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What is Unique Learning System?
Website Link
Unique Learning System is the country's top special education all-inclusive curriculum for students with complex learning needs. Unique is a solution that has had proven success in nurturing student growth, comprehensive support for teachers and students, and data-informed instruction for pre-K through transition. Unique Learning System reaches students using age-appropriate instructional lessons aligned to state standards. It includes four differentiated instruction levels that support students from pre-K to transition. Unique Learning System addresses all core academic subjects and essential life skills. Unique Learning System is entirely cloud-based, allowing teachers to print activities, resources, and readings based on their student's ever-changing instructional level.

What are Unique Learning System's supports for Universal Design for Learning?

Representation in Unique

Checkpoint 1.1: Offer ways of customizing the display of information

Unique Learning system does an excellent job of customizing the display to differentiate instruction for students with significant disabilities. Unique Learning System offers leveled books that can be zoomed in or out depending on the needs of the students to assist students with reading. They provide visual representations on-screen, text read aloud (text to speech), symbol supports, and hands-on learning.

The UDL methods of text read aloud make Unique Learning System perfect for students who are non-readers. All students can answer questions and do activities relating to a leveled book. This makes it ideal for teachers who have students on multiple levels to access the same information differently. This will enable teachers to do a reading lesson on a leveled book (levels 1-3 are for adapted standards, and level 4 is for general).

Checkpoint 3.2 Highlight patterns, critical features, big ideas, and relationships

Teachers can customize reading speed, highlight color, incentive audio, target cue, and show or hide symbols.

Using the ability to change the highlight color in Unique can remove barriers for students with low vision making the curriculum accessible to all learners in their classrooms.

Expression in Unique Learning System

Checkpoint 4.2 Optimize access to tools and assistive technologies.

Unique's materials are developed to work with various response modes, including written response, symbol identification/matching, and visual and motorical (using muscle movements) identification. The materials are also compatible with switch devices and are eye gaze accessible.

Unique Learning Systems'Systems' ability to quickly work with many different response modes makes it perfect for students who communicate differently. Unique's monthly leveled book comes with a customized adapted communication board making expression accessible to all learners regardless of how they communicate.

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What is Storyline Online?
Website Link
The Storyline Online is The SAG-AFTRA Foundation's program for free children's literacy resources where celebrated actors read to children. Storyline Online has a library of over 60 stories read by the finest entertainment industry artists covering topics, issues & imaginings that relate to things students are interested in and care about. Every video includes an activity guide aligned with state standards to assist instruction.

What are Storyline Online's supports for Universal Design for Learning?

Representation in Storyline Online

Checkpoint 1.1 Offer ways of customizing the display of information.

Storyline Online offers many ways for students and teachers to customize the display of information by changing the speed or timing of the video, animation, sound, simulations, etc. Students can adjust the size of text, images, graphs, tables, and other visual content. Storyline Online also allows the reader to adjust the volume or rate of speech or sound.

Storyline Online removes barriers for students by giving students access to electronic copies of stories and books. Using Storyline Online, students can access multiple auditory and visual information from the story. This is shown through photos, captions, and reading stories out loud. Students can change the screen size to see pictures and rewind/re-watch the story.

Engagement in Storyline Online

Checkpoint 7.2 Optimize relevance, value, and authenticity.

Storyline Online increases engagement by using relevant stories that have value and are authentic to the student. Storyline Online has stories that are personalized and contextualized to students' lives. Some include culturally and socially relevant topics and have stories appropriate for all ages and abilities.

Storyline Online has many different books of interest and categories. Students can go to Storyline Online and choose a book that most interests them or choose as a class, allowing them to take part in the decisions of their education.

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What is enCORE?
Website Link
The enCORE solution is the sole standards-based, core-curriculum based on applied behavior analysis (ABA) that supplies students with moderate and severe disabilities, including students with autism and other intellectual and developmental disabilities, with access to the general education curriculum. enCORE addresses the core academic skills of reading, math, science, and social studies. enCORE is an entirely online curriculum that allows teachers to print scripted lessons, worksheets, activities, books, and more based on a child's educational level.

