Setting Up Your Classroom to Triennial Preparation

Setting up Your Classroom

• Some good suggestions on several topics

• The really big list of classroom management techniques

Sexual Harassment and Special Education

• Responding to sexual harassment in special education settings

• Frequently Asked Questions About Sexual Harassment of Students-From the Office of Civil Rights

Spanish Information on Disability Topics (look for “espanol” to the right) – Click Here

Special Education Research – Click Here

Special Education Resources

• The Corporation for National and Community Service has published a guide that provides information on how to make national and community service programs more inclusive for persons with disabilities. The Handbook for the Inclusion of People with Disabilities in National and Community Service Programs provides information about creating an inclusive environment, a brief historical overview of social perceptions of people with disabilities, disability-related laws, how to write inclusive service descriptions, recruitment and outreach, and accommodations issues and legal requirements.
  Family Involvement and Vocational Rehab: Research To Practice  
  Power Point
  http://www.pacer.org/tatra/pdf/FamilyInvolvement-ResearchToPractice.pdf

• Materials from Family Involvement: Research to Practice, a session presented by TATRA staff, are now available online through the PACER Web site. The session highlighted strategies that promoted family involvement in the transition and vocational rehabilitation processes based on the findings of a number of recent studies. (Available in pdf, 1.44 MB, 44 pp.)
  Helping Students Navigate the Path To College: What High Schools Can Do  
  Report
  http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/pdf/practiceguides/higher_ed_pg_091509.pdf

• A well-educated workforce is critical for maintaining the economic competitiveness of the United States. The strength of the economy hinges on the education system’s ability to meet the demand for educated workers, so calls are always being made to improve access to higher education and to encourage students and adults to continue their education beyond high school. But reaching college remains a challenge for many low-income and potentially first-generation students who are not academically prepared or who lack knowledge about how to apply to, and pay for, college. College enrollment rates for these students lag behind those of their peers despite improvements in college attendance. This practice guide from the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) recommends five steps that educators, administrators, and policy makers can take, beginning in 9th grade, to prepare students for college, assist them in completing the steps to college entry, and improve their likelihood of enrolling in college, as well as the research evidence that supports these recommendations. (Available in pdf, 1.96 MB, 86 pp.)
  Including Students with Disabilities in Charter Schools: Primers 
  Report
  http://www.uscharterschools.org/cs/spedp/print/uscs_docs/spedp/home.htm

• Primers provide background information and resources to facilitate the inclusion of students with disabilities in charter schools. These reports address critical issues in the field of special education in charter schools, such as: testing students with disabilities, virtual charter schools, accessing Medicaid reimbursements, schools designed for students with disabilities, standards-based IEPs, and the TA Customizer Model.
  Linking Data Across Agencies: States That Are Making It Work 
  http://tinyurl.com/yd4fuc7

• As a condition for receiving funds under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, every governor and chief state school officer agreed to develop statewide longitudinal data systems that follow students from early learning to postsecondary education and into the workforce. This report, co-authored by the Data Quality Campaign and the Forum, looks in detail at the collaborative, cutting-edge work of Children’s Cabinets and others to share data across agencies in order to improve the planning and delivery of services. The brief also presents highlights of work going on in Massachusetts, Maine, Connecticut, Florida, Washington, Minnesota, South Carolina, New Mexico, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Utah and the District of Columbia.
  New Guide for Parental Engagement 
  Guide
  http://www.pta.org/3717.asp

• A new publication from the National PTA provides key facts, background, analysis, noteworthy statutes, and policy recommendations for state PTAs and other family and child advocates for crafting successful school-family engagement legislation at the state level. Research shows that children benefit from family engagement in their schools, and that family engagement helps close educational gaps between children from different racial groups and socioeconomic backgrounds.
  Publications Emerging From Research Funded through the National Center for Education Research  
  Document
  http://ies.ed.gov/ncer/pdf/NCER_pubs.pdf

• This document, released by the National Center for Education Research, contains a list of publications that demonstrate the breadth of work from more than 400 research grants funded since 2002. Organized by topic areas such as reading, writing, mathematics, science, and education policy, the publications include scientific articles describing the impacts of instructional practices on student achievement, articles describing new curricula written for teacher use, and brief summaries of research aimed at the general public. (Available in pdf, 922 KB, 91 pp.)
  State Test Score Trends Through 2007-08: Has Progress Been Made in Raising Achievement for Students with Disabilities?  
  Report
  http://tinyurl.com/yeutzgw

• This report by the Center on Education Policy (CEP) examines progress in raising achievement for students with disabilities. It also describes the factors that make it difficult to clearly discern achievement trends for this particular subgroup. The data within this analysis were collected by CEP with technical support from the Human Resources Research Organization, and come from the state reading and mathematics tests used for NCLB accountability in all 50 states.
  Strategic Use of Individualized Learning Plans: Preparing Students with Workforce Readiness Skills for 21st Century Jobs 
  Research Brief
  http://tinyurl.com/ylndk77

