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Description: NCLER provides training videos and issue briefs about SSI basics, pandemic-related disaster assistance for SSI recipients, an important change for SSI recipients and applicants and SSI overpayment information. (Posted April 2022)
Description: William Van Cleave presents how syntax and knowledge of sentence structure impacts reading comprehension.
Description: The ability to understand at the sentence level is in many ways the foundation for being able to comprehend text. The ways in which authors express their ideas through sentences greatly affects a reader’s ability to access and identify those ideas. Sentences that are complex, contain a large number of ideas (also called propositions), or have unusual word order will make it difficulty for students to comprehend what they are reading, especially students who enter school with limited oral...
Description: A revision of Addressing the Revolving Door: How to Retain Your Special Education Teachers, this module highlights the key elements for school administrators who seek to support special educators and increase teacher retention (est. completion time: 1 hour).
Description: Teacher retention is a serious concern for many districts and the COVID-19 pandemic has placed additional pressure on districts to ensure the right mental health support and professional development is in place. In fact, 33% of teachers are somewhat or very likely to leave the profession within the next 12 months, compared to only 8% prior to the pandemic. This report outlines the key factors leading to attrition in today’s environment and research-based strategies schools can implement to...
Description: The Virtual Teaching Resource Hub was developed to assist teachers as they explore new ways to teach foundational reading skills using technology. This site has tools for reading instruction and intervention with children in the elementary grade levels. The materials here are designed to be used with video conferencing platforms for distance education and with interactive whiteboards in the classroom. The activities can also be used if you are creating video lessons for asynchronous lessons. To...
Description: In January of 2014 the Mississippi Department of Education began providing early literacy professional development to all K-3 educators using the Language Essentials for Teaching Reading and Spelling program. Participants received the professional development content across eight modules split into two phases. Each phase included six weeks of online coursework and three days of face-to-face workshops. Typically, educators completed one phase per academic year. Content ranged from learning the...
Description: We currently teach reading as if it is a skill to absorb rather than a skill to be taught. Research has proven again and again that the most effective way to teach children to read is phonics- the method of connecting sounds with letters or groups of letters in an alphabetic writing system. However, for the past 40 years, we have used an approach known as balanced literacy, a method that aims to guide children into reading with minimal phonics, context clues and memorized sight words. Melissa...
Description: This video provides a brief overview of the science of reading and the different bodies of research that contribute to it.
Description: Principles of Effective Time Management for Balance, Well-being and Success - The principles provided are derived from research on time management, motivation theory and much experience working with university students. Think of time management techniques as tools to help you do what you value the most. Make these tools into an expression of your values—what’s most important to you—not just a schedule to get more stuff done. Try to keep these principles in mind as you schedule...
Description: Breaking Down the Issue Burnout and demoralization are meaningfully different forms of work dissatisfaction that each affect teachers’ ability to do their jobs and influence decisions to remain in the profession. System and school conditions contribute to or buffer against demoralization and burnout in ways that directly affect the lives of both teachers and students. Evidence is growing that the pandemic has increased demoralization and burnout among many teachers. This article also...
Description: Support Staff Social-Emotional Well-Being - The majority of teachers experience ongoing mental and emotional stress as part of such a demanding job. But teachers who work with students exposed to trauma are at greater risk of compassion fatigue and burnout as a result of hearing about students’ experiences and dealing with the negative effects. Destigmatizing mental health needs and emotional exhaustion and creating formal structures to support teacher well-being are critical to the...
Description: Podcast: Putting Self-Care into Action to Prevent Burnout in the Helping Professions - Burnout is a topic that hits close to home for me as an SLP of 15 years. In some ways, I think I started to feel that burn even before I got my CCC’s. Why are we and others in the “helping professions” so much more likely to experience burnout than others braving the workforce? This week, burnout expert, Dr. Julie Slowiak, shares her own personal experience with overwhelm and under-joy in the...
Description: Developing a self-care plan - A self-care plan can help you enhance your health and wellbeing, manage your stress, and maintain professionalism as a worker with young people. Learn to identify activities and practices that support your wellbeing as a professional and help you to sustain positive self-care in the long-term. This will help you to: understand self-care develop your self-care plan put your self-care plan into action.