What are enCORE's supports for Universal Design for Learning?

Representation in enCORE

Checkpoint 1.1: Offer ways of customizing the display of information

TeachTown enCORE customizes the display to differentiate instruction for students with mild to moderate disabilities. enCORE offers leveled books that can be shown on iPads, tablets, and laptops depending on the needs of the students to assist students with reading. They provide visual representations on-screen, text read aloud (text to speech), and symbols to support reading.

enCORE enables all students to answer questions and do activities relating to monthly thematic books. This makes it ideal for teachers to remove barriers of students with disabilities at multiple levels allowing them to access the same knowledge differently.

Engagement in enCORE

Checkpoint 8.4 Increase mastery-oriented feedback.

enCORE provides explicit scripted lessons. The scripted lessons in enCORE use specific verbal praise, a type of positive reinforcement to increase mastery-oriented feedback.

enCORES use of specific verbal praise removes barriers by telling students exactly what they did to receive the praise. The use of specific verbal praise increases engagement and the probability that the student will perform that task or respond with that answer again.

Expression in enCORE

Checkpoint 5.3: Build fluencies with graduated levels of support for practice and performance

enCORE offers guides to assist teachers in adapting and gradually advancing based on students' progress providing meaningful instruction to students with disabilities. enCORE can slowly build knowledge in vocabulary, academics, and cognitive skills using graduated levels of support.

enCORE removes barriers of students with significant disabilities by using task analysis to break down a skill into the simplest of tasks and gradually increasing the difficulty of steps to increase students' academic success.

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What is New2You?
Website Link
News2You connects current events, the world, and

news to students with disabilities.

Students with special needs are often left out

from many worldly topics and current events due

to learning barriers. 20 years ago, speech-language pathologist, Jacquie Clark, realized those students with autism and other disabilities did not have access to accessible texts connecting them to current news and

information. Jacquie began a symbol-supported newspaper called News2you. News2You online brings weekly newspapers differentiated to four different educational levels. This fantastic technology closes the gap for students in thousands of classrooms across the United States.

What are News2You's supports for Universal Design for Learning?

Representation in News2You

Checkpoint 1.1: Offer ways of customizing the display of information

News2You brings students the needed adapted text, customized with different literacy levels, pictures, and symbols to access current events, news, and readings.

The information News2You can be presented on iPads, tablets, laptops, smartboards, or printed, breaking the barrier between the different ways students are able to learn.

Checkpoint 1.3 Offer alternatives for visual information

News2You offers an adapted text with four different levels and has the option of being read to you through the computer or application, allowing even non-readers to access its excellent readers.

News2You's ability to read aloud makes it perfect for teachers who have learners on different levels by giving them the ability to access the same information in different ways. This makes it possible for teachers to do a current events article on one topic with several instructional levels. All students have an opportunity to participate in the articles activities.

Engagement in News2You

Checkpoint 7.2: Optimize relevance, value, and authenticity

News2You brings real-time events that are important to students' lives and articles on a range of topics relevant to students' interests and daily lives.

New2You breaks the barrier that existed between students with significant disabilities and access to the world around them allowing their curriculum to meaningful in their daily lives.

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What is TeachTown Social Skills?
Website Link
TeachTown Social Skills is a social skills curriculum designed for moderate and severe disabilities students. Students with moderate to severe disabilities often need extra support when it comes to mastering social skills. This complete curriculum and assessment program teaches social skills through animated video modeling, delivered lesson plans, and student activities. TeachTown Social Skills follows students through adventures of four fun, relatable animated characters as they learn to cooperate, listen, respect personal space, express emotions appropriately, and more. Each social skill is introduced in a two to a three-minute episode that is a part of a series of lessons that include ways to differentiate instruction, generalization skills, and homework. TeachTown Social Skills is designed for students with a language level of at least four years.

What are TeachTown Social Skills supports for Universal Design for Learning?

Representation in TeachTown Social Skills

Checkpoint 1.1: Offer ways of customizing the display of information

TeachTown Social Skills customizes information displayed using iPads, tablets, and laptops to access video modeling of social skills using an animated episode. They provide visual representations on-screen and symbols to support reading.

