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Description: What is Teacher Self-Care and How to Practice It - Because teaching is such an intensive job, educators can greatly benefit from learning about activities for practicing self-care. Unfortunately, teachers may worry that taking care of themselves can lead to self-absorption and distract them from their students. However, despite the misleading title, self-care isn’t at all about selfishness. In fact, practicing self-care can be in the best interest of everyone in your classroom....
Description: A Family's Guide to Building Family-Teacher Communication and Relationships - Positive parent-teacher relationships matter. They don’t come by chance, but by intention from all parties. This guide offers practical advice on: Cultivating Positive Parent-Teacher Relationships Supporting the Classroom Learning Culture Having Effective Parent-Teacher Conferences
Description: Building a Partnership with Your Child’s Teacher - Research shows that children thrive when their families are involved in their care and education. This article provides some ways you can collaborate with your child’s teacher to create and maintain a great relationship.
Description: Partnering with Your School - As a parent, you are your child’s first and most important teacher. When your child enters school, you and the school become partners in what you both envision will be the successful development and education of your child. Years of research show that the more families are actively involved in the education of their children, the more successful the child will be in school and in life. This article contains tips for creating a positive and productive...
Description: Search for Virginia Post-Adoption Support - Adoption is a pathway to a permanent, safe and loving family for many children. As an adoptive family, there may be times when you experience highs and lows and could use a helping hand. There are five regional post-adoption consortiums operating in Virginia. If you're not sure what region you live in, that's okay - each consortium can direct you to the right agency. All regional consortiums offer the same services, regardless of where you...
Description: Self-care for teachers: 5 strategies to prevent compassion fatigue - Educators are some of the most passionate people you’ll meet in any profession, and it’s easy to understand why. Teachers get to introduce children to concepts, people and places that will shape their lives forever. When your lesson goes well and the class is engaged and attentive, it can feel like you’re on top of the world. But teaching is also an emotionally, mentally and physically taxing job that...
Description: This one page document is a compilation of HLP tools, guides, rubrics, videos and module with brief descriptions.
Description: Mentoring Virginia is a statewide mentoring initiative intended to prepare exceptional school-based teacher educators for work in a variety of mentoring roles, including but not limited to work with 1) teacher candidates in preparation for the profession, 2) new teachers who are completing on the job internships, 3) teachers in their first three years of teaching, and 4) veteran teacher engaged in coaching cycles. Across partnerships, communities, states and international contexts, myriad terms...
Description: Mentoring Virginia: Asynchronous Modules Overview - Mentoring Virginia is a statewide mentoring initiative intended to prepare exceptional school-based teacher educators for work in a variety of mentoring roles, including but not limited to work with 1) teacher candidates in preparation for the profession, 2) new teachers who are completing on the job internships, 3) teachers in their first three years of teaching, and 4) veteran teacher engaged in coaching cycles. This site houses the...
Description: What to Do if You're Worried About Suicide - If you think your child might be feeling suicidal, talk with them about it. Sometimes people are afraid that if they bring it up, it will make the child more likely to attempt suicide, but that’s not true. Showing your child that they have someone safe to talk to makes them feel understood. What You'll Learn (in this article): Does talking about suicide make a child more likely to attempt suicide? What should I say to a child who is...
Description: Depression at Different Ages - Depression can affect people of any age, but it can be confusing because it often looks different in children, teens, and adults. Depression is typically characterized by feeling sad, empty, or hopeless most of the day, nearly every day. For kids and teens, however, irritability can replace sadness. What You'll Learn (in this article): How does depression look different in children, teens, and adults? How can parents help their kids deal with depression?
Description: Parent & Caregiver Resources for Virginia Assessments - Engaged parents and caregivers are a critical part of a child’s successful learning experiences. Reading with students and talking about what is being read is important to the development of strong readers. Talking about and doing math within the family is a great way to engage students and encourage success. Some of the many online resources available for reading, mathematics, science, and history and social science are...