Description: Stress. It makes your heart pound, your breathing quicken and your forehead sweat. But while stress has been made into a public health enemy, new research suggests that stress may only be bad for you if you believe that to be the case. Psychologist Kelly McGonigal urges us to see stress as a positive, and introduces us to an unsung mechanism for stress reduction: reaching out to others. (14:16 minutes)
Description: Child Mind Institute has compiled information on borderline personality disorder, as well as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia — all disorders of adolescence and early adulthood. What are the symptoms, and how does each develop? Most important, it’s critical to know about the best treatment, which for each of these disorders has become much more effective in recent years.
Description: The following books provide strategies for expressive writing that can help to improve health, deal with trauma and increase well-being.
Description: The California Healthy Minds, Thriving Kids Project features a series of free videos and print resources for parents, educators and students, all available in English and Spanish. Developed in partnership with the state of California, this project promotes children’s emotional health and teaches essential coping skills through five topics. The videos feature the voices and lived experiences of caregivers, teachers and kids today. Videos for the elementary school age group use a whimsical...
Description: Autism Speaks virtual series designed for autistic people, families, care providers and anyone seeking information on how to best navigate a new diagnosis. In these recorded videos, participants can hear from parents, topic experts, self-advocates and others sharing their personal experiences and expertise.
Description: This Rubric - HLP 4 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: George Mason University sociology major Charlotte Woodward has tirelessly advocated for the rights of people with disabilities—and she is being recognized for her efforts. In December 2021, U.S. Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) introduced a federal legislation named for her: the Charlotte Woodward Organ Transplant Discrimination Prevention Act (S.3301), designed to prevent discrimination by health care providers against people with disabilities who need organ...
Description: This virtual training webinar was the third of a three-part series on supports for strengthening the transition from high school to postsecondary education and training. Presenters shared strategies for promoting social emotional preparedness for transitions to postsecondary. (Recorded Tuesday, October 13, 2020) To access materials from the first webinar in the series, Laying the Foundation for Postsecondary Success, which focused on strategies that support student and family understanding...
Description: Read with ASL videos encourage ASL and ESL learning! Real-life images give full context to bilingual viewing experiences. Deaf American Sign Language presenters, voice-overs, and on-screen sentences bring access. Read with ASL videos are fun for all ages!
Description: The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), with the collaboration and support of Early Childhood Technical Assistance (ECTA) Center and Center for IDEA Early Childhood Data Systems (DaSy) (for Sections II and III), developed this voluntary self-assessment tool to help local education agencies (LEAs) strengthen their child find system. The goal is to ensure that children eligible for special education and related services are referred and enrolled. This toolkit can also be used by state...
Description: A matrix based on a teacher’s belief in themselves and their belief in students can facilitate effective instructional coaching.
Description: Transitioning from early childhood programs to kindergarten involves a lot of moving parts for all young children. However, transitioning from the preschool to kindergarten classroom for the child with ASD can be especially tricky. This process involves the child, their family, the preschool teacher, the receiving kindergarten teacher, and a multitude of other people including related service providers such as speech and language pathologists (SLPs), occupational therapists (OTs), and other team...
Description: The professional growth and development of teachers are critical within a teacher evaluation system. According to the Virginia Department of Education (2021), “while teacher evaluation should provide a fair and accurate summative measure of teacher effectiveness, first and foremost, it should be a tool to improve teaching” (p. 3). The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) and CEEDAR Center identified 22 High Leverage Practices (HLPs), which are inclusive research-based...
Description: Providing high-quality academic and behavioral feedback to students is an essential high-leverage practice because teachers and other educators are constantly (or should be anyway) doing so. Providing academic and behavioral feedback is a component of many HLPs and other evidence-based practices. Providing high- quality feedback is a practice jointly considered a HLP and an evidence-based practice. Based on the HLP resources (High-Leverage Practices in Special Education: The Final Report of the...
Description: Inclusive Pathways to Success (IPS) is a nonprofit trade school created for young adults with differing abilities that will empower students, serve as their ally and build a new talent pipeline for the skilled trades in the greater DC area. We do not believe that our students’ disabilities, such as severe ADHD, autism, learning disabilities or mild intellectual impairment, are barriers to employment. IPS purposefully uses the term “differing abilities” and offers a new pathway...
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.