards of Learning (SOL) in reading, mathematics, and science that have been reduced in depth, breadth, and complexity. These...
Description: Executive Function and Organization - Students with ASD often have a very uneven learning profile. For example, they may have excellent long-term and rote memory abilities but have executive function deficits. Executive function challenges can include difficulties with general organization and planning skills, problems with impulsivity and problem-solving, and challenges with goal completion. Common learning challenges and possible accommodations and supports include: Providing notes or review...
Description: Our Stomping Ground works closely with our Affordable Housing Partners to help fill set aside units within the apartment complex for persons with Developmental Disabilities (DD). Apartment buildings are close to vital services, such as transportation, grocery stores, retail shops and medical services. As units become available, OSG works with the VA DBHDS (Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services as well as local CSB (Community Service Board) to help identify Friends...
Description: The Future Quest Island Teaching Toolkit (TT) is designed to provide teachers with information on how to successfully implement Future Quest Island, a project funded by the Federal Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). In this toolkit, teachers can access the recommended scope and sequence of teaching units, including lesson plans and supplemental lesson plans that promote college and career readiness with middle school students. Teachers should fill out the Implementation Checklist...
Description: Formed Families Together group,for adoptive and foster parents and kinship caregivers, are led by trained Formed Families Forward staff and volunteers who have first-hand lived experience raising children, youth and young adults with special needs. Our youth and young adult Stronger Together group is designed for teens and young adults age 14-22 who have lived experiences in one or more service systems such as: Social services (foster care, child welfare, family services) Special education...
Description: A standards-based Individualized Education Program (IEP) describes a process in which the IEP team has incorporated state content standards in its development. The IEP is directly linked to and framed by Virginia’s course content Standards of Learning (SOL) for the grade in which the student is enrolled or will be enrolled. The components are the same as the traditional IEP. It should be noted that in a standards-based IEP, the PLOP and some or all of the annual goals are...
Description: This is a searchable listing of 85 community rehabilitation programs in Virginia that are approved by the Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services (DARS) to provide an array of employment related services to individuals with disabilities. The organizations, known by DARS as Employment Service Organizations (ESOs), operate primarily for the purpose of providing employment and vocational rehabilitation services to individuals with disabilities. Such services may be provided separately or...
Description: The Disability Information and Access Line (DIAL) helps people with disabilities get connected to information about local community resources that support independent living. Launched in 2021 to help disabled people access COVID-19 vaccinations, DIAL also provides information about essential services such as transportation, housing support, disability rights, and more. Call or send a text message to 888-677-1199 Monday-Friday from 8am to 9pm (Eastern) or email DIAL@usaginganddisability.org...
Description: This guide will provide school leaders with research-based knowledge and resources related to language access, qualifications of interpreters and translators, and sustainable options to ensure equity in communication.
Description: This Warm Line is a peer-run service for residents of Virginia. They offer this support line for individuals, family members, and other concerned parties who would like someone to talk to, or who request community mental health resources, or who have specific questions about their recovery journey. The peers who answer this Warm Line listen with compassion and provide non-judgmental support. The peers at MHAV are not licensed professionals, medical providers, or legal advisers. MHAV’s...
Description: Transition planning is used to describe the very intentional, organized and coordinated process of guiding young people with disabilities with education, experiences, supports and services to help them have successful and meaningful lives beyond high school. It is planning that begins with the end in mind. While IDEA mandates specific documentation of transition planning and services in the Individualized Education Program (IEP) for students with disabilities ages 16 and older, the mandated age...
Description: Mastery of early math concepts is associated with such later achievements as middle school grades, high school graduation, and career opportunities (Garcia & Weiss, 2017). Given the importance of early math, REL Appalachia created the Community Math Night Facilitators' Toolkit as a detailed resource for K–5 elementary school educators to plan and implement a Community Math Night event. Community Math Nights use research-based, interactive math activities to engage families in building...
Description: The New Virginia Alternate Assessment Program (VAAP) is designed to evaluate the performance of students with significant cognitive disabilities instructed on academic standards that have been reduced in complexity and depth. This content is derived from the Standards of Learning (SOL) and is referred to as the Virginia Essentialized Standards of Learning (VESOL). Eligible students with significant cognitive disabilities in grades 3-8 and high school participating in the new VAAP online...