Description: Higher Education Leaders Make College Possible for Students with Intellectual Disability - College is possible for students with intellectual disability! A wide range of colleges and universities, including research institutions, teaching colleges and universities, and community and technical colleges, have opened their doors to college students with intellectual disability (ID) by creating inclusive postsecondary education (IPSE) programs. These programs are highly valued as an active...
Description: This webinar provides information and strategies to support children with disabilities and their families through planned transitions. Learn how to use relationship-based practices to strengthen family engagement and contribute to successful adjustments.
Description: As we get to know the children and their families in our program, we share their joys as well as their challenges. And sometimes there’s a child who we feel worried about. Maybe it’s something about their behavior, or maybe their development and skills. We all know it can be challenging to talk about worries like these with parents. But we also know how helpful intervening early can be when we have a concern. We’re going to look at raising a concern with a parent about their...
Description: In this 1-hour webinar, learn how you can flatten the learning curve for new teachers through a system intentionally designed to promote accelerated—yet effective—professional development. Review aspects of effective professional development for new hires who may not have had the benefit of a traditional teacher preparation program. Attendees will explore how to plan appropriate content for a “teacher acceleration program” that scaffolds learning quickly and effectively.
Description: In this webinar, we’ll discuss how to multiply the value of the time you spend on professional development by becoming part of a learning “team” known as a professional learning community. Professional learning communities (sometimes called PLCs) offer a range of benefits, including empowering leaders to harness the experience and expertise of their own faculty and staff members while also tailoring the experiences to meet the specific needs of their program. We will explore...
Description: The CROWD Strategy Planning Sheet, from the Division of Early Childhood, can be used to plan prompting questions to create a back and forth conversation during storybook readings. Taken from FPG Child Development Institute, Human Development Institute at University of Kentucky, The Early ChildhoodPersonnel Center, & The Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children. (2018). CONNECT: The Center to Mobilize Early Childhood Knowledge (revised). Developed under...
Description: Transition-age youth with disabilities are less likely to be employed, have fewer work experiences than youth without disabilities, and face multiple barriers in obtaining of employment. Secondary education services that have been found to be effective in improving transition to work of youth with disabilities were identified as well as contextual factors that play a role in the success of the associated services.
Description: The preliminary findings of this study have two main implications for practitioners assisting students with severe disabilities to connect with employment while in high school. First, although the involvement of parents and special educators is crucial, students need additional supports. In this study, the students that were successful in obtaining employment in high school had support from at least one or some combination of Pre-ETS providers, VR counselors, additional...
Description: Project NEXT: A Cognitive Support Technology Randomized Clinical Trial for Postsecondary Students with Traumatic Brain Injuries - Pursuing postsecondary education is a cognitively demanding activity and the decided majority of postsecondary students with traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) report difficulties with the academic demands of their studies (Rumrill et al., 2019). A targeted approach like cognitive support technology (CST) is a logical framework for helping students with...
Description: TBI Today is published quarterly by the Virginia Commonwealth University TBI Model System. Features include Model System project updates, profiles of regional provider agencies and faculty, survivor "tips," FAQs, an advice column ("Chat with Pat"), events calendar, and a fun activity (e.g. word game, crossword puzzle, etc.) Our team has worked to make all issues of the TBI Today accessible. If you need additional accommodations to access this information, please contact us at...
Description: In Virginia, if your child is receiving special education services through an Individualized Education Program (IEP), you have an important right known as 'Partial Consent.' All school divisions in Virginia are required to accept Partial Consent. Here's how it works: When the school presents the IEP for your child, if you agree with some of the proposed items but have concerns or disagreements about others, you can give 'Partial Consent.' As a parent, you can initial or sign your name next...
Description: When children can fully access their learning environment, they participate and learn. Discover how disability services coordinators can help program staff think about ways to give children with disabilities or suspected delays access to a full range of learning experiences and activities. Explore how to support educators to recognize each child's level of participation. Learn how to set up the learning environment for full participation and when to modify activities and materials, including...