• Individualized Learning Plans (ILPs) are described as strategic planning tools that assist students in course selections and provide opportunities for coordinated learning experiences, including career development and career exploration activities intended to help them identify and achieve post-secondary goals. The National Collaborative on Workforce and disability (NCWD) proposes that electronic ILPs can be an effective means for schools to coordinate workforce development activities, which are led by school counselors, career and technical education coordinators, and special education administrators. Strategies for helping schools identify workforce development activities and increase the impact of these activities are described within this brief. (Available in pdf, 546 KB, 9 pp.)
  Successful Systems of Care 
  Report
  http://www.samhsa.gov/newsroom/advisories/0905064401.aspx

• The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has released Working Together to Help Youth Thrive in Schools and Communities, a report showing that systems of care in communities really are successful. Systems of care are able to dramatically improve the academic, behavioral and emotional performance of participating youth. The report measured performance outcomes of system of care programs and found that these improvements occurred among many young people within 12 months of their enrollment in these programs, and that system of care programs are associated with higher graduation rates among high school youth with emotional challenges.
  Surrogate Parents and Children with Disabilities: State-Level Approaches
  Policy Analysis
  http://www.projectforum.org/

• Surrogate Parents and Children with Disabilities: State-Level Approaches, an in-depth policy analysis from Project Forum, in collaboration with the Legal Center for Foster Care and Education, is based on survey findings from 41 state departments of education. It provides a detailed introduction to the intricacies of the provision of surrogate parents for children identified for service under IDEA. The survey found that most states have issued policy or formal guidance pertaining to surrogate parents and children with disabilities; most also described efforts to ensure that the educational decision-making rights of biological and adoptive parents were preserved whenever possible.
  Systematic Reviews of Research: Postsecondary Transitions – Identifying Effective Models and Practices 
  Report
  http://tinyurl.com/yftk7z2

• This report focuses on transition programs for youth to postsecondary education, addressing the following questions: (a) What models or programs of transition exist? (b) On what basis can it be said that one transition program is more effective than another (how is successful transition defined)? (c) How are transition models and programs evaluated? and (d) What is the impact of transition programs, specifically those that aim to facilitate transition from one educational system to another, to program completion, or to specific career-related employment for disadvantaged youth? From a public policy perspective, this review points to the need for more investment in rigorous studies that investigate in more depth and detail the specific aspects of programs associated with program success. Studies are also needed on the interaction between programs and student characteristics to determine what types of programs are most effective for which students.
  Connect a Million Minds
  http://www.connectamillionminds.com/connectory.php
• Time Warner Cable’s Connect a Million Minds introduces youth to opportunities and resources that inspire them to develop the science, technology, engineering, and math skills they need to solve the economic, environmental, and community challenges of the future. The Connectory is a searchable guide to activities and resources in local communities.
  Global Youth Justice, LLC
  http://www.globalyouthjustice.org/

• Global Youth Justice, LLC strives to promote solutions which alleviate some of the world’s most pressing social problems, especially reducing crime and incarceration rates around the world and supporting the empowerment of youth to become global youth justice champions and activists for positive social change. The Web site contains a comprehensive catalog of organizations and links helpful in finding funding, relevant information, media contacts, or potential organizational partners in working to improve youth outcomes.
  The Resource Center on YouTube
  http://lists.etr.org/t/859034/353580/3981/0/

• The Corporation for National and Community Service’s Resource Center’s YouTube page has grown. More than 60 videos have been added on national and community service topics, including social media webinars and training. Focusing national attention on the need for mentors, as well as how individuals can work together to increase the number of mentors, helps assure brighter futures for young people. Service as a mentor enriches the mentor’s own life as much as it does the life of a child, leading to new experiences, new connections, new insights, and new satisfactions.
  Big IDEAs Newsletter from the National Dropout Center for Students with Disabilities (NDPC-SD)
  http://www.ndpc-sd.org/contact/bigIdeasSubscribe.php

• Big IDEAs is NDPC-SD’s quarterly newsletter, which addresses current issues in dropout prevention and school completion. It features evidence-based dropout-prevention and recovery programs from around the nation as well as information about past and upcoming NDPC-SD events. Big IDEAs is available via electronic subscription.
  Education Research News from the Institute of Education Sciences
  http://ies.ed.gov/whatsnew/newsletters/

Speech-Language Impairments – Click Here

Spina Bifida – Click Here

State Education Departments – Click Here

State Listings of Agencies, Disability and Parent Organizations – Click Here

Strategies and tactics for effective instruction-PDF file – Click Here

Stress in Children

Assessing Stress in Children and Youth: This brief identifies characteristics of youth who may be particularly vulnerable to stress, provides two scales to measure stress among adolescents, and includes tips and resources for helping youth deal with stress. (PDF file) – Click Here
–

Student’s Guide to Jobs

• This Student’s Guide booklet is especially for students with significant disabilities such as mental retardation and autism.