Description: This webinar was sponsored by NTACT. Nellie Aspel, NC, Jennifer Williams, Fran Ennis, and Crissie Parks, AR, provided information about implementation of CIRCLES (Communicating Interagency Relationships and Collaborative Linkages for Exceptional Students) in their own region/school district. You will learn about the program, how to get started, as well as sustainability.
Description: Explore Work Training Program If you are a teen who has a disability, you have choices and things to do to prepare for life after high school and becoming an adult. Just like every teen, this is a time of transition. You are preparing to be an adult, get a job, and become more independent. A big part of planning for the future means thinking about a job that is a good fit for you. Want to find out more about who you are and what you're good at? This training will help you explore your talents...
Description: Transition to Adulthood Resources (PEATC) - As students who have IEPs get older and progress through school, his/her special education program is required to focus more intentionally on preparing that student for life after high school. In Virginia, this school transition planning must begin by age 14, but can begin even earlier. For students, and their families, the thought of TRANSITIONING from school services to the adult world can be overwhelming. Many are unsure of what is meant by...
Description: Early Childhood Resources - Early childhood encompasses birth to age 8. It is a critical time for child development. Children are learning a variety of academic and social-emotional skills they will need throughout their life. Parents are a child’s first and most important teacher, and you know your child better than anyone. Finding out your child has a disability or developmental delay can be overwhelming. It can be challenging to navigate a new diagnosis, learning how...
Description: This practice guide provides four recommendations for teaching foundational reading skills to students in kindergarten through 3rd grade. Each recommendation includes implementation steps and solutions for common obstacles. The recommendations also summarize and rate supporting evidence. This guide is geared towards teachers, administrators, and other educators who want to improve their students’ foundational reading skills, and is a companion to the practice guide, Improving Reading...
Description: This practice guide provides four recommendations that address what works for English learners during reading and content area instruction. Each recommendation includes extensive examples of activities that can be used to support students as they build the language and literacy skills needed to be successful in school, including examples of how the recommendations align with Common Core and other contemporary state standards. The recommendations also summarize and rate supporting evidence. This...
Description: Centers for Independent Living, often referred to as "CILs", are non-residential places of action and coalition designed and operated by people with disabilities. CILs work with individuals to promote leadership and independence as well as with local communities to remove barriers to independence. In Virginia, most CILs serve a planning district comprised of several counties. Centers for Independent Living (CILs) provide services to individuals with significant disabilities as well as to the...
Description: In episode 101 of Classroom Conversations, Hall County teachers Jessica Mobley and Kerri Thomas join the podcast to talk about how they create a positive climate in their elementary classroom. Their discussion with host Ashley Mengwasser includes real stories from their classroom and effective strategies they use to create that positive environment.
Description: Special education teacher shortages have existed for decades. Unfortunately, the urgent need for short-term solutions to fill vacancies often works in opposition to long-term, systemic efforts to create an effective teacher workforce. The Educator Shortages in Special Education Toolkit is organized around the guiding principle that short-term strategies to meet immediate demand must be intentionally paired with long-term, systemic strategies to attract, prepare, and retain effective special...
Description: The recordings include the opening, closing and concurrent sessions for: Day 1- Building Multi-Tiered Systems on a Foundation of Equity, Day 2- Ensuring Inclusive Practices for Students with Disabilities and Day 3- Effective Instruction Based in the Science of Reading. On Day 3, Dr. Sylvia Linan-Thompson models how to infuse language rich activities to promote literacy.
Description: This site includes the recordings of the Keynote: Transforming the Family Tree Through Literacy by Tracy Weeden as well as 6 other presentations. Check out: 1B: Structured Literacy Instruction for Tier 1 by Louise Spear-Swerling 2A: Reading Fluency: Essential Reading Comprehension by Jan Hasbrouck 2B: Choosing and Learning Decodable Text by Wiley Blevins
Description: The ENDependence Center of Northern Virginia (ECNV) is a community resource and advocacy center run by and for persons with disabilities. ECNV’s mission is to END dependence by empowering people with disabilities to live independently. We are a cross-disability organization and work with people of all ages who have every type of disability. Founded in 1982, ECNV is one of 17 Centers for Independent Living (CILs) in Virginia. There are over 400 CILs nationwide. ECNV serves Arlington,...