Description: Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework for increasing access to education environments and opportunities, including in infant and toddler settings. Learning environments, materials, and activities are planned ahead of time, with the aim of welcoming all learners. UDL supports all children, including infants and toddlers with disabilities, to help them engage more fully in learning. It doesn't take the place of individualized curriculum modifications necessary for particular...
Description: Effective Practice Guides: Social and Emotional Development (ECKLC) - Positive social and emotional development in the early years provides a critical foundation for lifelong development and learning. Social development refers to a child’s ability to create and sustain meaningful relationships with adults and other children. Emotional development is a child’s ability to express, recognize, and manage his or her emotions, as well as respond appropriately to others’ emotions....
Description: Video: Supporting Social and Emotional Learning for Children with Disabilities (ECLKC) - Developing social and emotional skills are important for all young children! Making and keeping friends, solving social problems, and paying attention to emotions are key skills for children to learn during their early years. After all, social and emotional development is the foundation for lifelong learning and development. Learning these critical skills is especially important for young children with...
Description: This is a compilation of resources from NCII. Progress Monitoring Progress Monitoring Overview, Academic Progress and Behavior Progress Monitoring Tools Chart & Student Monitoring Tool for Data Collection and Graphing (Excel) (NCII) Self-Paced Modules: What is Progress Monitoring?, How Do I Select an Academic Progress Monitoring Measure? & Graphing and Analyzing Academic Progress Monitoring Data (NCII) Intensive Instruction Intensifying Literacy Instruction: Essential Practices &...
Description: The AEM Takeaway series is a collection of short and engaging learning modules on topics related to providing and using accessible materials and technology. Each module includes a brief video featuring an AEM Center team member explaining a term, concept, or practice, followed by a professional from the field who provides a practical perspective. With each module you’ll also find additional resources related to the topic. Use these to extend the video for training and professional learning...
Description: This page includes a listing of all of the Practice Guides covering various content areas (Literacy, Math, and Postsecondary Transition) and tiers.
Description: Multi-Level Prevention System includes three tiers of intensity for instruction, intervention, and supports. Tier 1 includes high-quality, schoolwide academic, social, emotional and behavioral programming and supports designed to meet the needs of all students. At Tier 2, schools provide small group, standardized academic interventions or targeted behavioral or mental health supports using validated intervention programs to support students identified as at-risk. Tier 3 includes intensive...
Description: These Intervention Guides describe evidence-based strategies you can use to provide supports for your students with challenging behavior. Codes are provided for each guide to suggest the behavioral function (escape, attention) and plan component (antecedent, teaching, consequence) most appropriate to consider when using the guides to develop behavior intervention plans. Free behavior support resources, such as classroom checks, and these intervention guides with strategies for classroom and...
Description: Addressing Challenging Behaviors (Part 1, Secondary): Understanding the Acting-Out Cycle Developed specifically with middle and high school students in mind, this module—the first in a two-part series—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, Secondary): Behavioral Strategies The second in a two-part...
Description: The ultimate goal of teaching a student to use their AAC device is to achieve communication competence. This resource, The 5 Areas of AAC Competence is a reminder to target all of these areas to promote independent use of a system.
Description: This poster is an example of how to teach using the Descriptive Teaching Model.
Description: Curated in conjunction with Mary Anne Prater, the author or co-author of seven books and dozens of academic journal articles on teaching students with developmental difficulties as well as special and general education topics, this search tool contains information and synopses of children’s and young adult literature about or having to do with people with disabilities. This information includes the name of the author and illustrator, year of publication, publisher, appropriate grade...
Description: Engaging families of children with disabilities is essential to supporting children’s learning and development. It is rooted in foundational Head Start resources, including the Parent, Family, and Community Engagement (PFCE) Framework and Relationship-based Competencies to Support Family Engagement. Learning about the hopes and goals of families of children with disabilities is important. It is equally crucial to communicate to families in culturally and linguistically responsive and...