TeachTown Social Skills removes barriers for students who learn differently in a classroom. TeachTown social skills are presented in many forms/lesson types, including a social comic, an animated video, and homework.

Engagement in TeachTown Social Skills

Checkpoint 7.2: Optimize relevance, value, and authenticity

TeachTown Social Skills lessons are based on real-life scenarios and teach skills students use in their daily lives.

TeachTown social skills remove the barrier between students with autism spectrum disorders and the social skills deficits caused by autism by explicitly teaching the social skills needed in a day-to-day environment.

Checkpoint 8.3 Foster collaboration and community.

TeachTown Social Skills lessons are based on real-life scenarios and teach skills students use in their daily lives. Working together in social skills group scenarios and activities give students a sense of community. It allows students to obtain common social skills needed for life inside and outside the classroom.

TeachTown Social skills lessons engage learners teaching them how to interact appropriately and removing the barriers of students with an autism spectrum disorder.

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What is TeachTown Basics?
Website Link
TeachTown Basics is a computer-delivered applied behavior analysis (ABA) program proven to increase students' vocabulary, listening skills, social-emotional development, independence, academics, and cognitive skills. Basics help build student independence and increase student motivation. Basics lessons are aligned to Common Core standards, state-specific standards, and IEP goals to address various educational needs. Basics lessons automatically adapt based on each student's progress, providing meaningful instruction to learners with moderate to severe disabilities. Student data is documented, examined, and organized into reports giving teachers effective and automated progress monitoring tools. Basics games and animated episodes of reinforcement allow students to engage in their lessons actively.

What are TeachTown Basics supports for Universal Design for Learning?

Expression in Basics

Checkpoint 5.3: Build fluencies with graduated levels of support for practice and performance

Basics can automatically adapt and gradually advance based on students' progress providing meaningful instruction to students with disabilities. Basics can slowly build fluency in vocabulary, listening skills, social-emotional development, independence, academics, and cognitive skills using graduated levels of support.

Basics can engage students with significant disabilities by using technology that gradually adapts to build fluencies in independence.

Checkpoint 3.1 Maximize transfer and generalization.

Basics provides opportunities to revisit critical skills to ensure mastery of the skill over time. It incorporates explicit opportunities to review and practice all skills and lessons learned while using the program.

Basics removes barriers for students with disabilities by revisiting previously learned skills and can help students with special needs maintain mastered skills over time.

Engagement in Basics

Checkpoint 7.1 Optimize individual choice and autonomy.

As students complete lessons and activities in the Basics program, they are given choices of incentives and rewards to increase their motivation to work.

Giving students controlled choices in an autism classroom or any classroom removes the barrier of lacking motivation and unexpected behaviors by giving them a sense of independence and a goal to work towards. The strategy "first/then" is automatically embedded, giving the students the stability of first I work, then I play a game of my choice.

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What is Positivity?
Website Link
Positivity uses eight integrated, data-driven strategies to develop self-regulation skills that students with disabilities need to take ownership of their academic and behavioral success. Teachers can provide equitable access to the techniques integrated for all students using built-in tools such as text to speech and symbol support. Positivity allows teachers to incorporate resources into daily routines to reduce student anxiety and streamline behavior interventions. Teachers can easily customize and pre-assign strategies for greater impact wherever students are learning! Positivity results in a safe, productive learning environment for teachers and students.

What are Positivity's supports for Universal Design for Learning?

Engagement in Positivity

Checkpoint 7.1 Optimize individual choice and autonomy.

Positivity uses the principle of engagement by allowing students with special needs choices and autonomy in the classroom when rewarding them for their behavior.

Positivity increases student motivation and engagement by letting them choose their own incentives for showing desired behaviors. Giving the students a choice in rewards and incentives allows students with disabilities to take control of certain aspects of their lives, decreasing unexpected behaviors.

Checkpoint 7.3 Minimize threats and distractions.

Positivity minimizes distractions. Keeping students aware of what comes next with a visual schedule reduces anxiety and helps them stay on top of time-sensitive actions with helpful alarms.