Student’s Guide to the IEP

• This guide will tell students what an IEP is, why you need to be part of your IEP team, how to help write your IEP, and much, much more!!

Summer Camps for Children with Disabilities

• Guide and listing of special education summer camps

TBI ( Traumatic Brain Injury) in Sports

Concussion Sports

This pamphlet from the American College of Sports Medicine provides information on what may cause a concussion as well as the symptoms to look out for.

Keep Your Head About You – – And Keep Your Kid from Losing Theirs

This resource provides a wealth of information on the impact traumatic brain injuries has on youth and professional athletes, as well as a call to action on how to make contact sports safer for everyone.

Living with Brain Injury

This guide from the Brain Injury Association of America discusses what functions of the brain are impacted as a result of TBI.

Concussion Toolkit for Parents, Players and Coaches

The Concussion Awareness Training Tool provides a wealth of information on how to provide support to children who have suffered a concussion.

HEADS UP to Youth Sports: Online Training

This online course from the CDC offers student athletes, parents, coaches and educators the opportunity to learn a broad range of TBI topics, including how to prevent and respond to these injuries.

Teacher Checklists, Forms and Tables for Special Education

• Checklists for Teachers:

  This list is provided to all members of NASET to help facilitate the numerous tasks required on a daily basis. All documents are available to view online or download as a PDF file for offline printing.

• Checklists for students with learning disabilities: This site contains observational checklists that help one determine a child’s strengths and/or weaknesses. This is a valuable resource to bring to an IEP meeting or a parent/teacher conference.

Technical Assistance Guide: Helping Students with Cognitive Disabilities Find and Keep a Job – Click Here

Terminology Used in Special Education

• DICTIONARY OF TERMS USED IN SPECIAL EDUCATION

Test Modifications and Accommodations

• Accommodations and Modifications of Test Administration Procedures for Statewide Assessments-an example of one state’s standards

• 20 ways to examine test modifications

• Accommodation strategies

• The diverse classroom

• Accommodation checklist

Test Publishers in Special Education – Click Here

The Teacher’s Guide:  Lesson plans, thematic units, book activities, teacher freebies, children’s songs, and more.

Token Economy

• Guidelines for establishing and maintaining token economies: This site provides the steps in planning the token economy system, behaviors to be targeted, effective reinforcers and the administration of the plan.

• This site describes the token economy system, how to use behavior token economies, activities and discussion questions and links to other sites regarding this topic.: One of the most often used behavior management techniques, especially in settings for students who have learning or behavioral difficulties, is the token economy system.  A token economy involves awarding tokens, chips, stickers, points, or other items/markings to students who demonstrate desired behaviors identified by the teacher.

• This defines token economy, the goals of token economy, what a token economy looks like, guidelines for creating and using token economy systems.: Token economies are one type of secondary (conditioned) reinforcement. That is, tokens begin as essentially neutral stimuli, of little significance in and of themselves. However, as the tokens become increasingly associated with the reinforcers for which they are exchanged, the tokens themselves can become mildly reinforcing, making learning that much more motivating.

Tourette’s Syndrome

• FAQ about Tourette’s Syndrome

• Overview

• Diagnostic criteria

• Tourette’s Primer

• Support organizations

• Treatment options

• Tourette’s Syndrome in adult life

• Medical progress – PDF File

• Tourette’s Syndrome pen pals

• For parents

• Educating peers about Tourette’s Syndrome – PDF File

• School care plan – PDF File

• School based occupational therapy services for children with Tourettes – PDF File

• Educating children with Tourette’s Syndrome–PDF File

• Tips on dealing with Tics in the classroom– PDF File

• Resource guide for teachers on Tourette’s Syndrome – PDF File

• Guide to the diagnosis and treatment of Tourettes

• National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Information page

• An Educator’s Guide to Tourette’s Syndrome

Transition Timeline

• Transition Planning Timelines for Students with Disabilities

• Planning for terrific transitions. This guide/training package focuses on the need to facilitate children’s transition to kindergarten. It’s designed to help transition-to-school teams improve their transition processes through more effective planning, implementation, and evaluation.The training package includes the trainer’s guide, a participant’s guide, a CD with all the transparencies needed, and a copy of all the handouts necessary for the training. http://www.serve.org/FileLibraryDetails.aspx?id=152

Traumatic Brain Injury – Click Here

Triennial Evaluation Preparation – Click Here

To top