Group items tagged

"The Teacher's Desk Reference is designed to meet the needs of general and special education teachers and to assist them as they face the challenges of teaching increasingly diverse groups of learners. The adaptation process, strategies, and examples provided are appropriate for students at all grade levels and may be applied to all subject areas of the curriculum. Call 812-855-9396 to inquire about bulk discounts on orders of 100 copies or more."

"This video was produced by the U.S. Department of Education for the 35th Anniversary Celebration of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)."

"I have to admit that two years ago, I didn't, in general, use the terms access, accessible, or accessibility as a frame for beliefs about learning. Of course, as with most educators, I've been quick to embed phrases such as learning for all, eliminating achievement gaps, and opening the door for all learners into my edu-speak, but I'm shifting how I think about what accessible learning for all actually looks like."

"The following list of 40 informative sites to learn about effective special education teaching methods includes all-inclusive tips, specific teaching aids and collaborative teaching methods with parents and with other teachers."

In this paper, we discuss the implications of ―college and career‖ readiness for students with significant cognitive disabilities, i.e., those students who take their state's respective alternate assessment on alternate achievement standards, who typically make up less than 1% of all students. We first briefly describe the population of students with significant cognitive disabilities. Secondly, we describe what is meant by ―college and career ready‖ for all students, as well as the Common Core Standards that underlie the concept of ―college and career ready‖. Third, we consider the extent to which those standards are appropriate for students with significant cognitive disabilities (SCD) within the context of a) ―college readiness‖ and b) ―career readiness‖. In the final section of this paper, we offer goals that states may wish to consider in planning outcomes for students with SCD to be college and career ready.

"Cheryl M. Jorgensen, Ph.D., is a member of the affiliate faculty with the National Center on Inclusive Education at the Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire. In 2008 she received the National Down Syndrome Congress Education Award for her leadership and pioneering research supporting the inclusion of students with Down syndrome. She has written this open letter to Shael Polakow-Suransky, the chief academic officer for New York City schools. "

"Ambiguity and subjectivity contribute to the disproportionate placement of minorities in special education." in Ed Leadership 2/07

Resources related to accommodations for SWD

"An Individualized Education Program (IEP) is the first stop on the road after determining your child's eligibility under the IDEA 2004. That road can be hard to navigate without guidance, so we've produced a roadmap to guide you. "

"Teacher Notes functions as an easy way to file written notes, photos, movies or audio on multiple children, domains and content areas all at one time. Then when it is time to write reports cards or evaluations Teachers Notes has a quick way to sort notes by any combination of children, domain and content area. You can then e-mail your organized notes, or email just one note with its accompanied photo, movie or audio file."

"Cora (Classroom Observation and Recording App) is a mobile app that allows you to record student observations/notes in the classroom. Observations/notes can be tagged with subjects, IEP objectives, classes and more. Save time by storing all your observations/notes in one place."

Lots of discussion provoking articles

"When writing communication goals and objectives for learners with complex communication needs one place to start is the research.  What does it say about the skills needed to be a competent communicator?"

Ohio resources for special education. This site includes the new IEP and ETR forms

"It sounds like the Education Department is edging closer and closer to releasing its draft proposal on reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. And even though we haven't seen a comprehensive draft, a lot of the details have already been made public, either through announcements from the White House, the fiscal 2011 budget proposal, Race to the Top regulations, or U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan's speeches. For instance we already know that:"

"This website provides public access to data about children and youth with disabilities served under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) - Part B and C; technical assistance (TA) materials to support the collection, analysis and reporting of IDEA data; and the forms and spreadsheets used for collection."

"SWIFT Center's Issue Brief-Leading Education Reform Initiatives:  How SWIFT Coordinates and Enhances Impact-to realize positive outcomes and increased student achievement for ALL.   This Brief, written by leaders in the field of educational reform and members of the SWIFT Policy Team (TASH, NASDSE, CCSSO, IEL) provides a close examination of the various initiatives and the research to support not only the inclusion of students with disabilities in general education, but the wisdom of braiding reform initiatives to create a unity of purpose and the sustainability of increased academic and social outcomes for ALL students."

"After examining the social and academic experiences of students who attended these six classrooms, our response is no. The students in these classrooms are not receiving the purported promise of self-contained classrooms. They were not learning in a location with a protective and/or strong community. There were in a much more, not less, distracting settings. Students were not receiving access to the general curriculum in an individualized manner. Teachers and paraprofessionals were not using thoughtful behavioral interventions but were instead using threats, time-outs, and restraints. Given the empirical and legal preference for inclusive schooling stated above, moving students back into the general education classroom with appropriate supports and services should seriously be considered."

udl info from the Wisconsin Dept of Public Insruction