Description: CRi is a community-based nonprofit organization with a focus on providing personalized resources to people with developmental disabilities & mental health needs. We believe in serving people within the communities in which they live. CRi is transforming how at-risk youth & people with developmental disabilities or mental health needs live, work & play. Working closely together with each individual, they create plans to empower & connect people with services & support while...
Description: Pathways to Community Life is a seven-session course that will assist educators with understanding the importance of preparing students for independent living and community participation after graduation. The Supports & Partnerships course provides information about services supports, and resources available to students with disabilities. Note: You must create a free account to access these courses.
Description: Developed at the University of Oregon School of Education, W.A.G.E.S. (Working At Gaining Employment Skills) is a curriculum to teach adolescents job-related social skills. It was field-tested over a period of five years in multiple learning environments with different teachers and student groups. The curriculum was continuously revised based on student achievement measures and satisfaction surveys, teacher assessments of student learning, and evaluation information about the...
Description: ILO helps families create supportive communities to facilitate networks of support for adults with disabilities to enable them to live independently. They do this by developing teams of paid and unpaid individuals for their self-advocates as they move out of their family houses into their own homes. ILO will be the organization in Washington, DC, Northern Virginia and Montgomery County, MD that supports and empowers adults with disabilities to live as fully integrated, contributing and...
Description: The webinar will address how remote supports can provide the needed safety and opportunities for independence and self-determination for people with disabilities. SafeinHome Remote Support Staff is available 24/7 providing a consistent and responsive environment that encourages decision-making and learning. This person-centered remote support system can provide privacy, safety, guidance, wellness check-ins and more. The following are some of the many solutions SafeinHome successfully supports:...
Description: This guide was developed for people with disabilities living in Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax and Falls Church, Virginia. If you’re a person with a disability, or you are helping someone with a disability, you may have already discovered that finding a place to live is difficult. This guide will help you navigate government benefits, available financing, different housing options, support services, and more.
Description: All disability service providers are short on time and funds. Individuals with disabilities and their families are longing to be more independent, but are fearful of the unknown. With the TravelMate and EmployMate lessons, and activities on the ONEder platform, the Arc of NoVA has found a solution to complement the current service provision model, making it much more effective as well. Their transition suite of apps can be considered virtual supports, such as travel trainer or...
Description: This webinar provides information on how to submit a referral for housing, the Housing Action Plan, and how to work with a Support Coordinator to get help. Jeannie Cummins, Senior Regional Housing Coordinator with the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS) and Blaire Lee of the Loudoun County Community Services Board (CSB) review the Housing Referral process. This is the process for referring someone with a developmental disability to independent housing...
Description: This information is for school professionals who may teach or provide therapy, counseling, and/or other services to children with disabilities. It outlines the kinds of evidence that the Social Security Administration (SSA) needs to determine disability for a child under the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program. The SSI program can provide valuable monthly cash payments to children who are disabled under SSA rules and whose families have little income or resources. Determining...
Description: Developed in collaboration between VCU's School of Social Work and the Partnership for People with Disabilities, LEAP provides training on healthy relationships and information about preventing abuse to adults with disabilities. LEAP was developed by a multidisciplinary team that included people with disabilities and their families, along with representatives from domestic violence, child advocacy, social services, health, LGBTQ+ and disability advocacy agencies. People with...
Description: The Shared Commitment and SEL Curriculum Frameworks were created alongside a team of teachers, counselors, parents, administrators, and other educators from across the state. Each was created to support the implementation of Virginia’s Guidance SEL Standards. The following resources are intended to assist school leaders, teachers, and other educators in implementing social emotional learning in their school buildings and classrooms. Educators are encouraged to confirm alignment with the...
Description: This is a listing of vestibular, proprioceptive, tactile, auditory and visual alerting sensory activities.
Description: The Supporting Literacy at Home Guides in English and Spanish provides parents with suggestions for supporting their children's literacy development at home, through a culturally and linguistically responsive approach to shared reading. Parents and family members are encouraged to engage in interactive reading and discussion in Spanish and/or English and their funds of knowledge are tapped by connecting the text to the families' culture and background experiences. Parents learn to use...