Students with autism spectrum often thrive on routine and schedule. Knowing what comes next reduces threats and distractions by decreasing the anxiety felt with unknown things.

Checkpoint 9.2 Facilitate personal coping skills and strategies.

Positivity empowers learners to take a break when needed during the day and helps them refocus or calm down with a visual cue to use the breath strategy

Positivity removes the barriers of self-regulation and coping skills in students with autism. It explicitly teaches them coping skills such as breathing strategies and break cards.

Representation in Positivity

Checkpoint 1.1: Offer ways of customizing the display of information

Positivity uses the UDL principle of representation to show positive behaviors in an accessible way by using social narratives, simple templates to create your own, and video modeling.

Positivity removes the barriers of students with autism spectrum by making social skills instruction presented in a meaningful, relevant way to their lives and customizable when using the embedded templates.

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What is Grammarly?
Website Link
Grammarly is a writing assistive technology tool that offers grammar and plagiarism checks and enables writers to improve their writing. The Grammarly product is available on a suite of desktop and web applications and software plugins. Grammarly detects grammar and punctuation errors and provides real-time suggestions/guidelines on correcting mistakes such as errant commas, misplaced apostrophes, and other common punctuation mistakes. You can also add words to a custom dictionary and create a  style guide using the paid version. Grammarly scans bulky sentences, paragraphs, and passages. Grammarly determines the ideal age group for a writing sample and provides additional writing insights and an ability to set writing goals.

What are Grammarly's supports for Universal Design for Learning?

Expression with Grammarly

Checkpoint 5.2 Use multiple tools for construction and composition.

Grammarly allows teachers to provide students with spellcheckers, grammar checkers, word prediction software.

Grammarly removes students' language barriers when the lesson is not focused on learning to compose writing or spell. Grammarly should be used to allow students alternatives to succeed in all areas of academics. Technology is a vast topic; allowing students to use assistive technology will enable them to achieve in society.

Representation with Grammarly

Checkpoint 2.1 Clarify vocabulary and symbols.

Grammarly can be used to guide your grammar by explaining the corrections needed to sentences and words. Grammarly embeds support for vocabulary and symbols within the text. It teaches vocabulary definitions and provides the student with synonyms and antonyms for writing.

Grammarly removes the writing barrier for students who struggle with writing and grammar. Grammarly allows a student to focus on writing the topic of the assignment or activity without causing stress and anxiety. Grammarly is beneficial, especially when the assignment is not about being graded on writing.

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What is BrainPOP Jr.?
Website Link
BrainPOP Jr. is an online educational site with videos, games, and activities for kindergarten through third-grade students. BrainPOP Jr. contains core academic skills in math, reading and writing, science, social studies, health, arts, and technology. Students begin by choosing a core subject. The subject then gets broken into more specific categories. Each category contains individual video topics and activities pages. Students can learn everything from telling time, internet safety, ancient Rome to dental care, and getting lice. BrainPOP Jr. contains tools for making concept maps, building quizzes, and creating written reflections on topics presented. Student progress is monitored using the teacher dashboard. BrainPOP Jr. works well on a touchscreen, mobile devices, Chromebooks, and laptops.

What are BrainPOP Jr.'s supports for Universal Design for Learning?

Representation in BrainPOP Jr.

Checkpoint 1.1 Offer ways of customizing the display of information.

BrainPOP Jr.'s key ideas and information are presented visually with videos and pictures, on-topic games, interactive quizzes, and text. All information is available with text/read aloud (text to speech.)

BrianPOP Jr. can remove barriers for students with disabilities. It can customize the display of information to meet the many needs of the different types of learners in your classroom. Whether visual learners, auditory learners, or students who learn from reading information. Everyone can access the curriculum.

Checkpoint 3.1 Activate or supply background knowledge

BrainPOP Jr. makes explicit cross-curricular connections b using reading activities in every health, social studies, math, and science. BrainPOP Jr. makes information more accessible by presenting information in a way that primes, activates, or provides any pre-requisite knowledge.