Description: Early Childhood Recommended Practice Modules are developed for early care and education, early intervention, and early childhood special education faculty and professional development providers to use within their coursework and trainings. These modules are designed to support the implementation of the Division of Early Childhood Recommended Practices. Specifically, there are modules to support the use of 7 of the DEC Recommended Practice topic areas. The modules support your learners in:...
Description: This module offers a general overview of the concepts that principals should consider when creating inclusive schools (est. completion time: 2 hours).
Description: Everyone deserves to experience intimate relationships if they would like to. However, parents and educators need to teach individuals with autisms the skills to keep themselves and others safe. These skills can help to reduce the likelihood of behaviors that can lead to negative consequences including social isolation, misinterpretation of social cues, and victimization. We must consider the need for age- and developmentally-appropriate instruction and support to address these skills.
Description: Building relationships with your students and their families is important at the start of any school year. Depending on what school looks like for you and your students this year, it may be more challenging to make those connections. But more than ever, partnering with families can help you support students, both academically and emotionally.
Description: Back-to-school: A 4-week plan for a great start - Is your child heading back to school soon? There’s a lot going on — and a lot to keep track of. Download this one-month planner, which has daily tips to help your child start the new school year right.
Description: Bullying is a widespread epidemic that negatively impacts many students. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, in 2019-20, student bullying and cyberbullying were among the most common discipline problems reported by public schools. Fifteen percent of public schools reported that bullying occurred at least once a week. The Virginia General Assembly passed two bills (SB 1072 and HB 1592) that became law on July 1 that address when parents need to be notified about alleged...
Description: To support efforts to rectify learning loss in early elementary literacy and secondary math, Hanover Research (Hanover) created this benchmarking report to provide examples of how peer and spotlight districts are implementing accelerated learning strategies. When possible, Hanover also discusses the effect accelerated learning strategies have had on student academic outcomes.
Description: The goal of the Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) Division of Education is to provide quality instruction to meet a student’s academic and career-related goals to enhance their re-entry into the home community. The Commonwealth of Virginia ensures that educational services are not suspended during the student’s involvement with DJJ through provisions in the Code of Virginia, including the transfer of scholastic records. Between entry and discharge, students receive...
Description: Strategies for Increasing Student Engagement - Hanover Research reviews best practices for increasing student engagement at both the classroom and school levels. This research is intended to support a member district in identifying program models and best practices to ensure engagement and access to core instruction for all students. This report includes the following sections: Section I provides an overview of student engagement, including definitions of student engagementand research on...
Description: AMC is proud to partner with the Autism Society to offer unique movie showings where we turn the lights up, and turn the sound down, so you can get up, dance, walk, shout or sing! Our Sensory Friendly Film program is available on the second and fourth Saturday (family-friendly) and Wednesday evenings (mature audiences) of every month. Please check your local theatre listings for specific showtimes, and don't forget to share your family fun with #AMCSensoryFriendly.
Description: SDI Spotlight - Integer Operations - SDI Spotlights in Mathematics focus on research- and evidence-based Concrete-Representational-Abstract (CRA) method in mathematics practices in whole number operations, rational numbers, place value and decimals, algebraic concepts, and geometry. Brief videos demonstrating specific CRA method strategies and lesson plans are shared. Explicit Instruction Checklist, Progress monitoring forms, and other information about the strategy are shared. Information...
Description: The School-Based Services (SBS) Comprehensive Guide to Medicaid Services and Administrative Claiming was released in May 2023. The HHS's Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has launched the SBS Technical Assistance (TA) Center. This center will continue to be developed in conjunction with the Department of Education (ED). It will: Support State Medicaid agencies, local education agencies (LEAs), and school-based entities seeking to expand their capacity for providing Medicaid...
Description: This toolkit has been created to help families, and the professionals that support them, understand one of Virginia’s dispute resolution processes: the due process complaint system. This toolkit is not all-inclusive; you can review the VDOE Parents’ Guide for more information or contact the VDOE Office of Dispute Resolution and Administrative Services (ODRAS). There may be legal or other terms in the toolkit you are unfamiliar with. Check out the glossary at the end of this document...