BrainPOP Jr. removes barriers and inequities by using activities that supply the background knowledge essential to using new information. The number of topics on BrainPOP Jr. allows teachers to present issues to provide background knowledge for the next project.

Engagement in BrainPOP Jr.

Checkpoint 7.2 Optimize relevance, value, and authenticity

BrainPOP Jr. offers a variety of topics that vary in activities and sources of information. The topics range from social studies, health, science, and art. Topics are socially relevant, age-appropriate, and great for students of different racial, cultural, ethnic, and gender groups.

BrainPOP Jr. can engage students with special needs in age-appropriate topics for them. Students with special needs are often given activities, and issues meant for younger age groups. BrianPOP Jr.'s ability removes barriers by giving them access to relevant topics.

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What is Universal Design for Learning?
Website Link
Universal Design for Learning, known as UDL, is a method of teaching and education that helps give all students and individuals an equitable opportunity to succeed. The Universal Design for Learning structure is based on the principles of representation, action/expression, and engagement. The Universal Design for Learning method offers flexibility in the ways students access present knowledge of the material and access instruction. Developing lesson plans using Universal Design for Learning helps all kids. It is essential for our population of students with disabilities.

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The UDL principle of representation provides students and learners multiple ways of accessing the "what" of learning. This is done by providing numerous ways for the student to access the information presented. This can be done by offering alternatives to auditory and visual information, clarifying vocabulary/symbols, activating background knowledge, highlighting key ideas, and promoting across languages. Changing lessons and activities to meet the UDL  principle of representation provides students access to learning to help them perceive and comprehend the information presented.

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The UDL principle of action and expression provides students and learners numerous ways of showing what they learned. Through AAC devices, both high and low tech options, the principle of expression can assist students with varying communication needs. The UDL guideline, expression, includes allowing multiple means of showing what a student has learned in formats that might not be as widely used. This can mean allowing a student who is unable to write present answers verbally or typing answers.

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The UDL principle of engagement is used for motivating and engaging learners. Engagement assists learners in relating their education to their personal lives. This can be done by making lessons/activities relevant to their lives and interests or by allowing students choices in what they are learning. Using this principle of UDL in your classroom daily increases motivation and decreases interfering or unexpected behaviors.

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What is SymbolStix PRIME?
Website Link
SymbolStix PRIME is a complete visual language of over 90,000 research-based symbols. SymbolStix PRIME offers powerful resources for creating endless activities and supports for students. SymbolStix PRIME enables you to meet the communication needs of every student anywhere there's an internet connection and a device. SymbolStix PRIME supplies a universal, consistent, and engaging way for educators to connect with their students. SymbolStix Prime is also a way to help unique learners connect and participate in the world and reach their best potential. SymbolStix PRIME provides differentiated communication, language, and learning for every student with a comprehensive visual language. SymbolStix PRIME has over 90,000 symbols to provide the visual context that helps learners of all ages and abilities to decipher meaning.

What are SymbolStix PRIME's supports for Universal Design for Learning?

Representation in SymbolStix PTIME

Checkpoint 2.4 Promote understanding across languages.

SymbolStix PRIME promotes learning across languages using pictures/non-linguistic supports for vocabulary clarification and reading. SymbolStix PRIME provides alternatives for crucial information or vocabulary and is an essential aspect of accessibility.

SymbolStix PRIME helps reduce barriers in reading by connecting and interacting with the world. SymbolStix PRIME uses pictures to convey meaning and empower self-expression instead of text.

Checkpoint 2.4 Promote understanding across languages.

SymbolStix PRIME eliminates barriers in education that empower English language learners and people with brain injuries or aphasia giving them the ability to read using symbols. And support individuals with hearing impairments completely through the included American Sign Language symbols.

Checkpoint 3.1 Activate or supply background knowledge.

SymbolStix PRIME activates and supplies background knowledge by using the same symbols across all n2y solutions.

SymbolStix PRIME uses n2y'sn2y's special education solution to provide a language for teaching and learning across all content areas. The symbols in SymbolStix PRIME are used consistently throughout News2you™, Unique Learning System®, L3 Skills®, and Positivity allowing for greater understanding to individuals using these resources.